Chapter 49: Various Scoldings (Seeking follow-up reads and recommendations)

Wang An looked at his old uncle-in-law, who had a smile plastered on his face because of the harvest of two bear gallbladders.

He actually said something that would make people want to beat him, and no one would even step in to stop it!

He really wanted to spit a mouthful of thick phlegm at him! He was an elder!!

Wang An asked tirelessly: "Then, Old Uncle-in-law, didn't you say earlier that making the black bear furious before it dies is what makes a golden gallbladder!"

Feng Chengmin, who was smiling happily, rolled his eyes at Wang An and said irritably:

"I said it increases the probability, meaning it's just a possibility! You can't even understand that? No wonder you were kicked out of school; you're good for nothing!"

Wang An: "…!"

Just like this every single day, this mouthful of thick... why do I want to spit it on his face so badly!!

Forget it... he is an elder!

After being rebuffed twice, Wang An behaved himself, shut his mouth, and stopped asking!

Feng Chengmin put away the two black bear gallbladders and didn't bother with this "good-for-nothing" nephew-in-law!

He turned to gut the black bear, leaving nothing of the heart, liver, or lungs, and even the intestines; this set of viscera, also called a "lantern hanging," was all hung on a tree!

Wang An couldn't help it. The black bear's heart and liver, if cooked, wouldn't they be delicious?

He asked directly: "Old Uncle-in-law, why not keep the heart, liver, and lungs? Can't they be eaten?"

Feng Chengmin paused, stood up slowly, and said: "Even dogs won't eat that stuff. It's fishy and rank, and it might even be poisonous. You want to eat it?"

There was no choice; he had to ask even if he didn't want to!

Who told him to be so ignorant!

"Then how could it be poisonous? If it were poisonous, wouldn't the black bear have been poisoned to death long ago?" Wang An asked, puzzled.

Feng Chengmin looked at Wang An as if he were an idiot and said: "What is the black bear gallbladder for?"

Wang An replied blankly: "It's medicinal material, isn't it? Why ask me that?"

Feng Chengmin was truly too lazy to deal with this fool Wang An, so he forced himself to calm down and said:

"I'm saying the black bear gallbladder can detoxify! People use poison to catch pheasants, wild cats, deer, and roe deer, but have you ever heard of anyone using poison to kill a black bear?"

He added: "And wild boars, they eat everything every day, even poisonous mushrooms, so have you seen them die? Wild boars can also find medicinal herbs to detoxify themselves!"

After speaking, he turned and walked toward the other black bear carcass, not forgetting to add: "You don't know a lick of common sense, you're good for nothing!"

Wang An: "…!"

This mouthful of...! Forget it, it's too damn disgusting, I won't say it!

He saw Feng Chengmin gut the other black bear under the tree, holding all the viscera in his hands, looking left and right, and then with a "plop," he threw them aside!

This time Wang An didn't ask, because he knew why—there were no small trees next to Feng Chengmin! So he just tossed them, and that was that!

After throwing away the black bear's viscera, Feng Chengmin carefully rubbed his hands in the snow!

Then, using his hunting knife, he cut off the black bear's nose and gouged out its two kneecaps!

The black bear's nose is also a medicinal material, said to be very effective for treating epilepsy!

And the black bear's kneecaps, the hind leg joints, are also called *galaha*!

Commonly known as fake tiger bone, it has miraculous effects on rheumatism and joint pain!

He walked to the other black bear and performed the same operation again!

After finishing, Feng Chengmin asked: "Did you learn how to do it?"

Wang An nodded and said: "Yeah, I got it! These aren't hard!"

Feng Chengmin said with difficulty: "How about we don't take these two black bear carcasses? They don't taste that great anyway! Shall we just throw them away?"

Wang An knew this stuff sold for about 30 cents a jin at the market.

So he said anxiously: "Wouldn't it be a waste if we don't take them?"

Feng Chengmin said with a troubled look: "But how are we going to get them home?"

Wang An replied casually: "Don't we have the sled...!"

Wang An didn't finish his sentence, shut his mouth, and turned to leave.

He almost got led into a trap again!

Just look at this day!

Watching Wang An's back, Feng Chengmin burst into laughter!

Wang An returned quickly driving the sled!

These two black bears didn't look like mother and child, and he didn't know why they were squatting in the same den, and a winter den at that!

Usually, dens with two black bears are ground dens, for the simple reason that ground dens are spacious!

One den with two black bears usually means they moved in one after the other.

Black bears hibernate very deeply, so when the second black bear enters the cave, as long as it doesn't disturb the first one already in hibernation,

the first one won't pay much attention!

There is another case, also one den with two or three black bears.

This is the most common situation for multiple black bears in one den: a mother and her cubs.

Young black bears leave the den after two years; before that, they live with the mother, so they hibernate and squat in the den with her!

If Feng Chengmin hadn't been poking the den with a pole for his life earlier, the black bears might not have even woken up!

The big one was about 350 jin, and the small one was over 300 jin!

The two of them worked together to lift them onto the sled; this time, the big stallion was basically the same as when it pulled the leopard carcass last time.

After a brief panic, it calmed down, as if it didn't matter what it was pulling.

Feng Chengmin clicked his tongue in wonder, saying he had experienced many horses, mules, and oxen.

He had never seen such a bizarre animal as this big stallion.

Hearing this, Wang An twitched his mouth; such a horse was clearly awesome, yet Feng Chengmin called it bizarre!

Isn't that just nonsense!

However, Wang An didn't dare to retort, who knew how this old guy would find ways to poke at his lungs!

Having harvested two black bear gallbladders today, Feng Chengmin had no intention of continuing to look for prey.

"Big nephew, let's go, time to go home!" Feng Chengmin greeted Wang An with a smile and sat on the sled.

Wang An drove the sled on the way home.

On the way, Feng Chengmin thought for a moment and said to Wang An:

"I didn't expect the den-hunting to go so smoothly today. Once the bear gallbladders are sold, after deducting the 20% promised to that person, we'll split the rest equally, okay?"

Wang An was stunned, because according to the rules, he should only get three shares of the remaining 80%.

And since he was an apprentice, he should get even less.

Before Wang An could speak, Feng Chengmin continued: "You have the leopard bones, so I won't give you these kneecaps; I'll use them to soak in wine. The black bear nose isn't worth much, so I won't give you that either."

Just as Wang An was about to speak, Feng Chengmin paused and continued: "As for this black bear meat, why don't you take the big one? It'll make you suffer less of a loss!"

Only then did it become Wang An's turn to speak. Wang An asked directly: "There's no such rule in mountain-trekking, right? How could I possibly take so much?"

Although the two were relatives, discussing how to split the harvest like this was perfectly fine; even close brothers must settle accounts clearly!

Everything should be said openly, don't whisper behind people's backs; this is also a rule for mountain-trekkers!

Feng Chengmin knew Wang An's doubt and explained: "Your performance these two days is not inferior to an old mountain-trekker, it's just that your experience in finding prey is really not that great."

He continued: "Especially dealing with these two black bears today, you were much better than many old mountain-trekkers!"

He added: "You are calm, and your marksmanship is good. Of the shots I fired, only one hit the black bear's front leg, and the rest missed! That black bear that pounced on you was killed entirely by you!"

Seeking follow-up reads, recommendations, and collections!

I hope all my dear readers will continue to support me, thank you all!

(End of chapter)