The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

After several days away, Zhao Jun finally returned to his own kang bed after dinner. All he wanted was a good night’s sleep.

However, because Zhao Youcai had a cold, Wang Meilan brought Zhao Hong and Zhao Na’s bedding into Zhao Jun’s room to keep the two little girls from getting infected. She had them sleep with Zhao Jun.

As it turned out, the two little girls were such restless sleepers, somersaulting and flailing about, that Zhao Jun had nightmares all night long.

The next day, they were up bright and early again, whooping and hollering right in Zhao Jun’s ear. It made him grit his teeth in frustration.

Resigned, he got out of bed.

After breakfast, Zhao Jun headed to the Li Family’s house. He wanted to ask Li Dayong to find someone to help make a few more pairs of skis.

When he arrived at the Li Family’s home, he heard Li Baoyu in the room he shared with Li Ruhai, telling a story to Li Ruhai and Li Xiaoqiao.

The story he was telling was none other than how he had killed the wild boar in Baoyu Forest with his own hands.

When he reached the part about furiously plunging his knife into the wild boar’s throat, Li Ruhai and Li Xiaoqiao were wide-eyed, looking at their big brother with absolute awe.

Zhao Jun smiled. Instead of disturbing the three siblings, he went to the east room to greet Li Dayong and Jin Xiaomei.

Li Dayong, while rolling a cigarette, asked Zhao Jun, "Xiaojun, are your Qing Gou and the white dog both clamping dogs?"

Zhao Jun paused, surprised. "Uncle Li, how’d you know?"

Li Dayong jerked his chin toward the opposite room and said, "If they weren’t clamping dogs, you think a guy with his skills could get close enough to stab a boar?"

Zhao Jun smiled at his words. ’It figures an expert would understand immediately.’

Why had Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu never dared to knife-hunt before? Yet on this trip to Yongsheng Village, they had managed to knife three wild boars.

This was because for a knife-hunt, for a person to get in close with the blade, it was best to have two clamping dogs pinning both of the wild boar’s ears.

Previously, only Daqing was a clamping dog. When he bit a wild boar’s ear, the boar could still swing its head from side to side.

But now with White Dragon joining him, the two could clamp down on both of the boar’s ears at once. This kept the boar from shaking its head, rendering its tusks useless for goring anyone.

Only then was it possible to knife-hunt.

Next, Zhao Jun brought up his idea to use the wild boar hides to make more skis. Li Dayong agreed at once, saying he’d find someone at his workplace to make them for Zhao Jun.

Then, Li Dayong asked Zhao Jun how Zhang Yuanmin had managed to lose his skis.

Zhao Jun relayed the story he’d heard at Zhang Yuanmin’s house, and by the end, both Li Dayong and Jin Xiaomei were laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

After laughing for a good while, Li Dayong finally said to Zhao Jun, "Actually, that trick he told me about the other day was pretty good. But how the hell did that stone granary have another door?"

"Tell me about it," Zhao Jun said. "Otherwise, how could Xiong Ba have appeared from the side like that?"

Hearing laughter from the room, Li Baoyu and the other two came over from across the hall. When Li Baoyu saw Zhao Jun, he asked, "Brother, when did you get here?"

Zhao Jun laughed. "I got here while you were in the middle of spinning your tall tale."

Li Baoyu chuckled at that. He pulled Zhao Jun into his room and dragged a wooden box out from under the table.

When Li Baoyu opened the box, Zhao Jun saw it was full of wildcat snares.

"Where did these come from?"

Li Baoyu said, "Yesterday, my uncle came by to pick up some boar meat and brought these over for me."

Zhao Jun glanced outside. "I didn’t sleep well last night," he said to Li Baoyu. "Let’s you and I go up the mountain tomorrow and set all these snares."

"Deal!"

Just as they were talking, Li Ruhai, who had stepped out to use the latrine, came running back in. "Brother Jun," he said, "why is Zhang Laibao hanging around in front of your house?"

Even Li Ruhai, who had just turned fourteen after the New Year, knew that the Zhao Family and the Zhang Family didn’t get along.

Zhao Jun stood up and headed straight outside, with Li Baoyu scrambling to keep up.

When the two of them left Baoyu’s house, they saw Zhang Laibao walking away with his back to them. He passed the gate to Zhao Jun’s family home, then turned to wander back.

But the moment he turned, he spotted Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu.

"Brother Jun!" Zhang Laibao hurried over to them, offering an enthusiastic greeting.

Zhao Jun remained silent, but Li Baoyu asked, "Zhang Laibao, what are you doing loitering in front of our places?"

Zhang Laibao smiled. "I was hoping to find my Brother Jun about something."

"What kind of business?" Li Baoyu pressed.

"Oh, Baoyu," Zhang Laibao said. "I’m here to see our Brother Jun, not you. Why are you asking so many questions?"

Li Baoyu didn’t like the sound of that. He clenched his fist, and his knuckles let out a sharp CRACK.

At that, Zhao Jun clapped Li Baoyu on the back, and Baoyu fell silent. Zhao Jun then asked Zhang Laibao, "Go ahead. What do you need me for?"

Zhang Laibao opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, a voice called out from a short distance away.

"Zhao Jun!" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The three turned, and upon seeing who was approaching, they called out in unison, "Uncle Zhao."

Zhao Guofeng nodded and walked over, his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Zhang Laibao.

Zhao Guofeng looked at Zhao Jun. "Heard you got back yesterday afternoon. How’d things get handled over in Yongsheng Village?"

As he spoke, Zhao Guofeng shot Zhao Jun a look, directing it toward Zhang Laibao.

With Zhang Laibao standing right next to him, he couldn’t see the gesture when Zhao Guofeng slightly turned his head.

’What does the business in Yongsheng Village have to do with Zhao Guofeng?’

But Zhao Jun instantly took the hint. "Yes, Uncle Zhao," he replied at once. "It’s all taken care of."

He punctuated his words with a firm nod.

"Alright then, I’m off." With that, Zhao Guofeng turned and walked away.

"Take care, Uncle Zhao."

Watching Zhao Guofeng leave, an idea seemed to strike Zhang Laibao. He said to Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu, "When we went hunting up the mountain the day before yesterday, the Village Chief even gave us guns, you know?"

"Mhm." ’Zhao Jun knew,’ he thought. ’For Qin Qiang and Zhang Laibao’s crew to have gone to rescue Zhang Yuanmin, Zhao Guofeng and Xu Changlin must have tricked them into it somehow.’

’But after duping them, Zhao Guofeng must have been worried they’d get into trouble, which is why he gave them semi-automatic rifles.’

’Otherwise, who in the entire village could borrow guns from the Village Office?’

Seeing Zhao Jun’s unfazed expression, Zhang Laibao added, "He gave us two guns."

Zhang Laibao’s words took Zhao Jun by surprise.

’However, Zhao Jun wasn’t surprised by the number of guns. He was surprised that even with a pack of dogs and two semi-automatic rifles, they *still* couldn’t take down Xiong Ba. Just how powerful was that bear?’

This thought made Zhao Jun curious. He asked Zhang Laibao, "So, what were you hunting with two semi-automatics?" As he spoke, he placed a hand on Li Baoyu’s back, signaling him to keep quiet.

’Of course, Zhao Jun knew what they had been hunting. But he had to feign ignorance—that had been Zhao Guofeng’s intention as well.’

"Xiong Ba!" Zhang Laibao said, as if bragging. "A thousand-jin Big Bear Dominator!"

"So did you take it down?"

At Zhao Jun’s question, Zhang Laibao’s expression soured. He shook his head and said, "It was all Tao Dasheng’s fucking fault!"