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

You should know that Wang An and his three companions had previously hidden quite a few valuable items in a cave.

Furthermore, deer are considered auspicious animals. They neither attack people nor harm crops like wild boars and bears. It would be inappropriate to kill them just to take away a deer penis that is not worth much money.

Although Wang An was a hunter, he still had to have some basic moral principles.

Wang An and his three companions walked very quickly, reaching the two deer in less than two minutes.

When the surviving deer saw Wang An and his companions approaching, it instantly panicked, shaking its head violently and kicking its hooves wildly on the ground, clearly eager to escape.

Unfortunately, the dead deer was larger than it, and it couldn't drag it with just the strength of its head and neck. After dragging it for only a few meters, it had to kneel down.

Looking at the deer, Wang An, somewhat troubled, said to Wang Li, Mu Xueli, and the others:
"What do you guys think we should do? Killing it won't do any good, the problem is we can't eat that much meat!"

After Wang An finished speaking, Mu Xueli nodded and said:
"Yeah, let alone eat it, this big guy is too big to carry back. It would be a lot of work to get the dead one back. Besides, if it just dies like this, wouldn't that be a waste?"

Clearly, Mu Xueli and Wang An had the same idea; neither of them wanted to kill the deer for no reason.

Wang Li stepped forward and examined the spot where the two deer's antlers were stuck, saying with a puzzled expression:

"This is really something, how the hell did it get stuck like this? You know what, it's stuck really firmly, you can't pry it open, damn, awesome, this thing is really awesome."

After a pause, Wang Li turned to look at Wang An and said:

"Then what do you suggest we do, Fourth Brother? None of you want to kill it, and neither do I. To kill it for no reason and then just leave it here and forget about it, that's just a terrible thing to do!"

This shows that as native mountain people, they all adhere to the principles of mountain life.

When people want to eat meat or make money, they have absolutely no psychological burden when pointing their hunting rifles at their prey.

But if it's unwarranted cruelty, that is, killing the prey and then not killing it, then the mountain people really can't do it.

Wang An thought for a moment and said:

"Fifth Brother, Xue Li, you two come with me to hold this deer down. Xiao Zhong, hurry up and use an axe to cut off the deer's antlers. Cut the antlers off that dead deer."

The so-called "quick-chopping axe" is used to cut tree roots when digging ginseng. Although small, it is definitely a powerful tool.

As he spoke, Wang An stood up and walked over to the deer kneeling on the ground.

Upon hearing this, Wang Li and Mu Xueli's eyes lit up, and they followed Wang An toward the deer.

Red deer are smaller than horses, but they are no weaker. Fortunately, another red deer was firmly stuck on the head of this red deer. With the dead red deer dragging it, it didn't have the extra strength to deal with Wang An and his two companions.

Wang An walked up to the deer, bent over, stuck out his buttocks, and grabbed the deer's left foreleg tightly. He then pulled hard along the direction the deer's neck was twisted, and the deer lay down on its back.

Seeing this, Wang Li and Mu Xue pressed forward.

Although the red deer is quite strong, it can't exert much of its strength when it's lying down. At least Wang An and the other two strong men can hold it down firmly.

Moreover, Wang An and his two companions, being from the countryside, had a wealth of experience in catching livestock. In any case, whether catching a donkey, horse, mule, pig, or sheep, the key was never to grab its hind legs at the beginning.

The main reason is that these animals have very well-developed hind leg muscles. With just a flick of their legs, they can send anyone who catches them flying quite a distance.

Even if it doesn't send someone flying, it can easily break their bones. If it happens to hit someone's head, it can create a deep crescent-shaped crater. It's incredibly powerful.

It is no exaggeration to say that in rural areas during that era, every year there were people who were kicked to death or injured by livestock.

Wang An and the other two managed to subdue the deer with their combined efforts, while Huang Zhong pulled out his swift axe and began hacking at the dead deer's antlers.

Sure enough, although deer antlers are very hard, they are no match for an axe. Huang Zhong chopped off one of the deer antlers with a few swings of his axe, and with a few more swings, the other antler was also chopped off.

Only then did Wang An call out:
"Xiao Zhong, stay away, don't get hit. Lao Wu, Xue Li, I'll count to three, then we'll all scatter the deer together."

Although a red deer is not as strong as a horse, it is definitely stronger than a donkey. So, whether it is a deer antler or a deer hoof, if a person touches it, it is something that no human can withstand.

Therefore, Wang An didn't want anyone to get hurt because of this.

After Huang Zhong moved away, Wang An began to count. When he counted to three, the three of them simultaneously stood up and retreated like springs.

Freed from its restraints, the deer rolled on the spot, then stood up. Without even thanking Wang An and the other two for sparing its life, it turned and galloped away into the distance. It was incredibly fast; in just a few seconds, it disappeared from sight.

After releasing the live deer, Wang An and his three companions began to gut and bleed the dead deer, and also cut off pieces of meat to feed the dogs.

For ease of transport, Wang An and his three companions did not skin the deer carcass, but instead cut it into eight pieces with the skin still on.

The four thighs were divided into four parts, the two ribs into two parts, the spine and neck into two parts, and the deer's brain was simply thrown away.

There's a fair amount of meat on a deer's head, enough to make two large plates. However, cleaning it is a real pain, and Wang An and his companions simply didn't have the time or patience to deal with it, so they just threw it away—it was the easiest way out.

They cut down a few more small trees to use as carrying poles, and the four of them each carried two portions of meat on their way back.

As for Xiaobai and Xiaohei, they each ate about seven or eight pounds of meat, and their bellies were so full that they probably wouldn't need to eat anything tomorrow.

That evening, after eating vegetarian food for several days, Wang An and his three companions finally got to eat meat. A large pot of stewed ribs and spine was not enough for the four of them, so they roasted a considerable amount of meat to feed them.

After eating and drinking his fill, Wang Li patted his stomach with a satisfied expression and said:

"I feel so good eating meat, otherwise I'll get weak from not eating meat."

Mu Xueli, who was going that way, echoed:

"Yeah, I really can't stand it without meat, I have no energy at all."

The next day, Wang An and his four companions, along with Yang Shuwen and his group of seven, were digging for ginseng in the twelfth old embankment when Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei suddenly began barking wildly at the woods to the west. (End of Chapter)