The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

After saying goodbye to Sun Juan and Yang Mantang, Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu made their way back to Yongsheng Village. They went to Zhao Jun’s house first, settling Black Dragon in the storage shed.

Now there was a lamb, two puppies, and two bear cubs. With five little mouths to feed, each with a bigger appetite than the last, the mother goat was starting to have trouble keeping up.

"I’ve gotta get some soybean cakes to feed her," Zhao Jun muttered. ’It’s not right to make the goat produce milk like her life depends on it and only feed her cabbage scraps.’

"I’ll head over to the Sun Family’s place and get some soybean cakes in a bit," Li Baoyu offered. The Suns he was referring to were the ones in the village who pressed soybean oil and sold the leftover cakes on the cheap. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Even with the oil pressed out, they were still much more nutritious than cabbage scraps.

The two of them came out of the storage shed, divided the food Yang Mantang had given them, and then went their separate ways home.

As soon as Zhao Jun stepped inside, he saw Zhao Youcai wiping down a cabinet with a rag. He immediately greeted him, "Hey Dad, busy?"

This "busy?" was just a standard greeting, much like asking, "Have you eaten?"

But the moment the words left Zhao Jun’s mouth, he was met with a tempestuous outburst.

Zhao Youcai raged, "Can’t you see if I’m busy? Are you blind? You can see me, so why ask?"

Zhao Jun just chuckled and didn’t say a word.

Just then, Wang Meilan heard the commotion and came out of the inner room. She said to Zhao Jun, "Did it take you all day just to fetch a puppy? What’s that in your hands? How’d you end up with canned goods?"

As soon as they heard the word "cans," Zhao Hong and Zhao Na, who had been playing with knucklebones in the inner room, dropped them and came running out.

"Cans!" The two little girls weren’t interested in the luncheon meat, but they adored the canned yellow peaches.

Zhao Jun set the sponge cakes, large crackers, and can of luncheon meat on the stove top. He then took the glass jar of yellow peaches, flipped it upside down, and gave the bottom two sharp taps with the heel of his palm.

Flipping the jar back over, he gripped the bottom with one hand and the lid with the other. With a firm twist—POP!—the lid came loose.

"Brother, I want to drink some," Zhao Na said to Zhao Jun, holding out her arms.

Zhao Jun smiled. "I’ll pour some for you. You can share with your sister."

With that, Zhao Jun walked over to the cupboard and said to the diligently laboring Zhao Youcai, "Dad, scoot over a little."

Zhao Youcai: "..."

When Zhao Youcai didn’t budge, Zhao Jun simply turned sideways and squeezed past, nudging his father out of the way. He opened the cupboard and took out two long aluminum spoons and two small bowls.

Zhao Jun returned to the stove, used a spoon to scoop a piece of yellow peach out of the jar and into a bowl, then looked up at Wang Meilan. "Mom, you want a piece?"

"I’m good," Wang Meilan said with a smile. "Go on, give it to those two. Look at them, the silly things, they’re about to drool all over the floor."

Wang Meilan was just teasing, but the two little girls paid her no mind, their eyes fixed intently on Zhao Jun.

Zhao Jun put two slices of yellow peach in each bowl, poured in a little of the syrup, and then placed a spoon in each one.

As soon as he handed the bowls and spoons to his two sisters, the little girls clutched their prizes and scurried back into the inner room.

Zhao Jun tightened the lid on the jar, set it aside, and smiled at Wang Meilan. "There are a few slices left. The girls can have them tomorrow."

Wang Meilan smiled, her heart filled with warmth. ’My son is becoming so mature,’ she thought. ’I’ll have someone to rely on in my old age.’

But just then, Zhao Youcai piped up. "You little brat. Besides you, there are four other people in this family. You gave some to all of them, so why not to your old man?"

It was no wonder Zhao Youcai was angry. After opening the jar, Zhao Jun had offered some to Wang Meilan. When she refused, he’d served it to Zhao Hong and Zhao Na.

Finally, not only had he completely skipped over his own father, he’d even put the jar away. How was Zhao Youcai supposed to stand for that?

"Huh?" Zhao Jun looked up at Zhao Youcai with a grin. "Dad, I thought you didn’t like this stuff."

Zhao Jun was telling the truth. Zhao Youcai genuinely disliked canned peaches—not because he was trying to save them for the children, but because most men from the Northeast in that era were averse to sweets.

"So what if I don’t eat it? Couldn’t you have at least offered?" Zhao Youcai’s voice rose.

"I..." Zhao Jun was at a loss for words.

Before Zhao Jun could open his mouth, Wang Meilan, who was right beside him, spoke up first. She yelled at Zhao Youcai, "What’s gotten into you? Are you a visiting dignitary? You need him to make a formal offer? Always stirring up this useless drama with your own son."

Zhao Youcai instantly deflated and shut his mouth.

Seeing that Zhao Youcai had fallen silent, Wang Meilan added, "Get back to work! The one time I ask you to do something, you just dawdle and drag your feet!"

In a huff, Zhao Youcai whipped his head around, tossed the rag into the basin, swished it around, then fished it out, wrung it dry, and began scrubbing the cabinet with furious energy.

Zhao Jun couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. He picked up the sponge cakes and large crackers wrapped in butter paper and handed them to Wang Meilan. "Mom, take these into the room and eat them with the girls."

"See? My son’s the best." Wang Meilan shot a sidelong glance at the "diligently laboring" Zhao Youcai before taking the snacks into the inner room.

The moment Wang Meilan was gone, Zhao Youcai half-turned and shot Zhao Jun a fierce glare.

Zhao Jun wasn’t offended. He simply said, "Dad, you don’t like the canned peaches, but there’s still this luncheon meat. You can have it with your liquor tonight."

Zhao Jun’s peace offering was met with a cold rebuke. Zhao Youcai wasn’t having any of it. "Who’d eat that crap? Get lost, you brat," he grumbled.

Zhao Jun glanced at his father, set down the can of luncheon meat, and went to his room.

A short while later, Zhao Jun emerged, having changed his clothes. He was holding a Bear Gall and went straight to the inner room where his mother was. "Mom," he said to Wang Meilan, "I also got a Bear Gall on this trip."

"Oh my goodness! Did my son go kill a Black Bear again?" In the middle of eating a sponge cake, Wang Meilan shot to her feet. She thought he had just gone to Yongfu Village to get a puppy and, at most, had been kept overnight as a guest. She never expected Zhao Jun to come back with a Bear Gall.

While Wang Meilan was still reeling in surprise, Zhao Youcai, who had somehow sidled up to the doorway, leaned against the frame and commented, "This Bear Gall is already so dried out. It can’t be from a fresh kill, can it? Kid, you didn’t steal this from somewhere, did you?"

The moment these words left Zhao Youcai’s mouth, the color drained from Wang Meilan’s face. She snapped, "What are you talking about? Would my son do something like that?"

Despite her words, after she finished speaking, she still turned her gaze to Zhao Jun.

So, Zhao Jun gave her a brief explanation. Afterward, Wang Meilan was full of wistful sighs, recalling how she had met that Hu Guangmin years ago and had even made him fried sticky bean buns.

"Mom, Mom." Seeing that Wang Meilan was getting lost in her endless recollections, Zhao Jun quickly cut her off. "Let’s put that aside for now. Can you hurry up and get me something to eat?"

"What? My son hasn’t eaten yet?" Wang Meilan started to get up, but then she saw Zhao Youcai still rooted to the spot in the doorway. She immediately pointed at him and ordered, "What are you gawking at? Go cook for your son! Make him some steamed egg custard. And to think you accused our son of stealing a Bear Gall. You think he’s like you? Selling a Bear Gall and secretly pocketing the cash?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Youcai turned and left, heading to the outer room to get a bowl and beat some eggs.

At that moment, Zhao Jun came out of the east room and said to Zhao Youcai, "Dad, don’t put chopped scallions in the egg custard. I don’t like them."

Zhao Youcai stared at Zhao Jun. As he beat the eggs with chopsticks, his eyes never left his son. "A tiger on a flat plain..." he said coldly.

"What was that?" The words had barely left Zhao Youcai’s mouth when Wang Meilan emerged from the inner room. She handed a large cracker to Zhao Jun, saying, "Son, eat this to tide you over."

Then she asked, "What were you two talking about?"

Zhao Jun grinned. "My dad said he’s..."

Before Zhao Jun could get the words out, Zhao Youcai cut him off. "I was saying that since the kid starts work the day after tomorrow, we should have Dayong give him a ride."