Chapter 67: Qing Shan's Outlook: Not Just Skilled at Hunting, But Also Open-Handed with the Money!

The rooster's cry tore apart the pre-dawn tranquility of Shanwan Village.

Lu Qingshan opened his eyes, soreness welling up from his joints all over his body.

Yesterday's life-and-death struggle with the black bear, every moment still vividly imprinted in his mind.

That strong smell of blood seemed to still linger in wisps around his nostrils.

He gently moved his stiff shoulders, then slowly pushed himself up.

The kang was warm; Lin Yue'e and Xiao Xue were still asleep, breathing evenly.

He did not want to disturb them.

Jin Hu poked out from under the kang, its little tail wagging furiously, but well-behaved it made no sound, merely rubbing its wet nose against his hand.

Lu Qingshan made a hushing gesture, then stroked its fluffy head.

Just as he put on his cotton jacket, footsteps and lowered voices sounded outside the courtyard gate.

"Smoke is rising from Qing Shan's kitchen chimney; he must be up," said Zhao Dazhi.

"Good, it's getting late; we need to figure this out quickly," came the slightly hoarse voice of Village Chief Zhao Yongnian.

Lu Qingshan slid open the bolt, and a gust of fresh morning wind blew in.

In the courtyard, Zhao Dazhi and Zhao Yongnian stood side by side, their faces showing restrained excitement and a hint of urgency, rubbing their hands and exhaling white puffs.

"Qing Shan, you awake? Didn't wake you, did I?" Zhao Yongnian grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"No, Village Chief, Uncle Dazhi, just got up," Lu Qingshan turned sideways, "It's warm inside, please come in and sit."

Lin Yue'e was also awakened by the commotion outside; she had silently gotten dressed and gone to the kitchen to boil water.

Xiao Xue was sleeping soundly, her little cheeks flushed, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, dreaming of tasty treats as a little glutton cat.

Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Dazhi entered the house and sat on the edge of the kang, their eyes involuntarily wandering around the room.

The house was still as simple as ever, but their gaze at Lu Qingshan was now quite different from before.

"Qing Shan, those things from yesterday… goodness, it's unimaginable!"

Zhao Yongnian rubbed his hands, deliberately lowering his voice, but his excitement could not be contained: "That big black bear must weigh at least five hundred catties, right?"

Lu Qingshan poured each a cup of hot water and said, "I'd estimate it's around four hundred plus some tens of catties."

"Good heavens, when has our Shanwan Village ever seen such a spectacle!"

Zhao Dazhi took the cup, holding it with both hands and blowing on it, "Last night I tossed and turned with the village chief, unable to sleep, just thinking about this! With so much stuff, how do we divide it?"

Lu Qingshan had already figured it out in his mind, but kept a calm face: "Hmm, we do need to work it out properly."

Zhao Yongnian sighed, his brows slightly furrowed: "Our village has over forty households, big and small; if we divide the meat openly, there might not be much left. But if we don't divide it fairly, we fear someone will feel resentful. Most importantly, with so much good stuff, we can't eat it all at once and have no good sales channel; letting it spoil would be a sin!"

He paused, then said: "I've discussed it with Dazhi; how about… we give each household twenty or so catties by headcount as a taste? Alas… the rest might be hard to sell..."

Lin Yue'e came out with a bowl of steaming corn grits porridge, gently placed it on the kang table before Lu Qingshan, then stepped aside and listened quietly.

Lu Qingshan lifted the bowl, took a big gulp of porridge; the scalding liquid slid into his stomach, dispelling much of the chill.

He set the bowl down and looked at Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Dazhi.

"Village Chief, Uncle Dazhi, this is what I think."

"The village has over forty households; each gets forty catties first, including bone-in meat, fat, and offal."

"Forty catties?" Zhao Dazhi and Zhao Yongnian exclaimed simultaneously, eyes widening.

Zhao Dazhi couldn't help but ask: "Then… how much meat would that be to distribute?"

Lu Qingshan continued: "Those who went into the mountains yesterday to hunt and exerted themselves get an extra twenty catties each. Those who helped with transport will be recorded by work points, to be paid later from the meat sales."

"As for the rest, I'll try to contact the county to see if we can sell it."

"The money and coupons from the sale will first go to the village's few five-guarantee households, so they can have a good New Year. Any surplus will be distributed to those villagers who truly can't make ends meet."

Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Dazhi glanced at each other; their surprise slowly turned into admiration.

"Qing Shan, you… your heart!"

Zhao Yongnian slapped his thigh, "I and Dazhi were worried we couldn't handle this, afraid of playing favorites, but I never thought you'd already planned everything for everyone!"

Zhao Dazhi also nodded repeatedly: "Yeah, dividing it this way leaves no room for complaint! Those who followed and suffered also now have a say."

Lu Qingshan shook his head: "I'm also a member of the village; it's truly good only when everyone can live well."

Zhao Yongnian's expression turned serious: "No way! I have no objection to dividing the meat as you said, but the most valuable parts—bear gall, bear paws, bear hide, plus the good hides from those wild boars and deer, and deer antler—must all go to you, Lu Qingshan!"

"Exactly!" Zhao Dazhi immediately chimed in, "Without you, not to mention the black bear, even those wild boars and roe deer—we couldn't get near them! These things you got with your life; they must be yours. Whoever dares to object, I, Zhao Dazhi, will be the first to refuse!"

Lu Qingshan pondered for a moment.

He knew the value of these items, and also clearly realized he now indeed needed them to improve his family's situation.

"Then… alright, I won't stand on ceremony with Uncle and everyone." He nodded, "But we need to secure a sales channel for the meat as soon as possible."

"You have a channel?" Zhao Yongnian's eyes lit up, his body leaning forward.

Lu Qingshan rose, walked to the old wooden box in the corner, pulled out a small notebook from inside, and extracted a slip of paper.

"I have a phone number I can try."

"Oh! That's great!" Zhao Dazhi clapped his hands, "The old telephone at the village office still works, though it's sometimes finicky. Qing Shan, why don't you go over and give it a call now?"

Lu Qingshan nodded: "Okay, let's go now. The sooner we make contact, the sooner we can feel at ease."

The three rose and headed out; Lin Yue'e silently watched Lu Qingshan's back, a faint glint flickering in her eyes that others could hardly notice.

In the dusty office of the village commune, an old black crank telephone sat on the desk.

Lu Qingshan cranked for a while, then said "hello?" several times into the receiver, finally getting through to the county switchboard.

After some back-and-forth, a somewhat languid voice came from the other end: "Hello, state-run restaurant."

"Hello, I'm looking for Director Zhang Jianguo."

Another wait, then a "click" sounded on the line, and a deeper male voice said: "Hello? Who's this?"

"Director Zhang, hello, I'm Lu Qingshan from Shanwan Village."

"Lu Qingshan?" the voice on the other end paused, as if recalling, "Oh, Comrade Lu! So, any news?"

"Director Zhang, here's the situation: yesterday our village organized a team to go up the mountain and the haul was considerable."

"We already shot a Black Bear, probably weighing over four hundred plus a few dozen jin. In addition there were over ten Wild Boars of varying sizes, over ten Roe Deer and some deer. I want to ask, does the Supply and Marketing Cooperative take them?"

The line fell silent for a few seconds.

Then Zhang Jianguo's voice rose in disbelief: "What the heck? A Black Bear?! Over four hundred jin?! Lu Qingshan, you're not kidding me, are you?"

"Absolutely certain, Director Zhang. That big fellow is now lying in our village commune courtyard; if you don't believe it, you can send someone to see."

"What a catch!" Zhang Jianguo's voice trembled with uncontainable excitement, "So the rumors that spread yesterday about your Shanwan village taking a Black Bear—are they true? Or did you, Lu Qingshan, lead the hunt?"

Lu Qingshan felt a slight stir inside; he hadn't expected the news to spread faster than him.

He briefly recounted the types of game and approximate numbers once more.

On the other end, Zhang Jianguo's breathing grew heavier as he listened.

"Comrade Lu Qingshan! You really… have solved a big problem for us!"

Zhang Jianguo said repeatedly, "Alright, the Black Bear, Wild Boar, Roe Deer, and deer—whatever your village can handle, make sure it's all cleaned up, guts and offal sorted neatly. I'll make arrangements here: on the fifth day of the new year, first thing in the morning, I'll have a truck go straight to your village to haul the goods! Rest assured about the price; I'll guarantee you a fair price, it won't cost the people of Shanwan village a cent!"

After hanging up, Lu Qingshan turned, and Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Dazhi stared at him expectantly.

"All set. Director Zhang said he'll send a truck on the fifth day of the new year, so we should cut the meat in advance."

"Ah! That's great!"

Zhao Yongnian rubbed his hands excitedly, his face breaking into a grin, "Qingshan, you really… have such skill! Now our village will finally make a name for itself!"

Zhao Dazhi also nodded repeatedly, his gaze at Lu Qingshan full of admiration: "Indeed, with this money, many of the village's difficulties can be solved!"

The three left the commune office, and the sky was already bright.

Lu Qingshan looked at the vacant lot at the village entrance and suddenly said, "Village chief, Uncle Dazhi, there's another matter I'd like to discuss with both of you."

Zhao Yongnian waved his hand: "Whatever it is, just say it! As long as I can handle it, there's no question!"

Lu Qingshan pointed to a relatively flat patch of ground at the western edge of the village, near the foot of the hill.

"I want to build a few new houses there. The current houses are too cramped."

"That piece of land is good: backed by a small hill, open view ahead, close to the river fork, convenient water, and mostly quiet."

Zhao Yongnian looked in the direction he pointed, was momentarily stunned, then burst into hearty laughter.

"Just that? What's so hard! Lu Qingshan, you're now our Shanwan village's great hero! Not to mention building houses—if you just want to walk across the village, I'll clear the way for you!"

He patted Lu Qingshan's shoulder and laughed, "That plot is the village's reserved land; if you like it, go ahead and build! Once your new house is finished, the old house you're living in now can be returned to the village. It was originally left by a five‑guarantee household, has been vacant for years, perfect for other needy families in the village."

"Then I'll examine the spot more carefully later and, once I've decided, I'll tell you, Village chief," Lu Qingshan nodded.

"Alright! Alright! Alright!"

Zhao Yongnian repeated three "alright"s, his admiration evident, "Whichever plot you like, just tell me; I'll handle the land deed and everything neatly for you!"

On the way home, Lu Qingshan saw many villagers already gathered in small groups at the commune courtyard entrance, craning their necks inward, chatting animatedly.

When they saw Lu Qingshan approaching, a small stir broke out in the crowd.

"Look! It's Lu Qingshan!"

"That's him! I heard that the Black Bear was killed by his single shot!"

"Goodness, that bear was wider than our village gate plank!"

"I heard that the game this time will provide plenty of meat for every household!"

Lu Qingshan merely gave a slight nod, his gaze calmly sweeping over faces that were reverent, curious, or envious.

He knew that from today on, Shanwan village's "Lu Lazi" had finally turned the page completely.