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

The deer head is a relatively difficult part of the red deer to sell.

Because the skull accounts for a considerable amount of weight on a deer's head, there's not much good meat left.

Moreover, a deer head weighs at least ten or twenty kilograms, and people who can afford venison wouldn't be greedy enough to spend money on a deer head that doesn't have much good meat.

However, the deer head was a great temptation for Uncle Maocai and his six fellow villagers who went into the mountains to help transport the red deer.

They covet a deer head that others might not.

Although the skull accounts for a considerable amount of weight in a deer head, if you're willing to put in the effort and use a knife to carve it out, you can still get quite a bit of meat out.

Although the meat wasn't as good as other parts of the deer, it was still meat, and it was free—they were given it to them for free.

In addition, they were given three catties of venison...

When Li Yunshan approached them before, he promised each of them a reward of three yuan. On the way into the mountains, Li Yunshan had Gao Hongmei hunt a lot of game, and now each of them had been given two small game, either wild rabbits or pheasants, or wild rabbits or wild ducks...

Now, Uncle Zhou has promised that once the sika deer are transported back to the village, he will cut three catties of venison for each of them and give each of them a deer head...

This reward was already beyond their expectations; it was a very generous reward.

"Don't worry, Brother Zhou, we guarantee we'll handle things perfectly and flawlessly."

Uncle Maocai patted his chest and guaranteed it.

After resting for a while, everyone prepared to go back.

Tie the deer's two legs together with ropes, securing the ropes to the joints between the thighs and calves. This way, when lifted up, the deer won't sag too much and drag on the ground.

Next, the wooden stick is passed between the two bound legs, and then the two people, one in front and one behind, each lift one end of the stick on their shoulders to raise the deer.

"Yunshan, are you sure you can do it? If not, don't try to be a hero. At worst, we can put a deer in the cabin to block the door, and then carry it back into the mountains tomorrow."

Seeing that Li Yunshan had already tied up the two lighter deer and threaded the wooden sticks through them, Uncle Zhou couldn't help but step forward and ask with concern.

Because he had never seen Li Yunshan carry two deer back to the village by himself, he still thought Li Yunshan was just showing off and talking big.

"Uncle Zhou, please don't worry, I'll be fine."

Li Yunshan smiled, bent his knees and bent over, put his right shoulder under the log, and then slowly stood up.

As Li Yunshan stood up, the wooden pole carrying the two deer fell onto his shoulder.

Seeing Li Yunshan lift both deer on his backs without seeming to exert any effort at all, both Uncle Zhou and the others were somewhat surprised.

But that's about it.

Being able to lift two red deer weighing nearly 400 pounds in total is completely different from being able to carry those two red deer out of the deep mountains and forests.

The former tests explosive power, while the latter tests endurance more.

Several people present could lift two red deer weighing nearly 400 pounds, though it was a bit strenuous.

But carrying two deer back to the village from here is a journey of nearly ten miles one way, and no one dares to boast that "I can do it."

Because it's deep in the mountains and forests, the roads are rugged and not the relatively flat country lanes.

"Uncle Zhou, don't worry. The two deer we caught when we went hunting in the mountains last time were carried back by Li Yunshan himself. He's strong and patient."

Gao Hongmei chimed in from the side.

She didn't seem too worried about whether Li Yunshan could bring the two deer back, because she had already witnessed it before.

"Alright then, just let me know if you're tired, and we can continue after you've rested."

After speaking somewhat hesitantly, Uncle Zhou went to lift a deer with Brother Zhang San, and the group slowly walked out of the deep mountains and forests.

At first, Uncle Zhou and the others would occasionally turn around to glance at Li Yunshan.

But when they saw that Li Yunshan's face wasn't red, his breathing wasn't too labored, and he even had the leisure to chat with Gao Hongmei, who was holding a hunting rifle, Uncle Zhou and the others finally believed what Li Yunshan had said before: he really could lift two deer that weighed nearly 400 pounds in total.

Moreover, while they were already panting heavily, Li Yunshan was only breathing slightly, which shocked everyone even more.

"Damn, Yunshan is too insane! He actually carried two 400-pound deer on his back! What did he eat to grow such a physique?"

"Who knows? Look at him, his face isn't even red, and he's only slightly out of breath. It's like he carried those two deer with more ease than the two of us could carry one deer."

"I didn't believe him when he said he could carry two deer back to the village, but now I do."

"I didn't believe it at first either..."

Cai Er, Peng Youlian, Wu Shenghong, and others carried the deer down the mountain while discussing it amongst themselves.

Although they were hunters, they did a lot of farm work during busy farming seasons. Whenever it was time to sow crops or harvest rice, they could easily carry two large baskets on their shoulders, lifting more than 100 kilograms of manure or rice from the fields to the village's drying ground.

But asking them to lift a weight of about 400 pounds... 400 pounds is no good, 300 pounds is also out of the question, but 200 pounds is something they could try.

For example, although there may not seem to be much difference between carrying a 170-180 jin (55-90 kg) load and carrying a 200-jin (100-150 kg) load, which is only 20-30 jin (10-15 kg) heavier, the pressure on the person carrying the load is vastly different for every 3-5 jin (1.5-2.5 kg) or even just 1-2 jin (0.5-0.5 kg) added.

Just like weightlifters, the weight they lift is gradually increased, one pound at a time. You never see someone suddenly adding ten or twenty pounds at once.

But Li Yunshan directly put a load of nearly 400 jin on his shoulders, and he could carry this heavy load and follow behind them without blushing or even panting. Is he a legendary strongman?

Thinking back to how Li Yunshan was just two months ago a lazy, good-for-nothing loafer in the village, but now he can carry a 400-pound load on his shoulders, Uncle Zhou and the others felt that the contrast was really quite significant.

However, this put their minds at ease.

After all, at the beginning, no one thought Li Yunshan had the ability to carry a load of nearly 400 jin down the mountain. They all thought Li Yunshan was just showing off.

Now things are much better. The man is carrying the nearly 400-pound deer with apparent ease, which has relieved Uncle Zhou and Li Baotian.

However, as they walked further and further into the deep mountains and forests, the scene of Li Yunshan panting heavily did not appear, but Uncle Zhou and the others were exhausted.

So, after walking three or four miles through the deep mountains and forests, almost everyone was panting and sweating. Finally, Uncle Zhou spoke up and told everyone to put the deer down for the time being and rest on the spot.

"Ugh, I'm so tired, my shoulders feel like they're all chafed raw."

"You're talking nonsense. Wearing such a thick cotton-padded coat, how could it chafe your shoulders? Do you think we're carrying knives on our shoulders?"

"Stop babbling and hurry up and eat some dry food and drink some water to recover your strength. We still have a long way to go."

"Yeah, stop talking nonsense and hurry up and eat some dry rations to replenish your strength."

"After I sell these deer, I'm going to sleep for a whole day and night at home. This trip into the mountains was so damn tiring."

"Hehe, it's tiring, but the rewards are quite substantial."

Everyone sat down, chatting as they took out their frozen rations from their food bags and ate and drank heartily with the water from their leather jugs.

Fortunately, the weather is freezing cold today, and the dry food I brought from home a few days ago hasn't gone bad yet.

"Brother Maocai, you should also have some dry rations and water."

When Uncle Zhou saw that Liu Maocai and his group had not brought any dry rations into the mountains, but only a canteen, he shared some of his own dry rations with them.

Seeing this, Li Baotian and the others also shared some of their dry rations with the villagers who had come into the mountains to help.

After everyone had eaten some dry rations and drunk some water to replenish their strength, the group carried the deer and continued down the rugged mountain path.

They walked until the sun was gradually setting in the west. They rested twice in the mountains. Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Li Yunshan and his group finally emerged from the rugged mountain roads and stepped onto the relatively flat country lanes.

"Oh my god, I'm finally out of the mountains. My legs feel like they're filled with lead."

"Luckily, we didn't encounter any ferocious wild animals on our way down the mountain. We were really lucky."

"I feel so exhausted from this trip that I don't even need to eat when I get back. I can just lie down on the kang (heated brick bed) and fall asleep."

How far is it from here to our village?

"It's about two or three miles, not far. The road is flatter than in the mountains, and we'll be home in less than half an hour."

"Don't even think about resting here. Let's go all out and get back home for a proper rest."

Stepping onto the relatively flat country road, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and started chattering away.

"Hurry up and go, get some rest when you get home."

Uncle Zhou shouted on Friday.

"Okay."

Cai Er and the others replied. Although they were exhausted and hungry, they still mustered their spirits and carried their prey toward Guapigou Village.

At this time, because it was still early, there were still quite a few pedestrians on the country dirt roads.

When Li Yunshan and his group, carrying several deer, encountered passersby on the road, they immediately attracted the attention of the onlookers.

"Mom, what's that? I'm so scared."

"Silly child, that's a deer. It eats grass, it doesn't eat meat. What are you afraid of?"

A woman holding a three- or four-year-old child spoke to the child.

"It's a deer! How come it's so big?"

Driven by curiosity, the child continued to ask questions.

"You'll understand when you grow up."

The woman spoke as she carried the child away.

Some passersby even followed Li Yunshan and his group directly toward Guapigou Village. They looked at the sika deer that had already been gutted and followed along, glancing left and right, and curiously asking Cai Er and the others where the sika deer had been hunted. Some even saw Li Yunshan carrying two sika deer on his shoulder and were amazed by his strength.

"Make way, make way, don't block the road. Can't you see they're carrying things on their shoulders and in their hands?"

Seeing that more and more people were following Li Yunshan and his group, and even a few children were running around them, slowing down their pace, Gao Hongmei couldn't help but call out.

"Let's see what happens."

"Exactly, can't I even look? It's not like it's anything shameful."

"It's just that we shot down a few deer, what's the big deal?"

At Gao Hongmei's shout, most passersby wisely stepped aside to make way for Li Yunshan and his group. However, a few people were oblivious and not only failed to move aside but also made sarcastic remarks.

Just as Gao Hongmei was about to lash out and curse, Li Yunshan pulled her back, saying, "Hongmei, forget it, don't be impulsive, it's not worth arguing with them."

Pulled by Li Yunshan, Gao Hongmei glared at the group of people before obediently following him into Guapigou Village.