The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1908 People named Yang aren't very bright.
Yesterday, Zhao Jun said that he would lead the Zhao family gang back to Qing Shi La Zi today and go back to that old embankment.

Therefore, after finishing breakfast, the key members of the Zhao family gang gradually gathered at the Zhao family compound.

Wang Qiang, Zhang Yuanmin, Li Baoyu, Xie Chen, and Zhao Jinhui loaded the luggage they had packed back last time back into the car. Wang Meilan pulled Zhao Jun aside and said, "Son, how many days are you staying on the mountain this time? Your wife is newly pregnant, and you won't be home. How can she be happy?"

“It’s alright, Mom,” Zhao Jun said. “I told Ling’er I’ll be back in a few days and then stay home with her for a while.”

After saying this, Zhao Jun turned to Li Baoyu and asked, "Baoyu, how many fried dough sticks and fried dough sheets are left?"

“Hmm…” Li Baoyu thought for a moment and said, “Brother, there are about thirty poles left, and about the same number of planks.”

"Load everything onto the truck." As soon as Zhao Jun said this, Wang Meilan hurriedly asked, "Son, are you going to build a shack too?"

"Mom, don't worry about that," Zhao Jun said to Wang Meilan. "Later, call my brother-in-law. There's still a refrigerator left in the forest farm's warehouse, right? Let's take it and have him find a car to deliver it to the west courtyard so Baoyu can use it."

Zhao Jun's family already has enough home appliances; if they add a refrigerator, the power will trip.

Upon hearing Zhao Jun's words, Wang Meilan frowned and asked, "Son, what are we going to put in another refrigerator?"

Since the beginning of summer, the Zhao family has been unable to hunt, and their refrigerator has been without power. The freezer is empty; storing refrigerated items in the cellar is just as effective.

"To pack meat," Zhao Jun said. "Mom, one reason I'm going up the mountain this time is to graze, and another reason is that I want to bring back some meat."

"Can you do it, son?" Wang Meilan rarely lacked confidence in her son, saying, "This season isn't suitable for hunting either."

"That's alright," Zhao Jun smiled and said, "This won't be a problem for your son."

"Hey!" Wang Meilan laughed and lightly patted Zhao Jun's elbow, saying, "It has to be my son!"

"Hehe..." Just as Zhao Jun grinned, he saw Zhao Youcai walking towards him hurriedly.

“Son.” Zhao Youcai approached Zhao Jun and said kindly, “Dad doesn’t have much to do at home, so why don’t I go with you? I can help you out there.”

Hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Zhao Jun couldn't help but look troubled and said, "Dad, if we both leave, what will happen to this house?"

Upon hearing Zhao Jun's words, Zhao Youcai's smile vanished. Wang Meilan nudged him, saying, "Don't go. Stay home and watch the house. Cook something for your daughter. She's pregnant with her grandson and gets hungry easily. If she seems hungry, make her something to eat..."

Before Wang Meilan could finish speaking, Zhao Youcai turned and left. Watching his departing figure, Wang Meilan muttered irritably, "That scoundrel!"

……

Twenty minutes later, the Zhao family members and their dog got into the car.

The men were still Zhao Jun, Xing San, Wang Qiang, Zhang Yuanmin, Li Baoyu, Xie Chen, Zhao Jinhui, and Li Ruhai, but the dogs were different this time. Zhao Jun didn't bring any of the powerful lead dogs this time; he only brought Erhei and Bailong, his two main pack dogs.

After leaving home, the two cars headed straight for the Ma family to pick up Ma Yang.

This kid is lucky and resourceful. He found big goods both times he went up the mountain with Zhao Jun, which shows that he and Zhao Jun are partners in making money.

As for Lin Xiangshun and Ma Sheng, Zhao Jun mentioned to Zhou Chunming yesterday at the dinner table that they should be transferred to the forestry and security posts to help him. Although Zhou Chunming was not entirely in favor, seeing that Zhao Jun and Lin and Ma had no objections, Zhou Chunming agreed to add two more positions to the forestry and security posts.

But this matter has not yet been finalized, and Lin Xiangshun and Ma Sheng will have to continue to shine in their original positions for some time to come.

As the car arrived outside the Ma family compound, Wang Cuihua had just finished stirring the soy sauce vat and skimming off the foam, and was coming out of the yard to empty the foam.

"Mom!" Zhao Jun stopped the car, opened the window and called to Wang Cuihua, saying, "Where's my little brother? I called him and he left."

"He's inside," Wang Cuihua said. "Jun, come inside!"

"Mom, we're not going in," Zhao Jun said. "Just call him for me."

Wang Cuihua turned and ran into the courtyard. At this moment, Li Ruhai, who was sitting in the back seat of the jeep, muttered to himself, "That Ma Lao Er, he's so arrogant! We all gathered in the courtyard after breakfast, what's the big deal about him? Does he really think he's royalty?"

Li Ruhai's sarcastic remarks amused Zhao Jun. Zhao Jun turned to look at Li Ruhai and said, "Ruhai, why are you two always chattering away as soon as you meet?"

“Look, brother, it’s not like I’m arguing with him,” Li Ruhai said, spreading his hands. “Among our group, he’s the only one who doesn’t take the initiative to gather, and then we have to come and pick him up.”

Hearing Li Ruhai's words, Zhao Jun smiled and didn't take it seriously. It's normal for brothers to joke and bicker when they're together.

As soon as Li Ruhai finished speaking, Zhao Jun saw Ma Yang come out of the house carrying a large bag.

Although it was already mid-June, the mountains were still chilly and damp at night. Even though Zhao Jun and his men had quilts and mattresses, they also brought thick cotton-padded coats and trousers.

Ma Yang's bag was a quilt wrapped around a cotton-padded jacket and trousers.

"Pfft..." Just as Ma Yang was about to reach the courtyard gate, Wang Qiang, who was sitting in the back row, made a strange sound. It wasn't that he farted, but rather that he almost laughed out loud, but he held it back at the last moment.

Immediately afterward, Zhao Jinhui, sitting in the passenger seat, lowered his head. Only Li Ruhai let out two soft chuckles.

Zhao Jun frowned as he watched Ma Yang walk out of the compound.

After not seeing him for a night, Ma Yang's face, besides the triangular bruise that hadn't faded, now had a large handprint.

It goes without saying; it's obvious that Ma Dafu was the one who did the beating.

"Oh dear," Zhao Jun sighed softly, speechless.

"Yang!" Wang Cuihua followed Ma Yang out and instructed him, "Listen to your brother-in-law when you go up the mountain."

After saying this, Wang Cuihua turned to Zhao Jun and said, "Jun, if he doesn't listen to you, just beat him up. It's okay, Mom told you to."

"Mom!" Before Zhao Jun could speak, Ma Yang said, "What are you talking about? Do you think I can disobey my brother-in-law?"

What Ma Yang said wasn't wrong, but the main point was that he wouldn't cause any trouble even if he went up the mountain. Zhao Jun didn't even need to say a word; just one sentence from Xing San was enough to silence him.

As for wandering aimlessly in the mountains, that's not an issue either. Because when Ma Yang enters the mountains, he turns around, which, in old mountain trekking terms, means he can't "open up" the mountain; such people are prone to getting lost in the mountains.

Ma Yang is aware of his problem; he's afraid of losing himself, so he really doesn't wander off.

"It's alright, Mom, don't worry." Zhao Jun got out of the car and reassured Wang Cuihua, then took Ma Yang's luggage and tossed it into the back of the Jiefang truck.

"Mom, you go back now, we're leaving." Zhao Jun said, waving for Ma Yang to get in the car.

The group consisted of nine people: Li Baoyu, Zhang Yuanmin, and Xie Chen rode in a Jiefang truck, while the other six squeezed into a jeep.

The chubby Zhao Jinhui sat in the passenger seat, while Ma Yang squeezed into the back with Xing San, Wang Qiang, and Li Ruhai.

After getting into the car, Li Ruhai asked Ma Yang with a smile, "Ma Lao Er, why did you get beaten up again?"

"Don't talk to me!" Ma Yang glared at Li Ruhai. He had also been drinking at the Zhao family's house yesterday. After drinking, Ma Yang went back to negotiate with Ma Dafu.

At the start of the negotiations, Ma Yang explained to Ma Dafu the concept of "thirty years east of the river and thirty years west of the river."

Because of Ma Yang's poor communication skills, Ma Dafu didn't understand his explanation at all. However, Ma Dafu understood the strong threat in Ma Yang's words.

Could Ma Dafu tolerate this? He slapped Ma Yang so hard that Ma Yang's eyes were filled with stars.

This morning, Wang Cuihua scolded him as soon as he got up. Ma Yang reflected on why he was beaten. He also thought that he had fallen for Li Ruhai's trick, but then he thought that what Li Ruhai said didn't seem to be wrong.

But before he could figure out whether Li Ruhai was a human or a ghost, Ma Yang decided to ignore him for the time being.

Hearing the two children arguing behind him, Zhao Jun pursed his lips, then started the car and drove out of Yong'an Village.

The Jiefang truck followed closely behind. As Wang Cuihua watched the truck drive away, she had just turned around when she heard someone call out, "Brother Jun."

As soon as Wang Cuihua turned around, she saw Gu Yang stride away with his long legs, heading straight for the Jiefang truck.

Even the fastest legs can't outrun four wheels; the Liberation truck disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Gu Yang standing with his hands on his hips, panting heavily.

Seeing that Gu Yang was looking for her son-in-law, Wang Cuihua asked, "Child, is there something you need to see your brother Jun?"

"It's alright, Aunt Ma." Gu Yang said it was alright, but turned to look in the direction where the Liberation truck had disappeared, and then walked west towards the Zhao family compound.

When Gu Yang arrived at the Zhao family compound, Zhao Weipeng had just left by car with Li Tongyun.

These past two days, Zhao Weipeng was going back to Hebei, so Zhao Jun simply didn't let him develop the photos. He just asked Zhao Weipeng to deliver the film to Manager Huang, and then let Manager Huang develop it himself.

Before leaving, Zhao Weipeng wanted to visit Yong'an Supermarket. Li Tongyun, on the other hand, was visiting Chu Xiaoxue at her invitation and wouldn't be back for a few days.

Gu Yang didn't go through the main gate when he arrived at the Zhao family compound. Instead, he climbed the east wall, leaned against the top of the wall, and called out to Zhao Youcai, "Master! Master!"

This kid always sneaks over to Zhao Youcai when he has nothing to do. Even the family dogs know him well. Only the meddlesome Qinglong barks twice.

That month, the doors and windows were all open, and Gu Yang's voice came into the house. Zhao Youcai went outside when he heard the voice. The old lady watched Zhao Youcai's departing figure, turned back to Wang Meilan and said, "To me, it sounds like Sun Wukong calling Tang Sanzang on TV."

"Hahaha..." Wang Meilan and the others laughed heartily. Amid the laughter, Wang Meilan stood up and said, "You all sit here for a while, I'll go out and take a look."

After saying that, Wang Meilan walked out.

When Wang Meilan went out, Gu Yang had already climbed over the wall and was whispering with Zhao Youcai at the base of the wall.

As Wang Meilan walked along the window, she heard Gu Yang say to Zhao Youcai, "Master, could you talk to my brother Jun and ask him to send me to work at the loading and unloading station too?"

Hearing Gu Yang's words, Wang Meilan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the master and apprentice didn't cause any trouble, everything would be fine. As for Gu Yang going to the loading and unloading yard, that was a minor matter to Wang Meilan.

Just as Wang Meilan was about to sneak back into the house, she heard Zhao Youcai say, "Eldest apprentice, why are you thinking of doing that kind of work? What future can you have doing such hard labor?"

Wang Meilan paused, and then heard Gu Yang say bitterly, "Master, yesterday Liu Tiezui took me to Changling to find a partner, but it didn't work out."

"Why didn't you two get together?" Zhao Youcai asked. Gu Yang replied, "His family asked me how I make a living, and I said I run errands in the mountains with my master. They said I was a hooligan."

Upon hearing this, Wang Meilan almost burst out laughing, while Zhao Youcai angrily retorted, "Bullshit! What do you mean by 'hooligan'?"

After saying this, Zhao Youcai turned to Gu Yang and said, "You too, what did you say about running in the mountains? You said about hunting!"

“I told him,” Gu Yang said in a low voice, “I told him I wanted to learn hunting from my master, but his family said it wasn’t a proper job and we wouldn’t know where our next meal would come from.”

"That's them!" Zhao Youcai angrily raised his hand and said, "Didn't you tell them you were my apprentice?"

Gu Yang shook his head and said, "His family didn't ask either."

Zhao Youcai's lips twitched, and then Gu Yang said, "The day before yesterday, Liu Tiezui asked me to fight the false government, and told me to say that I was from the Zhao family gang and that I was with Zhao Jun, but I didn't do it."

"Da mao zhi" is a Northeastern dialect term meaning to impersonate someone else.

"That's right, you didn't do it!" Hearing Gu Yang say this, Zhao Youcai said, "What kind of nonsense is this, lying and talking nonsense? What? Just because you say you're from the Zhao family gang, does that mean people will marry their wives to you?"

“It seems possible.” Gu Yang suddenly said, which made Zhao Youcai’s expression change. Then Gu Yang continued, “Liu Tiezui said that if I said I was from the Zhao family gang, they would definitely give me their daughter.”

"She designated my ass!" Zhao Youcai said irritably. "Eldest disciple, remember this: you belong to our Zhao Family Hunting Gang, and have absolutely nothing to do with their Zhao Family Gang."

"Master, how am I supposed to find a wife?" Gu Yang asked with a worried look. Zhao Youcai sighed and looked at him, saying, "I've been busy lately and haven't been teaching you any new skills."

“Master, why don’t we just give up?” Gu Yang said. “Whether you teach me or not, it’s all the same. You still can’t get up the mountain.”

“Who said I can’t go up the mountain?” Zhao Youcai’s small eyes widened, but his voice was very low as he said, “I just… can’t leave home.”

After saying this, Zhao Youcai raised his hand and gestured to Gu Yang, saying, "Eldest disciple, don't be in a hurry. You still have to practice what your master taught you before. You are quite talented. You don't need to do much. In ten or eight years, your marksmanship will catch up with your master's."

Faced with Zhao Youcai's empty promises, Gu Yang refused to take a bite, and instead asked Zhao Youcai, "Master, what am I going to do for the next ten or eight years? I can't possibly get married again when I'm over thirty, can I?"

"Oh dear!" Zhao Youcai sighed upon hearing Gu Yang's words, and said, "My eldest disciple, you never listen to reason. I said you could catch up with me in ten or eight years, but if you only train for one or two years and catch up with your brother Jun, wouldn't that be enough for you?"

"That's more than enough, Master!" Gu Yang looked at Zhao Youcai with delight and asked, "Can I catch up with my brother Jun after two years of training?"

"That's more than enough for hunting bears and wild boars," Zhao Youcai said. "How many bears does your brother Jun hunt in a year? He makes tens of thousands selling bear bile. With that, you could find any wife you want!"

"That's true!" Gu Yang nodded upon hearing this, "My brother Jun hasn't been training for many years either."

"Huh?" Zhao Youcai was taken aback, his small eyes blinking, and said, "Hey? I don't think I've ever seen him practice shooting!"

Although Zhao Youcai didn't take Zhao Jun's marksmanship seriously, he had to admit that his son was quite skilled with a gun.

So the question is, when did his son learn those skills?

Just as Zhao Youcai was wondering what was going on, Wang Meilan appeared from the shadows. The moment Zhao Youcai saw Wang Meilan, his small eyes widened.