The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

Those who die a violent death are not allowed back in the village.

This was a rule passed down by word of mouth from the older generations.

For someone like Hu Guangmin, they could only build a mourning shed outside the village and hold the rites there.

In the past, for prominent families, there was an even stricter rule: those who died violently could not be buried in the ancestral tomb.

This was something that couldn’t be changed. Even if Jiang Jianshe agreed, the other villagers would not.

But this was just too cruel for Hu Guangjun. As his brother-in-law, Yang Mantang simply couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Just as Yang Mantang returned from seeing Jiang Jianshe off, Zhao Jun came out of the inner room and said to him, "Brother, Baoyu and I will leave a little later. We’ll stay and help out."

Here, Zhao Jun paused before adding, "I want to see Guangmin, too." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Brother, thank you so much." Yang Mantang gripped Zhao Jun’s hand tightly in gratitude.

As Yang Mantang and Jiang Jianshe had discussed, they would build a simple shed at the East of the Village. When the car brought Hu Guangmin back, that shed would serve as the mourning hall.

Yang Mantang stayed home to cook and watch the children, while Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu went out with Hu Guangjun to find people to help.

They hadn’t gone far from Yang Mantang’s house when they heard a CLANGING and BANGING up ahead, followed by the sound of shattering glass.

"What’s going on?" Li Baoyu craned his neck curiously and quickened his pace.

In the yard ahead, a group of people, some with clubs and others with shovels, were cornering a man.

The man dodged his pursuers, leaped onto a low wall, and even as a shovel smacked him on the rear, he successfully flipped over it and took off running north.

"I..." Li Baoyu got a clear look at the man and quickly turned to speak to Zhao Jun, only to see Zhao Jun pointedly shooting him a look.

Li Baoyu quickly shut his mouth. Just then, Hu Guangjun spotted a relative in the pursuing crowd and shouted, "Brother Liang! Brother Liang!"

Hearing his name, a man holding a large club stopped and ran over. He glanced at Zhao Jun, didn’t recognize him, but instead of asking Hu Guangjun who he was, he said, "Guangjun, hurry up and come with me! We’ll catch him and beat him to death."

"Hey, brother," Li Baoyu spoke up from the side. "What’s going on? Why are you guys chasing that fellow?"

The man didn’t recognize Li Baoyu either, but seeing him with Hu Guangjun, he figured he wasn’t a stranger. He said, "That son of a bitch came to our village to screw around! Fucking hell, if we catch him, we’re gonna break his legs!"

With that, the man waved to Hu Guangjun. "Guangjun, let’s go!"

Hu Guangjun was in no mood for this. He pulled the man aside and told him about his older brother’s death.

Meanwhile, Li Baoyu sidled up to Zhao Jun and whispered, "Brother, what should we do?"

"What’s there to do?" Zhao Jun glanced at the other two. Seeing the man comforting Hu Guangjun and paying them no mind, he said, "For the shit he’s pulling, getting beaten to death wouldn’t be enough."

That man was none other than Wang Dalong of Yong’an Village.

Zhao Jun couldn’t be bothered with the guy. He knew exactly what kind of person Wang Dalong was—the man lost his head whenever he saw a woman and had absolutely no morals.

In his past life, Wang Dalong had even messed around with his own nephew’s wife. Was there anything he wouldn’t do?

If he really got himself beaten to death here in Yongfu Village, it would just mean one less menace in the world.

But just then, the man exclaimed in shock to Hu Guangjun, "Guangjun, don’t say another word. I’ll call them back right now. We’ll handle Brother Min’s matter first."

Hearing this, Zhao Jun quickly walked over. "Brother, let them keep at it. My buddy and I will go with you to build the shed."

The man glanced at Zhao Jun and asked, "What’s your name, brother?"

"My name is Zhao Jun. Guangmin and I were classmates."

"Ah!" The man extended a hand to Zhao Jun. "I’m Hu Guangliang. Brother Min was my uncle’s son."

Zhao Jun then introduced Li Baoyu to Hu Guangliang. After they shook hands, Hu Guangliang led the way. As they passed his house, he called for his wife to come out and go to Yang Mantang’s to help with the kids, freeing up Yang Mantang to oversee the arrangements.

Then, Hu Guangjun went to inform other relatives and friends of the death, while Hu Guangliang took Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu to the East of the Village to find a spot to build the shed.

"Brother Liang," Li Baoyu said, copying Hu Guangjun. "So what’s the deal with that guy who was fooling around?"

"Hah, don’t even ask." It was just a figure of speech, of course, because Hu Guangliang continued, "There’s a skidder in our village with the surname Qiao. You know the Logging Camp on the mountain is about to start up, right? The Qiao family’s second son went up there the day before yesterday. He figured since there was nothing to do at home, he could go up and skid some extra logs to make more money."

"Who would’ve thought that bastard would show up and get together with the second Qiao’s wife? Seems he’s been here for three or four days. Yesterday, he came out of the house to take a crap and the Qiao family’s neighbor saw him. As it happens, that neighbor went to Lingnan today to sell wood ear mushrooms and saw the Qiao’s second son."

"Ah!" Li Baoyu and Zhao Jun exchanged a look. Just a few days ago, Wang Dalong had gone hunting for Lynx with Zhao Youcai. But the day before yesterday, Zhao Youcai went up the mountain alone. Thinking back now, Wang Dalong must have used the excuse of hunting Lynx and staying on the mountain as a cover to come to Yongfu Village and hunt "rabbits" instead.

Li Baoyu asked again, "So, Brother Liang, do you guys know who that philanderer is?"

"Don’t know him," Hu Guangliang said. "But when the second Qiao gets back, he’s sure to give his wife a piece of his mind, right? One question and he’ll get the whole story out of her."

As the two were talking, a group of men emerged from the village carrying pickaxes and hammers, led by Jiang Jianshe.

Jiang Jianshe said a few simple words, and the men scattered in all directions to gather firewood and build a bonfire.

Once the fire was roaring, ox- and horse-drawn sleds brought logs out from the village. Everyone pitched in, unloading the logs and assembling the shed.

When the shed was up, Yang Mantang and Hu Guangjun went around handing out cigarettes. When they got to Zhao Jun, he took one—he hadn’t smoked in a long time. He lit it and took a deep drag, but his reborn body wasn’t used to it, and he couldn’t help but cough a couple of times.

"Brother, thank you for today," Yang Mantang had just begun to say when someone shouted, "They’re back!"

A car drove up, and everyone worked together to carry Hu Guangmin out. Hu Guangli and Sun Juan also got out of the car.

Seeing so many people waiting outside the village, the two women were a bit dazed. But when they saw Hu Guangmin being carried into the shed, Hu Guangli immediately protested.

At that moment, Yang Mantang went over, put his arm around Hu Guangli, and said a few words to her.

Tears streamed down Hu Guangli’s face. She grabbed Yang Mantang’s hand and said, "Mantang, he died like this... When I die, how am I supposed to face Mom and Dad...?"

"Big Sister!" Hu Guangjun rushed forward, and he and Hu Guangli embraced. Of the four siblings, they were the only two left.

Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu went into the mourning shed. They saw Hu Guangmin lying on a wooden plank, with Sun Juan kneeling and crying before him. Zhao Jun sighed softly and walked back out.

A short distance away, he saw Hu Guangli drop to her knees in front of Yang Mantang. "Mantang," she cried, "you have to get revenge for Guangmin!"

"What are you doing?" Yang Mantang said, pulling Hu Guangli to her feet.

Hu Guangli continued, "I’ve been married to you for so many years, and I’ve never asked you for anything. Today, I’m begging you for just one thing. On the day Guangmin is buried, place that Black Bear’s head in front of his grave. Let him rest in peace, so that one day, I’ll have an answer for Mom and Dad."