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

When hunting in the mountains, the key is that "people and horses are of one mind and the saddle is in harmony." Wang An originally didn't want to get involved with them, but after thinking about it, he agreed.

The main reason is that Zhang Tiegang and Lü Deshu have very good reputations; they are not the kind of people who are always trying to take advantage of others and are also petty and calculating.

Furthermore, the bear bile and fur that these two hunted were all sold to Wang An and the other two, and each transaction was conducted in a serious and pleasant manner.

Therefore, from both a moral and logical standpoint, it is acceptable to occasionally hunt together.

After Wang An and Wang Li left Lü Deshu's house, Wang Li asked Wang An:
"Fourth Brother, are we really going to team up with them to hunt?"

Wang An nodded and said:

"It depends on the situation, it's not certain. These two are alright in the hunting circle. Besides, if they hadn't encountered a really big job that they couldn't handle, I don't think they would have come to us."

Wang An made almost all the decisions, so when Wang Li heard what Wang An said, he nodded and remained silent.

Soon, the two brothers arrived at Niu Dalin's house.

This season marks the start of farming. Apart from those who hunt deer for medicinal purposes and those who specialize in deer hunting, most hunters begin preparing for planting and stop hunting before the snow falls.

If they hadn't discovered the deer herd during the spring hunt, neither Zhang Tiegang and his group nor Niu Dalin and his group would have gone into the mountains that day.

When Wang An and his companion arrived at Niu Dalin's house, Niu Dalin and his wife were emptying manure in the yard.

Wang An had even less of a relationship with Niu Dalin, mainly because they were not in the same age group and had never played together as children.

So, without even exchanging pleasantries, Wang An went straight to the point.

After repeating the same words, Niu Dalin was not as happy as Zhang Tiegang and Lü Deshu. He seemed a little dissatisfied that the four of them would only get 200 yuan.

However, it wasn't very obvious.

Wang An would never do something that involves spending money but doesn't bring any benefits.

So Wang An chuckled, withdrew his hand from his wallet, and said:

"Brother Lin, we're all men, so don't keep things to yourself, just say it directly."

Before Niu Dalin could speak, his wife interrupted:

"Brother, I heard you herded back more than 10 deer, so 200 yuan is a bit too little, isn't it?"

Niu Dalin's wife is named Li Cuizhen. She is from the Li family in the village and is a notorious shrew.

She once fought with Niu Dalin and even called her brothers from her own family to help her. She insisted on breaking Niu Dalin's legs, saying that she would serve him for the rest of her life after that.

Although the Li family had many members, the Niu family was also a prominent family in Kaoshantun. Naturally, they wouldn't let the Li family beat up Niu Dalin. So, because of this couple, the Niu and Li families even had a group fight once.

Fortunately, everyone was just going through the motions and no one went too far. After all, they were a married couple, so in the end, the matter was dropped.

Neither of them could convince the other.

Hearing Li Cuizhen say this, Wang An wasn't annoyed. Instead, he smiled and said:
"Sister-in-law, it's true that we caught more than 10 deer, but it took us six days and six nights to catch them. If your brother Da Lin goes into the mountains, can you guarantee he won't come back empty-handed?"

"Besides, if I remember correctly, your brother Da Lin uses a Type 38 rifle, right? You have to pull the lever after every shot with that thing. Let's not even talk about whether you can hit the deer with every shot. Ask my brother Da Lin how many shots he can fire in total."

Wang An wasn't just saying this to Li Cuizhen; he mainly wanted Niu Dalin to hear it. Because anyone who hunts knows that hunting sika deer is about as difficult as hunting tigers, leopards, and lynxes.

The fundamental reason is that this thing is too alert and runs quite fast.

Not only are hunters difficult to approach, but once they fire, they basically only have one chance to fire.

It's important to know that sika deer are incredibly fast runners; apart from tigers and leopards, no other land animal can match their speed. Even when a leopard hunts a sika deer, the chances of failure are very high.

The key is that this thing is not only fast when it runs, but it also darts left and right instead of running in a straight line. You never know when it will suddenly change direction and start running again.

It's fair to say that with a human's aiming speed, it's very difficult to find the lead and fire.

After Wang An finished speaking, Niu Dalin, being an old hunter, naturally knew what was going on, so his face immediately turned red.

Niu Dalin's hunting skills are indeed excellent; he catches a lot of prey every winter.

But he knew very well that Wang An was right. With his marksmanship, the probability of killing a sika deer with just one shot was high, but it was by no means a sure thing.

But then Wang An spoke again:

"I remember Brother Da Shuang was using an old foreign cannon, right? That thing only had a range of about a hundred meters, almost the same as a breechblock. Brother Da Lin, are you sure that old foreign cannon could hit a sika deer?"

When he said the last sentence, Wang An raised his voice slightly, his tone full of skepticism.

Upon hearing this, Niu Dalin's face flushed even more. Just as he was about to speak, Wang An continued talking:
"Have Niu Dasheng and Niu Dalei ever hunted before? I don't need to tell you how skilled they are, right? Hehehe."

After a pause, Wang An concluded:

"In the end, it was my brother Lin and his gang who guarded that herd of sika deer. It would be quite an achievement if they managed to shoot one, and it was my brother Lin who did it. Putting aside their marksmanship, the other three couldn't even get a decent shot. Sister-in-law, is 200 yuan too little for you?"

Wang An's words were quite reasonable and well-founded. Li Yuzhen, like Niu Dalin, blushed deeply, but still stubbornly continued to argue:
"What if those three just got lucky and killed one too?"

As soon as Li Yuzhen said this, Wang An and Wang Li burst into laughter almost simultaneously.

Niu Dalin, however, was starting to lose his temper. After all, he was an old hand in the mountains and had a certain reputation in Kaoshantun. He still had some pride, so he pretended to be furious and scolded Li Yuzhen:
"What do you know, you old woman? Don't interrupt when the men are talking, go inside!"

Li Yuzhen rolled her eyes at Niu Dalin, then glanced at Wang An with dissatisfaction, stomped her foot, and turned to go inside.

It has to be said that this couple is quite interesting. The woman goes first, and when she can't take it anymore, she just leaves the battlefield, leaving the man to clean up the mess.

In this way, they can ask for as much money as possible, and even if they can't get it, they won't lose face. Most importantly, Niu Dalin and his group won't suffer any losses.

Turning his head, Niu Dalin said to Wang An with a face full of embarrassment:

"Brother Xiao An, well, this old lady was a bit naive, don't mind her, haha."

Wang An didn't expose the couple's little scheme, and said:

"Brother Dalin, why don't you call Brother Dashuang and Niu Dasheng over? I'll give you the money after that."

After a pause, Wang An continued:
"By the way, we definitely can't give Niu Dalei his share. He doesn't follow the rules, so it won't work. If you give him your share, don't blame me for getting angry!"

To everyone's surprise, Niu Dalin seemed quite pleased upon hearing this. It was unclear whether he was happy because he could get a larger share of the money, or because Wang An had kept his word. (End of Chapter)