Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

"Little Li, have another round with Old Zheng."

The old Party Secretary watched the two of them down their drinks in one gulp and said with a smile.

Li Xiangyang hurriedly stood up: "Brother Zheng, let's have another one."

After saying that, he drank it down without hesitation.

"Good, good!" Old Zheng was increasingly pleased with Li Xiangyang's drinking capacity and downed his own drink in one gulp. "Young man, you've got a good capacity for alcohol, let's have another one."

Seeing the atmosphere was right, the old Party Secretary quickly chimed in, "Hey, Old Zheng, let me tell you, Xiao Li's hunting skills are comparable to yours back in the day. Not long ago, he went into the mountains alone with just a gun and dared to hunt wild boar. That courage, that skill—tell me, doesn't it remind you of yourself back then?"

"Oh?" Old Zheng's eyes lit up. "How big is it?"

"That wild boar must weigh at least two hundred pounds. Its tusks could reach your waist."

The old Party Secretary spoke as if he had witnessed it himself.

"Really?" Old Zheng turned to look at Li Xiangyang, raised his glass, and said, "Let's have another one, you and me!"

After a few drinks, Old Zheng's face was a little flushed, and his gaze towards Li Xiangyang became even more affectionate: "You're quite something, kid. Come on, let me tell you how I train my dog."

As he spoke, Old Zheng called out into the courtyard, "Night Shadow!"

The black dog immediately pricked up its ears and darted to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Watch closely." Old Zheng picked up a bone from the kang table and casually tossed it onto the roof beam. "Night Shadow, catch!"

The dog leaped and accurately bit the bone in mid-air, landing with its four paws lightly touching the ground without making a sound.

"Great!" Li Xiangyang exclaimed sincerely. The dog's skills and training level were truly admirable.

"That's nothing." Old Zheng stroked his beard smugly and gestured to Nightshade, "Get down!"

The black dog immediately lay down on the ground and remained motionless.

Old Zheng picked up another piece of meat and waved it in the air: "Watch this!"

Nightshade's eyes were fixed on the piece of meat, but his body remained completely still.

Old Zheng threw the meat onto the snow outside the door, but Night Shadow remained motionless.

It wasn't until Old Zheng snapped his fingers that the black dog shot out like an arrow, accurately snatched the piece of meat, and then sat back down steadily.

"Wow!" Li Xiangyang exclaimed, his eyes glued to the screen. "How long will this take to practice?"

"That depends on how much innate intelligence the dog has. Xiao Li, do you know what the most important thing in dog training is?"

Old Zheng held his wine glass, a hint of smugness in his eyes.

“Please speak.” Li Xiangyang leaned forward, looking very serious.

"You can only make a dog obedient by starving it," Old Zheng said casually.

“I understand,” Li Xiangyang’s eyes lit up. “It’s about creating a conditioned reflex through repeated training, making it associate eating with its owner’s commands.”

"Haha, you're half right." Old Zheng raised his glass, his beard trembling with laughter, "but only half right."

"What's the other half?" Li Xiangyang asked curiously.

"The other half is this dog's innate intelligence."

Old Zheng put down his wine glass, looking at Nightshade with a mixture of smugness and indulgence in his eyes. "You think it's obedient because of my training? Let me tell you, this guy has been stubborn since he was a puppy. He won't eat anything that isn't alive."

"Really?" Li Xiangyang asked in surprise.

"Why would I lie to you? It only ate after I became its owner and I fed it."

Old Zheng turned to the old Party Secretary, "Old Zhang, do you remember? Once I was sick, and I asked my son to bring it food, but this guy went three days without eating."

"I remember, I remember." The old Party Secretary nodded repeatedly. "Later, you were the one who dragged your sick body to feed them."

"That's right. Just like people, some people are born to do certain things, and dogs are the same."

Old Zheng proudly poured himself another glass of wine. "This dog, I drove all the way from Liaoyuan to the foot of Changbai Mountain, checking no fewer than fifty dog ​​farms before I finally chose it."

"Let me tell you, finding a dog with a soul isn't easy. Ordinary dogs either bark wildly at strangers or run away."

"But my Night Shadow is different. When it saw me, it only glanced at me curiously and then lost interest."

"When something like this happens, I get really interested and try to amuse it with meat. Other dogs, seeing meat, would all pounce and try to snatch it. But this one completely ignored it."

"Is it hungry?" Chu Qingxuan couldn't help but ask.

"That's the interesting part. I was wondering about it at the time too," Old Zheng chuckled, stroking his beard. "Later, I asked the dog farm owner and found out that it won't eat anything that isn't alive."

"Good heavens!" the old Party Secretary exclaimed, intrigued. "This is a born hunter!"

"Absolutely!" Old Zheng nodded repeatedly. "I've seen plenty of dogs in my life, but I've never seen one like this."

"No wonder you chose it," Li Xiangyang said sincerely.

"Yes," Old Zheng said, his eyes filled with affection as he looked at Nightshade. "It's a pity that not all of its puppies have this kind of intelligence. Last year it had a litter of six puppies, but only one was decent-looking. I really can't bear to give away a dog like that."

Old Zheng sighed, a hint of reluctance in his eyes. "If you're going to give it away, you have to find someone knowledgeable who can treat it well."

"That's right, that's right," the old Party Secretary quickly chimed in, "Raising a dog is no joke, especially such a good dog."

Li Xiangyang nodded silently.

He understood Lao Zheng's thoughts. Such a spiritually intelligent dog was no longer just a hunting dog to its owner; it was more like a family member.

“Uncle Zheng, I understand,” Li Xiangyang said sincerely. “If you could give me one, I would definitely treat it well.”

"Hmm." Old Zheng nodded in satisfaction, then picked up his glass again. "Let's drink first, we'll talk about the rest later. The pheasant stew was excellent today, and the wine was delicious too. Old Zhang, your granddaughter's cooking is quite good!"

"That's right!" The old Party Secretary stroked his beard proudly. "She looks like her maternal grandmother."

The group chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere became lively again.

"Kid, although I think highly of you, don't think you're entitled to have my dog."

“There are plenty of people who want this dog. Just last month, Captain Wang from the neighboring forest farm even asked someone to inquire about it.”

"Of course, my dog ​​needs a good owner. We're hunting in three days; if you're really good at it, I'll give you one."

"That's right, that's right," the old Party Secretary said with a smile, trying to smooth things over. "I believe Xiao Li won't let you down."

"Alright, it's settled then." Old Zheng stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "I'm off. Old Zhang, you had a great meal today. When you're feeling better, come to my house, it'll be my treat, and Little Li can come too."

"No problem, no problem." The old Party Secretary was about to get up as well.

"Don't bother seeing me off." Old Zheng waved his hand and called out into the yard, "Night Shadow!"

Black Dog immediately stood up, nimbly jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), and came to Old Zheng's side.

"Xiao Li, see Lao Zheng off," the old Party Secretary said.

Li Xiangyang quickly followed him out.

As they entered the courtyard, Old Zheng suddenly stopped and turned to look at Li Xiangyang: "Alright, don't bother seeing me off. Meet at the village entrance in three days' morning, don't be late."