The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

It was served without any seasoning, just a dip of salt, which really brought out the natural, meaty flavor.

The moment he tore into it, the savory scent wafted out on a cloud of steam, so fragrant that even Wang Meilan, lying groggily on the kang bed, opened her eyes.

Zhao Jun plucked the remaining six shaban chickens clean, washed his hands, and had just torn off a leg to chew on when the door behind him opened.

"Digging in already?" Zhao Youcai asked as he entered the room, glancing at Zhao Jun.

Zhao Jun quickly tore off the other leg and handed it to Zhao Youcai, saying, "Dad, you have some too."

Zhao Youcai took it and popped the leg into his mouth.

The shaban chicken is also called a "half-jin chicken."

This means it only weighs a little over half a jin.

Its legs were pitifully small with not much meat, but they were exceptionally flavorful.

Zhao Youcai chewed up everything, bone and meat, while taking off his cotton-padded jacket. He mumbled to Zhao Jun, "Come up the mountain with me tomorrow."

Hearing this, Zhao Jun blurted out, "Dad, are you going to hunt wild boars again?"

When Zhao Youcai heard that, he quickly glanced into the inner room. Seeing Wang Meilan lying motionless on the kang bed, he turned back to Zhao Jun and said, "Hunt what? I’m telling you to come with me tomorrow to drag the pigs back."

"I can’t go," Zhao Jun refused without a second thought. But seeing Zhao Youcai’s unfriendly gaze, he explained, "I have to make a trip to Yongsheng Village tomorrow. I heard Brother Zhou was discharged from the hospital, so I have to return his gun."

"Then you go." Hearing Zhao Jun’s explanation, Zhao Youcai didn’t say anything more.

...

The next morning, the father and son of the Zhao Family got up at almost the same time. After breakfast, Zhao Youcai went out to find the father-son duo, Li Dayong and Li Baoyu. Meanwhile, Zhao Jun came out of the house with the gun on his back, preparing to go to Yongsheng Village to return it.

"Brother," Li Baoyu said, hopping over the wall. "How come you’re going today? Yesterday you said you were going to wait a couple more days."

Zhao Jun glanced into the Li Family Courtyard. Seeing Zhao Youcai had gone inside their house, he whispered to Li Baoyu, "If I don’t go today, I’ll have to go with you guys to drag the pigs."

Hearing this, Li Baoyu gave Zhao Jun a thumbs-up in admiration. "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

Zhao Jun added, "It snowed so much the night before last. How are we supposed to get them down? Besides, there are more than ten pigs. By the time they’re loaded onto a vehicle, we’ll have to walk all the way back."

At that moment, he heard a noise from inside Li’s House. Zhao Jun clapped Li Baoyu on the shoulder and said, "I’m heading out now."

"Take care."

Zhao Jun walked for over ten li from his home and arrived directly in Yongsheng Village.

He didn’t go see Zhao Chun. Instead, he bought two jars of canned fruit at the village’s general store and then arrived at the gate of Chengguo House.

Previously, Zhou Chengguo had his scalp torn open by a Black Bear and was sent to the hospital, where he received over a hundred stitches.

Fortunately, Zhou Chengguo was a former soldier. Years of traversing the mountains and hunting had kept him in excellent physical condition.

After about a month in the hospital, the doctor saw he was out of danger and permitted him to go home to recuperate.

It had been almost a month since he was discharged. Zhou Chengguo felt his body getting stronger day by day, and for the past few days, he had even been able to get off the kang bed and go to the latrine by himself.

So, after the Lantern Festival, Zhou Chengguo and his wife, Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou, had been constantly discussing at home how to repay Zhao Jun.

How could they ever repay the kindness of saving his life?

If this debt went unpaid, Zhou Chengguo and Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou felt they couldn’t even enjoy their meals. But if they were to repay it, how should they go about it?

Repaying such a kindness would require money.

It wasn’t that Zhou Chengguo was reluctant to repay his savior; it was just that this hospital stay had completely wiped him out financially.

The money he had earned over the years from hunting and selling Bear Gall was almost all spent in one go. Now, Chengguo House only had a little cash left for daily necessities.

Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou suggested borrowing some money from the neighbors first, but in this day and age, no family in the mountains was well-off. How much could they possibly borrow?

The key issue was that Zhou Chengguo’s Type 56 semi-automatic rifle was still with Zhao Jun. If they showed up with just two or three hundred yuan to express their gratitude, would it look like they were thanking him, or would it look like they were just there to get the gun back?

The Zhou Chengguo couple certainly had no such intention, but if the matter wasn’t handled properly, people would inevitably think that way.

So, at this moment, Zhou Chengguo was hunched over the kang table, writing a letter. The recipient was an old army buddy he had served with years ago.

And just as he was writing, he heard a dog barking outside.

"Quick, go see who’s here," Zhou Chengguo ordered Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou, as it was a strain for him to get up.

Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou had just gotten up when she heard two knocks on the door, and then it opened.

Just as Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou came out from the inner room, she saw Zhao Jun walk in, a gun on his back and a triangular cloth bag in his hand.

Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou couldn’t help but stare, stunned. She never would have imagined that Zhao Jun would come to their home.

"Sister-in-law," Zhao Jun called out. Seeing her stunned silence, he smiled and said, "Don’t you recognize me?"

"Oh my, Brother!" Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou strode forward, grabbed Zhao Jun’s hand, and pulled him toward the inner room.

She pulled Zhao Jun inside and said to Zhou Chengguo, "Husband, look who’s here!"

"This is..." Zhou Chengguo had never met Zhao Jun. The day Zhao Jun saved him, he had already passed out.

But he felt the young man looked familiar. After a moment’s thought, he was reminded of Zhao Youcai from Yong’an Village.

The two of them shared a strong resemblance.

"It must be Brother Zhao Jun." Zhou Chengguo realized at once and struggled to sit up on the kang bed.

"Brother," Zhao Jun said, rushing forward to press Zhou Chengguo back down. "Stay lying down. Please don’t get up."

As he spoke, Zhao Jun took the gun off his back and casually placed it on the kang table, right on top of the letter Zhou Chengguo had been writing.

Zhou Chengguo and Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou exchanged a glance. Then they saw Zhao Jun take two jars of canned fruit from the triangular bag he had been carrying.