Chapter 597
The bull named "Black Whirlwind" was 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder, with red cloth tied to its curved horns, and its hooves made dull "puffing" sounds when stepping on the mud.
Its opponent, "Tongling", has a yellow cloth tied around its neck. Its body is slightly thinner than Black Whirlwind, but it looks like a steel knife ready to strike.
There was a hint of cunning in his bright eyes as they turned, and his four hooves dug the mud steadily, showing that he was obviously a veteran of the battlefield who had experienced many battles.
Another uncle said, "Uncle Zheng, don't speak too soon. Black Whirlwind won two games, and Copper Bell also won two games. In my opinion, it's impossible to tell who wins or loses until the very last moment."
The old man called Uncle Zheng snorted, his pipe banging against the railings. "Hmph! I just think Black Whirlwind can win! Do you dare to bet with me?"
"Let's bet! I'm optimistic about Tong Ling. I think he can beat that big, stupid Black Whirlwind!"
The two men's faces were flushed and the situation was even more tense than a bullfight in the arena.
At this moment, a skinny man emerged from the crowd like a loach, with a bulging cloth bag wrapped around his waist, and shouted at the top of his voice:
"Hey hey hey! Now that we're here, place your bets! Come on, come on! Place your bets! Place your bets!"
He started to act as the banker as soon as he disagreed with something, and his skill left Su Miao astonished.
Seeing Su Miao staring at him in surprise, the fellow who led them awkwardly withdrew his hand that was about to take out money and said:
"Hey, it's just for the villagers to entertain themselves when they're bored. It costs only a penny or two, just a token of their appreciation. Let's watch a bullfight! Watch a bullfight!"
"Ding--" With the sound of a gong, the referee lowered the red cloth separating the two fighting bulls, and the bullfight officially began.
The two cows looked at each other, and suddenly, their eyes turned red and their ears stood up. They became very aggressive and started charging almost at the same time. In the middle of the mud pond, their four horns collided with a dull "bang" sound.
The mud suddenly splashed up to a height of more than one person, and the crowd watching let out exclamations.
The "Black Tornado" relied on its size advantage to press forward step by step, its strong limbs pushing the mud vigorously.
"Tongling" fought and retreated, its hind hooves plowing two deep grooves in the mud.
Just when "Black Whirlwind" was about to push his opponent to the edge of the pond, "Bronze Bell" suddenly turned sideways and used the lubrication of the mud to relieve the brute force of Black Whirlwind.
This exquisite movement drew thunderous applause from the audience.
After that, the two bulls butted each other several more times, consuming a lot of energy, but there was no clear winner.
At this time, both sides stopped acting rashly. They were breathing heavily from a distance of four or five meters, staring at each other with red eyes.
Although "Bronze Bell" is not as strong as "Black Tornado", his steps are flexible and he is constantly changing angles to look for attacking opportunities.
"It's time to exert force!" The old man suddenly slapped his legs.
The "Black Whirlwind" kicked its hind legs hard and shook its head towards the "Bronze Bell" with a "Mount Tai Pressing Down" move.
The two cows collided with a loud bang. The spectators by the pond held their breath and could only hear the "crunching" sound of the cows' horns rubbing against each other and their heavy breathing.
Then, as the two bull horns pressed back and forth, Su Miao asked:
"Sir, how do you determine the winner in a bullfight?"
The old man stared at the field, spit flying:
"It depends on their strength and skills. Whoever pushes the other away or knocks the other down is the stronger one. If the other bull falls down, and this one is pressed down so that the other one can't get up, then that's the winner.
There are even more ferocious ones who injure the other side's bull and make it run away, but that's also a win."
Suddenly, "Tongling" was knocked off balance and fell to its knees in the mud on its front hooves.
"Black Whirlwind" took the opportunity to rush forward, but saw "Bronze Bell" rolling on the ground, and with the help of the mud and water, he turned his whole body sideways, and kicked the "Black Whirlwind"'s abdomen with his hind legs, knocking it one meter away, but he took advantage of the momentum to stand up.
"good!"
"Very good!"
"Come on, Tongling!"
…
The villagers at the scene cheered wildly, and most of them placed bets on "Tongling".
The owner of the copper bell, an old man with missing front teeth, excitedly threw his straw hat into the mud pond.
The person who was suppressing the "Black Whirlwind" was shouting at the field with frustration, asking the "Black Whirlwind" to stand up and continue fighting.
Both bulls stood up because "Black Whirlwind" had just been kicked hard and was now in severe pain in the abdomen. He was pushed back repeatedly by the "Bronze Bell".
When they were only half a step away from the pond, the owner of the "Black Whirlwind" shouted at the top of his voice. Su Miao didn't hear what he shouted exactly. It didn't sound like a word, but more like a specific instruction.
Upon hearing this, the "Black Whirlwind" exerted force suddenly, swung its bull head in a curtain-lifting style, and actually knocked the "Bronze Bell" off balance, and then rushed forward without holding back.
The fierce battle lasted for nearly ten minutes. Finally, due to exhaustion, "Bronze Bell" took the lead in retreating and ran in the field to avoid the attack of "Black Tornado".
The referee immediately rang the gong: "Black Whirlwind! Wins!"
The owners of the two cows immediately stepped forward, approached carefully, and covered the cows' heads with a piece of cloth to block their vision so that they would not go crazy and unable to stop.
Su Miao turned around and asked his fellow villager who was looking dejected after losing money: "What happens if you lose in a bullfight?"
"If you win, there's a prize. If you lose... well, you lose. You've wasted the extra rations for the cattle. But there's no registration fee, so it's not a big deal."
Su Miao shook his head and said, "No, I'm asking what will happen to the losing cow."
"Well...if I didn't die on the field, I could continue the fight next time. But if I lose consecutively, the master will definitely not let me come again. It would be a waste of effort to come.
They were sold or taken home to work the fields, but some were seriously injured on the field and could not be treated, so they had to be slaughtered immediately so that the meat could be sold at a good price while it was still fresh.
So many people come to watch bullfighting to see if they can buy cheap beef.”
After hearing what his fellow villager said, Su Miao suddenly lost interest in watching any further. His fingers unconsciously stroked the corners of his clothes, and the initial excitement had turned into chill.
"Dad, this is over, let's continue on our journey."
The father and daughter said goodbye to their fellow villagers and continued on their way to the next stop.
In the car, Su Miao said to his father, "This is my first time watching a bullfight. I've read in books before that bullfighting abroad is between humans and bulls, but here it's between bulls."
Su Yuan was in a good mood after watching a thrilling bullfight. He said:
"Yeah, I heard they use javelins to stab people over and over, and there's blood everywhere. Ours seems more civilized."
But Su Miao did not nod in agreement with what he said. She looked at the mountains rapidly receding outside the window, and her throat tightened.
She remembered Tongling's frightened eyes as she fled for the last time, and Black Whirlwind's still tense muscles after his victory, and suddenly felt that this so-called "civilization" was nothing more than cruelty in a different form.
She respected the traditional projects, but she personally did not appreciate them, so she turned the topic back to her hometown.
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