The two groups split up and headed into the mountains, agreeing to meet at a place called "Wooden Hut." Zhang Guodong, curious, inquired and learned that this "Wooden Hut" was indeed a wooden hut, located three kilometers from "Wild Boar Forest," a communal dwelling built by the locals. The villagers, fearing they might get lost on the mountain, built the hut for their overnight stay. Later, several guesthouses followed suit, building similar communal huts deeper into the mountains for their guests.
Old Ying was a loyal man. Speaking in a local dialect, he chatted with Fatty while leading the team, answering almost every question.
The path up the mountain was easy to walk; although it had snowed, the slope was gentle. When the group reached the foot of the mountain, they saw a dense carpet of footprints in the snow, indicating that others had gone up the mountain before Zhang Guodong's group.
"Looks like we'll have to go somewhere else; someone beat us to it!" Old Ying said calmly as he looked at the footprints.
The fat man asked anxiously, "What should we do then? We won't be able to catch any prey if we just follow them!"
Old Ying smiled and said, "Don't worry, the forest is huge, changing the road is no problem at all. In this Qingshan Village, apart from Old Zhao, no one dares to say that they know more about 'Qinglang Mountain' than I do!"
Just as Old Ying had predicted, after reaching the top of the mountain, he changed course and headed right into the 'Wild Boar Forest.' The forest was indeed vast and deep; he had initially worried that a small area would be problematic. Old Ying knew this place well and didn't need to stop at all. The fat man asked, "What if we encounter a trap while walking so fast?"
"There are usually traps and snares in the forest. The places with traps and snares are marked. Look, see that red ribbon on that tree? That's a marker. A red ribbon means the trap or snare hasn't been removed. The red ribbon will be removed after the trap has been buried or the snare has been removed!" Old Ying pointed to a red ribbon about the thickness of an arm tied to a tree not far away. "Look, about five meters away on the flat ground next to the red ribbon, that's a small trap, but it's covered by snow, so you have to get close to see it. These are usually used for snares, to catch small animals that run on the ground, like rabbits! For larger animals like wild boars, iron traps aren't effective, so you have to set a snare!"
This explanation was truly enlightening and refreshing, and everyone was in high spirits. Everything in the mountains and forests felt very new and exciting.
Zhang Guodong asked, "What if someone forgets to take the red ribbon or forgets to tie it?"
Everyone thought so too, but there was one more question they hadn't asked: what if someone was trying to frame someone?
Old Ying still smiled and said, "That's not a problem. That kind of situation usually doesn't happen. There are only so many households in Qingshan Village, and not many people know about this place. Without a local to lead the way, ordinary people are likely to get lost and encounter danger. Even if you forget, don't worry. The hunters in Qingshan Village are taught how to identify and set traps from a young age, so they can spot them at a glance!"
That put everyone at ease.
Indeed, agritainment businesses rely on locals as guides; without these kind and honest villagers, they might struggle to stay afloat. Therefore, everyone tacitly adheres to the local rules.
The trees in 'Wild Boar Forest' are a mix of fine-leaved and broad-leaved trees, as well as many low shrubs. At this time of year, except for some cold-resistant fine-leaved trees, most of the other trees have lost their leaves, making the view relatively open. If you come at another season, you would have to be more careful when walking around here.
Old Ying said, "Don't underestimate those low bushes. Some small animals in large numbers like to stay in the bushes for cover."
As a result, everyone's attention was drawn to the bushes, which became the target.
Soon enough, Zhang Guodong's team spotted their first prey in the bushes: a pheasant. Old Ying took the lead, his bow and arrow whizzing past, piercing through the gap and striking the pheasant squarely. The pheasant struggled for a moment and then stopped moving.
"I'll pick it up!" The fat man excitedly ran out to retrieve the prey, as if he had shot it himself. Old Ying just smiled and didn't say anything. Later, he was carrying two rabbits and a pheasant in his hands and couldn't free up any more. When Old Ying showed off his archery skills again, the fat man helplessly said to Zhang Guodong, "Guodong, you go this time!"
They're brothers after all. Fatty couldn't get the boss, the beautiful women, and the playboys to do this, so the only one left was Zhang Guodong.
Zhang Guodong gave the fat man a disdainful look, then jogged toward his prey, a pheasant, which had been killed by an arrow.
"Impressive!" Zhang Guodong exclaimed inwardly when he saw the pheasant pinned to the ground with its head pierced. "Its head doesn't seem that big, does it? How could it be pinned down from dozens of meters away?"
Clearly, the arrow was incredibly powerful and precise, piercing through instantly; that horn bow was no ordinary weapon!
The three women on this side were eager to try, their faces flushed with excitement. They wanted to pick up the prey themselves, but seemed hesitant. They watched Zhang Guodong's group with curiosity, their eyes sparkling with interest.
Several men also untied their bows and arrows, eager to test their archery skills. They couldn't compare to a master archer like Lao Ying, but at least they'd return carrying a game they'd hunted themselves, which would save face.
Old Ying wisely put away his bow and arrows, letting everyone else wield them.
"Fatty, I'll pick it up next time!" Li Yun called out to Fatty. She spoke excitedly, her voice cheerful.
Li, the playboy, moved closer to Li Yun before grinning and saying, "Little Yun, next time I'll show off my skills, and you can pick up my prey!"
Li Yun rolled her eyes and said, "You? Can you even hold a bow and arrow properly? Also, don't call me Xiao Yun, my name is Li Yun, Xiao Yun is what my mom calls me!"
Pfft!
Xiang Chunyan chuckled. This little sister was really feisty; that young master Li had been given the cold shoulder. However, Li was much thicker-skinned and didn't care about Li Yun's ridicule at all. He immediately went to Old Ying and said, "Old Ying, how about we have a little fight next?"
"Alright, I don't plan to lift a finger either!" Old Ying smiled and nodded. "You'd regret it if you went into the 'Wild Boar Forest' and never fought a fight yourself!"
Next, Lao Ying guided everyone, teaching them to identify traps and snares. He explained in great detail that although setting traps was not easy, identifying them was easy. As long as you were careful and patient, you could usually find them. Then came how to find prey. Dense bushes and thickets were the places to pay the most attention to. Other places such as tree stumps, burrows, and layers of leaves were also places that small prey liked to stay.
Luo Jianhui, Lin Hongmin, Fatty, and Li held their bows and arrows in a fairly standard stance, suggesting they had practiced archery before. Surprisingly, Lin Yue was also quite good, nocking an alloy arrow and spreading it out in all directions, keeping a close watch on the surroundings. Only Li Yun, Xiang Chunyan, and Zhang Guodong had very amateurish bow-holding and arrow-nocking postures.
Old Ying seemed unable to bear it any longer, and approached the three of them, saying, "The best state for archery is to be constantly alert, with your eyes following the arrow. Of course, beginners generally don't need to do that, otherwise it's very tiring. Hold it like this, with the arrowhead pointing towards the ground; that's safer—"
Old Ying corrected Zhang Guodong's posture hand in hand. Zhang Guodong was sweating profusely. His arrow was pointed at a person, which was indeed very dangerous. If he got tired and fired, he would hurt someone.
Li Yun was very excited. Watching Zhang Guodong, she learned how to hold a bow and arrow and the precautions, just like a little girl who had received her favorite toy.
"It's so easy!" Li Yun said excitedly.
Xiang Chunyan giggled upon hearing this, "Easy? Try catching a rabbit!"
"Throwing an arrow is easy, but you need to pay attention to the force and the distance you're looking at, and judge the prey's movement path, otherwise it's very difficult to hit it!" Old Ying said. "This requires a lot of practice. Look, those guys over there are pretty good—"
Zhang Guodong and his two companions looked towards the group of people in the distance, only to find that someone had already drawn their bow—it was Lin Yue!
"Hey, that girl is pretty good, she's a Yun Gu Chicken!" Old Ying had excellent eyesight. Lin Yue drew her bow and shot an arrow in one smooth, clean motion. A prey fell from the tree and struggled on the snow for a while before it could get up.
Everyone saw what was happening over there, and they couldn't help but look at Lin Yue in a new light.
Zhang Guodong admired her, but he knew that Lin Yue was a police officer and should have practiced marksmanship and archery.
Xiang Chunyan said with a hint of envy, "Lin Yue is really amazing!"
Zhang Guodong chuckled inwardly and said, "Lin Yue is a police officer; she must have practiced archery before—"
"Oh? You and Lin Yue knew each other before?" Xiang Chunyan looked at Zhang Guodong in surprise.
Zhang Guodong thought to himself, "Know each other? Yes, they do know each other, but they're like sworn enemies; they got awkward after only a few words."
“I only know her name and occupation—” Zhang Guodong said with an awkward smile and a shake of his head. He didn’t want to cause trouble, so he didn’t say anything else.
Xiang Chunyan's eyes darted around, a knowing smile playing on her lips as she glanced at Zhang Guodong and Lin Yue, and said, "No wonder!"
She was wrong. She thought Zhang Guodong liked Lin Yue. But then again, Lin Yue was a great beauty and had no shortage of suitors. It's just that Zhang Guodong was too ordinary and didn't meet any of the criteria.
Zhang Guodong didn't explain, but Li Yun was very interested. She and Lin Yue were best friends, but she had never mentioned Zhang Guodong. She couldn't imagine that Lin Yue had any connection with the guy in front of her.
Fortunately, Zhang Guodong had a decent eye and rarely spoke, leaving a good impression. Although he was a bit short, only 1.73 meters, and not particularly handsome—too ordinary, you could probably hit a lot of people with a brick thrown at him—and being a vegetable seller, he probably didn't have much money.
"Is Abbess Miejue secretly flirting? Could she really be having a secret romance?" Li Yun suddenly wondered, thinking that Lin Yue seemed to have exchanged flirtatious glances with Zhang Guodong in the car, and that she was always talking about Zhang Guodong, even though talking about Zhang Guodong wasn't a good person.
But there's one situation: a beating is a sign of affection, a scolding is a sign of love, and this brat has taken a liking to Zhang Guodong.
“Zhang Guodong, I’ll call you that too!” Li Yun suddenly said. “Come on, let’s go hunting together!”
Zhang Guodong stared at her in astonishment, sweating bullets. Two novices, hunting? He didn't think Li Yun would be interested in him.
Li Yun also chose a direction and walked forward. Seeing Zhang Guodong standing there in a daze, she immediately said with dissatisfaction, "Hey, what's wrong? A beautiful woman invited you to go hunting and you're not appreciating it?"
Xiang Chunyan smiled at the stunned Zhang Guodong and said, "Hurry up and go, this little sister is quite nice!"
That look in his eyes was ambiguous.
"What's going on?" Zhang Guodong thought bitterly. He figured he'd be following behind someone and wouldn't even get a shot, so he didn't say anything and just followed.
Xiang Chunyan watched Zhang Guodong's retreating figure with a playful look in her eyes. Although Zhang Guodong seemed ordinary, he had a peculiar quality about him. Just peculiar! But she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
This feeling is mysterious and hard to describe.
Zhang Guodong was unaware that someone had noticed him.
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