Hunting 81: Gathering Goods in the Mountains, I Spoil My Ex-Wife to the Extreme

"Yunshan... Oh my god, a tiger... a tiger..."

Uncle Xu, a villager in his fifties, walked to the gate of Li Yunshan's house, holding a flashlight in one hand and a pitchfork in the other.

Seeing that the lights were on inside and hearing voices coming from inside, he finally felt relieved.

He had just fallen asleep when he was suddenly awakened by a burst of gunfire.

It's so late, and gunshots are still ringing out in the village. Who else could it be but the hunters from the village?

Knowing that the village hunters were trying to deal with the tiger that had entered the village, Uncle Xu mustered his courage, took a flashlight and a pitchfork for self-defense, and went out to investigate the situation after the gunfire had stopped for a while.

Seeing that there were lights on in Li Yunshan's house, he shone a flashlight and came over in the dark.

However, when Uncle Xu stepped into the courtyard, he was startled when he saw the tiger hanging under the eaves of Li Yunshan's house and couldn't help but scream.

"Dad, what tiger?"

Hearing Uncle Xu's startled cry, Xu Xiaojun, who was following behind Uncle Xu, turned pale with fright and his legs almost went weak.

He cautiously peered into the courtyard, and only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the tiger hanging there.

Hearing people outside, Li Yunshan and the others came out of the house.

When Uncle Zhou saw that it was Uncle Xu from the village, he smiled slightly and said, "Old Xu, what brings you here?"

"When I heard gunshots in the middle of the night, I knew it was you guys hunting tigers. It took me a long time before I dared to go out. When I saw lights on in Yunshan, I came over with a flashlight."

As Uncle Xu spoke, he looked at the tiger hanging under the eaves.

However, the more Uncle Xu looked at the tiger, the more terrified he became.

Especially when he saw the tiger's eyes, which were as wide and unseeing as copper bells, Uncle Xu was so frightened that he took several steps back.

"Dad, are you alright?"

Xu Xiaojun quickly helped Uncle Xu up.

"Oh my god, that tiger is terrifying!"

After regaining his footing, Uncle Xu felt a sense of relief, and quickly patted his rapidly beating chest.

In fact, it's not just Uncle Xu who felt lingering fear upon seeing the tiger's carcass; even his son, Xu Xiaojun, turned pale after seeing the tiger and dared not look directly at the tiger that was hanging up.

Seeing the state of Uncle Xu and his son, Li Yunshan and the others understood why they had acted this way.

Let alone ordinary farmers like Uncle Xu, even the hunters in these villages, even with hunting rifles in their hands, none of them dare to face a fully grown tiger alone.

Only someone like him, who had hunted lions, hyenas, and leopards abroad in his past life, could have a stable and positive mindset to face this tiger.

However, even though they were afraid of tigers, Uncle Xu and his son still did not leave Li Yunshan's house.

At this moment, in the darkness that shrouded Guapigou Village, more and more flashlights and miner's lamps began to shine.

More and more villagers, after hearing the gunshots in the darkness, would turn on their flashlights and headlamps, and carry steel forks and sticks for self-defense, and leave their homes, walking in groups of three or five in the general direction from which the gunshots were heard.

Halfway there, they learned from other villagers that the village hunters had killed the tiger that had entered the village in Li Yunshan's yard.

"What? That tiger was hunted down and killed by the hunters from our village?"

"Is this news true? The tiger really was killed?"

"..."

Many people couldn't believe it when they heard the news that the tiger had been killed.

The hunters in the village set up traps on the threshing ground. Wang Laojiu even brought out his big, fat pig weighing over 200 jin as bait. They guarded there for three nights, but they didn't catch a single hair on the tiger.

Then, today, in broad daylight, the tiger entered the village.

The tiger used to enter the village at night when everyone was asleep. When they heard the news the next day, they didn't think much of it, but were secretly glad that they hadn't encountered the tiger when they got up in the middle of the night.

But today is different. The tiger entered the village in broad daylight, which means that the tiger is getting bolder and bolder, and is almost treating the village as its backyard to roam around.

I heard that someone in the village encountered a tiger that had entered the village. Luckily, that villager ran fast and hid inside the house, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

I also heard that Old Man Zheng from the village had a large sheep snatched away by a tiger, resulting in a significant loss.

However, because the tiger entered the village in broad daylight, most of the villagers did not dare to go out today.

These messages were only brought back by a few people who dared to go out at this critical juncture.

Of course, the villagers were surprised but also happy to learn that the hunters in the village had killed the tiger.

Although it's the dead of winter now, and the outdoor temperature has been hovering around zero degrees Celsius for a long time, before the tiger entered the village, most people hibernated at home. But hibernating didn't mean they didn't even leave their homes.

Many people get bored staying at home, so they'll still go to visit their neighbors and chat with them.

But as soon as the tiger entered the village, the atmosphere changed instantly. People who used to go out to chat and visit others when they were bored at home hid at home, and the village children were also kept at home by their families.

To prevent losses, many villagers even herded all their livestock, such as cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese, into their houses.

It's fine to herd these animals into the house in the short term, but it won't work if they defecate and urinate inside for too long.

After three days, many homes in the village reeked of a foul stench.

But as long as the tiger is not eliminated, the villagers dare not drive their livestock back to the cattle pens, pigsties, sheep pens, chicken coops, or duck sheds.

Everyone was afraid that their livestock would be harmed by tigers.

In those days, pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese were the most important sources of income for ordinary people.

Needless to say, the villagers have been raising pigs, cattle, and sheep with great care since the beginning of the year, hoping to slaughter them during the New Year, sell them for a good price, and have a good New Year for their families.

Even chicken, duck, and goose eggs can be sold for money.

An egg costs eight or nine cents, which may seem like a small amount, but little by little, a chicken can bring in seven or eight dollars a year.

If a family raises three to five hens, they can earn an extra twenty or thirty yuan a year, which is a considerable sum in the countryside.

So, during the days the tiger entered the village, the villagers tolerated whatever excrement or urine pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese defecated or urinated in their homes.

Now that the tiger has been killed, the pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese at home can be herded out and put into the cattle pen, pigsty, chicken coop, and duck coop. We no longer have to endure the smell of these animals' excrement.

"Clang clang clang... clang clang clang..."

Soon, the sound of gongs could even be heard in Guapigou Village.

"Great news, great news, fantastic news! The tiger that entered the village has been killed by our village hunters."

"Great news! The tiger has been killed! Everyone come out and see!"

Several villagers even spontaneously ran around the village, banging gongs.

Upon hearing that the tiger that had entered the village had been killed, some villagers who were previously unaware of the news were awakened by the sound of gongs.

"Let's go see what's going on."

"I want to see what a tiger looks like, whether it's as majestic as it's portrayed in the movies."

Awakened by the sound of gongs, some villagers heard that the tiger had been killed, and they immediately lost their sleepiness.

So they all dressed and went down into the pit, put on their shoes, and headed towards Li Yunshan's house with flashlights, or miners' lamps and kerosene lamps.

Soon, the area around Li Yunshan's house was packed with villagers, all vying to squeeze into Li Yunshan's yard to catch a glimpse of the tiger.

"Oh my god, that scared me to death! That tiger was terrifying!"

"That tiger's head... was so big... its body... was so long, and its waist was thicker than our millstone for grinding rice. It was terrifying."

"Even if I were to die, I wouldn't dare go near that tiger..."

"If it were a live tiger, it probably could smash my forehead with one slap."

"..."

Several villagers squeezed out of Li Yunshan's yard, all with fearful expressions on their faces.

"Is it really that scary?"

Some villagers didn't believe it.

"If tigers aren't scary, why don't you roam around the village every day? Why are you hiding at home?"

Someone laughed.

"Please make way, everyone."

At this moment, at the entrance of the courtyard, Cai Er and Zhang San led the way, separating the villagers who were crowding in.

Behind them, Li Yunshan, Uncle Zhou, Li Baotian, and Zhao Shuanzhu carried the tiger that had been hanging under the eaves out of the yard and placed it outside the gate.

There were too many people wanting to see the tiger, and too many people crowding into the yard. Li Yunshan's small yard simply couldn't accommodate so many villagers.

So they had no choice but to put the tiger down and carry it outside the yard for the villagers who came to watch.

However, the moment the tiger appeared, it caused a sensation among the villagers. Some pushed forward, some stood on tiptoe, and some even climbed over the courtyard wall to stand on high ground, just to catch a glimpse of the tiger.

"My goodness, this tiger is huge! It's almost as big as that bear that came into the village before!"

"I really can't imagine what would happen if ordinary people like us encountered a tiger."

"Pah, you jinx! What do you mean by 'die'? Your mouth is full of shit, it stinks so much. Can't you say a few auspicious words?"

"Everyone, make way, let me see what a tiger looks like."

"Oh dear, this tiger is making me nervous! Everyone, make way, I need to get out..."

After seeing the tiger, the villagers were all talking about it. Some timid villagers even felt panicked and breathless after seeing the tiger's true appearance, and they pushed their way out of the crowd.

"Waaaaah... Waaaaah..."

"Mom, I'm scared. I don't want to see the tiger anymore. I want to go home."

"Waaah... Daddy, let's go back, I'm afraid of tigers..."

Some children from the village also came with their parents and elders to see the tiger and join in the fun. However, as soon as they saw the tiger, several children were instantly frightened and soon started crying.

"Stop crying, tigers are a rare sight."

"That tiger is dead, and you don't even have that much courage? You still want to join the army and defend the country when you grow up?"

The crying child was scolded by the adults.

However, even though the tiger's appearance was ferocious and terrifying, it still couldn't stop the villagers who loved to join in the fun.

After all, these days, even in cities, there are few entertainment options. Whenever a factory is showing an open-air movie, the news always attracts a large number of people to watch it.

In rural areas like Guapigou Village, entertainment options are even fewer.

If a film crew from the county town ever came to the countryside to show a movie, it would attract not only the villagers of the entire village, but also villagers from several nearby villages, who would come as long as it wasn't windy, rainy, or hailous.

Tigers were even rarer than the film crews from the county town showing movies in the countryside. At least the film crews from the county town would show one or two movies in the countryside every year. They would show the movie in one village today and another village tomorrow, and people could rush from one village to another to watch the open-air movie.

Tigers are a rare sight, at least in the last ten years, no hunters in any village near Guapigou Village have been heard of killing a tiger.

The villagers had only heard about the tiger that Li Yunshan had killed recently at the Hongxing Forest Farm, and that the tiger had been paraded through the village in a truck by the forest farm, arriving at Guapigou Village.

And then there's this one.

Therefore, many villagers rushed to Li Yunshan's house to see the spectacle.