Reborn in 80: Starting with hunting in the mountains to get rich

No one knew where Lao Qin had bumped when he stood up. He was in so much pain that his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he gritted his teeth and endured it without uttering a sound, with large beads of cold sweat rolling down his face.

Li Ju'an looked down and saw that Lao Qin's thigh had been bitten open, and he couldn't stand up. The bloody bite wound on his thigh had almost torn off the flesh, and was so deep that the bone was visible. It was unclear whether the bone had been damaged.

He and Li Guaizi cut down tree branches to make a sled, chatting as they went: "I really owe you something. We didn't even see a mountain weasel, and we still have to take you down the mountain. I was waiting to use this sled to transport large mountain animals back for meat distribution, but instead, you've ridden it first."

"Look at you, still keeping that ungrateful wretch."

The wolf cub that Old Qin had brought up the mountain was also gone, and the corpses of his dogs lay scattered all around him, all loyal and devoted dogs.

His eyes reddened; for the first time, his eyes, which had never cried before, were red. The rough-looking Pao Touer sadly counted the loyal dog corpses on the ground, stuffing each dog's stiff body into a cloth bag and protecting it like a treasure, covering his face and choking with sobs.

"Hua Danzi loves to use pliers when hunting wild boars. Hei Lang is very brave. He used to follow Er Bai around. Later, he grew up and became bigger than Er Bai. When he encounters a wild boar, he likes to stab it in the crotch. San Qing has a bad temper and loves to fight with other dogs. They are all our heroes."

With tears welling up in his eyes, Old Qin held a bag full of dog carcasses and kowtowed repeatedly on the snow.

Big Tiger suddenly barked at the bushes.

Li Ju'an initially thought it was the slippery dog, Iron Hammer, who had wandered off again. Looking down, he saw a wolf cub huddled under the bushes, trembling and not daring to utter a sound. This was none other than Old Qin's wolf, Eyes.

"What are we going to do with this wolf?"

He thought that Old Qin would shoot the wolf cub dead with a single shot in this situation. Unexpectedly, Old Qin suddenly propped himself up on his left arm, shouted loudly for the wolf cub to come over, and said he would continue to bring the wolf cub down the mountain.

Li Guaizi shook his head, meaning let him do whatever he wants.

On the way down the mountain, Old Qin, whose leg had been bitten off by wolves, sat on the sled, cradling a wolf cub in his arms, lost in thought. Nine dogs pulled the sled, panting and panting from exhaustion. Li Ju'an, feeling sorry for Da Hu, wrapped two ropes around his shoulders and, together with the dogs, pulled the sled, which weighed over 180 pounds. His cotton-padded jacket was already soaked with sweat, and his forehead was covered in beads of perspiration; he would occasionally raise his sleeve to wipe them away.

Old Qin saw all of this clearly, and the expression on his face was an indescribable, unfamiliar emotion; his eyes were very complex.

The dog sled returned to Niubei Village overnight. The village chief thought that a wildcat had been caught and was about to lead the villagers in celebration when he discovered that Lao Qin, the gunner hired by the forestry station, had been seriously injured and had been brought back by another team of hunters.

The brigade leader of Niubei Village asked in surprise, "What about the hunters from our village who went into the mountains with us?"

Old Qin lowered his head and remained silent. Li Ju'an said, "He's still in the mountains."

The expressions on the faces of the villagers of Niubeitun were even more interesting. Pao Tou'er was wounded and went down the mountain first, while the hunters who went in with him were still in the mountains. Was this some kind of thing?

The clinic staff arrived on a stretcher and took Old Qin, who was holding the wolf cub and remaining silent, away for treatment. Before leaving, he gave Li Ju'an a meaningful look and said, "Come find me after you've hunted the mountain weasels and come down the mountain. Haven't you always wanted to learn how to use traps? I'll teach you."

Upon hearing this, Li Ju'an was filled with mixed emotions. Everyone said that Old Qin, the "Trap King," was the best trap hunter in Changbai Mountain. He could go into the mountains without a gun and catch large wild animals with just his traps. Even the old hunters in the southern mountains of his previous life didn't have this skill.

If he could receive instruction from the King of Looters of Changbai Mountain, his skills in setting traps in the mountains would surely improve greatly.

……

Li Ju'an and Li Guaizi spent the night huddled together on the kang (a heated brick bed) at the home of the brigade leader of Niubeitun, and went into the mountains again the next morning.

He's leading nine dogs; he's definitely going back into the mountains. He set so many traps yesterday—small and large guillotines—we have to go check them out. Even if we don't catch a civet, what if we catch a wolf? Or a large guillotine for large mountain animals? If we can trap a wolf, or a deer, or a roe deer, and if we're lucky enough to find a big pelt caught in the trap, that would be a huge windfall.

In the morning, the mountain road, covered in snow, glittered under the blazing sun, so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.

Li Ju'an was still thinking about the pack of wolves from yesterday: "They say wolves have heads of copper, bones of iron, and waists of tofu. If you encounter a wolf fighting, their bite force is terrifying. You just have to keep your distance and run away. They might even sneak up on you and shoot you in the back."

He reflected on his recklessness in attacking the one-eyed wolf. He was truly lucky that time, as he encountered a wolf that wasn't very quick to react. If he had encountered someone as unlucky as Old Qin, who was entangled in a fight with a young male wolf, he might have had his leg bitten off.

The two had reached the shady slope where the traps had been laid the day before. Li Guaizi looked at the traps covering the slope and sneered, "You really want to learn how to set traps from that bastard Lao Qin? What kind of crap are these? These traps are blind. If someone going into the mountains steps on one, or even gets their leg caught in a trap and is crippled for life, you won't even be able to find the culprit. You won't even know who did it."

It is said that those who train eagles look down on those who carry guns, and those who carry guns look down on those who set traps.

Li Ju'an was also puzzled: "It's as if you can catch the mountain weasel without setting a trap. Let me tell you, this mountain weasel is incredibly cunning; we haven't seen it for two days. If we don't set a trap, and we're lucky enough to shoot it and tear its skin off, how are we supposed to sell it for money?"

Just as Li Guaizi was about to retort, the hunting dogs barked. About 300 meters ahead, the large guillotine had already snagged a red deer.

The unfortunate deer was still struggling. Its large, dark brown antlers were very beautiful, with six prongs. It was lying on the snow, snorting and panting heavily.

Li Ju'an excitedly ran after the hunting dogs ahead of time, shouting, "You just said it, if we hadn't set a trap, we wouldn't have gotten this venison hotpot today. Set up that little pot of yours again, it'll come in handy. It's the warmest thing to do on a snowy day to sit around the pot and slice the venison."

Suddenly, a robust mountain weasel descended from the sky, ready to hunt the red deer that had been caught in a large snare.

When the two men saw the lynx that had walked right into their trap, their eyes widened in disbelief: "That greedy mountain beast! It even dares to steal a deer!"

Lynxes typically weigh only 20-30 kilograms, but this one was quite large, weighing around 50 kilograms. Don't assume lynxes are afraid of bigger animals; they generally avoid large predators like tigers, leopards, bears, and wild boars. However, they will still hunt red deer the size of a donkey.

This robust male red deer weighs over 400 pounds. The lynx, weighing only 50 pounds, was able to hunt the male red deer alive, demonstrating the lynx's wild and arrogant nature.

Li Ju'an quickly raised his gun. He didn't even have time to think about not damaging the fur; the only thought that flashed through his mind was: to take down this mountain weasel. It turns out that when people are tense and excited, they don't care about the fur; their only thought is to shoot down their prey.

He aimed from afar, about to raise his gun to take it down, when suddenly, the lynx leaped down from the tree and landed on the deer's neck.

The lynx gripped the deer's neck with its four sharp claws, then lunged down and bit down hard on the deer's throat, the warm, fresh blood resembling hot milk. The deer struggled fiercely, leaping high while dragging the heavy 20-pound guillotine, then stomping its forelegs heavily on the ground. The lynx dodged to the ground, but its jaws remained firmly in its mouth.

While sucking the blood from the deer's neck, the lynx tilted its head and stared at Li Ju'an not far away, with an air of smugness that said, "What can you do to me?"