The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

When Zhao Jun returned to the house, the meal was already on the table, but Wang Meilan was in the kitchen scrubbing the pot.

The pot had just been used for smoking, and bits of millet were caked onto the bottom. It was easy to scrub while still hot, but once it cooled, it would be a real pain to clean.

"Son, hurry up and come in to eat."

"Yeah," Zhao Jun replied. He walked into the main room and saw Zhao Youcai, Zhao Hong, and Zhao Na already sitting around the table, eating.

When he saw Zhao Jun come in, Zhao Youcai whispered, "Go on, get me the liquor."

Zhao Jun smiled, went to the cabinet against the wall in the kitchen, and pulled out the liquor jug and a cup.

Wang Meilan saw what he was doing but didn’t say a word.

Zhao Jun went back into the room and placed the cup in front of Zhao Youcai. He then unscrewed the lid of the jug and began to pour.

Around here, when people drank at home, they never filled their cups. They’d pour it about a third of the way full, then refill it when they were done.

At first, Zhao Youcai was quite pleased to have his son pour him a drink. But as he watched Zhao Jun keep pouring, the liquor rising past the two-thirds mark, he quickly said, "Alright, that’s enough! I’ll pour more after I finish this."

But the more he protested, the more Zhao Jun poured, not stopping until the cup was filled to the brim.

Just as Zhao Jun finished pouring, Zhao Hong was picking out some long glass noodles for her younger sister. The girl knelt to get a better angle, clumsily winding the noodles around her chopsticks. As she did, she casually rested her left hand on the low table. She didn’t press down hard, and the table didn’t even wobble.

But the cup was so full that even her light touch sent ripples across the surface of the liquor, threatening to spill it over the edge.

"Whoa!" Zhao Youcai quickly ducked his head, pressed his lips to the rim of the cup, and took a quick slurp.

The slurp lowered the level just enough to keep it from spilling.

Zhao Youcai looked up and glared at Zhao Jun, saying irritably, "I told you to stop, but you just kept pouring. Look at this, it’s filled right to the brim."

Zhao Jun laughed. "I’ve heard people say, ’A full cup of tea is an insult, but a full cup of liquor is a sign of respect.’ You’re my father, so of course I have to show you respect, right?"

"Get outta here," Zhao Youcai grumbled. "As if I need you to show me respect."

As he spoke, Zhao Youcai reached out, holding down a smoked rabbit with his left hand while tearing off a hind leg with his right. He casually handed it to Zhao Hong. Then he tore off the other hind leg and gave it to Zhao Na.

He tore off a foreleg for himself, stuck it in his mouth, and bit into the meat.

Just then, Wang Meilan walked in with her rice bowl. She shot a glare at Zhao Youcai, set her bowl down on the table, and said, "My son was the one who snared that rabbit. If you don’t need his respect, then you shouldn’t be eating it."

Zhao Youcai pretended not to hear. He just lowered his head slightly, raised his cup, and took a small sip.

Wang Meilan sat down next to Zhao Jun, picked up a steamed bun, and served herself some of the dishes.

Zhao Jun tore a piece of breast meat from the smoked rabbit and put it in Wang Meilan’s bowl.

After taking a bite, Wang Meilan suddenly asked Zhao Jun, "Son, you’re not staying home tomorrow night. Should I pack some food for you?"

"What?" Before Zhao Jun could answer, Zhao Youcai cut in. He looked at Zhao Jun and asked, "You’re not coming home? Where are you going?"

Gnawing on a piece of the smoked rabbit’s ribs, Zhao Jun answered, "Elder Xu Pao asked me to go hunting with him."

"Hunting? What are you hunting?"

Zhao Jun tossed a rib bone beside his bowl. "We’re going after a Black Bear’s den," he replied. "It’s a long way out, so we’ll be staying in the mountains."

"A Black Bear, huh? That’s not so bad." Only after hearing Zhao Jun was going after a Black Bear did Zhao Youcai relax. He picked up some glass noodles with his chopsticks and asked, "So where will you be staying tomorrow night?"

Hearing this, Wang Meilan fumed. ’What kind of father is he?’ she thought. ’He asks what his son is hunting before he asks where he’ll be staying.’

With that thought, Wang Meilan said sarcastically, "My son will be staying in a proper hunter’s cabin. Not like some people, who go into the mountains and spend a night freezing in a snowdrift."

"I..." Zhao Youcai was speechless. There was nothing he could say, so he just raised his cup, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp of liquor.

He had choked down a bit too much liquor. Clutching his head with his left hand, he carelessly slammed the cup down on the table with his right.

CLANG!

A sharp sound rang out.

"Who are you trying to intimidate?" Wang Meilan’s eyes narrowed as she snapped, "Showing off all day long. Last time it was that Pig God nonsense, you messed around for days and had me and our son worried sick. And today you went after tiger cubs? Nice job, you ripped your pants right open at the crotch."

"Who ripped their pants at the crotch?" Zhao Youcai would have let anything else slide, but he’d be damned if he admitted to that.

Zhao Youcai shouted, "I just tore my pant leg, that’s all!"

"Since when is that your pant leg?" Wang Meilan retorted. "That was your ass, wasn’t it?"

"What do you mean, my ass?" Zhao Youcai shot back. "It was my upper thigh!"

The two little girls looked on, bewildered by their parents’ sudden argument. But Zhao Jun, listening from the side, could barely suppress a laugh. ’A little higher than the upper thigh,’ he thought, ’isn’t that just your ass?’

"Mom, Mom, come on, let’s eat," Zhao Jun said, trying to placate Wang Meilan. He picked a piece of wild boar from the serving dish and put it in her bowl.

Wang Meilan put the piece of wild boar in her mouth, all while glaring at Zhao Youcai.

Zhao Youcai quickly lowered his head to his bowl and started shoveling the glass noodles into his mouth.

At that moment, Zhao Jun remembered what Xu Changlin had said earlier that day. He turned to his father and asked, "Dad, you guys didn’t manage to get it today?"

Zhao Youcai shook his head. "We tracked it all the way up to Jumping Stone Pond, but we didn’t even catch a glimpse of it."

"Do you think maybe Brother Dalong’s shot yesterday scared it off?"

"Most likely..." Zhao Youcai held his cup, his gaze distant as he seemed lost in thought.

Seeing the look on his face, Wang Meilan asked, "You’re going again tomorrow?"

"Mhm!" Zhao Youcai set down his cup, picked up the rabbit leg, and took a vicious bite. "Tomorrow," he said, "I’m taking it down, one way or another."

...

「The next day」

Zhao Youcai was once again the first to wake up, and he made breakfast for the whole family.

By the time Zhao Jun got out of bed, Zhao Youcai had already been gone for over an hour. After finishing breakfast and getting his things together, Zhao Jun said goodbye to Wang Meilan and left the house with Hua Xiao’er.

Hua Xiao’er had been cooped up in the house for several days, but this was going to be a tough hunt. They really couldn’t do it without him.

As Zhao Jun was in the yard leashing Daqing and White Dragon, Li Baoyu came out of his house, a rope in hand, ready to leash Da Huang.

Da Huang, who had been jumping excitedly on Li Baoyu, instantly grew quiet when he saw the rope and obediently lifted his head for the leash.

On the other side of the yard, Xiaohua started yipping at Li Baoyu. The little puppy was very smart; it knew they were going up the mountain and desperately wanted to come along.

"Brother, can we bring Xiaohua?" Li Baoyu called out to Zhao Jun from over the fence.

"Not this time," Zhao Jun said. "We’re going after that tiger cub. It’s too dangerous for her."

Li Baoyu thought about it and had to agree. Xiaohua had only been up the mountain once, and that was just for hunting badgers. She had no experience in a major hunt. If they rashly let her go up against a lynx, she probably wouldn’t make it back.

Just then, the door to the Li family’s house swung open, and Li Dayong came out, holding a dog-skin hat.

"Uncle," Zhao Jun greeted him. "Heading to work today?"

Li Dayong didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, "What did I just hear you two say you were going to hunt?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"A Black Bear!" Li Baoyu turned and said to his father. "We’re going with Elder Xu Pao to clear out a Black Bear’s den."

Li Dayong frowned. "Then why did I hear you two talking about going after a tiger cub?"

"Haha..." Zhao Jun laughed. "Uncle, we’re supposed to meet Elder Xu Pao at eight. We’ve got to get going." With that, Zhao Jun tugged on the leashes and started to run.

"Oh, Dad, I’m leaving now!" Li Baoyu yelled, tugging Da Huang along as he hurried to catch up.

Watching his son’s retreating figure, Li Dayong smiled. He looked up at the distant mountains and murmured to himself, "Big Brother... you raised a fine son."