Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 779 Flying Dragon! Flying Dragon! According to the rules of the Sanmen Gang...
Xu Ning didn't know what Wei Lai's personality was like, but he was willing to invest money simply because there was profit to be made.

Upon hearing this, Wei Lai, who was sitting on the edge of the kang, was initially excited. 200 yuan was no small amount, and for someone he had just met, it was a great deal of trust!

However, after hearing Xu Ning's words, he felt indignant. Those brothers were all following him for a living, and asking him to purge some of the Ginseng Gang members was putting him in a difficult position!

Wei Lai frowned slightly, as did Xiao Liu and Lü Mazi beside him. Their group was quite united, otherwise they would have been in trouble long ago. The two looked at Wei Lai and wisely kept quiet.

Before they arrived in Qing'an, Wei Lai had warned them not to talk nonsense. If they angered their benefactor, they would have to return empty-handed, and not only would they be unable to go into the mountains to set off their weapons, but their very livelihood would be in trouble.

"Xu Pao, these brothers have been suffering a lot, could you..."

Xu Ning waved his hand and refused irreconcilably, saying, "No! I'm willing to invest money in you not because of your abilities, but because I value your master, the old leader! If it weren't for the old leader, do you think I would have let you come?"

“My money didn’t grow on trees; I earned it by risking my life. Every penny is hard-earned, so this 200 yuan absolutely cannot be used to support idlers! Besides, don’t worry, my brother isn’t completely useless. He’s been in the ginseng gang before, so he knows the rules and procedures. Plus, he can lift a club with four leaves or less…”

"However, the four men he led were not very experienced, but they could bring two Type 56 semi-automatic rifles for support. If there were any difficult things to handle in the mountains, we would leave them to them."

Hearing Xu Ning's unequivocal words, Wei Lai sighed inwardly, "So how many shares do you want? How should the money be divided..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Ning laughed and said, "There are two solutions to this matter. One is that we invest in the Ginseng Gang. No matter how many scoundrels the Ginseng Gang brings out, we will get a share proportionally. Do you understand?"

Wei Lai nodded: "I can roughly understand. It means that we will decide on the shares now, for example, we will split them 30/70. No matter how many sticks we produce or how much money we make, the profits will be split 30/70."

"Yes, secondly, my five brothers and I joined the Ginseng Gang, and we divided the shares according to the gang's rules..."

Wei Lai's eyes lit up. "According to the rules of the Ginseng Gang, we'll divide the shares? Then, there's also the 200 yuan for procurement expenses."

"Have!"

Xu Ning readily agreed: "But don't think that dividing shares according to the rules of the Ginseng Gang is better than investing in the Ginseng Gang, because there are also some shady dealings involved."

To put it simply, joining a guild means a fixed distribution of profits, while distributing profits according to the guild's rules means a flexible distribution. One is rigid adherence to the rules, while the other is the ability to adapt flexibly, with an element of luck involved.

“I know… but I still think the second option is better. According to the rules of the guild, we’re supposed to stand together through thick and thin. Even if not a single one of us makes a mistake, you’ll cover the losses, right?”

Xu Ning nodded and smiled, "No problem!"

Wei Lai paused, then said in a gentler tone, "Then could my brother...?"

Xu Ning said sternly, "No, I've already said it, there are too many people in the gang, we have to clear some out."

Wei Lai was silent for a moment. He looked at Xiao Liu and Lü Mazi, then turned and said, "Can we find them a job that can earn money? It's better to suffer than to be poor."

Guan Lei said from the side, "Brother, if they're not afraid of hardship, they should go and mine coal. They can earn quite a lot in the mines."

"Listen, my brother found them some work. Whether you can do it or not is up to you."

"Mining coal... I'll go back and ask."

Xu Ning tilted his head and said, "So, is that settled then?"

"It's settled! I'll stay here tonight, okay? I'll leave tomorrow."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "Why don't you stay here for a couple more days? I happen to have some free time right now, so I'll stay in the west room of this house."

"Thank you very much."

Xu Ning turned to Guan Lei and said, "Go back up the mountain and find Brother Jun. Ask him to come down and have a drink with you. Also, ask your wife to come and help cook a few dishes."

"okay."

After saying that, Guan Lei drove away.

Xu Ning chatted with Wei Lai, Xiao Liu, and Lü Mazi inside the house. After finishing their business, the three of them relaxed and chatted without much restraint, only recounting their experiences in Ma Lian.

In the evening, Zhang Guifang and Wu Qiuxia went to Guan Lei's house and cooked six dishes with Xu Ning's mother-in-law. Yang Jun and Da Laba joined them at the table, and the three of them, including Wei Lai, had a good drink together.

During this time, Wei Lai heard the loudspeaker and Yang Jun's boasting, which made Wei Lai admire Xu Ning even more. He could tell from their words that Xu Ning had helped them a lot. It could be said that without Xu Ning's help, they would not be much better off than Wei Lai now.

The next day, Xu Long, Xu Feng, Wang Biao and others left first, while Xu Ning took Wei Lai and the other two to wander around Lengchang. The main reason he didn't bring them home was that he didn't quite trust them. After all, they had just started getting to know each other, and it was already quite generous of him to let them stay for two days.

On the day Wei Lai, Xiao Liu, and Lü Mazi left, Xu Ning gave them 300 yuan. 200 yuan was for spring shopping, and the remaining 100 yuan was lent to Wei Lai. Since there was still some time before spring, the fact that the three of them were in such a hurry to come to Qing'an meant that they must be short of money. Lending 100 yuan was just enough to solve Wei Lai's immediate problem.

Guan Lei drove his old Dongfeng truck to the forest farm's transport team. He learned that Lao Zhang and Lao Lin were on their way to Wanye City to deliver timber, so he handed the three of them over to them.

Old Zhang and Old Lin were doing a side job, delivering building materials to a factory. After arriving in Wanye City, Wei Lai and the other two took a boat back to Malian.

With no outsiders on the ship, Xiao Liu finally spoke up: "Big brother, this Xu Pao is quite meticulous in his work, but he's too domineering and didn't let you speak at all."

Wei Lai laughed and said, "We're asking for a favor, what can we say? When he gave me the money, he didn't make me write an IOU or tell me when I should pay him back, what can we say?"

Lu Mazi nodded: "It is indeed quite particular, but in the end it is also for the sake of our ginseng gang."

Wei Lai shook his head and said, "It's not for our Ginseng Gang, it's for my master. Think about it, has our Ginseng Gang ever carried a club? It's just a name. Hey, I didn't even think I could borrow any money when I went to Qing'an..."

“So what are we going to tell the brothers when we get back? There are 16 brothers in total, and Xu Pao only wants to take 6 of them. Brother, you need to know who to take and who not to take.”

"I know, I've already made up my mind..."

Wei Lai was not an indecisive person. You could tell from his willingness to engage in highway robbery that he was also audacious and had a good head for brains, but he was just unlucky.

At this moment, a crowd was surging around the old Han family's house at the east end of Qing'an Village, with each person carrying luggage and bedding, or two people carrying furniture.

Old Jiang, Li Feng, and Da Laba were all on this list, and Old Han's two sons also put in a lot of effort.

Before long, they moved all the things out of the house, leaving only an empty, dark room.

Old Han and his wife were naturally very satisfied with the Chang brothers' house. When they moved in, their smiles and joy were clearly expressed through their body language.

Where did Xu Ning go? He took his dog for a walk in Nanshan!
It had been a while since I'd been to Nanshan. As soon as the dogs entered the woods, they excitedly darted and jumped around. The snow covering the forest was already a bit sticky, leaving a gray stain on their fur. You can imagine how dirty the dogs were.

It's only because Xu Ning took good care of them that the dogs in the countryside are infested with fleas and lice. Not to mention the dogs, some people's houses and bedding are also full of fleas, and there are even lice in their hair...

A pack of dogs was running at full speed on the flat roof of Ximaduozi. Three people were chasing after them with big strides. When they got close to the pack of dogs, they found that the pack had naturally split into two groups, each tearing at a wild boar.

Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang each stepped forward and used their knives to bleed the animals, then gutted them to take the lanterns. Xu Ning planned to send the two wild boars directly to Lengchang instead of bringing them home, since the Xu family now only ate domestic pork, beef, and mutton. They only ate deer, roe deer, and bear meat from the mountain animals, and occasionally a couple of juvenile cats with their drinks, or a stewed pheasant.

After dragging the two wild boars down the mountain, Li Fuqiang suggested going to Shuangfeng Ridge to try his luck with snares. So they tied up the dog and led it to Shuangfeng Ridge. There were indeed pheasants and jumping cats caught in snares there. Just as Wang Hu squatted down to untrap the snare, he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the distance on his left.

The sound was like two newspapers slapping together. Li Fuqiang turned around, looked, and shouted, "Flying Dragon!"

"Where?" Xu Ning perked up immediately upon hearing this.

He looked in the direction Li Fuqiang was pointing and saw a bird that looked like a sandpiper flying in the sky. The frequency of its wing flapping was not high, but the sound was quite loud, and it was flying very fast.

"...Second Brother?"

Xu Ning sprinted forward, but stopped after a couple of steps. He took a deep breath and said, "These aren't our goods. Did you use sand pellets?"

"I didn't take any. We mainly hunt wild boars, and I only brought lone heads."

"There are no sand particles here, nor are there any old-fashioned 'gong' characters. If you use a 56 half-strike gun, you can hit it, but you can't eat it after that."

At this moment, Wang Hu suddenly said, "Second Brother, there's a slingshot in the cloth bag in the car!"

"Slingshot? Hurry up and get it. Damn, you've really done a great job as the logistics manager. We need you in this critical moment."

Wang Hu chuckled foolishly, then scurried down the mountain to the car to retrieve his slingshot, while Li Fuqiang tied the dog to a tree.

After he met up with Li Fuqiang, he hurriedly followed in Xu Ning's footsteps.

At this moment, Xu Ning squatted behind a pine tree, squinting at the birds in the ravine below the mountain.

The bird has dark brown spots all over its body and something on its head that looks like a rooster's comb, but it's not skin or flesh; it's feathers...

It is very beautiful, with a black beak, chestnut red eyes, and white striped feathers on its cheeks and neck. Its scientific name is Hazel Grouse. Unlike ordinary pheasants, which mostly forage alone or in groups of three to five, Hazel Grouse come in groups and like to nest and rest in sandy or snowy areas.

Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang quietly approached Xu Ning, then handed him their slingshots and a cloth bag filled with mud pellets. Xu Ning tied the bag to his leather belt, leaving three mud pellets in his hand. None of the three spoke. Xu Ning gave them a look, then got up and slowly moved forward.

There were about five or six flying dragons visible in the ditch, as many tree branches and weeds at the bottom of the ditch obscured the view.

Xu Ning stood behind an oak tree, his left hand gripping the bow frame and his right hand pulling the rubber band. He suddenly released his grip and saw a flying dragon fall to the ground and kick its legs twice.

He didn't cheer, and Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu on the mountain didn't shout either, but a group of flying dragons in the gully were still startled, and three or five of them flapped their wings and flew into the sky.

Xu Ning reacted quickly, immediately placing the mud pellet and shooting down another dragon while holding the bow frame. Due to the distance, Xu Ning only managed to hit four dragons in the end.

When he turned around and waved to the two of them, Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang rushed forward.

"Second Brother! How many did you hit?"

"Four of them, let's go take a look."

"Alright, second brother, your slingshot skills haven't gotten any worse either. This must be thirty or forty meters long, right?"

Li Fuqiang nodded: "Of course we have some. The main problem is that there are too many branches blocking our view. Otherwise, we would have left a few more."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Stop flattering me. I used to be able to hit birds on the head from 30 or 40 meters away, but now I only hit their wings and bodies."

"That's pretty accurate. I'll make two more bow frames in the spring. Second brother, could you get me a couple of drip tubes?"

A drip tube is used for intravenous infusion; it's yellow and elastic, and is generally available in hospitals and clinics. You can also use a bicycle airtight tube, but that's too thin and not as thick as an IV tube.

"Row!"

After descending the mountain, Xu Ning found four lifeless flying dragons. He picked them up and examined them carefully. They were about the same size as the ones he had eaten at Sandaohe, weighing approximately six or seven ounces each.

"Should we make soup with this, or stew it with mushrooms?"

"Of course we have to make soup. We can give it to my younger siblings, and each of us can have a piece of meat to try."

"This little toy is only about the size of a fingertip; you might as well just have some soup."

"Haha, how could my aunt not add any ingredients when she makes soup? We can just eat the ingredients, but the good stuff should be reserved for my sister-in-law."

"Okay, let's hurry home. The dog is still at the spot where it was set, right?"

"Oh dear, that's right, let's go back quickly."

It's no wonder they forgot about the dog; it was truly the first time they'd ever seen a flying dragon, hence the two minutes of hesitation.

Back at the spot where the trap was set, they picked up the cloth bag and the sack containing the jumping cat and pheasant before untying the dog leash.

The dogs, including the blue wolf and the black wolf, barked at Xu Ning twice in dissatisfaction. Xu Ning laughed and kicked, causing the blue wolf to dodge two steps to the side.

"You bastard, you dare talk back to me? If you push me too far, I'll make you a eunuch this year too! And you'll be happy..."

Li Fuqiang laughed and said, "Brother, with Qinglang's energy, he might actually be able to mate twice."

"It would be better if we bred them twice. We only have two female dogs at home. When we get back, we'll ask my brother's Fatty if he can bred them. That way, Gray Wolf can have some happiness too."

When the gray wolf heard its name called, it turned around and bared its teeth at Xu Ning, then ran to his leg and rubbed against him, as if trying to curry favor.

The three men carried the dog into the carriage, then climbed into the vehicle with the sack and drove home.

"Mom! Look what we've done!"

Liu Lizhen looked up and said, "How would I know what you're up to?"

"Flying Dragon!"

"Oh my god, really? Where is it? Isn't that a pheasant...?"

"It's in this pocket."

Wang Hu said, "My second brother used a slingshot to shoot them. He shot four in total, and they weigh less than three pounds when put together."

Liu Lizhen and the others gathered around, and seeing that Feilong and Shanji looked different, they smacked their lips and muttered: This is Feilong.

You might wonder, how could they, living so close to the mountains, never have seen a flying dragon? They really haven't seen many, because when the women go into the mountains they're either picking mushrooms or gathering wild vegetables. They have almost no interest in observing anything that flies in the sky or walks on the ground, mainly because it doesn't threaten their lives, so naturally they don't care.

(End of this chapter)