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

Upon hearing Gao Hongmei say that she seemed to have gained weight, Lin Xiulan subconsciously touched her cheek and felt that it really was much better than her previous thin cheeks.

However, reflecting on this period of time, Li Yunshan suddenly realized that after taking on the responsibility of supporting his family, his family almost never lacked meat. It was either wild boar meat, venison, bear meat, tiger meat, and wild rabbits, pheasants, and roe deer would also appear on the dinner table from time to time.

In an era when many people couldn't even get enough to eat and could only afford meat during holidays, it would be hard not to gain weight with this kind of diet at home.

This is why many young wives in the village envied Lin Xiulan after Li Yunshan stood up.

Who wouldn't want their man to be capable? I don't expect him to eat meat every day, but it would be great if he could eat his fill and have meat every now and then.

Unfortunately, many men in the village did not have Li Yunshan's courage to venture into the mountains, especially the deep forests, which no one dared to even think about.

Just like when Li Yunshan went back to the village to find people to help transport game in the deep mountains and forests, most people were unwilling to help, even though Li Yunshan said he would pay them, and even though the payment was three yuan, not many people were willing.

Only the poorest households in the village, driven by the approaching end of the year and the pressure of making a living, and with the reward offered by Li Yunshan enough to motivate them to risk their lives, reluctantly agreed to help tomorrow.

"Stop touching me, I've really gotten fat."

Li Yunshan smiled and poured some lard into the pot.

This lard was taken from the back fat of a wild boar we hunted when we took Gao Hongmei into the mountains.

Although it's not as fragrant as lard rendered from the back fat of a domestic pig, it's still perfectly acceptable to use lard for cooking.

After the oil in the pot was heated, Li Yunshan threw in a few slices of ginger and stir-fried them for a while before adding the rabbit meat, cooking wine to remove the fishy smell, and salt to add flavor.

As the firewood burned in the stove, the rabbit meat in the pot was constantly being stir-fried, and the aroma kept wafting out, making one's mouth water.

"You've waited so long, hurry up and try this dry-pot rabbit! How's it?"

Inside the main room, on the dining table was a bowl of steamed white flour buns, a bowl of wild boar meat, and stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar.

Judging from the looks of it, Lin Xiulan, Gao Hongmei, and Su Lihua were just about to have dinner before Li Yunshan returned.

When Li Yunshan finished plating the cooked dry-pot rabbit meat and served it on the table, he glanced at the table and said apologetically.

"You should eat too. You've been in the deep mountains for several days, and you probably haven't had many good meals."

Lin Xiulan handed Li Yunshan a bowl and chopsticks, feeling a pang of heartache as she thought about how Li Yunshan must have been braving the elements these past few days.

"Hehe, we eat meat every day in the mountains, how could we not eat well?"

Li Yunshan smiled. Although life in the mountains was certainly not as convenient as at home, they did eat meat every meal.

Siberian roe deer meat, wild boar meat, rabbit meat... Except for the wild boar meat, which had a faint gamey smell that made it a bit hard for him to swallow, the roe deer meat and roasted rabbit meat tasted pretty good.

He took the bowl and chopsticks, and first put a piece of rabbit meat on Lin Xiulan's plate: "Xiulan, eat it while it's hot."

Then he gave Gao Hongmei a piece of dry-pot rabbit meat: "Quick, eat it while it's hot, otherwise it won't taste good when it gets cold."

However, when it was Su Lihua's turn, she moved her bowl aside and did not accept the meat that Li Yunshan offered her.

"Hehe, Lihua, you eat too, you eat too."

Li Yunshan awkwardly took back the dry-pot rabbit meat he had been holding with his chopsticks.

Gao Hongmei and Lin Xiulan glanced at Li Yunshan, then at Su Lihua, and then kept their eyes down, eating in silence.

To be honest, Li Yunshan's dry-pot rabbit was really delicious, with excellent color, aroma, and taste. Gao Hongmei and Lin Xiulan were both impressed after eating two pieces of dry-pot rabbit.

But Su Lihua didn't pick up the dry-pot rabbit meat; instead, she ate the stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar and steamed buns.

Seeing this, Lin Xiulan picked up a piece of dry-pot rabbit meat and put it in Su Lihua's bowl: "Second sister, this dry-pot rabbit meat tastes good, you should try it."

Su Lihua hesitated for a moment, but when she saw the hope in Lin Xiulan's eyes, she took a bite, and her eyes lit up immediately.

However, she didn't show much surprise; her cool face remained expressionless as she said indifferently, "It's alright."

"It tastes alright, so eat more."

As Gao Hongmei spoke, she casually placed a piece of dry-pot rabbit meat on Su Lihua's plate.

"Oh, I can't eat that much."

Su Lihua began to speak.

Do you think I believe that?

Gao Hongmei rolled her eyes at her and replied with a single sentence.

Nowadays, many people can't even get enough to eat. They can only eat meat during holidays. Many people can't take their eyes off meat and can't walk away.

Although her family's life has improved recently due to hunting, they still haven't reached the point where they can eat meat at every meal.

Therefore, Gao Hongmei did not believe that Su Lihua could not eat that much.

Besides, the piece of meat she put in Su Lihua's bowl was only two or three pieces.

Gao Hongmei's words made Su Lihua somewhat embarrassed, but the aroma of meat wafting into her nostrils still made her mouth water.

She didn't say anything, but picked up a piece of meat and ate it in small bites.

Although she harbored prejudice against Li Yunshan, after eating the dry-pot rabbit, Su Lihua had to admit that Li Yunshan's dry-pot rabbit was indeed delicious. It was one of the few delicacies she had tasted in all her years as an educated youth sent to the countryside.

But how come she never knew that Li Yunshan, that bastard, could cook?

Thinking back to the days when she was married to Li Yunshan, Su Lihua tried hard to recall, but she really couldn't remember any meal that Li Yunshan had cooked.

"Hmph, do you think you can make me forgive you just because of a meal?"

Su Lihua scoffed inwardly, but after finishing the dry-pot rabbit meat in her bowl, she couldn't help but pick up several more pieces, stuffing her cheeks full.

Seeing Su Lihua's greedy and gluttonous appearance, Gao Hongmei and Lin Xiulan couldn't help but laugh, covering their mouths with their hands. Wasn't she so stubborn just now, saying she couldn't eat much? How come she's become a glutton now?

But they didn't say much, and Lin Xiulan smiled and put a few more pieces of meat on her plate.

Li Yunshan ate a few pieces of meat and two steamed buns, then felt full. He put down his chopsticks and said, "I'm tired. I'm going to go inside and sleep. I have to go into the mountains early tomorrow morning."

After saying that, he glanced at Gao Hongmei and said, "Hongmei, you should go to bed early tonight too. We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning."

Gao Hongmei was eating dry-pot rabbit meat when she heard this and replied, "I know, you should get some rest. I'll be waiting for you at the village entrance tomorrow."

After Li Yunshan went inside to rest, Su Lihua asked curiously, "Hongmei, what did you go into the mountains with him for?"

While Li Yunshan and Gao Hongmei were discussing tomorrow's trip into the mountains in the kitchen, Su Lihua had already taken Dou Dou to play in the main room.

"The hunters in our village went hunting in the mountains a few days ago, and they didn't have much of a catch for the first three days. But this morning, they found a herd of red deer in the mountains, and guess what? They shot a full nine red deer."

Gao Hongmei said this while eating.

"Nine-headed deer? So many?"

Su Lihua was somewhat shocked when she heard this.

Although she was a sent-down youth from the city to Guapigou Village, she had lived there for several years and knew a lot about things in the countryside.

Just like the hunters in the village who go into the mountains to hunt in winter, they take advantage of the off-season to hunt and earn extra money. Therefore, although the hunters in the village work hard, they can earn extra income and their lives are generally better than those of ordinary villagers.

Previously, when Li Yunshan took Gao Hongmei into the mountains and they hunted two deer, Gao Zhankui remarked that Li Yunshan and Gao Hongmei were lucky to have hunted two deer.

At the time, Su Lihua wondered why Gao Hongmei and Li Yunshan were just lucky to have caught two deer.

However, according to Gao Zhankui, red deer have a very keen sense of both hearing and smell. Even if the hunters in the village spot a red deer, the deer will detect their presence through their keen sense of smell and hearing as the hunters approach and will immediately run away.

Therefore, red deer are difficult to hunt, and the hunters in Guapigou Village haven't caught one for several years.

The last time a deer was hunted was many years ago, when Li Yunshan's father was still alive. Back then, he hunted a deer.

However, Gao Zhankui also said that the reason Li Yunshan's father was able to shoot the deer was because of the Mosin-Nagant rifle he had. The range of the rifle was longer and the firepower was greater than that of a hunting rifle. Li Yunshan's father had already aimed at the deer from more than 300 meters away and then fired.

However, Gao Hongmei used a hunting rifle to hunt deer, and the effective range of a hunting rifle is about 60 or 70 meters. She and Li Yunshan were able to sneak up to such a close distance without being detected by the deer, which has a keen sense of smell and hearing. In the end, they managed to shoot two deer, which definitely had a lot of luck involved.

Now, Gao Hongmei says that the village hunters have actually shot a nine-headed deer...

Although Su Lihua rarely had contact with the hunters in the village, she knew that most of them used hunting rifles, and only Li Yunshan had a standard rifle.

This means that for the hunters in the village to hunt those nine red deer, they would have to get within 60 or 70 meters of them, or even closer, before the deer noticed them...

Thinking about it, Su Lihua found it somewhat unbelievable.

"Yes, Xiulan and I were shocked when we first heard about it. The hunters in our village have had a really good year. They caught a tiger before and now they've caught a nine-headed deer. The money they earn from hunting alone is more than the work points they earn from doing farm work in the village."

Gao Hongmei said enviously.

Nine-headed deer! There are only nine hunters in the village, each owning one deer.

Last time, she and Li Yunshan hunted a deer and sold it for a lot of money. They each received several hundred yuan, which was equivalent to what she earned in several years of farm work in the village.

"No, after we come back from the mountains tomorrow, I still need to find Li Yunshan to go hunting in the mountains."

Gao Hongmei thought to herself.