Zhao Jun’s semi-automatic rifle originally held ten rounds. He had fired one shot as a warning to Zhao Youcai and the others.
That left nine rounds.
And just now, by firing nine consecutive shots, he had emptied the gun of all its bullets.
The first shot skewered through one wild boar before hitting the Pig God in the shoulder blade.
The second shot also passed clean through another boar, finally hitting the Pig God in the rump.
As he fired the remaining seven shots, Zhao Jun kept aiming west, chasing the Pig God, but those seven shots either missed entirely or hit other wild boars.
Now, down the slope on the hill, five wild boars lay on the blood-soaked ground.
The ground was blood-soaked because not a single one had an intact corpse. They were all mangled sses of flesh and blood, staining the surrounding snow crimson.
These boars were in even worse shape than the ones Zhao Youcai’s group had shot; they had all been trampled by their own kind into unrecognizable pulps.
"Brother, should we keep chasing it?"
"No, let’s go ho," Zhao Jun said, pulling back the bolt and reloading the rifle.
This wasn’t for hunting, but for self-defense.
The two of them retraced their steps, taking a shortcut ho. By the ti they got back to Yong’an Village, it was already past five o’clock.
The sky was already dark.
Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu went their separate ways. Before they parted, Zhao Jun said to Li Baoyu, "Get up early tomorrow. We’re taking the small train to town."
"Okay!"
This mountainous region was poor and didn’t have bus service yet. The only way to get to and from town was by a small train.
Unlike the green-skinned trains, this black-skinned small train only had three carriages. It ran once every two days, making a loop around the entire mountain range.
Don’t hear the word "loop" and think it’s a short trip. South of the mountains was Hei Province, but the other side of the range was Ji Province.
Zhao Jun entered the courtyard, then the house. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Wang ilan sitting by the kang table, while Zhao Hong and Zhao Na were playing on the kang.
On the kang table were plates and a small basin, all covered by other plates. It seed Wang ilan had made dinner long ago and was waiting for Zhao Jun to co ho to eat, covering the dishes to keep them from getting cold.
But Zhao Jun glanced into the other rooms and asked Wang ilan, "Mom, where’s Dad?"
"He’s not back yet," Wang ilan said, a little worried. "He’s been out in the wilds all day. I wonder what he managed to hunt."
Zhao Jun smiled. "Probably didn’t get anything."
"If he didn’t get anything, why isn’t he back sooner!" Wang ilan grumbled, but she instantly caught herself, feeling she shouldn’t take her frustration out on her son. She softened her tone and asked, "Son, did you manage to trap a Gall?"
"I did." Zhao Jun smiled and pulled the Sable from his pocket. "Mom, can you skin it for ?"
When Wang ilan saw the Sable, she hopped right off the kang. In a few steps, she was in front of Zhao Jun, reaching out to take the Sable from him. Feeling the unique texture of its fur, Wang ilan bead. "My son is the skilled one, after all. Go wash your hands, warm up, and eat. We won’t wait for your father."
"Okay," Zhao Jun replied with a smile.
By the ti Zhao Jun finished his al, Wang ilan had also finished skinning the sable. Because it had been trapped, the entire pelt was undamaged from head to tail. Wang ilan rolled it into a cylinder and stood on her tiptoes, about to place it on top of the kang cabinet.
"Mom, Mom." Zhao Jun quickly stopped Wang ilan. "Give that to . Baoyu and I are going to take a trip to town tomorrow to sell it."
Hearing this, Wang ilan handed the Gall to Zhao Jun but reminded him, "You have to bring the money you get back to , okay? I’m saving up for you to get married. You’re not getting any younger, and your father and I..."
"Alright, alright, Mom, don’t you worry. I’ll definitely bring the money back to you."
Zhao Jun took the Gall from Wang ilan’s hands, returned to his room, and placed it in his satchel.
Zhao Jun played with Cyan Dragon in his room for a bit before he heard Wang ilan and Zhao Youcai talking outside.
He heard Wang ilan say, "Running around outside all day, and you think you’ve accomplished sothing? I even had to wait for you to eat."
Zhao Youcai didn’t answer. He washed his face and hands, changed his clothes, drank so water, and got onto the kang to wait for Wang ilan to get him a large flatbread from the pot.
Zhao Hong and Zhao Na were young and couldn’t wait when hungry, so they had eaten long ago. Zhao Jun had just eaten as well, but Wang ilan hadn’t had a bite, waiting for Zhao Youcai.
As the couple ate, Wang ilan asked Zhao Youcai about the day’s hunt.
"Did you get anything?" Wang ilan asked simply.
Zhao Youcai took a bite of food, chewing as he mumbled indistinctly, "We did."
"Huh?" Wang ilan was surprised. She put her chopsticks down on the table, leaned forward slightly, and asked Zhao Youcai, "That huge boar... you guys managed to take it down?"
"Well... we didn’t get that one." Zhao Youcai felt he had lost so face. Even though they had killed quite a few wild boars that day, they had gone to all that trouble to enter the mountains for the Pig God.
After planning for so many days, returning in failure now made Zhao Youcai feel a bit embarrassed in front of his wife.
A similar conversation was taking place at Li Dayong’s house. The only difference was that when Li Dayong said he hadn’t gotten it, Li Baoyu chid in, "You guys didn’t get it, but my brother and I did."
"What?" Li Dayong slamd his rice bowl on the table, his eyes wide as he stared at Li Baoyu. "How did you get it? Where did you get it?"
Li Baoyu briefly explained what had happened. Li Dayong threw down his chopsticks, got off the kang, grabbed his cotton-padded jacket, and headed out the door.
Jin Xiaoi sighed helplessly, put down her chopsticks, and said, "What is with this day?"
"Mom, Mom." Li Baoyu quickly picked up the chopsticks and pushed them back into Jin Xiaoi’s hand. "You eat. Don’t worry about him."
Li Dayong left his house, hopped the wall into Zhao Jun’s family courtyard, and yanked open the door to the house, striding right in.
Zhao Youcai had already locked the main courtyard gate when he got ho, so Li Dayong’s sudden entrance gave him and Wang ilan a start.
Seeing it was Li Dayong, Zhao Youcai collected himself and asked, "Dayong, have you... eaten yet?"
"Never mind that." Li Dayong ca up beside Zhao Youcai and said, "My Baoyu and your Zhao Jun got that boar."
"What?"
Li Dayong quickly recounted the story he had just heard from Li Baoyu.
"That little rascal." Zhao Youcai turned and glanced toward Zhao Jun’s room. Seeing the door was shut tight, he looked away.
Zhao Youcai sat on the kang, lost in thought. Li Dayong stood beside him, waiting for him to speak.
With these two old brothers acting like this, Wang ilan couldn’t eat either. She watched them with a sense of helplessness.
"Dayong," Zhao Youcai said suddenly.
"Brother."
Zhao Youcai said, "Get ready tonight. We’re going again tomorrow."
"Right!"
Zhao Youcai added, "Tell your wife we might not be back tomorrow night. We’ll track that boar through the night. I refuse to believe we can’t take it down."
Zhao Youcai’s words made Wang ilan frown, but with Li Dayong there, she couldn’t very well stop her own man.
"Alright!" Li Dayong suddenly recalled a story he’d read in a picture book once. "In ancient tis, Zhang Yide fought Ma Chao by night! Today, we brothers will fight the Wild Boar God by night!"
Wang ilan: "..."
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