About ten minutes later, the faint sound of a car engine came from the quiet mountain forest. As it approached, a green pickup truck came to a screeching halt in front of Chen Chongshan, kicking up clouds of dust. The door opened and a portly middle-aged man got out.
"Old Qin, you're here fast enough."
Upon seeing the middle-aged man get off the motorcycle, Chen Chongshan stood up and said with a smile; Ah Huang, who was lying on the ground, did not move, but wagged its tail a few times as a greeting, indicating that it was also familiar with the middle-aged man.
"Haha, you haven't hunted a pig for over a month. I was just worried about not having any meat to cook. When I got your call, how could I not hurry up?"
Old Qin chuckled, the huge gold necklace around his neck swaying amidst his fat. He owned a wild game restaurant in Meishan County, and business was booming. He had always been the one buying Chen Chongshan's prey.
After greeting Chen Chongshan, Lao Qin walked up to the wild boar lying on the side of the road.
"Tsk tsk... Good heavens!" Old Qin squatted down, not minding the dirt, grabbed the wild boar's two legs and shook it, then exclaimed, "Chongshan, this wild boar must weigh over a hundred pounds, right?"
Chen Chongshan replied, "I estimate it to be about 120 or 130 jin."
Old Qin nodded in agreement, then looked at Chen Chongshan and asked, "So, what price are you planning to ask for?"
"Old Qin, we've been doing business together for a while now. Just give me whatever you think is fair. I trust you," Chen Chongshan replied with a smile.
Although Lao Qin is also a businessman, he usually gives me fair prices when we do business together.
“Alright, let’s do it the old way. Twenty-one catties of hair, and we’ll estimate the pig to be one hundred and twenty-five catties. I’ll give you two thousand five hundred, how about that?” Old Qin asked, looking up.
Chen Chongshan nodded: "Okay."
"Okay." Old Qin laughed, then took out his wallet, counted out two thousand five and handed it to Chen Chongshan: "Chongshan, if you have any prey in the future, remember to come to me immediately. As long as it's something from the mountains, I'm always looking for it. Even if you give me ten or eight wild boars at once, I won't mind."
"Ten or eight? Old Qin, do you think these wild boars are like mushrooms in the mountains, to be picked up casually?"
Chen Chongshan shook his head with a wry smile, turning to look at the vast, continuous mountains: "There are wild boars in these mountains, but most of them live in groups. Since Lianshan Bay became a nature reserve, we can't hunt with firearms anymore. With just a knife in my hand and Ah Huang, we can't afford to mess with them..."
"You should be content. Ah Huang is a dog that's one in a million. I've lived half my life and I've never seen one that's better than it."
Old Qin replied with a smile, but after a pause, his expression became more serious. He cautioned, "However, Chongshan is powerful, but you are only one person and one dog, so you are outnumbered and outmatched. Remember to prioritize safety. Don't provoke groups of wild boars."
"Okay, don't worry, Lao Qin." Chen Chongshan nodded in agreement. Ever since Ah Huang came with him to hunt in these mountains when he was eight months old, Chen Chongshan had lost count of how many mountains he had crossed in the past half year.
While he didn't know the entire forest like the back of his hand, he was very clear about the locations of several wild boar dens. However, those wild boars were basically the kings of the forest, and he couldn't afford to mess with them.
Let alone a herd of wild boars, even a mountain boar weighing over 400 pounds is not something they can mess with. The old hunters of the north have a saying: "First boar, second bear, third tiger," which is not just a joke.
"Next time you hunt a pig, I'll give you an extra two yuan per pound of hair."
"Alright!" Chen Chongshan replied with a smile. Then, together with Lao Qin, he tossed the wild boar onto the back of the pickup truck. After Lao Qin gave a shout, the pickup truck turned around gracefully and disappeared into the mountains in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a trail of yellow dust.
…………
The pickup truck was long gone. Chen Chongshan satisfiedly squeezed the stack of banknotes in his hand, then carefully counted them again to make sure everything was correct before putting them in his wallet. He then got on his motorcycle and called out to Ah Huang, who was looking rather bored, "Let's go, Ah Huang, let's go back."
Hearing its owner's call, Ah Huang stood up. As the motorcycle engine roared to life, Ah Huang suddenly perked up its ears. Instead of running behind the motorcycle, it leaped several times and plunged into the thatch below the dirt road.
Chen Chongshan was taken aback, then turned off the motorcycle and looked at the two- or three-meter-high thicket of grass with a smile and anticipation.
As expected, a few moments later, several squeaks came from the thatch. Then, Ah Huang's huge body squeezed out of the thatch, its bloody mouth holding a large bamboo rat, which, judging by its fat size, probably weighed three or four pounds.
"Haha, Ah Huang, well done! We can have an extra meal tonight. Ah Ming loves bamboo rat meat the most." Chen Chongshan laughed heartily, picked up the machete on his back, walked over to Ah Huang, finished off the still struggling bamboo rat, and put it into the nylon bag he carried with him...
(P.S.: Bamboo rats are not mice; they are a common wild game found in the mountains and forests of southern China, known for their delicious meat and high nutritional value.)
...
Chen Chongshan's family also lived in Meishan County, in the suburbs near the Lianshan Bay Mountains. In the eyes of the neighbors in the western suburbs, this was a cursed family.
Chen Chongshan's mother gave birth to her younger brother Chen Chongming ten years ago, and then committed suicide due to postpartum depression. Two years later, Chen Chongming, who was still unable to walk at the age of two, was diagnosed with congenital bilateral leg disability at the hospital, which means he is very likely to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
However, this was not the end of the nightmare. A year ago, the only breadwinner of the family, Mr. Chen, was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer after experiencing unbearable chest pain. He passed away less than two months later.
Seventeen-year-old Chen Chongshan became an orphan and had to take care of his nine-year-old brother who was in a wheelchair.
...
This is a somewhat dilapidated two-story mud-brick house with a small courtyard in front of it, which is kept quite clean and tidy. Several hungry free-range chickens are eyeing the rice drying in the center of the courtyard, but their young owner, who is about ten years old, is sitting in a wheelchair, turning over the dried white peppers while waving a bamboo stick in his hand, leaving the chickens helpless.
Soon, the sound of a motorcycle engine came from outside the gate. Then, Chen Chongshan and Ah Huang walked in. After seeing the scene in the courtyard, they laughed and said, "Ah Ming, it's so hot, why aren't you resting in your room? Let the rice chickens eat whatever they want, they're our own chickens anyway."
“Brother, we’re drying this rice to sell for your tuition. We can’t let them eat it. There are so many wild insects outside, always eyeing this place,” Chen Chongming said, beckoning to Ah Huang.
"Why would I need to change tuition fees? Didn't I tell you? I've already graduated." Chen Chongshan opened the courtyard gate, pushed the motorcycle in, and replied.
“You’ve only graduated from high school; you still have university to attend.” Chen Chongming patted Ah Huang, who was snuggling up to him, his somewhat childish face showing a rather serious expression.
“Why bother going to university? I barely made it through these three years of high school. My grades aren’t good, and classes are too painful. I’m not going to study anymore,” Chen Chongshan said with a smile and a shake of his head.
“You’re lying. I heard from Ms. Li next door that you have excellent grades,” Chen Chongming replied.
"Anyone can say something nice to someone." Chen Chongshan shook his head, waved the nylon bag in his hand, and changed the subject: "Ah Huang bit a bamboo rat again today. I'll go clean it up, and we'll have a good meal tonight."
Chen Chongming's gaze swept over the huge bamboo rat, but he remained unmoved and said, "But Dad's biggest hope is that you can get into university."
"Wrong, Dad's biggest hope is that you can stand up again."
Chen Chongshan replied in a low voice, turned around and went into the kitchen to fetch a kettle of boiling water, preparing to deal with the bamboo rats.
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