Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

During dinner, Wang Dazhu suddenly said to Wang An:

"Xiao An, your mother and I have discussed it, and we're thinking of building two more greenhouses for our family."

Upon hearing this, Wang An frowned deeply and said:
“We don’t need the money from selling vegetables. We can just grow some vegetables in a greenhouse and have something to eat in winter. Don’t you guys find it too tiring?”

To be honest, Wang An felt that the greenhouse he had built was a bit too big. If it were half the size, around 100 square meters, it would be just right.

Wang An's main reason was that he didn't want his parents to work every day.

In Wang An's view, illnesses are all caused by overwork.

After Wang An finished speaking, Liu Guilan glanced at Huang Li and Huang Zhong, the siblings, and said:

“I was thinking of building two greenhouses, and then having Xiaoli’s parents come over. I heard from Xiaoli that their family is having a hard time.”

Upon hearing this, Wang An glanced at the hopeful expressions on Huang Li and Huang Zhong's faces, paused for a moment, blinked, and said:
"Then let's build two, or even more if we want."

Although Wang An got to know Huang Baoguo and his son because the two of them stole corn, he felt that Huang Baoguo's family was still a very nice family.

As for stealing corn, it was entirely because they couldn't survive and had no choice but to steal some food.

Besides, Huang Li and Huang Zhong, the siblings, had been staying at Wang An's house, so Wang An felt that it wouldn't hurt to help Huang Baoguo and the others.

The main problem is that if no one helps these vagrants, they basically have no chance of getting ahead, and their lives will always be miserable, with even solving the problem of food and clothing being a major issue.

Wang An recalls that it was around the late 80s that the vagrants in Northeast China completely disappeared.

Of course, this disappearance doesn't mean driving away all the migrants, but rather that the local authorities registered them, allocated them homesteads and land, and allowed them to fully integrate into the big family of Northeast China.

After taking a few bites of food, Wang An thought for a moment and then said:

"If you ask me, let's not wait to build the greenhouse. Let the three of them come over in the spring. Huang Ying is of school age now, and she can stay in the old house with Xiao Zhong for the time being. Anyway, we have a lot of work to do in the spring. I think the barren hills and wastelands in our village that we didn't clear last year should be leased out this year. We'll need manpower for clearing the land then."

Upon hearing their son's words, Wang Dazhu and Liu Guilan exchanged another glance, and Liu Guilan nodded in agreement.
"Hmm, I think that's fine too."

Turning her head, Liu Guilan smiled at Huang Li and Huang Zhong, the siblings:

“When your parents come, we’ll pay them a salary too, so you two sisters won’t always be thinking about them.”

After Liu Guilan finished speaking, Huang Li and her brother Huang Zhong smiled gratefully at her. Huang Li then said:
"Thank you, ma'am."

Huang Zhong immediately repeated:

"Thank you, ma'am."

Liu Guilan, however, generously said:
"No need to thank me, you're welcome, hehehe."

The two sisters exchanged a secret smile, their faces filled with excitement and joy, as if they were experiencing some momentous occasion.

It wouldn't be wrong to call it a happy occasion, since for Huang Baoguo and his colleagues, working for Wang An's family was a good way out, far better than staying in Weizigou.

Although both Wang Dazhu and his wife, as well as Wang An, intended to help Huang Baoguo's family, in reality, it was Wang An's family that benefited the most.

The main problem is that whether Wang Anjia is growing crops in greenhouses or contracting barren hills and wastelands, he needs people to do the work.

Considering the profits from greenhouses and barren hills and wastelands, hiring people to work is simply too cost-effective.

Because what Wang Anjia needs to give up is only a small portion of the profits. Therefore, this can be considered a win-win situation.

For some reason, even though it was a good thing for both sides, Wang An still felt like a true capitalist. Although his intentions were good, he was actually engaging in exploitation.

The next morning, as Wang An and Huang Zhong were packing their things to take into the mountains, Wang Li and Mu Xueli arrived one after the other, each leading a dog on a sled.

After a brief greeting, Mu Xueli and Wang Li tied their sleds together with Wang An's sled, and then helped Wang An and Huang Zhong tie all the dogs and wolves to the sleds. The four of them, Wang An, Huang Zhong, Mu Xueli, and Wang Li, then sat on the sled pulled by the eldest son and headed into the deep mountains.

On the way, Wang Li asked Wang An:
"Fourth Brother, are we just taking a stroll and fighting whatever we see, or do we have some other purpose?"

Wang An said with a smile:

"We're hunting wild boar. Brother Wu said his company is short of meat. So, he's offering three cents a pound for a whole carcass of pork, skinned and gutted after removing the head, hooves, and offal. How's that for?"

After a pause, Wang An continued:
"By the way, Brother Wu doesn't want to soak his eggs."

Before Wang Li could speak, Mu Xueli said excitedly:
"This business is great! This business is fantastic! Let's take a 200-jin wild boar as an example. After removing the head, hooves, offal, and skin, you can still get at least 110 jin left. That's 33 yuan! With our hands, we can easily slaughter 10 or 8 boars every day, right? Hahaha. It's great, really great."

Wang Li also smiled and echoed:
"Yeah, I think it's pretty good too. Other things are hard to hunt, but hunting wild boars is just for fun."

It's clear that whether it's Wang An, Wang Li, or Mu Xueli, hunting wild boars is no longer a difficult task for them.

More than an hour later, the sleds reached the deep mountains. When they passed a large thicket, Mu Xueli called out to Da'er Ma, and the four of them went to the sleds at the back to get rabbit snares and traps.

Wang An surveyed the area of ​​the thicket with his eyes, then instructed Mu Xueli and Wang Li:
"You two, one going east and the other west, each of you set 20 snares and 20 traps and then you're done. I'll wander around here for a bit and teach Xiao Zhong a lesson while I'm at it."

The two agreed, and each counted out 20 snares and 20 clips, and then went in opposite directions.

Wang An then counted out more than ten traps and more than ten snares, and led Huang Zhong to set them up nearby. While setting up the traps and snares, Wang An also explained the principles behind them to Huang Zhong.

Wang An demonstrated the different terrains to Huang Zhong, then let Huang Zhong operate them himself, occasionally pointing out the mistakes and correct methods.

No matter how intricate the traps and snares may be, they are ultimately just a matter of bending a wire into a circle.

So Huang Zhong quickly mastered the tricks of using wire snares and clips. Although he wasn't very skilled at it yet, he had completely learned how.

When Wang Li and Mu Xueli returned after setting the snares and traps, Huang Zhong, under Wang An's guidance, had also set more than a dozen snares and traps.

Without any delay, the four of them caught up with the sled and continued their journey into the deep mountains.

On the way, the four men set all 300 snares and 200 traps they had brought into the mountains at suitable locations along the route, and then headed straight for Wild Boar Ridge.

Skilled and daring, Wang An and his two companions dared not venture into places other hunters wouldn't dare to go. This was mainly because Wang An and his two companions had already been there once before and had even rescued Zhang Shuya near Wild Boar Ridge.

The key is that the number of wild boars in Wild Boar Ridge is simply too large. Instead of searching for small groups of wild boars in the mountains, it's better to come directly to Wild Boar Ridge to hunt.

As for Huang Zhong, he is still in the learning stage, and his ideas are not being taken into consideration.

Upon arriving near Wild Boar Ridge, Wang An and his companions untied the dogs and wolves, fed the three horses, and then led the pack of dogs straight into the Wild Boar Forest.

Four black dogs, four spotted dogs, four wolves, two wolfhounds, four yellow dogs, and three blue wolfhounds—a total of 21 dogs and wolves, a truly spectacular sight.

What Wang An and his companions never expected was that in a birch forest on a distant hilltop, a massive tiger lay silently watching them and their pack of dogs. (End of Chapter)