The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

"How much?"

This time, it wasn’t just one person asking. Unlike the calm Zhao Jun, even the female employee was stunned.

Three thousand two hundred yuan!

In this day and age, in a mountain town like this, it was truly an astronomical price.

Zhao Jun was about to start working as a technician on the Forest Farm’s inspection team, where he’d only make forty-six yuan and eighty cents a month.

This three thousand two hundred was equivalent to five or six years of Zhao Jun’s salary.

With this kind of money, he could find a wife back in the village. As long as no one stopped him, finding ten wouldn’t even be a problem.

The gunnysack in Li Baoyu’s hand dropped to the floor as he grabbed Zhao Jun’s arm.

By now, a small crowd had gathered around them.

After the New Year, many people went up the mountains to check their traps, so more people were coming down to sell furs.

But what were those Yellow Leaves or gray furs worth compared to this?

Pair after pair of eyes fixed on the Lynx Fur, all with different expressions.

Zhao Jun looked at the male employee and said simply, "Add a little more."

"Huh?" The male employee was taken aback.

Zhao Jun looked at him and said, "Let’s make it thirty-five hundred."

"Thirty-five hundred..." The male employee hesitated, a troubled look on his face.

Zhao Jun pointed toward the back room. "Why don’t you make another call and ask? Thirty-five hundred. If it’s a go, I’ll sell it to you."

The male employee didn’t say a word, nor did he go to make a call. He just turned around, opened a drawer, and placed three stacks of cash in front of Zhao Jun. Then he took out the thick partial stack that was left over from before.

This stack had originally contained one hundred bills, but he had counted out eighteen from it for the man who sold the Bear Gall earlier.

The male employee counted out another thirty-two bills and tossed them back in the drawer, then handed the remaining half-stack to Zhao Jun. "Count it."

Zhao Jun took the money, kicked the gunnysack at his feet, and shouted, "Baoyu!"

"Brother," Li Baoyu said, staring blankly at Zhao Jun.

’This kid really hasn’t seen the world.’

Zhao Jun pointed at the sack by his feet. Only then did Li Baoyu snap out of it. He quickly picked up the sack, tore open the mouth, and, to the utter astonishment of the crowd, pulled out another Lynx Fur.

"I..." The male employee was completely dumbfounded.

At this moment, Zhao Jun had a rolled-up gunnysack tucked under his left arm—it was unclear what long object was rolled inside—and used his right hand to spread the Lynx Fur on the table. He then said to the male employee, "Go ahead and measure it."

When skinning an animal, the head, tail, and limbs below the elbow joints are removed.

So, even though it had been mauled by four dogs the day before, this Lynx Fur only had a slight flaw on its rump.

The male employee measured it and inspected it, then said to Zhao Jun, "Just a moment," and hurried into the back room.

This time, he was gone for a while. Zhao Jun had Li Baoyu put the Lynx Fur away first so they wouldn’t hold up other customers.

Meanwhile, Zhao Jun quickly counted the money. After checking it once and finding no mistakes, he stuffed it all into his shoulder bag.

When the male employee returned, he said to Zhao Jun, "Twenty-five hundred."

"What?" Li Baoyu’s eyes went wide with disbelief. But this time, it wasn’t because the price was too high, but because it was too low.

’The other Lynx Fur sold for thirty-five hundred. This one has a tiny flaw, and it’s only worth twenty-five hundred?’

Zhao Jun put out a hand to stop Li Baoyu and said to the employee, "Three thousand!"

The employee shook his head. "The most I can add is another hundred. Twenty-six hundred. If you agree, I’ll take it. If not, you can take it back."

Hearing this, Zhao Jun thought for a moment and said, "Sold. Give me the money."

The male employee turned, took money from the drawer—first two stacks, then he counted out another sixty bills.

By now, a large crowd had surrounded them, some selling their own furs, others just watching the spectacle. But the center of everyone’s attention was one person: Zhao Jun.

Zhao Jun finished counting the money, stuffed it into his shoulder bag, gave Li Baoyu a nod, and turned to leave.

But the male employee suddenly called out to him, "Young man."

"Hm?" Zhao Jun glanced back at him.

The employee gestured with a slight lift of his chin. "What’s that you’ve got tucked under your arm?"

He thought Zhao Jun had more goods.

Zhao Jun looked down at the rolled-up sack under his arm and grinned. "A pickaxe handle."

"Huh?" The employee froze, confused. "What are you carrying that for?"

"Self-defense," Zhao Jun said. "I just made all this money. I’ve got to be careful, don’t I?"

With that, Zhao Jun walked out of the crowd, one hand clutching the rolled-up sack and the other covering his shoulder bag.

As soon as they left the mountain goods counter, Li Baoyu asked, "Brother, should we buy something to eat?"

"Buy what? Let’s go," Zhao Jun replied, striding away.

Once they were out on the street, they planned to walk all the way back since they didn’t have a vehicle.

But it was already past one in the afternoon, and Zhao Jun was getting hungry. ’Last time we came,’ he thought, ’we bought some pastries for the road. This time we bought nothing. Walking all the way back to the village on an empty stomach is going to be miserable.’ 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Just then, they passed a state-owned restaurant. Zhao Jun glanced behind him and to both sides before grabbing Li Baoyu. "Come on, Baoyu. Let’s us two go have a proper meal."

"Alright!" Li Baoyu followed Zhao Jun into the restaurant, overjoyed. It was past the lunchtime rush, and the place was empty.

Moreover, the owner and the waiter were the same person: a man nearly fifty years old, wearing a white apron and a white chef’s hat, sitting at a table behind the counter drinking tea.

Seeing the two enter, he gestured to the wall. "What’ll you have? Go ahead and order."

Zhao Jun looked at the wall and saw a small blackboard. "Today’s Specials" was scrawled crookedly across the top. Below it were six dishes listed in two columns and three rows.

Braised Carp, Braised Pork Ribs, Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes, Sautéed Dried Tofu, Guo Bao Rou, and Red-Braised Pork Belly.

Below these six dishes were two more lines, but they were likely erased because the items had sold out during lunch.

The two of them sat down at the table beneath the blackboard. They leaned back, craning their necks to look up at the menu. Even though there were only six dishes, Li Baoyu stared at them for a long time.

"Baoyu, what do you want to eat!" Zhao Jun asked him.

Li Baoyu blurted out, "Dried Tofu with Hot Peppers!"

Zhao Jun burst out laughing. "Can’t you order something more substantial?"

Li Baoyu chuckled sheepishly. Braised fish and pork ribs were dishes they ate often enough, so they weren’t anything special. And hot and sour shredded potatoes were even less remarkable.

But dried tofu, on the other hand, was considered a delicacy these days, not something you could eat whenever you wanted.

Besides, Northeasterners, especially Northeastern men, have a great love for both fresh and dried tofu.

At this, Zhao Jun turned to the owner and said, "We’ll have the Sautéed Dried Tofu, the Red-Braised Pork Belly, and the Guo Bao Rou. What do you have for staples?"

"Steamed rice and beef steamed dumplings."

Zhao Jun said, "Two bowls of rice and one steamer of dumplings."

"Coming right up!" The owner stood up and went behind the counter into the kitchen to cook, leaving Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu outside.

"Baoyu, I’ll give you your share of the money when we get back."

"Mhm, mhm." Li Baoyu nodded repeatedly. He asked in a low voice, "Brother, are we really not handing the money over this time?"