The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1916 Li Dayong: Big Brother, you've suffered.

At 8:30 a.m., while Zhao Jun was still carrying the ginseng king on the mountain, Zhao Jinhui drove his jeep back to Yong'an Village with Wang Qiang and four bear legs.

Today is Sunday, and working adults and school children are resting at home.

Early in the morning, Li Dayong brought Li Xiaoqiao over from home.

After breakfast, Li Xiaoqiao went with Zhao Hong and Zhao Na to find Xiaolingdang. Wang Meilan led people to prune the bottom leaves of the eggplant seedlings and the water branches of the persimmon seedlings. Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong, however, hid in the east hut and whispered among themselves.

Just then, the dog behind the house barked a few times. Not long after, Wang Qiang's voice could be heard.

Li Dayong craned his neck to look out the window and exclaimed, "Oh dear!" Then he said to Zhao Youcai, "Brother, Qiangzi is back."

"Huh?" Zhao Youcai was taken aback, then got up from the wooden bench.

Then, Zhao Youcai saw the jeep parked in front of the house, with Wang Meilan, Jin Xiaomei, Zhao Ling and others surrounding the vehicle, while Wang Qiang and Zhao Jinhui were pulling sacks off the vehicle.

Zhao Youcai clearly saw the bear paw sticking out of the burlap sack, and his small eyes widened instantly as he exclaimed, "Wow, they've caught a bear!"

After saying that, Zhao Youcai strode out, with Li Dayong following closely behind.

When they came out to the outer room, they ran into Wang Meilan leading Wang Qiang and Zhao Jinhui in from outside.

Upon seeing Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong, Wang Meilan said directly, "Dad, our son has caught a bear and brought back four big bastards. You and Dayong, you two go and deal with them."

Hearing Wang Meilan's words, Zhao Youcai paused, and then Wang Meilan continued, "Qiangzi and the other two haven't eaten, so I'll stir-fry some tofu for them."

Since Wang Meilan had already said all that, Zhao Youcai had no choice but to take the knife and the large basin and go out to deal with the four bear legs with their paws attached.

The two brothers went outside, first using a knife to remove the four bear paws, then cutting open the skin on the bear's legs, and finally picking the meat off piece by piece.

While Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong were busy, they heard two barks from the backyard.

Having raised dogs for a long time, Zhao Youcai could tell at a glance that the barking came from Qinglong.

There must be a reason why the other dogs bark but Qinglong barks.

Zhao Youcai turned around and saw Gu Yang appear on the wall.

"Master, Uncle-Master." Gu Yang greeted Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong.

Zhao Youcai subconsciously looked up and glanced into the vegetable garden. Remembering that Li Dazhi and his family of three hadn't come, he called out to Gu Yang, "Come on, eldest apprentice."

Gu Yang climbed over the wall and landed in the Zhao family compound. When he saw the four bear paws stacked to the side, he asked Zhao Youcai, "Master, did you catch a bear?"

"Ah, I didn't hit him," Zhao Youcai said. "Your brother Jun hit him."

"My brother shot it?" Gu Yang was taken aback and blurted out to Zhao Youcai, "Master, didn't you say that you can't hunt in the summer? How did my brother shoot it?"

"Ah... well..." Zhao Youcai didn't know how to answer for a moment. He couldn't very well say that Brother Jun was better than him, could he? Would he, the Tiger-Taming Heavenly King, still be able to hold his head high?

Just as Zhao Youcai was in a dilemma, Li Dayong decisively stepped forward to help him out, saying, "They don't hunt in the summer, that's for those mountain runners. Is your master an ordinary person?"

Gu Yang blinked at Zhao Youcai. He felt that his master was rather ordinary-looking with small eyes, but that was definitely not the right way to put it.

"That's definitely not it," Gu Yang said with a smile. "Who is my master?"

At this point, Gu Yang gave a thumbs-up, saying proudly and confidently, "That's my master!"

This was as good as saying nothing, but Zhao Youcai felt good about Gu Yang's attitude.

"My eldest apprentice, what is skill?" At this moment, Zhao Youcai said to Gu Yang earnestly, "What others can't do, I can do; what others aren't good at, I'm good at. That's what skill is."

As he spoke, Zhao Youcai straightened his back and continued, "You should learn from your master properly. In a few days, your master will take you up the mountain to train."

"Master!" Gu Yang was overjoyed to hear Zhao Youcai's words. Wasn't he learning his skills from Zhao Youcai so that he could go up the mountain to earn money? But Zhao Youcai could never go up the mountain, so he could only take Gu Yang to the edge of the land to hunt pheasants and juveniles.

To be honest, Zhao Youcai's marksmanship is truly formidable. Gu Yang witnessed it firsthand during the few days he'd been following Zhao Youcai around. Whenever Zhao Youcai raised his gun, something was bound to fall.

Pheasants, jays, sparrows—Zhao Youcai had it all. So these past few days, Gu Yang had been getting his hands on quite a bit of meat.

Gu Yang learned his craft from Zhao Youcai to make money, because with money he could eat whatever he wanted.

But the three things Zhao Youcai caught on the edge of the field were worthless; they weren't even worth as much as small river fish and shrimp when sold at the market.

Just as Gu Yang was pondering whether he should find a job, his master finally said he would take him up the mountain.

Gu Yang was overjoyed. He jumped three feet high, leaped up, climbed over the wall, and left.

"Huh?" By the time Zhao Youcai realized what was happening, his apprentice had already disappeared.

"That kid!" Zhao Youcai kicked the pile of bear paws next to him and said, "I was thinking of having him singe these bear paws."

"Alright, brother," Li Dayong said, "Go upstairs and rest. Shunzi is here. I'll have Shunzi work with the two of us."

“Then…then…” Zhao Youcai hesitated for a moment, then said to Li Dayong, “Dayong, I’ll go inside and ask what happened last night.”

After Zhao Youcai finished speaking, he hurriedly went into the house to find Wang Qiang and Zhao Jinhui.

At this moment, Wang Qiang was reporting the good news to Wang Meilan.

When Wang Qiang told her that they had raised ginseng to the seventh grade, Wang Meilan was so excited that she almost spilled the tofu on the stove.

At this moment, Zhao Youcai came in, pulled over a four-legged stool, sat down next to Wang Qiang, and asked, "Qiangzi, did your group get a bear yesterday?"

"Huh?" Wang Qiang was taken aback. He was just talking about the sticks, how did it turn to the black bear?

Wang Meilan, who was in a good mood, glared at Zhao Youcai.

Zhao Youcai, oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, simply said to Wang Qiang, "Looking at that bear paw, this bear doesn't even weigh 300 jin (150 kg)!"

"Yes, that's right." Wang Qiang nodded and said, "Two hundred and seventy or eighty jin."

"Then how come you only brought back four legs?" Zhao Youcai pressed. Wang Qiang replied, "My nephew was shot five times, his stomach was ripped to shreds, and after that, they simply didn't want any of the flesh."

"Ouch!" Zhao Youcai said, offering cigarettes to Wang Qiang and Zhao Jinhui, while frowning. "We've left half a bear there, and then there's that deer you guys were messing with the other day. This den is going to attract a big bear tyrant, isn't it?"

"Whether it's a bear or not is fine." Wang Qiang shook his hand as he took the cigarette and said, "My nephew said we won't fight anywhere anymore."

That's what Zhao Jun said last night, and after returning to the shack this morning, Zhao Jun became even more determined to do so.

The reason is simple: if you squat in the ginseng pit at night, you won't be able to sleep well, which will delay your ginseng harvesting the next day.

Bear bile is valuable, but it can't compare to the price of a top-grade ginseng. If you break a whisker because you didn't sleep well the night before, you'll be crying before you know it.

"Huh?" Zhao Youcai didn't understand. His small eyes widened as he asked Wang Qiang, "Then why not fight it? Why not take the bear gall that's been delivered to our door?"

"We can't take it, brother-in-law," Wang Qiang said with a bitter face. "If we could, who wouldn't want it? It's still money. But there's no way around it; my nephew has to carry ginseng the next morning. We're carrying a seventh-grade leaf ginseng king now, how much will that cost?"

"What?" Zhao Youcai could hardly believe his ears and immediately asked Wang Qiang, "Qiangzi, what did you just say? What grade of leaf?"

“Seventh rank!” Wang Qiang raised his right hand, pinching the pads of his thumb, index finger, and middle finger together, and gestured the number seven in front of Zhao Youcai.

"Oh my god!" Zhao Youcai was shocked to hear this. Then he heard Wang Qiang sigh and say, "Oh dear, brother-in-law, my nephew and I both regret this."

We stayed up until after 2 a.m. last night, we were so tired, we were practically falling asleep. We went back to our shack and slept for a little over an hour before getting up again.

"Qiangzi!" Zhao Youcai said with concern, "Then you should stay home and rest today. I'll go in your place afterward."

As soon as Zhao Youcai finished speaking, the spatula covered in bits of tofu suddenly appeared in front of him, startling him.

Seeing this, Wang Qiang and Zhao Jinhui exchanged a glance, and then silently began to smoke.

"Where are you going?" Wang Meilan asked. Zhao Youcai replied, "I... I'll cover for Qiangzi for the night, and then... let Qiangzi and his family of four stay in that small room on the east side tonight. That way, it'll be more lively for you."

Upon hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Wang Qiang quickly looked up and said, "Brother-in-law, that won't do. I still have to carry ginseng when I get back."

At this time, Wang Qiang was unaware that Zhang Yuanmin and Li Ruhai had backed out, and he was still thinking of going back to help Zhao Jun.

After Wang Qiang finished speaking, Zhao Youcai got up and left the room without saying a word.

After leaving the house, Zhao Youcai ran straight to the courtyard. At that moment, Li Dayong and Lin Xiangshun were roasting bear paws outside the courtyard, and the bear meat that had been removed had already been rinsed with cold water.

When Zhao Youcai left the hospital, the unpleasant smell of burning bear fur was already rising with the smoke.

After leaving the house, Zhao Youcai leaned weakly against the wall and took out a cigarette from his pocket.

"What's wrong, brother?" Li Dayong could tell at a glance that something was wrong with Zhao Youcai.

"Sigh!" Zhao Youcai sighed heavily and said, "Dayong, when will this ever end?"

Seeing Zhao Youcai so dejected, Li Dayong quickly comforted him, "Brother, there's nothing we can do about it."

After saying this, Li Dayong smiled and said, "You know, with such a big yard like ours, it's practically like living in the open. If there's no man at home, do you think my sister-in-law and the others would dare to stay?"

"Well, that's the situation," Zhao Youcai sighed again, placing his left hand on his chest as he spoke, "but why do I feel so frustrated?"

As he spoke, Zhao Youcai sighed repeatedly, and then continued, "Brother, you know, back in those years, to be on the safe side, I started working as a ladleman in my early twenties. These past two years, this kid has finally made something of himself, and I thought I was finally free of burdens and could relax a bit. Well, I never expected that he would put so much pressure on me that I couldn't even climb the mountain."

Li Dayong looked at Zhao Youcai with eyes full of heartache. No matter how others saw Zhao Youcai, in Li Dayong's eyes, his older brother was definitely a man of integrity.

"How many more good years do I have left?" Zhao Youcai looked at the distant mountains and said sadly, "In a few years I'll be fifty. Once I'm fifty, my legs will become clumsy. How will I be able to run up the mountain then? These last two good years are not even enough time to climb the mountain. Sigh!"

Even Li Dayong felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing this. His elder brother possessed exceptional skills, but unfortunately, he was held back by his children and wife.

But Li Dayong also had to eat and make a living, and he couldn't very well persuade Zhao Youcai to abandon his family and business to go hunting. So he could only empathize with Zhao Youcai and say, "Brother, you've suffered."

Not far away, Lin Xiangshun, who was making bear paws, frowned as he looked at his two uncles, feeling that their mental state was deteriorating.

……

The crisp chirping of birds echoed through the forest as Zhao Jun knelt before a pine tree, carrying ginseng.

Using a deer antler spoon, the humus soil was gradually cleared away, revealing ginseng whiskers that were yellowish-white, had a warm luster, and were long, thin, and rounded like leather strips.

Just as Zhao Jun told Zhang Yuanmin and the others, wild ginseng of this age would not have hairy or watery roots, only a few thick main roots.

But each of the main tendrils is incredibly long, and they extend downwards in a radial pattern without intertwining with each other.

Therefore, Zhao Jun had to dig very deep into this one thread.

Zhao Jun has rested twice since morning. Before his first rest, the reeds, one side of the stem, the body, and one side of the leg of the wild ginseng had already emerged from the ground.

For the next two hours, Zhao Jun didn't even lift a beard.

But at this moment, the beard that was displayed in front of everyone was already 60 centimeters long.

These tendrils are very elastic, bending without breaking, and soft to the touch. From the thickest part down, they are covered with off-white, pearly bumps.

The so-called pearl bumps are the raised points on the hair after the hair has been injured and healed.

In addition, because this ginseng is so old, there is a nodule-like spot on this section of its rootstock that is slightly larger than a pearl nodule.

These are not flaws; on the contrary, they are signs of the ginseng's age, which an expert can immediately recognize.

……

At 4:30 p.m., when Wang Qiang and Zhao Jinhui returned with braised black bear meat, stewed tofu, chili sauce, and rice, Zhao Jun hadn't even finished carrying the beard yet.

By this time, the part of the tendril that had been unearthed was 2.4 meters long.

Such long whiskers, clean and neat, with almost no forks.

After a busy day, Zhao Jun was truly exhausted. Even though there was still some time before dark, he refused to continue.

Wang Qiang, who had just returned, was thinking of taking over his nephew's job, but when he got closer and saw it, he immediately backed down.

Like Zhang Yuanmin, Wang Qiang dared not lift the ginseng. He'd rather let Zhao Jun carry it; if Zhao Jun damaged it, no one would complain. If he damaged it himself, no one would complain, but he couldn't live with himself.

Zhao Jun was helped up by Li Ruhai, Ma Yang brought him some cool boiled water, Xie Chen massaged his shoulders, and Li Baoyu massaged his legs. This kind of treatment was unparalleled.

Over there, Zhang Yuanmin planted several tree branches on both sides of the ginseng.

When planting, the branches are inserted into the soil on both sides in an arch shape. Then, plastic sheeting is placed over them, just like covering a greenhouse.

After securing it, press soil around the plastic sheet and then poke a few holes in the plastic sheet for ventilation.

Finally, Zhang Yuanmin and Wang Qiang picked many leaves from the pheasant's wings and covered them one by one with plastic sheeting to conceal them.

After they finished doing all this, Xing San had already heated up the food and warmed the wine.

When everyone went inside to eat, Zhao Jinhui, as if presenting a treasure, handed Zhao Jun a soft drink he had brought from home.

Zhao Jun was very satisfied with this, and he drank with several other people who were drinking.

"Brother Jun," Xie Chen suddenly asked Zhao Jun, "You're not going to be on guard the watchtower tonight, are you?"

"I'm not squatting anymore!" Zhao Jun waved his hand and said, "I'm not squatting no matter what."

After saying this, Zhao Jun paused for a moment, then added, "I can fall asleep as soon as I lie down on the kang. I have to carry ginseng tomorrow, and I don't want to suffer like that."

"Brother Jun." Hearing Zhao Jun say this, Jie Chen smiled and said, "Then how about I go with Bao Yu tonight?"

"No way!" Before Zhao Jun could even speak, Xie Chen finished speaking, and Wang Qiang said, "You two aren't up to it?"

"Why not, Uncle?" Li Baoyu asked Wang Qiang, "Why can't we do it?"

"I'm afraid you two won't be able to hold on properly," Wang Qiang said. "There's a deer and a bear in that area now, and they're so smelly. If things go wrong, they might attract the attention of a big bear."

“We’re not afraid of Big Bear either,” Li Baoyu said. “From the moment we hit him with the stun gun until he climbs up the tower, we can take him down at least four times. Four shots shouldn’t be enough to kill him… right?”

Li Baoyu's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke. Bears are different from other animals; they have an incredibly strong vitality. Unless you shoot them in the head or shatter their heart, they really won't die.

Just then, Zhang Yuanmin handed the teacup containing wine to Wang Qiang and asked with a smile, "Uncle, should I go with them?"

"You three go?" Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang immediately nodded and said, "You three can go. You'll knock those two semi-automatic trees to death anyway."

"Uncle, how about adding me too?" Zhao Jinhui asked. Wang Qiang replied, "Jinhui, you can't go alone?"

"What's wrong?" Zhao Jinhui asked, puzzled. Wang Qiang laughed and said, "That watchtower can't fit all four of you."

Zhao Jinhui: "..."