Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

Zhao Shanhe's face gradually darkened.

He didn't say anything, but just took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a silent puff.

A complete adult Siberian tiger skin.

These words carry immense weight.

The Siberian tiger is the most ferocious predator in the mountains and forests of Northeast China.

Even a typical adult male tiger weighs around 300 pounds.

This weight alone is enough to make even a seasoned hunter feel uneasy.

Because these kinds of animals usually target large prey like red deer or wild boars, and if they're really starving, they'll even hunt brown bears.

What Ivanov wanted was even more terrifying.

A Siberian tiger that is over two meters long and has a fully developed skeleton can easily weigh over 400 pounds. If it were even more ferocious and stronger, it could easily weigh 500 pounds.

At this level, it's no longer a large truck in the ordinary sense.

That was a truly colossal beast, a true king of the mountains.

Zhao Shanhe remained silent for a moment before raising his eyes to look at Ivanov, his voice lowering slightly: "Ivanov."

"Are you kidding me?"

Ivanov looked at him, his smile slowly fading, and nodded.

"Zhao, I'm serious."

"The more difficult it is to make, the higher the price."

After listening, Zhao Shanhe's lips slowly curled into a cold smile. "Ivan, you make that sound so easy."

"Siberian tigers are known for being incredibly cunning."

"In the old forests of Northeast China, it comes and goes without a trace, rarely showing itself."

"By the time someone actually sees it, it has often already reached you."

"But your client happens to be a lunatic."

"He wants a complete skin, and the wound can't be too big."

"This means that the shotgun tactic, which can blast things apart at close range, is simply unusable."

"To put it bluntly, you want me to wait until it pounces, then pull the trigger and take it down with one shot using your 7.62 caliber gun."

"But here's the problem—"

"What if that shot didn't kill it, and it charged at me with that ferocity..."

Zhao Shanhe stared coldly at Ivanov. "I wouldn't have enough lives for that."

Ivanov stared at him, his grey-blue eyes flashing twice, then suddenly leaned forward. "Then don't let it pounce on you."

"Zhao, you are the most skilled hunter I have ever seen."

"Kill it before it finds you."

"Use the gun I gave you."

The room was quiet for a couple of breaths.

Zhao Shanhe did not respond to that sentence.

He merely glanced down at the gun on the table, his face expressionless, then reached out, picked it up, and weighed it in his hand.

It's a good gun.

It feels heavy, steady, and has a weight to it.

If we're really going to go into the mountains, this thing is definitely qualified to handle big cargo.

Zhao Shanhe only glanced at them a few times before putting the gun and the watch back on the table.

"Xiuer." A voice responded from the inner room, "Yes."

Zhao Shanhe's voice was not loud, but he showed no intention of negotiating: "Take out those things and give them back to Ivan."

The room fell silent.

Even Ivanov's smile froze for a moment.

Lin Xiu came out of the inner room, still holding the small iron boxes and the wind-up toy in her hand. Upon hearing this, she paused in her steps.

She glanced at Zhao Shanhe, then at Ivanov, and without asking any questions, simply walked over and put the things she had just brought in back onto the table one by one.

Ivanov was now truly alarmed: "Zhao, what are you doing?"

Zhao Shanhe raised his eyes, his voice flat and cold: "What?"

"Ivan, we both know why you brought all this stuff with you this time."

"My life, Zhao Shanhe's life, isn't so cheap that it can be bought off by a few foreign goods."

"My wife and children are waiting at home, and you want me to go into the deep mountains in February to fight the mountain king for the sake of a Red Star Machinery Factory—"

"I'm not doing this deal."

Ivanov's expression changed immediately.

"Zhao, you've misunderstood!"

He even raised his hand, leaning halfway forward, and a hint of urgency flashed in his gray-blue eyes: "These things aren't for your life!"

"We're friends!"

"You helped me before, and I remember it, so I came to see you; I couldn't come empty-handed!"

As he said this, he pointed to the pile of candy, skin cream, toys, and watches on the table, his voice quickening slightly: "These are for your gratitude, a token of my appreciation!"

"That deal with the Siberian tiger has nothing to do with it!"

"Zhao, no matter how good Ivanov is at business, I'm not the kind of person who would push a friend to their death just to make money for myself!"

"I dare to say this to you today not because I'm heartless."

"Because I truly believe in you."

"I believe in your abilities."

"I believe in this. Others may not be able to, but you can."

"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't even say that!"

Zhao Shanhe stared at him, his gaze unwavering.

Whether it matters or not is unimportant.

"The important thing is that you've put all this in front of me today and quoted a price for that tiger skin."

"Then I can't accept these things."

He paused, his voice flat and cold: "Ivan, I won't take advantage of that."

"If you take these things back, we can still be friends. Otherwise, don't come looking for me again."

Ivanov stared at him for a couple of moments, then finally sighed and rubbed his face. "Zhao."

"You're such a rock."

As he spoke, he pulled the gun and watch closer to himself, muttering under his breath, "You even managed to return something so good to me, really..."

But halfway through his sentence, he looked up at the pile of snacks, skin cream, and the wind-up bear on the table, and couldn't help but shrug: "Fine, I'll take the gun and watch back."

"But what would I do with all this stuff?"

He raised his hand and pointed to the boxes of candy and chocolate, then to the two small tin boxes and the wind-up bear, his tone tinged with helplessness: "I don't like these foods either."

"I'll take the skincare products back; I don't need the ones I have at home."

"What would I do with the toy? I can't just twist it and play with it myself."

At this point, Ivanov looked up at Lin Xiu, his tone becoming more serious: "This is more suitable for your wife."

"This is what makes it proper for a child to play with."

"Zhao, you helped me so much last time."

"I have to repay you."

"If you can't even accept this small gift, then you're really not giving your friend any face."

Zhao Shanhe looked at him for a while, and finally nodded. "Okay."

"Keep these little things."

Upon hearing this, Ivanov's gloomy expression vanished instantly, and he grinned broadly, slapping his hand on the table: "That's right!"

"Zhao, we're friends!"

As he said this, his nose suddenly twitched, as if he had smelled something. His eyes lit up, and he turned to look towards the kitchen. "By the way, Zhao, do you have any wine here?"

"I like to drink that Chinese liquor, Red Star Erguotou. It's spicy enough that one sip feels like my stomach is on fire."

"That old man Sun is so stingy!"

"I only took a small sip, and his face changed. He immediately hid the bottle like it was gold."

Lin Xiu, standing to the side, couldn't help but smile again upon hearing this.

Zhao Shanhe's lips twitched slightly: "Yes."

"You sit down."

He turned to look at Lin Xiu and said, "Xiu'er, bring the wine and cut some snacks to go with it."

Lin Xiu responded and turned to go into the kitchen.

Before long, a bottle of wine was placed on the table, along with a dish of pickled vegetables, a dish of peanuts, and sliced ​​cooked meat.

Ivanov's eyes lit up when he saw the bottle, and he poured a bowl for himself and Zhao Shanhe.

The moment the liquor touched his lips, he let out a long exhale, his entire face relaxing: "Yes, yes, that's the taste!"

"Zhao, let me tell you, you Chinese may not be better than us in other aspects, but your alcohol is truly amazing."

"That old bastard Sun is willing to give me meat, but he guards against me like I'm a wolf when it comes to wine."

Zhao Shanhe picked up his bowl, gently tapped it against his, and said calmly, "He was just afraid you'd get too drunk and start talking nonsense."

Upon hearing this, Ivanov chuckled: "I may be a bit loose-lipped, but what I said wasn't the truth?"

The two drank while chatting idly.

The tension that had almost turned into a fight gradually eased.

After a couple of bowls of wine, Ivanov's nose turned even redder, and he became a bit more rambling, but he knew his limits and didn't mention the Siberian tiger case again. He only casually mentioned the business nearby, the weather in the Soviet Union, and the strange smell of wine and mutton mixed together in Old Sun's dugout.

He slowly got up when it was completely bright outside.

He put the gun and the watch back into his bag, and haphazardly wrapped the scarf around his neck.

As he reached the door, Ivanov turned back to look at Zhao Shanhe. His gray-blue eyes were still tinged with the effects of the alcohol, but his expression was more serious than before.

"Okay, Zhao."

"I thoroughly enjoyed this drink today."

"If you don't want to do business, I won't force you."

He paused, then pointed to his chest: "But what if you change your mind someday—"

"Come find me anytime."

"I'll keep the way for you."

Zhao Shanhe stood at the door, looked at him, and nodded.

"understood."

Ivanov grinned, waved, picked up his bag, and trudged out the door through the hardened snow in the yard.

The courtyard gate closed again, and the house fell silent.