Chapter 607: The Confrontation Between Man and Wolf

Li Long's tractor rolled out of Shankou, and by the time it reached Passing Qingshuihe, the sun hung only a pole's height above the horizon.

He calculated his speed; if he headed to Shicheng now, he would arrive at the sugar factory after closing time.

He might as well drive straight home.

Everyone on the road who saw Li Long hauling a cartload of yearling sheep was astonished; this was mutton, after all.

Most people guessed where these sheep were being sent, assuming they were likely destined for a food processing plant.

After all, ordinary families could not consume so much meat.

Upon seeing so many sheep, children felt only curiosity, while adults usually felt envy.

In this era, although land had been allocated to individual households, most families, by year's end, might have surplus grain but truly little money.

They still had to budget for next spring's farming expenses, their children's schooling, and daily necessities.

Whatever remained, after setting aside a small emergency fund, could buy cloth for clothes and a bit of meat.

Those living on the wilderness edge fared better; like the Fourth Squad, they could catch some wild rabbits or fish.

But the Third and Second Squads had nowhere even to hunt rabbits, since their surroundings were encircled by other villages where rabbits did not venture.

Fortunately, nearly every household raised a pig or a sheep specifically to have meat for the New Year; these pigs were fed mostly pigweed, with a little bran or rice husks added.

Being able to add some oil cake was considered excellent.

With one pig per family, consumption had to be carefully rationed; no one could gnaw on large chunks of mutton as Li Long did in the mountains, and even herders rarely ate that way.

The meat had to be stewed, sealed with its own fat, and made to last the entire year; bones could be braised or boiled, but one could not indulge all at once, as the supply had to last until the New Year, and sometimes one pig was shared among several families.

Therefore, adults naturally felt tempted upon seeing these sheep.

Yet Li Long could not possibly stop to ask if they wanted to buy; eager to get home, his tractor chugged along at twenty or thirty kilometers per hour through the ice and snow, rattling toward the county town.

By the time he reached the county town, the sun had already dipped halfway below the horizon, painting the sky with a face full of red clouds.

Gu Gu Xiaoxia had not yet gotten off work; having gnawed on bones and eaten naan at noon, Li Long was not yet hungry, so he drove the tractor straight into the big courtyard.

With schools letting out and workplaces closing, this journey attracted considerable attention along the way.

Even when passing the police station, Officer Gu cast a curious glance.

Li Long often hauled meat back, so he was quite used to it; however, seeing him return with so many sheep this time was somewhat unexpected.

It even alarmed the station chief, who called Officer Gu over to whisper a few words.

When Li Long's tractor reached the gate of the big courtyard, Han Fang had already run to the entrance; spotting Li Long through the crack in the doors, she quickly swung both gates open to let him drive in.

As Li Long drove the tractor inside and Han Fang prepared to close the gates, Officer Gu strode over.

Seeing the public security officer approach, Han Fang felt both curious and somewhat awed, calling out, "Uncle Li"; Li Long turned his head, saw Officer Gu, and smiled.

He shut off the engine, stepped forward to shake hands with Gu Guo Tiebing, and asked,

"Officer Gu, not busy yet? Haven't gotten off work?"

"Soon," Gu Guo Tiebing replied without ceremony, pointing at the sheep and saying,

"Just brought back from the mountains?"

"Yes, ordered by the Shicheng Sugar Factory; I just finished collecting them."

"Do you have any extras? Our station chief said if there are any left, we'd like to buy one."

"One sheep..." Li Long pondered for a moment, then said,

"Alright, I'll spare one for you."

Regarding the three extra sheep, Li Long hadn't really planned their distribution.

To be honest, his own family, his elder brother's household, and even close friends did not lack for meat; throughout the year, he had distributed no small amount of meat from the mountains and his pens to various families.

But one could not simply say, "I have extras"; speaking required a certain art.

Saying he would "spare" one for the police station implied the meat was already allocated, but out of respect for Gu Guo Tiebing, he was adjusting the original distribution plan.

"Very well, how shall we calculate the price? I'll have our accountant come over," Gu Guo Tiebing said, feeling honored and grateful to Li Long; coming in person and receiving such accommodation was a favor indeed.

"I bought them at one yuan fifty," Li Long said, "and I'm selling to the sugar factory at one yuan." Since he was extending a favor, he might as well make it substantial; speaking the truth, he felt perfectly at ease.

"That won't do; how can we let you trouble yourself and exert effort for nothing?" Gu Guo Tiebing immediately waved his hand. "Let's settle at one yuan sixty. But you're making almost no profit; just ten fen per kilogram?"

Li Long explained,

"My elder brother's family raises pigs, and I often haul sugar dregs from the sugar factory, so I'm considered a connected client there; naturally, I cannot charge a high price for this meat—I'll just earn the transport fee."

"Comrade Li Long, you are truly righteous!" Gu Guo Tiebing gave a thumbs-up. "Wait here; I'll go fetch the accountant."

"Alright, I'll get the scale out first," Li Long nodded and said.

After Gu Guo Tiebing left, Li Long shut off the tractor, found a basin to fill with water, and then dragged out the platform scale he had bought in summer; Han Fang followed alongside to help, moving with great efficiency.

Sister Yang had just peeked out from the kitchen earlier; when Officer Gu arrived, she had ducked back in, but now she emerged again from the kitchen and asked,

"Uncle, are you selling sheep?"

"Yes, for the police station across the way," Li Long explained. "It's nearly New Year; they must be distributing benefits."

Within a few minutes, Gu Guo Tiebing returned with their accountant, a female officer in her thirties carrying a small bag.

Li Long opened the tailgate of the truck bed—planked with wood on top, where all fifty sheep destined for the sugar factory were loaded.

The frame propped the sheep up, allowing the tailgate to be removed; beneath, the three sheep and three wolves loaded inside the truck bed, along with the wolf pelts, could be pulled directly out from below.

Li Long first dragged out a wolf, startling Gu Guo Tiebing, who asked,

"So big? Isn't this a sheep?"

"It's a wolf, shot yesterday and today," Li Long explained. "Wolf packs in the mountains have suddenly increased and started attacking sheep flocks, so we hunted them yesterday and today."

Upon hearing it was a wolf, the female officer leaned forward curiously to take a closer look.

Li Long paid no mind; he dragged out a wolf pelt, placed the wolf carcass upon it, then pulled out a sheep, holding it up as he asked Gu Guo Tiebing,

"Officer Gu, how is this one?"

"It's fine," Gu Guo Tiebing replied; though not an expert, he could see the mutton was fresh, not yet frozen solid, and looked well-marbled (though a sheep's fat is essentially just oil), which seemed very good to him.

Li Long placed the lamb carcass on the scale and began adjusting the counterweight and the beam.

"Twenty-one kilograms four hundred grams. Let's just count it as twenty-one kilograms, how about that?"

"Fine." Guo Guo Tiebing nodded.

The accountant was somewhat surprised; this fellow was quite generous. If it were a butcher shop, those four hundred grams would have to be calculated carefully.

At current market prices, four hundred grams was worth six or seven jiao.

The accountant calculated quickly and announced the figure:

"Twenty-one kilograms, one yuan."

Li Long stepped forward and signed with practiced ease. The accountant looked at the slightly calligraphic script with surprise; that signature looked strangely good.

Li Long hadn't intended to show off. In his past life, during boring moments, he had asked someone on a video platform to design a calligraphic signature and practiced it diligently for a while. Later, when the cooperative distributed money and people signed, he thoroughly shocked that bunch.

So Li Long had memorized that signature.

Using it unintentionally still had some effect.

After signing and taking the money, Guo Guo Tiebing and Li Long exchanged greetings, and Guo Guo Tiebing left carrying the lamb legs in both hands. Li Long politely offered to help, but Guo Guo Tiebing refused, so Li Long didn't insist; he just wanted to rest properly now.

But not yet.

The two remaining sheep in the truck bed still needed to be taken to the storage room and hung up, along with the two wolves and their pelts.

The fifty sheep on the tractor didn't need attention; rats couldn't climb up there in such deep winter, and besides, it wasn't necessary.

Han Fang closed the main door, then quickly went inside to pour Li Long a bowl of hot tea.

Li Long smiled; this girl truly deserved his affection.

Oh, niece.

He finished the hot tea in one gulp, feeling warmth in his stomach, then went inside to change clothes and wash his face.

When he came out, Gu Gu Bo Yuan had already arrived and was standing in the yard looking at the pile of sheep in the truck bed, stacked like a small mountain.

"Hmm, truly impressive. In just one day..." Gu Gu Bo Yuan sighed, "Only the food factory in the old days could slaughter sheep with such efficiency."

Li Long recalled his older brother mentioning that when they went to the food factory to do temporary work, their sheep slaughtering was done on an assembly line.

Of course, they slaughtered far more that day, and there were far more people.

"Are the offal still there?" Gu Gu Bo Yuan suddenly asked.

"Still in the mountains," Li Long said. "There are many wolves in the mountains; I couldn't haul that offal back. They plan to bury it in the snow as bait to attract the wolf pack tonight and hunt a batch."

"Hey, plenty of guns, right?" Gu Gu Bo Yuan became interested upon hearing this, but unfortunately he couldn't participate.

He was a scholar; he had used a gun less often than Li Jianguo, so he could only imagine. "There are about seven or eight," Li Long thought and said, "I brought over two hundred-plus rounds of ammunition today, which should be enough."

"Then you might kill quite a few wolves," Gu Gu Bo Yuan nodded. "These wolves are a nuisance!"

In those years, there was no concept of wildlife protection. Wolves had once run rampant in many places on the northern slopes of Northern Tianshan during the 1950s, 1960s, and even the 1970s.

They were not limited to the mountains and their edges; their presence was seen in the plains at the basin margins, in reed thickets, in sand dunes, and across the Gobi desert.

No one knew how many people had been harmed by wolves—in those years, many people fled from the interior to Northern Xinjiang, and no one knew how many of the missing had been harmed by wolves.

People from the era of Li Jianguo and Gu Gu Bo Yuan all knew the ferocity of wolves.

"We killed several wolves yesterday and today," Li Long pointed toward the storage room and said, "I brought back two wolves and three pelts. I don't have time to process them now; I'll skin them when I'm free in the next day or two."

Night fell. Li Long went out to pick up Gu Gu Xiaoxia, and then they had dinner.

In the mountains, the young men escorting the elderly to Ha Li Mu's home had returned, except for the two who stayed behind with their guns.

Just in the winter camp at Ha Li Mu, there were seven rifles.

The ammunition Li Long brought this time was distributed among them by Ha Li Mu. That evening, they continued eating the lamb from noon, soaking naan in the soup. The winter camp was a bit cramped, but everyone was used to it.

!.

Everyone, adults and children alike, knew that if they didn't severely curb the wolves' arrogance, the various winter camps would likely have no peace in the days to come.

Killing a batch of wolves here would prevent the wolves from gathering into packs; even if there were small-scale disturbances later, there would be no fear. Every household had a gun; firing a couple of shots at night would deter them for a long time.

Everyone also understood that it was best to kill the alpha wolf. The alpha wolf, capable of rallying the pack, posed the greatest threat.

After eating and drinking their fill, the children went to rest, while the adults sat by the kang discussing tactics.

When it was completely dark, everyone put on their fur coats, went outside, and found suitable spots to prepare for an ambush.

Brother Yushanjiang and Ha Li Mu coordinated these young men and able-bodied adults, ensuring their fields of fire overlapped without interfering with each other.

And safety had to be observed.

An ambush was all about waiting at ease for the weary enemy.

As the landlord, Ha Li Mu naturally knew when these wolves would arrive; he patrolled, checking everyone's ambush positions. Brother Yushanjiang also fetched some horse manure and sprinkled a bit on each person.

Actually, their bodies already smelled strongly of lamb. They had eaten lamb for lunch and dinner and drunk lamb soup; even their urine smelled of mutton.

Finally, Brother Yushanjiang and Ha Li Mu also wrapped themselves in coats and took up ambush positions on both sides.

The wolves would most likely come from the south, the direction the winter camp faced. But based on the previous experience when Ha Li Mu and Li Long ambushed, he knew the wolves might also circle around from behind.

So caution was still necessary. Ha Li Mu and Brother Yushanjiang ambushed in the snow, facing opposite directions.

Past midnight, the temperature outside had dropped to minus twenty-seven or twenty-eight degrees. Although it wasn't the coldest time yet, those lying in ambush were nearly frozen stiff.

Yesterday at this very time, a pack of wolves had come to harass; Ha Li Mu had come out and fired into the sky to scare them away.

There were too many wolves; he dared not let them get too close. One person couldn't handle so many wolves—if he shot one, and while trying to shoot the others, seven or eight wolves suddenly pounced, one person absolutely couldn't cope.

One of the young men couldn't stand it and tried to move, but was stopped by the person beside him.

Most people endured it.

Actually, people who grew up in these mountains had all been frozen at some point; they were basically quite resistant to the cold.

Then, on the southern slope, green eyes appeared.

Tonight, the wolves had come without howling!

One pair, two pairs, three pairs...

A moment later, more than ten pairs of wolf eyes appeared on the southern slope.

Brother Brother Yushanjiang and Ha Li Mu did not look at many; they were watching both flanks.

There were some on both sides as well.

The wolves had formed an encirclement and were pouncing forward.

No one knew if they intended to capture this sheep pen today no matter what.

Ha Li Mu strained to locate the Wolf King.

The Wolf King usually did not appear at the very start; it would only observe the overall situation from a high position convenient for command.

Ha Li Mu knew that only by taking out the Wolf King could this attack be considered crushed; even if only a few wolves were killed, the likelihood of them regrouping later for revenge would be slim.

If the Wolf King was not eliminated, even if most of the wolves were killed, the Wolf King might still gather another pack later to seek revenge.

Brother Brother Yushanjiang was also searching; indeed, most people here were searching for the Wolf King.

Being able to kill the Wolf King itself represented a kind of strength within the tribe, and also honor.

The young men did not think so much; seeing so many wolves appear, most of the young lads had already begun marking wolf eyes according to their own positions.

The positions where those wolves appeared were over a hundred meters away from here; these people could indeed hit them if they really fired, but the accuracy would not be high.

Moreover, it had been agreed beforehand that they needed to wait for Brother Brother Yushanjiang's order.

Talihar did not look at these ordinary gray wolves either; he was also searching for the Wolf King.

In the darkness, his eyes were very bright. Killing seventeen wild goats last time, whether for him or for everyone, it was known that luck had played a part in it.

To truly become a good hunter, the best method was to kill the Wolf King during this ambush.

More than ten wolves appeared in the front line; behind them, several wolves were at the forest edge, responsible for reconnaissance.

The Wolf King's position might be even further back.

Currently, no one had found it yet.

No one was in a hurry; these green eyes were slowly approaching the winter pasture, obviously yesterday's gunshot from Ha Li Mu had also made them somewhat cautious.

When the wolf pack reached less than a hundred meters from the winter pasture, a short howl sounded from afar, and the fan-shaped wolf pack immediately stopped.

They were really obedient.

Some young men could no longer hold back, but Brother Brother Yushanjiang and the others had paired the people up well; the middle-aged men beside them immediately whispered reminders.

Slight movements could not attract the wolf pack's attention.

They had already smelled the scent of blood from this side, as well as those horses that had not yet been shut into the warm pen; all were targets for these wolves.

Although food was not lacking for wolves in the mountains, the running speed of those red deer and roe deer was not slow in the least.

If they could eat delicious mutton from the sheep pen in this winter pasture that could not escape, how could the wolves possibly choose those things that were not easy to hunt?

Therefore, the wolf pack was also becoming restless; after hearing the wolf howl, a few wolves even paused for a moment, then continued probing forward.

That short howl exposed the Wolf King's position.

Ha Li Mu and Brother Brother Yushanjiang, including Talihar, all looked in that direction.

Unfortunately, it was too far, and scattered shrubs blocked the view, so the ambushers positioned in the low ground could not see the Wolf King's location.

At this moment, the Wolf King was also observing the winter pasture.

The wolves were already close enough to the winter pasture; if there was any danger, the other party would have likely made their move by now.

After waiting for more than ten minutes with no movement, just as some wolves became dissatisfied and began howling with heads raised, the Wolf King let out another short howl, ordering the wolves to advance.

The Wolf King then also appeared in the snow, walking toward the winter pasture.

The Wolf King walked very slowly, its vigilance still very strong.

It discovered that the wolves arranged for reconnaissance had broken away from their reconnaissance positions and were moving closer to the winter pasture.

Obviously, these reconnaissance wolves also hoped to be the first to taste the delicacy.

The Wolf King again let out a dissatisfied short howl; those reconnaissance wolves had to slow their pace, find high ground, and begin observing in all directions.

When Ha Li Mu and Brother Brother Yushanjiang and the others saw the Wolf King, the wolf pack was already less than forty meters from the sheep pen of the winter pasture.

That Wolf King was a head taller than the other gray wolves, and its build was more than a size larger.

No wonder it could become the Wolf King!

At the same time, three rifles aimed at the Wolf King.

As for the other wolves that were closer, most of them were also covered within the sight rings.

Although the moon on the eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month was not particularly full, it draped a layer of silver light over the earth, allowing the herdsmen to see clearly these ferocious beasts.

"Fire!" Just as Brother Brother Yushanjiang shouted "Fire," his finger also pressed down on the trigger.

"Bang!"

"Bang bang!"

"Bang bang bang bang..." (End of chapter)