The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

Zhang Laibao rushed into the house in a panic, went back to his room, and clumsily started wrapping his leggings.

Zhang Laibao had a younger brother named Zhang Laifa, two years his junior, who was lying on the heated brick bed reading a picture-story book.

"Bro, where are you going?"

"Into the mountains. To hunt!" Hearing this, Zhang Laifa was completely stunned. ’The dog’s injured and you don’t have a gun. Who do you think you can hunt bare-handed?’ he thought.

Just then, Zhang Zhanshan heard the commotion from the other room and came over. "Laibao, what are you up to?" he asked.

"Hunting." Now that his own father was here, Zhang Laibao had to explain. "I saw Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu at the entrance to the village. They’re going hunting in the mountains, and I said I’d go with them."

"Hunting?" Zhang Zhanshan’s brow furrowed at his words. "Didn’t I poison their dog, Huabiao, to death?"

"It didn’t die." Seeing his father’s face darken, Zhang Laibao quickly added, "But according to Zhao Jun, the dog is half-dead right now. He didn’t even bring it out today."

"Hmph, no wonder." Hearing Zhang Laibao’s explanation, Zhang Zhanshan was finally relieved. Yesterday afternoon, he’d pretended to be passing by and took a stroll past Zhao Jun’s family home, but he hadn’t seen Hua Xiao’er in their yard at the time.

Because of this, Zhang Zhanshan had been worried that the jig was up and Zhao Youcai would retaliate against their family.

Now, hearing that Hua Xiao’er had been poisoned but wasn’t dead, Zhang Zhanshan thought the same thing as Zhang Laibao: since Hua Xiao’er was alive, Zhao Jun’s family wouldn’t know who had poisoned him, and so they wouldn’t come seeking revenge for now.

"Then how come it didn’t die from the poison?" Suddenly, Zhang Laifa, still on the heated brick bed, asked with great curiosity. As the boy spoke, his tone was purely inquisitive, but his face remained cold and indifferent.

"The poison probably lost its potency," Zhang Zhanshan said. "It was left over from before the Great Leap Forward in ’58."

As they spoke, Zhang Laibao finished wrapping his leggings. He stood up, took down a satchel hanging on the wall, and pulled out an Invasion Blade, which he tucked into the back of his waistband.

"Son!" Seeing Zhang Laibao about to leave, Zhang Zhanshan quickly stopped him and warned, "Maybe you shouldn’t go. I’m afraid they’ll set you up."

"No way," Zhang Laibao said with a laugh. "Zhao Jun is a blockhead and Li Baoyu is a reckless idiot. When it comes to using your brain, the two of them combined are no match for me!"

Zhang Zhanshan kept a hold on Zhang Laibao, saying worriedly, "I know a little about this hunting business. It’s fine if you go, but don’t be the one to rush to the front. Especially when his dogs start barking, you stay back and watch from a distance. If it’s a Black Bear and things look bad, you run back here. If it’s a wild boar, you climb a tree. Whatever you do, don’t let them trick you into a trap."

"Alright, Dad, I know." Zhang Laibao answered before pushing the door open and heading out.

Staring at Zhang Laibao’s departing figure, Zhang Zhanshan thought for a long time. They all lived in the same village, and in a way, he had watched Zhao Jun grow up—albeit with eyes full of hatred. He still knew what Zhao Jun was like.

Just as Zhang Laibao had said, the Zhao Jun of the past really wasn’t very bright, a far cry from his father, Zhao Youcai.

Furthermore, Zhang Zhanshan was convinced that Zhao Jun wouldn’t dare to harm Zhang Laibao directly. The only real possibility was that he would set a trap for Zhang Laibao during the hunt.

But wild animals weren’t domesticated; how could they possibly follow Zhao Jun’s orders? Besides, Zhang Laibao wasn’t a fool. Zhang Zhanshan believed his son could get out of it in one piece.

Zhang Laibao left his house and ran south. By the time he reached the edge of the hamlet, he could finally see Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu in the distance.

Zhang Laibao took a couple of breaths and then ran the rest of the way toward them.

Hearing the sounds from behind, Zhao Jun shot Li Baoyu a look, and Li Baoyu nodded.

"Brother... Brother Jun." By the time Zhang Laibao reached Zhao Jun’s side, he was already panting heavily.

"Don’t talk yet. Just walk slowly," Zhao Jun instructed him.

Zhang Laibao nodded, still gasping for air. After a moment, he caught his breath and asked Zhao Jun, "Brother Jun, what are we hunting today?"

It had to be said, Zhang Laibao wasn’t entirely reckless; he made sure to ask Zhao Jun first.

Zhao Jun smiled. "Yesterday, Baoyu and I saw a badger den up the mountain. We were thinking of digging out the badgers today."

"Bad... Badgers, huh." This time, Zhang Laibao felt even more relieved. He was already scheming in his head. ’If Zhao Jun says it’s badgers, then if we see nothing but wild boar or Black Bear tracks along the way, it must be a setup.’

’If that happens, I’ll just turn around and leave.’

’Or, when we get there, if it’s not a badger den but a Bear Den, it’s still a setup. I’ll just turn around and leave.’

’But if it really is a badger den, that means Zhao Jun isn’t trying to harm me. I’ll hang out with them a few times, and once we’re familiar with each other, I’ll get Zhao Jun to help me train my dog. Once my dog is trained, then I’ll really mess with Zhao Jun.’

As for digging out badgers today, Zhang Laibao, in all his life, had never been on a proper hunt, but he had been with his uncles to dig out badger dens twice. He didn’t believe a mere badger could do anything to him.

But he did have one question. He asked Zhao Jun, "Brother Jun, if you’re going to dig out badgers, how come you didn’t bring anything?"

Zhang Laibao had dug out badgers before, so he knew you needed tools for the job. But Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu hadn’t brought a shovel or a pickaxe; Zhao Jun was only carrying a rifle.

Hearing Zhang Laibao’s question, Zhao Jun laughed. "What do we need that stuff for? Don’t we have dogs?"

"But the dogs can’t get in the den, can they?" Now, Zhang Laibao didn’t suspect Zhao Jun was trying to harm him, but he was starting to have another doubt: maybe Zhao Jun had never actually dug out a badger den in his life.

Zhao Jun waved a hand at Zhang Laibao, then opened the satchel at his side, gesturing for Zhang Laibao to look.

Zhang Laibao looked and saw only a single Maze inside. He was even more surprised. "Brother Jun, what’d you bring that for?"

Instead of answering, Zhao Jun asked, "Do you know how many bears I’ve taken down this winter?"

Zhang Laibao shook his head, then thought for a moment and said, "I don’t know the exact number, but I’ve heard everyone saying that you’ve gotten rich this winter just from selling Bear Galls, Brother Jun."

"You bet!" Li Baoyu chimed in with a grin. "My uncle, Brother Jun’s dad, makes two or three thousand yuan every time he goes down the mountain to sell Bear Galls."

"That much..." Zhang Laibao’s eyes went wide when he heard that.

"Of course," Zhao Jun said to him with a smile. "Why do you think other people can’t kill them, but I get one every time I try?"

"Why’s that?"

"I hunt differently than other people."

"Well, tell me how, Brother Jun."

Zhao Jun closed his satchel and said to Zhang Laibao, "Let’s just take this badger den, for example. You guys all have to wear yourselves out digging. I’m different. I don’t dig. Why bother with all that hard work?

"I just light this firecracker, stuff it in the hole, and once it goes off, won’t all the badgers come running out? Then, no matter which exit they use, we just let the dogs loose. We don’t need to catch a lot. If we can get three, that’s one for each of us to take home and stew with some daikon."

"Whoa!" Zhao Jun’s words made Zhang Laibao’s eyes light up. In all his life, it was the first time he’d ever heard of digging out a badger den like that.

But thinking about Zhao Jun’s satchel, and then looking at the four dogs they were leading, the way Zhang Laibao looked at Zhao Jun changed completely.

Zhang Laibao thought to himself, ’This Zhao Jun usually seems like a blockhead, but he’s really got a knack for hunting! No wonder he killed so many Black Bears this winter. Maybe he really does have some special tricks. If I can learn them from him, I’ll hunt bears too. I’ll get rich, get married...’

As he walked, Zhang Laibao’s imagination ran wild. He praised Zhao Jun, saying, "Brother Jun, you’re amazing! How did you even think of a trick like that?"

"Oh, that’s nothing." Zhao Jun said it was nothing, but his face was filled with smug satisfaction. This display made Zhang Laibao even more convinced that Zhao Jun was a genius when it came to hunting.

But what he didn’t know was that Zhao Jun was actually thinking, ’I’m not smart enough for that. Only Big Pants could come up with a "brilliant idea" like this.’