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

"Oh my, Xiulan, your Li Yunshan is going to strike it rich this time."

An old woman burst into Li Yunshan's yard and shouted at the top of her lungs.

Lin Xiulan was sewing clothes in the main room when she heard someone coming, so she put down her needlework and went out to greet them.

"Aunt Liu, what happened? What's wrong with Li Yunshan? How did he make such a fortune?"

Looking at Aunt Liu, who was beaming with joy, Lin Xiulan was still a little confused.

"Oh, of course... of course it's about making a fortune!" Aunt Liu said, holding Lin Xiulan's hand, her voice slightly out of breath.

"Make a fortune?"

Lin Xiulan was stunned for a moment, then remembered that Li Yunshan had told her last night that he was going into the mountains to hunt early this morning.

What does hunting have to do with getting rich? Even if Li Yunshan has ever shot a wild boar, it was probably just luck. How could he possibly be lucky enough to shoot another wild boar?

But if he doesn't catch the wild boar, how will he make a fortune?

Did he go gambling again?

Thinking of this, Lin Xiulan couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in her heart.

He...didn't he say he would never gamble again?

How could he go back on his word?

Thinking about it, Lin Xiulan's eyes couldn't help but redden.

"Oh dear, Xiulan, Li Yunshan has struck it rich this time. Your hard times are finally over. You should be happy. Why are you crying?" Aunt Liu asked, puzzled.

"What kind of fortune is he making? Did he go gambling and get rich? But I would rather he didn't make this fortune. I just hope he can be an honest person, do his job properly, and live a good life..." Lin Xiulan sobbed as she wiped her reddened eyes.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu realized that Lin Xiulan had misunderstood her meaning, and quickly explained, "Xiulan, you misunderstood me. When I said Li Yunshan would make a fortune, I didn't mean he would gamble it away..."

What? Li Yunshan didn't go gambling?

Lin Xiulan was stunned again; she was a little confused.

If Li Yunshan doesn't gamble, how does he make his fortune?

Hunt another big prey? He doesn't have that kind of skill, and he can't be that lucky all the time!

"Aunt Liu, so what you mean is...?"

"Oh dear, look at my mouth, I can't even speak properly!"

Seeing Lin Xiulan's red eyes, Aunt Liu realized that Lin Xiulan had misunderstood her meaning and thought that Li Yunshan had gone gambling again. So she slapped her thigh and said, "Xiulan, don't blame me for slipping up. What I mean is that Li Yunshan has had another stroke of luck this time, and a really good stroke of luck. He went hunting in the mountains and killed a deer this big, yes, you heard me right, a red deer this big. Oh, and three wolves this big too."

"Let me tell you, venison is incredibly valuable, and so is venison blood, which is extremely nutritious. Oh, and venison antlers and venison hide—those are all good stuff!"

"And there's wolf pelts, which are raw materials for making high-end leather clothing. They're exported to earn foreign exchange, and the supply and marketing cooperatives offer really high prices for them!"

Once she started talking, Aunt Liu's mouth was like a machine gun, rattling off everything she saw and knew to Lin Xiulan, complete with notes and scribbling.

Lin Xiulan was stunned before she could even finish listening.

It turns out I misunderstood Li Yunshan. He really didn't go gambling; he actually went into the mountains to hunt.

Moreover, the hunt in the mountains this time yielded a greater harvest than the last one.

Although she hadn't seen the deer that Li Yunshan had hunted, she could roughly tell from Aunt Liu's gestures that the deer was very big.

This reminded her of last year when she took Dou Dou to the commune market and saw a notice at the supply and marketing cooperative advertising the purchase of venison...

Just then, Li Yunshan's voice came from outside: "Xiulan, I'm back!"

Lin Xiulan snapped out of her daze, picked up Dou Dou and walked out of the main room, where she saw Li Yunshan and Li Yunshi working together to place a huge red deer under the eaves.

Subsequently, Uncle Zhou and Brother Zhang also placed the three wolves under the eaves.

Seeing the three wolves baring their sharp canines, Lin Xiulan felt a chill run down her spine. This Li Yunshan was incredibly audacious!

"Mother, I'm scared!"

Even Dou Dou hugged Lin Xiulan's neck tightly.

"Don't be afraid, Dou Dou. These are all prey that your father hunted. They've all been killed." Lin Xiulan quickly comforted Dou Dou, but her eyes were fixed on Li Yunshan.

In a daze, she realized that she could no longer see through Li Yunshan.

Li Yunshan has changed a lot since he said he wanted to live a good life with her.

He stopped gambling, started cooking, and always returned from hunting in the mountains with a full load... If he had done this earlier, she wouldn't have had to suffer so much.

But it doesn't seem too late now...

Lin Xiulan suddenly had a feeling that the hard times were finally coming to an end.

"Xiulan, why are you crying?"

Seeing that Lin Xiulan's eyes were red, Li Yunshan quickly went over to her.

"It's nothing, I'm just happy to see you back safe and sound." Lin Xiulan wiped her eyes and said, "Go and prepare the game!"

"Okay, sure."

Li Yunshan responded and asked Zhang Sange to help find a carriage. Then, he, Uncle Zhou, and his elder brother Li Yunshi rolled up their sleeves and began to bleed the deer.

Despite the heavy snow blocking the mountains and the freezing weather, it took them quite a while to carry the deer back home from the mountain. However, when they bled the deer, the blood inside the deer was still warm and hadn't clotted.

The adults in the village would squat in Li Yunshan's yard or lie on the outside of the yard wall to watch the scene of releasing deer blood. They didn't find it bloody at all; on the contrary, they watched with great interest and even discussed it with others.

Everyone looked at the huge red deer with envy and longing.

Although daily necessities are scarce in China nowadays, and pork, beef, and mutton still require ration coupons, people are still willing to spend money to buy some meat from supply and marketing cooperatives during festivals. However, venison is a rare and precious commodity, and even supply and marketing cooperatives offer high prices to buy it. It is not available all the time.

Many villagers stared wide-eyed at the deer blood being released from the neck of the sika deer. This stuff was a rare commodity, and it was said to have a strong aphrodisiac effect.

Someone, remembering their own sexual dysfunction, approached Li Yunshan and asked, "Li Yunshan, I've heard that deer blood is a very good tonic, and that drinking it can enhance male virility. Could you sell me half a pound?"

Li Yunshan smiled upon hearing this: "Brother Zhu, although deer blood is a rare commodity, it doesn't keep well. If you want, take half a pound back and try it. I won't charge you a penny."

In fact, whether now or decades from now, deer blood does not keep very well. Even if it is refrigerated, it can only be stored for one or two days; if it is frozen, it can only be stored for two or three months at most.

But nowadays, let alone in the village, you probably can't find a single refrigerator in the entire commune.

Therefore, instead of keeping the deer blood until it expires, it's better to keep enough for yourself and then give it away as a favor.

Although it may seem like he's losing out by doing this, he used to be idle and didn't have a good reputation in the village.

Nowadays, when others receive benefits, people will remember the favor they received and will speak well of them.

"You're really giving it to me for free?" Brother Zhu thought he had misheard.

"I'll really give you half a jin," Li Yunshan said earnestly.

Upon hearing this, the others also became interested in deer blood.

"Li Yunshan, I'd like half a jin too, is that alright?"

"Brother Yunshan, I...I'm not greedy, two ounces will do!"

"I want half a jin too!"

Some villagers couldn't help but speak up.

"Okay, okay, whatever, but you have to bring your own basin to hold it." Li Yunshan readily agreed.

Everyone was overjoyed and thanked Li Yunshan profusely.

Deer blood is a highly nutritious food. Most people wouldn't even share something as small as a needle or thread with others, but Li Yunshan generously gave them half a pound of deer blood.

This alone was enough to greatly change their impression of Li Yunshan.

After expressing their gratitude, everyone hurried home to get their own bowls and basins.

"Tsk tsk tsk, tonight, the young wives and old women in our village are probably going to suffer a lot." Li Yunshan's lips curled into a smile.

Before long, everyone brought bowls and basins from their homes and received a portion of deer blood from Li Yunshan.

Those who received the deer blood were all delighted, thinking that after drinking it, they would become incredibly powerful and kill so many women in their families that their wives and children would cry and beg for mercy.

Of course, a few people who received the benefits felt bad and stayed to help dissect the deer, skin it, and butcher the meat...

It is said that many hands make light work. With the help of several people, Li Yunshan and others were able to skin and butcher the deer much faster.

Soon, the entire deer was dismembered, and the deer hide, deer meat, etc., were all sorted and placed under the eaves.

The deer heart, liver, and offal were all thoroughly cleaned.

The three wolves were also skinned.

There was almost no room left under the eaves of Li Yunshan's house.

Looking at the dismembered prey, Li Yunshan was overjoyed.

This wolf pelt is a valuable item. It can be made into a wolf pelt coat, which is lightweight, warm, and not bulky. It also allows him to go into the mountains to hunt, making it less strenuous when chasing prey.

As for deerskin, Li Yunshan had already decided to have Lin Xiulan sew a deerskin coat, as well as deerskin boots and gloves for her and Dou Dou.

As for venison and wolf meat, they were all sold.

The money he earned was enough for him to buy a hunting rifle.

There might even be some left over.

However, seeing so much meat laid out under the eaves made some people envious, and Wang Laowu was one of them.

He rolled his eyes and said, "Li Yunshan, you hunted a deer and cut off so much venison that you can't possibly eat it all by yourself. Why don't you just give each of us two jin?"

"Old Wang, you want a share of my venison?"

Upon hearing Wang Laowu's words, Li Yunshan grabbed a wooden stick and struck Wang Laowu hard.

This Wang Laowu was one of the cronies he made in his past life, and he was in cahoots with Yu Ergou.

Now that he has already distanced himself from Yu Ergou, he might as well make this distance even more thorough.

"Ah..." Wang Laowu jumped up and down in pain after being hit several times by Li Yunshan: "Li Yunshan, are you crazy? Aren't we still brothers?"

"What good brother? Get lost."

Li Yunshan raised his wooden stick to strike, but upon seeing this, Wang Laowu hurriedly pushed through the crowd and ran away as if fleeing.