1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 215 The danger is around us!

The two most important events of the year have ended one after another, and the villagers finally have the time and mood to relax.

Ever since the vow-fulfilling ceremony ended, Ronan's house has been unusually 'lively' every morning.

As soon as daybreak came, gunfire began to emanate.

As soon as the gunshots were heard, the two dogs in the house would start their "singing", as if not only the crazy shooters were feeling suffocated, but also the two excellent hunting dogs.

Since the two dogs were so excited when they heard the gunshots, and Ronan did not have time to take them to fight wild boars and deer, he had to add another twenty minutes of walking the dogs at noon in order to eliminate some of their inherent desire for prey.

But the disadvantages of living on the outskirts of the village were clearly exposed at this time.

Ronan's house is very close to the hunting area, separated only by a vineyard. He can just cross the vineyard and enter the dense forest and then start shooting.

However, Ronan's house is not the most dangerous place. On the other side of the village, Lucas's big house built by the forest is already in the hunting area.

Theo often described eloquently how he heroically shot a hare while lying on the roof of Lucas's house.

No matter where Ronan went to walk the dog, dense gunfire could be heard from all directions, as if he was surrounded by enemy forces.

This situation caused Ronan to always have a bad feeling that the unreliable people of Provence would probably treat any object as prey.

In order to avoid ending his "happy life" too early, Ronan always wears a fluorescent vest when he goes out.

But the safety of the dogs must also be considered. They are more dangerous than Ronan.

Making clothes for dogs was beyond Feng Zhen's ability, so she was smart enough to tie a conspicuous white handkerchief on the two dogs before going out.

"Is this all right?" Feng Zhen looked at his 'masterpiece' with satisfaction.

Luo Tianhai squatted down speechlessly and 'undressed' the two children:
"Don't you know how many soldiers who surrendered died on the battlefields of World War II? Or do you think the Geneva Convention would be effective in Provence? Nonsense!"

Feng Zhen pushed Luo Tianhai away:

"Animals that surrender are spiritual! This tells them not to fight! Otherwise the saints will punish them!"

Ronan rubbed his face vigorously several times.

Military topics tend towards feudal superstition in an indescribable way. This is so Provence!
"Go quickly, there will be fewer gunshots now." Feng Zhen sent the man and two dogs out the door and said, "Don't take the side road, take the main road."

Ronan doesn't need to be told not to walk on the small paths. He only walks his dog near the vineyards, and the farthest he goes is to the intersection of the vineyards and the dense forest.

The hunting season has just begun and everyone is eager to hunt large animals. Who would linger on the edge of the dense forest?
Theo said yesterday that he was going to the 'deep mountains and old forests' 7 kilometers away to hunt deer for Anna today.

To hunt wild boars further away, Fabian said he would set up a 'hiding spot' in the woods - in a tree 4 meters above the ground.

There would be enough food and water for three days, as well as a warm sleeping bag. He was prepared to conduct a long-term search for traces of wild boars.

"After I finish my work in the restaurant, I'll go hunting with Cornell." Ronan comforted himself.

He and Cornell were unable to join those 'expeditionary corps' because they were too 'green'.

The two agreed to take half a day next week to go to the edge of the woods to shoot wild birds.

Ronan was walking his dog while keeping an eye on his 'prey'.

It seemed that after the first shots were fired in the Luberon, no more birds were seen in the vicinity.

Ronan guessed that perhaps these sensitive animals, more experienced hunters than he was, had already begun their journey south—preparing to escape to Africa.

"What else can we fight?" Ronan looked around.

It seems that it is difficult to hit anything with his shooting skills.
Anyway, you are "participating" in hunting anything, so why not go hunting deer with Special Olympics?

Or follow the wild boar trail with Fabian?
Thinking randomly, Ronan and the dog walked to the end of the vineyard. Further ahead was the dense forest, which was the hunting area.

Without the chirping of birds, people's hearing becomes more sensitive.

Ronan could faintly hear the sounds of chatting and laughing not far away in the dense forest, definitely no more than 100 meters away.

He was somewhat curious about what these hunters at the edge of the dense forest could catch. After careful consideration, he walked in carefully with the two dogs. The three of them were wearing "safety suits", so it shouldn't be a big problem.

As they entered the dense forest, the sounds of laughter became clearer. Judging from the tone of their voices, this group of people must have achieved some impressive results.

Suddenly, he heard excited shouts coming from the direction of the group.

"Look, there is a white object in front, and it seems to be moving!"

"Is it a rabbit? Quick, quick, get the gun!"

"It's two! Two rabbits!"

"There's a bigger guy back there! Guys, we're finally opening today!"

Ronan quickly shouted:

"Don't shoot! It's a person! It's a person!!"

The people on the other side immediately quieted down after hearing Ronan's voice.

After Ronan walked around a few trees, he saw that the group of people had also quieted down.

After holding it in for four or five seconds, Ronan couldn't help laughing out loud, pointing at Xiao Hei and Ma Sai and asking those people:
"Is this the deer and wild boar you are talking about?"

In front of him were Theo, Fabian and the others!

Judging from the number of cans, cigarette butts and empty wine bottles scattered on the ground, they must have been out 'hunting' for quite some time.

Fabian picked up his shotgun, whistled into the dense forest, and said seriously:
"My hounds were lost near here, and I have been looking for them all morning."

Theo lit a cigarette, touched his gun and said:
"I met a few blackbirds on the road. I used up all my bullets. I'll go hunting deer tomorrow."

"What about Thrush?" Ronan asked, looking at the ground. "All the bullets are gone. Can we have the Thrush feast tonight?"

Theo put the gun on his shoulder and pointed to the dense forest behind him:

"The dogs went looking for them, but they may have been lost. These little guys always add a hindrance to our hunting plans."

Zoe's words hit the nail on the head.

The more someone describes himself as a sharpshooter, the worse his skills are.

A week into the hunt, Ronan hadn't seen a single deer or wild boar in the village, and the largest animal he had seen was a thrush.

However, Henry, who returned empty-handed, accused the conspiracy theorist that the man must have succeeded in hunting by "hanging domestic birds on trees and taking advantage of their beauty."

Ronan had no idea how the man succeeded in hunting, nor was he interested in knowing.

He was just sure that none of his friends were good hunters.

After that, Ronan happily joined Theo's deer hunting "expedition" without any psychological burden.

He knew that the expedition would most likely not extend beyond the dense forest in front of his vineyard, so he even rejected his parents' suggestion to bring food.

"Maybe I'll be back in an hour." Ronan closed the door and left home with Xiao Hei and Marseille.

Feng Zhen said to Luo Tianhai worriedly:

“Sometimes it takes 40 minutes to walk the dog.”

Luo Tianhai frowned:
"So the danger is right beside us. Please make the two white handkerchiefs bigger."

Special Olympics hunting skills are average, but the theoretical knowledge is sufficient.

He handed Ronan two collars with bells on them:
"Give it to Xiao Hei and Ma Sai."

"Is it used to determine the location?" Ronan asked as he put a collar on the dog.

Theo said, holding a cigarette in his mouth:

"It can point us in the direction of the hounds chasing their prey."

Ronan's shoulders trembled:

"Will this happen?"

"Of course!" Theo said stubbornly, "It can also prevent them from being mistaken for animals and being shot in the jungle. It was ridiculous for you to put white handkerchiefs on them that day."

Ronan asked speechlessly:
"How dare you talk about that day? How did you pass the hunting test? It clearly states that you are not allowed to shoot without seeing the prey clearly."

Another farmer's awkward explanation:

"Everyone has been holding it in for a year, and when they hear any noise, they think it's an animal. But with the bell on, that won't happen again."

Ronan put collars on the two dogs and stood up to search in Theo's pockets.

Theo pushed:
"What are you doing?" "Looking for extra bells." Ronan mocked them, "Have you forgotten that you almost beat me like an animal?"

Ronan is using one of Theo's rifles today.

Although Theo had demonstrated the use of guns to Ronan several times at home, he was still "uneasy" and demonstrated several rounds of live ammunition to Ronan after entering the jungle.

After firing more than twenty shots, Theo finally waved to everyone with satisfaction:

"set off!"

You can fire more than 20 shots into the air. One thrush is really worth all the ammunition.

So the dense gunfire I hear every morning is just these guys firing "salutes" into the sky? Ronan couldn't help but complained in his heart.

Anyway, his first hunting trip started in this strange way.

To be honest, there was really nothing to hunt at the edge of the dense forest, and the living creatures they saw along the way were not as many as the hunting dogs they brought with them.

These dogs with bells on their backs ran back and forth close to the ground, making loud breathing noises. Add to that Theo's warning of more than 20 'salutes', and Ronan guessed that unless one was deaf, all the animals nearby would have run away.

"Don't we have any strategy?" Ronan couldn't help but ask the Legion's Chief of Staff Theo.

Theo said seriously:

"The hounds will show us the way."

Ronan looked at the bitches surrounding Xiao Heiwen and asked:
"Guide us to the mating season now?"

Theo kicked away those dogs who were trying to "fall in love":
"Xiao Hei seems to be very popular with the bitches."

Ronan patted the little black head that was always following him:

"An obedient and handsome young man is popular wherever he goes."

Theo laughed and said:
"Obedient? If you come hunting a few more times, you will know that this word has nothing to do with hounds. These little guys always create obstacles to our hunting plans."

As they went deeper into the jungle, Ronan gradually understood what Theo meant.

The hunting dogs in the wild are in a completely different state than they are at home. Here they prefer to follow their noses and no longer listen to their owners. Every few dozen meters, the people traveling with them will give a few commands to call their dogs back.

And the more capable the hound is, the more 'undisciplined' it behaves.

Ronan and his friends found hares twice in the jungle, and both times they were discovered by a beagle named "Melon".

This little guy is more alert and agile than other hounds, and accordingly, its owner is also the one who uses the most voice. Melon follows the scent and disappears without a trace without anyone noticing.

While others simply called their pets’ names, Melon’s name would appear in a growling tone, accompanied by angry insults, in the dense forest.

Unfortunately, the second lucky person who used his voice was Ronan. Although it was Melon who discovered the hare, Marseille was always able to rush out first and soon disappeared, and no matter how much he was shouted, he couldn't come back.

However, the Marseille that Ronan couldn't call back, Xiao Hei could call it back with just one shout. Maybe this is the meaning of "there is always someone to conquer".

Xiao Hei is still not very interested in hunting. It is like a bodyguard and refuses to leave Ronan's side. While rejecting those overly enthusiastic bitches, it also has to pay attention to where its little brother Marseille goes from time to time.

"Red Fox, it's a Red Fox!" Chief of Staff Theo shouted excitedly in a certain direction.

Then several people set up their shotguns.

Seeing that there was no one and no hound in the triangle area in front of him, Ronan quickly turned on the safety and aimed in that direction.

He didn't see any trace of the red fox, but that didn't affect his shooting at all.

Was the shooting intended to kill an animal?

wrong! Big mistake!

Hunting season is all about 'liveliness'!
Just the sound of a gunshot is enough!!

There were gunshots all around, and they suppressed the enemy Red Fox with powerful firepower.

After the magazine was emptied, someone asked Theo:
"Did you hit it?"

"Run away!" Theo said angrily.

It was definitely impossible to beat it, but along with the red fox, everyone's hunting dogs also disappeared.

These animals, excited at the sound of gunfire, followed Melon's lead and plunged into the dense forest, disappearing without a trace.

Except for Masai, who was forcibly called back by Xiao Hei, the shouts, whistles and curses of others did not bring back a single hunting dog.

Theo lit a cigarette seriously:

“We can’t hunt without hounds.”

Another person also lit a cigarette:
"We can't leave here, or the dogs won't be able to find us when they come back."

"What should we do then?" Ronan asked worriedly.

Theo found an empty space to sit down, opened his bag, and took out a bottle of red wine:
"Take a break and drink some water."

Another person skillfully spread out the red floral tablecloth and took out the cut sausages:

"Replenish your strength."

Next came cheese, bread, olives, cherries, pie, and two decks of playing cards.
awesome!
All the ingredients for a picnic are here!
"Not continuing?" Ronan asked with some regret.

You could just let me take two partridge feathers back with me!

Theo shrugs:

"The hound ran away. I've said before that these little guys always hinder our hunting, but we can't do without them."

Is it really an obstacle?

Is this to give you a reasonable reason to drink from morning till night?

"Don't you want to look for it?" Ronan said, pointing at the dense forest.

Special Olympics opens the playing cards:
"They will be back soon. They won't be lost. Do you want to play 'Beard' or 'Belot'?"

Seeing Ronan's expression of 'not yet satisfied', Theo pointed to a place a little further away and said:

"It's the same when you hit a dead tree; the tree won't run away."

Is Ronan the kind of person who would allow himself to fall?

Of course.

He unleashed his shotgun blast at a poor dead tree.

After consuming all the ammunition, Theo waved to him:

"With your shooting skills, you'd better just play cards honestly."

Ronan did not stay in the forest with Theo and the others to play cards.

His dog wasn't lost, so there was no point in staying there.

When she got home, Feng Zhen took a look at her watch:

"You said an hour and it really took an hour. You left at 8 o'clock and it's only 9: now."

Ronan excitedly pumped his fist:

"But I emptied all my ammunition."

Luo Tianhai asked worriedly:
"Are there so many wild animals around here? Have you run out of bullets?"

It turns out that danger is right beside us.

Ronan sniffed awkwardly:
"Yes, there are indeed many wild animals around."

Feng Zhen looked around the door and said excitedly:

"You must have gained a lot, right? Show me now."

Ronan was just trying to find an excuse to get away with it when he heard several strange noises coming from outside the door.

It sounds like crying at first, but if you listen carefully you can hear a sense of "sorrow and resentment".

He opened the door and several enthusiastic Provence bitches rushed in immediately. They flirted with Xiao Hei and raised their buttocks to the sky.

Ronan spread his hands to his parents:
"It's a big harvest, right? In the past hour and a half, Xiao Hei has gained four or five admiring dogs."

(End of this chapter)