"I'm here! I'm here!" Wang Tieniu huffed and puffed, then charged forward with his pistol.
Just then, a loud "bang" came from afar, like the sound of a musket firing!
"Someone fired a shot!"
"Get down!" Du Jianshan roared, rolling on the ground to avoid the next possible attack.
"Brother Shanzi, I saw it! There are two shadows slipping towards the south slope!" Wang Tieniu shouted as he chased after them.
"Block the south slope, don't let them down the mountain!" Chen Jianshan calmly commanded. "Go around from the east, I'll guard the middle route!"
Du Jianshan suddenly turned around and rushed towards the high ground on the south slope, drawing a sniper rifle from his waist as he ran.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Wang Tieniu quickly pulled out a machete from his basket, muttering, "I knew it! This bear was too fast. If it weren't for your shot that sealed its knee, we'd probably be bear food by now."
"Enough with the nonsense." Du Jianshan rolled up his sleeves, aimed at the softest spot on the bear's belly, gestured a few times, and said in a deep voice, "You need to cut quickly, but don't puncture the gallbladder—are your hands steady?"
"Can I do it?" Wang Tieniu swallowed hard, his eyes gleaming.
"I'll believe you if you skin it, but don't even think about taking out its gall." Du Jianshan waved his hand. "Come on, hold its head down, I'll cut it off."
As he spoke, he pulled out a bone knife hidden in his leg wrappings. It was sharpened by Old Zhang and was specifically used for skinning animals; it was incredibly sharp. He took a deep breath, and the tip of the knife sliced open the bear's belly. Hot blood immediately gushed out, carrying a pungent odor.
Wang Tieniu stared intently at Du Jianshan's movements without blinking, muttering, "Be careful, be careful, don't touch the gallbladder... Yes! Right there!"
"I see it." Du Jianshan squinted, carefully took out the gallbladder, wrapped it with willow branches a few times, and handed it to Wang Tieniu. "Find a shady place to hang it up, don't let the sun shine on it."
"Understood!" Wang Tieniu took it, turned around and ran to a shady spot, hung it on a pine branch, and carefully covered it with banana leaves.
Du Jianshan wasn't idle either; he started peeling the skins. His movements were practiced, and he chatted with Wang Tieniu as he worked.
"Remember, the bear bile needs to be dried out a bit first. When we get back tonight, we need to rub it with fine salt, then pack it in a box, seal it, and send it to the supply and marketing cooperative. They have people there who will buy it."
"I heard it can be exchanged for about twenty catties of grain coupons!" Wang Tieniu stomped his feet excitedly. "And what about bear paws? My dad said they're a good thing for replenishing qi and nourishing the body. Shall we keep a pair?"
"Keep it! Of course we have to keep it." Du Jianshan grinned. "This bear paw is so fat it's practically dripping with oil. Tonight we'll make a mushroom and bear paw soup. I'd even take two teeth off today!"
The two were busy at work when suddenly they heard hurried footsteps coming from the woods behind them.
"Who?!" Du Jianshan grabbed the homemade gun with his backhand and pointed the muzzle at the bushes.
"Don't shoot!" A figure rushed out of the bushes, panting, "Brother Shanzi, it's me, Zhao Funian!"
"Fu Nian?" Wang Tie Niu stood up in surprise. "What are you doing here, kid?"
Zhao Funian was covered in sweat, and after bending over and catching his breath several times, he looked up: "I heard a gunshot, so I followed the sound... Oh my god, this... this is a bear?"
He plopped down on the ground, staring at the pile of bear skin and bloody flesh. "You two... really killed it?"
"Nonsense, otherwise why would it lie down and invite us for tea?" Du Jianshan laughed and scolded. "Alright, it's perfect that you're here. Help us clean up. Hurry up, the sun will get too high and the meat will turn sour."
Zhao Funian immediately rolled up his sleeves: "Yes, sir! Brother Shanzi, Tie Niu, I'll listen to you!"
The three of them worked together, skinning and butchering the bear meat as they went, Zhao Funian muttering to himself as he worked:
"Hey Shanzi, you've really struck it rich this time. This isn't something just anyone can do."
"We can take it down the mountain, but we also need to get it down." Du Jianshan tied a large piece of meat tightly with hemp rope and threw it into his basket. "You two, one of you carry the bear skin and the other carry the meat. I'll carry the remaining half. We need to get back to the hut before dark tonight."
"Well... we should report this to the company, right?" Zhao Funian hesitated for a moment. "What if the supply and marketing cooperative asks where we got the guts—what if we don't have the permits and it's considered illegal hunting?"
Wang Tieniu was stunned when he heard this: "Yeah, Brother Shanzi, what are you planning to do about this?"
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