Chapter 50

Hearing Feng Chengmin say this, Wang An was extremely surprised!

He subconsciously looked at the black bear's carcass, but the black bear's fur was long, it had already been gutted, and its nose had been cut off!

From its head down, the whole body was a mess, covered in blood and gore; nothing could be made out at all!

Is that so? Is it really like that?

It was just that at the time, his nerves had been pulled too tight, and his mind was in a state of extreme tension! He hadn't paid any attention to these things at all!

Afterwards, he was busy learning while being scolded by Feng Chengmin for all sorts of things; he was just eating humble pie and holding back his anger! He hadn't even taken a single look!

Wang An thought about it and still felt that splitting it this way wasn't right, so he said, "It wouldn't be appropriate for me to take half! After all, I'm currently an apprentice; Uncle, if you split it this way, you're just looking after me!"

Feng Chengmin said impatiently, "I have my own considerations and know how things stand. You don't need to teach me. When we go into the mountains, I am the head of the expedition, so I have the final say. It's half each!"

Although Wang An still felt that this split wasn't very reasonable, he didn't say anything more!

Feng Chengmin rolled a cigarette and sat on the sled. The wind was strong, so he struggled to light it with a match and took a puff.

Then he explained, "Actually, by rights, I shouldn't have brought you today. You've seen for yourself how dangerous it is to raid a den. So, this is what you deserve; I don't mean to look after you at all."

Only then did Wang An feel relieved and said with a smile, "That's fine, Uncle, then I'll listen to you. But for the black bear meat, I'll take the smaller one; otherwise, I'd be a bit shameless."

Feng Chengmin laughed and patted Wang An on the shoulder, saying, "You kid, you're not at all the good-for-nothing the rumors say, haha!"

Just as Wang An and Feng Chengmin were driving the sled, laughing and heading home...

On the outskirts of the mountains, about six or seven li across from Sujiatun.

A young man nearly 1.8 meters tall was hiding behind a large tree.

Kneeling on one knee, he held his gun, aiming motionlessly at a few pheasants forty or fifty meters away!

After maintaining this posture for a full two or three minutes, the young man pulled the trigger.

With a "bang" of the gunshot, the pheasants squawked, and those that could fly all flew away!

Only two pheasants with injured necks were left flapping on the ground.

The young man was very excited and seemed to want to jump on the spot to vent his immense excitement!

Just as he was about to jump, he seemed to suddenly think of something, and his already bent legs straightened up again!

Then the young man quickly ran to the two pheasants and gave each of their necks a quick slash with his knife; his technique was elegant and highly pleasing to watch!

Then he stood to the side, watching the two pheasants continue to flap as they bled!

After watching for a while, the young man habitually looked around, revealing a handsome face.

It was none other than Wang An's brother-in-law, Mu Xueli.

Mu Xueli had entered the mountains yesterday and, being very obedient to his brother-in-law Wang An, had only stayed on the outskirts.

Yesterday, he had also spotted some hares and pheasants, but because his marksmanship wasn't skilled, he fired two shots and hit nothing!

Because he felt bad about the bullets, he didn't dare to fire easily again.

After thinking carefully all night, he pondered how he could make up for the two wasted bullets.

This led to the scene just now: he held his aim for two or three minutes just so one bullet could take down two pheasants.

In this way, there would only be a loss of one bullet.

Because his brother-in-law had said that as long as one bullet could kill one piece of prey, it wasn't a waste—it was a profit!

If Wang An knew about this situation, would he sigh with great satisfaction: This brother-in-law is good; he's obedient and knows how to live!

Mu Xueli put the two bled pheasants into a sack, shouldered his gun, and carried the sack home!

But his eyes didn't seem to be looking at the road; they appeared somewhat unfocused.

His right arm was held in the posture of aiming a gun, as if he were still carefully searching for the feeling he had when he hit the pheasants just now.

Wang An and Feng Chengmin were on their way home, and since it was still early, it was only a little past one in the afternoon.

The two of them didn't even check the traps again and just headed home, encountering pheasants and hares along the way.

Neither of them paid any attention to them; in Feng Chengmin's words, the traps were enough, and bullets didn't come for free!

Wang An didn't understand this way of thinking of Feng Chengmin's, as if pheasants and hares couldn't be sold for money!

However, Wang An was very honest and obedient, as he was truly afraid of Feng Chengmin's various scoldings!

Before two o'clock, the two of them returned to Feng Chengmin's house. This time, his aunt, Wang Yulian, insisted that Wang An eat before leaving.

Moreover, last night, hearing Feng Chengmin talk about his nephew's various performances, Wang Yulian felt deeply gratified!

This nephew who had always been a worry had finally stopped messing around and grown into a man!

Wang Yulian made four hearty dishes for Wang An, all meat: braised pork ribs, pheasant stewed with hare, braised roe deer meat, and the final dish, the legendary dragon-bird soup!

Wang An basically didn't eat anything else during this meal; he just drank the soup!

Previously, when Wang An went visiting, he had eaten dragon-bird meat and felt that it was just so-so, not much different from pheasant!

Back then at the market, he had wondered: a dragon-bird is so small, yet it costs 5 yuan; it's so damn expensive, why would anyone buy it?

Now he knew!

Dragon-bird stewed with cabbage and potatoes!

That damn thing was just a complete waste of cooking!

It was a total shame for such a fresh and delicious delicacy!

He suddenly remembered that he had brought two dragon-birds home yesterday!

When he got home, he had to keep an eye on them; if his mother or wife had a whim and made dragon-bird stewed with pickled cabbage, he would literally want to cry!

I ask you, would you want a plate of dragon-bird stewed with pickled cabbage that costs ten yuan?

After the meal, Wang An stayed for a while, said goodbye to his aunt and uncle, and prepared to go home!

Before leaving, Feng Chengmin threw four hares and one pheasant onto Wang An's sled.

He gave Wang An the majority of the prey obtained from checking the traps that morning; as an elder, he tried his best not to let the younger generation suffer a loss!

He stopped Wang An and said, "Tomorrow we'll do a dog-drive hunt. A dog-drive is relatively simple, so you can sleep in a bit tomorrow; no need to come too early!"

Wang An asked suspiciously, "Uncle, a dog-drive so soon? Is there nothing else you can teach me? Like how to trap big pelts or something?"

Feng Chengmin was stunned for a moment and also asked suspiciously, "When did you hear that I've ever trapped that stuff?"

Wang An said, "It's not that I heard it; I mean, that stuff is so valuable, don't you hunt it?"

Feng Chengmin sighed and said, "I want to, but I just can't catch it! Why do you think that stuff is so valuable? You could work for a year and not necessarily catch one! It's too difficult!"

No longer pondering the issue of big pelts, Feng Chengmin asked, "How long has it been for those three dogs of yours?"

Wang An calculated the time and said, "It seems like it's been 7 days already. Can I take them into the mountains yet?"

Feng Chengmin thought for a moment and said, "Better to be safe; wait a few more days. Don't let them run off, or it'll be a waste of money!"

Wang An nodded and then said, "Then I'm going home, Uncle."

"Mm, take it slow!"

Wang An drove the sled on the road home!

On the way, Wang An actually discovered a marbled polecat!

It's so hard after the book goes live!

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(End of chapter)