The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1768 Meilan Encounters a Black Bear While Gathering Wild Vegetables in the Mountains

Chapter 1768 Meilan Encounters a Black Bear While Gathering Wild Vegetables in the Mountains

When Ma Yang was beaten, Zhao Jun had already returned home.

As soon as he entered the house, he found that although the lights were on in the outer room, there was no one there.

Zhao Jun walked along the east corridor and found that men, women, and children were gathered in the east room, watching TV and having a meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Wang Meilan, and the theme of the meeting was simply: there were no fresh vegetables at home.

This season, the autumn vegetables stored from last year have all been eaten, and the vegetables grown in their own small garden haven't been harvested yet. So, these thirty people are now facing the problem of having enough meat but no fresh vegetables.

Although these people love to eat meat, they'll feel dizzy and see stars if they don't eat greens for three days. Even if they love meat, they can't stand eating meat with rice or steamed buns three times a day.

Zhao Weipeng suggested going into town to buy it, but Wang Meilan rejected the idea.

Yang Yufeng suggested that they go up the mountain to pick some wild thorn shoots, and gather some bracken, wild celery, and willow shoots.

Then Zhang Yuanmin added that he and his wife had many years of experience picking wild vegetables and knew several secret locations in the mountains where they could pick an inexhaustible supply of wild aralia elata buds and bracken fern every year.

When Zhao Jun entered the house, he heard Wang Meilan say to him, "Son, are you going to take us up the mountain to pick vegetables tomorrow?"

"Sure," Zhao Jun replied first, then asked with a smile, "Mom, aren't you going to the fields tomorrow?"

"Okay," Wang Meilan said. "We'll go to the fields as usual tomorrow morning, have breakfast, and then take a walk up the mountain. We'll be back around 10 o'clock, have lunch, and then work for another afternoon."

"Okay." Zhao Jun immediately agreed and asked, "So, who's going to drive the Liberation Army tomorrow?"

As soon as Zhao Jun finished speaking, everyone in the room except for the four people who were at work raised their hands, including the old lady and Li Tongyun.

Taking a stroll in the mountains in early spring puts me in a great mood. Picking wild vegetables is like playing a game, much more interesting than farming.

Zhao Jun pressed down Zhao Hong, who had stood up and raised her hand, and then said to Wang Meilan and the others, "Tomorrow, let's bring all the baskets and bags with us, and bring back as many as we can."

“Yes!” Wang Meilan said, “If we can’t eat them all, we can pickle things like bracken or cucumber slices.”

As soon as Wang Meilan finished speaking, Li Baoyu said, "Auntie, I want to eat celery buns."

"Hehe..." Wang Meilan, Jin Xiaomei and others chuckled. Wang Qiang smacked his lips and said, "I want to eat some too. I haven't had any celery buns this year."

After Wang Qiang finished speaking, Li Ruhai said, "I'm craving Laoshan celery dumplings."

Large-leaf celery and old mountain celery are two kinds of wild vegetables similar to celery. In the past, every family in the forest areas of Northeast China would eat baskets filled with these two kinds of fillings as soon as spring arrived.

The so-called "louzi" refers to cornmeal buns. In those difficult years, every family had to save any white flour they had for the New Year. Meat was a rare treat. They would chop up celery and wild celery to make fillings. Those who were better off could add a spoonful of lard, while those who were worse off would just add some seasonings to the vegetables.

Then, the filling is made with cornmeal, and the resulting dish is called a vegetable basket.

Conditions have improved slightly in the last two years. Wheat flour is no longer so precious, and it's not difficult for employees to eat wheat flour or mixed wheat flour rations. Everyone has switched to eating wheat flour buns and dumplings made from wild celery and large-leaf celery.

"Oh!" Wang Meilan waved her hand generously and laughed, "Aren't there plenty of wild vegetables? We'll cook whatever we want to eat!"

"That's right!" Zhao Weipeng waved his chubby hand and said, "Bring it back tomorrow, and I'll make it for you!"

As soon as Zhao Weipeng said this, everyone cheered. To be fair, although Zhao Weipeng didn't develop excellent marksmanship during his years in the army, he was a really good cook.

With the important matter of the wild vegetables from Lanshan concluded, Wang Meilan adjourned the meeting, and the diners went home.

Everyone's tired after a long day of work, let's go home and rest early.

"Wife, come here, soak your feet to relieve your fatigue." In the west room, Zhao Jun brought Ma Ling water to wash her feet.

This has nothing to do with family status or anything like that. Ma Ling worked a long day on the farm, which was incredibly hard. What's wrong with giving her some water to wash her feet?

After washing their feet, the young couple got into bed, but Ma Ling couldn't keep her eyes open. Since they couldn't engage in any entertainment, they simply nestled together and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, in the outer room, Zhao Youcai, having finished washing up, turned off the light and hurried towards the room.

There were no lights in the corridor, only a faint glow coming from the main room in the east wing. In the dim light, Zhao Youcai's small eyes shone brightly.

As soon as Zhao Youcai entered the room, he saw Wang Meilan and the two maids lying down. There was a washbasin on the floor, containing water left for Zhao Youcai to wash his feet.

"Lan'er," Zhao Youcai whispered as he approached Wang Meilan's pillow.

"What are you doing?" Wang Meilan reluctantly opened her eyes. She was also exhausted after a long day, and more importantly, she had never done farm work before. Taking on the main responsibility of leading the work today was something she was not used to.

But Wang Meilan was a strong-willed person, and she gritted her teeth and persevered. But after a busy day, by this time of night, she was truly exhausted.

As soon as Wang Meilan opened her eyes, she saw Zhao Youcai blink his small eyes at her twice.

This is a special code between husband and wife.

Upon receiving the coded message, Wang Meilan didn't say whether she was willing or not, but simply replied to Zhao Youcai: "Get lost!"

After saying that, Wang Meilan pulled the blanket over her head.

Zhao Youcai: "..."

With a sheepish look on his face, Zhao Youcai picked up the foot basin, turned off the lights in the room, and quietly went out.

He went to the outer room, sat on a small stool, and smoked while washing his feet.

After finishing his cigarette, Zhao Youcai wiped his feet, poured himself some water, and sat back down on the small stool, quietly gazing at the night outside.

At this moment, Zhao Youcai was not sleepy at all. He was in excellent condition and felt like he had inexhaustible energy.

Zhao Youcai sat there until nearly midnight before quietly going inside and lying down on the kang (a heated brick bed).

But even after lying down, Zhao Youcai still couldn't fall asleep, staring at the shed with his small eyes wide open.

In the quiet night, Zhao Youcai could hear the soft, even breathing of his wife and daughter. This didn't help him feel sleepy, but rather made him feel somewhat restless.

Left with no other choice, Zhao Youcai resorted to the traditional hypnotic method of counting.

But the older generation says that simply counting isn't enough; you have to bring something else along. For example, when counting sheep, you say, "One sheep, two sheep..."

So Zhao Youcai closed his eyes and silently chanted, "One tiger, two tigers..."

After counting for a while, Zhao Youcai became more and more energetic, so he changed to looking at the shed with his eyes open.

After enduring until a little after three o'clock, Zhao Youcai got dressed, picked up a thermos, and went to the backyard to visit the injured dog.

The dogs hadn't gotten up yet. They could tell from the footsteps that it was Zhao Youcai, so the dogs, including Qinglong, who lived in the doghouse outside, ignored him.

Zhao Youcai went into the shed to see his beloved Erhei.

Today, Erhei, Hualong, and the other three dogs are in much better condition. Zhao Youcai made a pot of brown sugar water for the five seriously injured dogs, but the dogs only licked it a few times after their injuries.

"Hey?" Suddenly, Zhao Youcai, who was stroking Erhei's ear, thought of something. Why didn't he go along for a stroll with those women who went up the mountain today?

They gather wild vegetables from the mountains and go hunting with their guns on their backs. Whether they can hit anything or not doesn't matter; the key is to expend their excess energy.

As dawn broke, Ma Ling, dressed in old work clothes and wearing a headscarf, looked in surprise at her father-in-law carrying a rake.

"Dad, you..." Ma Ling was surprised when Zhao Youcai said, "My dear daughter, Dad will go with you to gather grass."

“This…” Liu Mei, who came from next door, was also astonished. Then she heard Zhao Youcai continue, “You’ve been working so hard these past few days. Today I’ll go and help you share the burden.”

Ma Ling and Liu Mei looked at each other in disbelief, while Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan, who came out of the house, were equally astonished.

And so, Zhao Youcai went with Ma Ling and Liu Mei to gather grass, Zhao Jun cooked at home, and Li Baoyu fed the dogs.

For breakfast, Zhao Youcai ate braised tofu and rice. After returning from the fields, he ate two bowls of rice.

As soon as he put down his bowl and wiped his mouth, he started making arrangements to go up the mountain.

"Dad, are you going too?" Zhao Jun asked. Zhao Youcai replied, "Yeah, I'm going for a stroll up the mountain."

After saying that, Zhao Youcai went back inside to get dressed.

Dressed neatly, Zhao Youcai took the semi-automatic rifle off the wall.

Zhao Youcai gently stroked the steel gun with his large hand, then lifted the shoulder strap and slung it over his shoulder.

Those who go to work go to work, those who go to school go to school, and those who don't go to work or school go up the mountain.

A group of twenty-one people, carrying semi-automatic vehicles, baskets, sacks, daggers, kitchen knives, small shovels, and a large black dog, rode in a Liberation truck from the village into the mountains.

Picking wild mountain vegetables doesn't require going too far. The car pulled over to the side of the road less than five minutes after entering the mountain area.

Everyone got off the bus. Wang Meilan carried a basket on her back, held a kitchen knife in one hand, and led Black Tiger by the other.

Spring and autumn are the harvesting seasons, and every year during this time, there are incidents of bears injuring people.

So Zhao Jun brought Black Tiger out. Although it was the only dog, since there was no hunt today, Black Tiger would stay by the group's side.

If any wild animals approach, Black Tiger will definitely bark. Even if its bark doesn't scare the animals away, it will alert Wang Meilan and the others. At that point, if Wang Meilan and the others quickly regroup and leave, they will be well in time.

“Auntie, it’s on this sunny slope.” Zhang Yuanmin adjusted his semi-automatic chair and pointed to the mountain, saying, “When it sees the sun, everything sprouts early, and there are lots of thorny shoots and such.”

As he spoke, Zhang Yuanmin turned around and pointed to the shady slope, saying, "There are thick patches of wild celery and bracken along the edge of the woods on this slope."

“Alright! Let’s go!” Wang Meilan waved the kitchen knife in her hand and said, “Let’s go into the ditch first and dig up some dandelions.”

The crowd responded enthusiastically, and they crossed the ditch and entered the pond.

This pond is not a noisy pond, but a very clear autumn pond.

Among the autumn cypress trees, various grasses and wild vegetables have grown from last year's fallen leaves.

As soon as the group entered the ditch, they scattered, each carrying a knife, crouching low, their eyes darting around.

As people say, once spring arrives in Northeast China, you can see women and elderly people carrying knives and crouching around everywhere—on the streets, in green belts, in parks, and on the lawns of residential areas.

Don't be afraid, outsiders. Even if you are dressed in gold and silver and have a fortune, they are not interested in you. All they want is a dandelion.

Dandelion is the most common and popular vegetable for dipping in Northeast China.

This stuff has a bitter taste, and it goes really well with rice when paired with soybean paste. It also helps to reduce internal heat.

As they ventured deeper into the ditch, the twenty-one people dispersed.

That's how it is when picking wild vegetables; you can't gather in groups because if you do, no one can pick much.

The group dispersed; some stayed in the ditch to dig for dandelions, while others went up the north and south slopes of the mountain to find wild celery and bracken. A third group went up the south and north slopes of the mountain to pick wild shoots.

Zhang Yuanmin and Xie Chen each carried a semi-automatic rifle up Nanshan Mountain, while Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu also carried guns and followed the group from Beishan Mountain.

Zhao Youcai also went up the North Mountain, but as soon as he reached the top, he said to Zhao Jun and the others, "I'm leaving now."

After saying this, Zhao Youcai continued without waiting for Zhao Jun and the others to react, "If I don't come back in a while, you can leave. Don't wait for me."

"Dad, you can just take a walk," Zhao Jun advised Zhao Youcai. "Don't go too far."

“That’s right, Dad.” The dutiful daughter-in-law, Ma Ling, said with great concern, “Dad, Zhao Jun said that the past few days were the time when bears were most likely to hurt people. What if you run into a bear while you’re walking?”

"It would be even better if we ran into them." Zhao Youcai adjusted his gun strap and said confidently, "If we run into them, we'll have another one of our courages."

As he was saying this, Zhao Youcai saw that Zhao Jun was about to say something, so he immediately waved his hand and said, "Alright, I'm leaving."

After saying that, Zhao Youcai slung his gun over his shoulder and left.

Watching Zhao Youcai's departing figure, Wang Meilan muttered, "That show-off," and then called to Wang Qiang, "Qiangzi, you go with your brother-in-law."

Without saying a word, Wang Qiang slung his gun over his shoulder and chased after Zhao Youcai.

When Zhao Youcai saw Wang Qiang following him, he frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'll take a stroll with you," Wang Qiang said with a smile. "I don't want to be a vegetable vendor."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Youcai glanced down and laughed, "Who carries four semi-automatic stalks of wild mountain vegetables?"

"Hehe..." Wang Qiang chuckled and said, "Brother-in-law, what if we encounter any danger?"

"Hey," Zhao Youcai laughed, "That situation is even more difficult than going up the mountain to look for a club."

This is true; there are cases of bears injuring mountain hunters every year, even 20 or 30 years later, but it is a low-probability event.

Zhao Youcai carried his gun uphill, with Wang Qiang initially following closely behind. But Zhao Youcai seemed unusually energetic today, walking faster and faster, leaving Wang Qiang further and further behind.

Zhao Youcai walked a mile and a half in one breath, his vest was soaked with sweat, before he stopped to smoke and wait for Wang Qiang.

This is what experienced mountain runners do: they can climb uphill in one go until they're drenched in sweat, but then they won't feel tired anymore.

Zhao Youcai finished his cigarette before Wang Qiang caught up.

After receiving the stone from Zhao Youcai, Wang Qiang looked around and laughed, "There are so many thorny buds on this. My sister and the others can pick some from here."

“They can’t come,” Zhao Youcai said. “It would be so far for them.”

“It’s not that far…” Wang Qiang hadn’t finished speaking when Zhao Youcai pointed downwards and said, “They’ve tied Hu Zi to the ditch. He can’t go too far on either the north or south slope. Can he even manage if he goes too far?”

"Ah..." Wang Qiang nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's fine too, as long as we have enough to eat."

"This..." Zhao Youcai was about to say something when a mountain breeze suddenly blew by, bringing a fishy smell to his nose.

"Huh?" Zhao Youcai's small eyes widened, his shoulders swayed, and the semi-automatic gun was thrown to his side. Then Zhao Youcai grabbed the gun in his hand.

"Brother-in-law..." Wang Qiang was startled when he saw this, then heard Zhao Youcai say, "Don't make a fuss!"

As he spoke, Zhao Youcai looked up to determine the direction from which the wind was coming.

Then, Zhao Youcai picked up his gun and moved diagonally to the upper left.

Wang Qiang hurriedly followed, only to see Zhao Youcai moving lightly, carrying a gun in one hand and lightly brushing aside the tree branches in front of him with the other. His movements were fast and steady, and Wang Qiang couldn't catch up at all.

Suddenly, Zhao Youcai stopped. He saw a fallen tree in front of him, with a patch of black showing through it.

Zhao Youcai held the gun to his face and fired.

"Oh!"

"Ow!"

After the logs were felled, a large black bear was perched there, using its paws to pick ants and stuff them into its mouth.

A gunshot rang out, and one of the black bear's ears and scalp exploded. The bear was in pain and instinctively raised its body. In that instant, there was another "bang," and a cloud of blood shot up from the bear's head.

The black bear that had been shot in the head rolled over and fell to the ground, a sight that stunned Wang Qiang.

Such a grip, such marksmanship, truly astonishing!

Since ancient times, there has never been a second best in martial arts. Those who run in the mountains can capture wild boars and fight black bears. Who can admit defeat to whom?

But at this moment, Wang Qiang realized that his brother-in-law was even more powerful than before, and the gap between him and him was now much larger.

"Qiangzi, go!" At this moment, Zhao Youcai's voice reached Wang Qiang's ears: "Cut it open!"

After saying that, Zhao Youcai turned around and sat down on a large blue stone.

One shot to the bear's head, awesome! We have to show our skills now.

Wang Qiang didn't say anything, he just hurried towards the fallen log.

What Zhao Youcai and Wang Qiang didn't know was that to their right and to their lower right, a small black bear weighing 130 or 140 pounds was running downhill in a flash!

(End of this chapter)