As he spoke, he climbed down the wooden stake, cleared the area around it, and then looked up and shouted, "Tie Niu, hand down the hide first!"
Wang Tieniu rolled up the bear skin and threw it into the cellar, followed by bear gallbladders, bear paws, and chunks of meat, passing them down one by one.
"Alright, cover it up!" Du Jianshan arranged the things neatly from inside, covered them with dry grass and branches, and finally climbed up to press the bluestone and oilcloth back down, and sprinkled some withered leaves and soil on top.
The two sat on the ground, panting heavily, their faces covered in sweat.
"I'm really hungry now that this is done," Wang Tieniu said, rubbing his stomach. "I didn't even eat anything this morning; I was chasing this thing all over the woods with you."
Du Jianshan nodded and wiped the sweat from his face: "Let's go back to the village first, stew some wild boar meat to replenish our strength. The bear paws need to be dried for a few days before we cook them, otherwise they'll be too fishy."
Wang Tieniu chuckled: "You still have some pork left? Didn't Sanwa and his gang come and eat it all last night?"
"There are a few pieces left to pickle in a bucket of lime; you won't starve."
As they were talking, the two pulled the cart back and put the old ox back on the road.
As they descended the mountain, the sky was already setting in the west, and the sunlight slanted through the forest, making the withered branches and fallen leaves gleam. Du Jianshan sat in the car, yawning, while Wang Tieniu led the ox, humming a little tune, looking refreshed and invigorated.
"Hey, Shanzi," Tie Niu suddenly stopped, "Do you think... we should keep this from Chen Jianshan and the others?"
"Let's not talk about it yet," Du Jianshan said in a low voice. "After we've cleaned it up, we'll report some of it and keep some for ourselves. Don't forget, last time we handed over the deer meat, we didn't even get a certificate."
“That’s true.” Wang Tieniu curled his lip in displeasure. “All the hunting we did with all that effort was taken by the government.”
"These days, we have to make a living for ourselves."
Just then, a rustling sound suddenly came from the edge of the woods.
Wang Tieniu looked up alertly: "What's that noise?"
"Shh—" Du Jianshan immediately perked up his ears and looked in that direction.
A figure emerged from the woods, carrying an empty basket on his back, his hat pulled low over his shoulders.
"Who?" Du Jianshan raised his voice.
The man was startled, looked up, and saw half of his face revealed – it was Yang Dacheng from the village.
"Hey, Shanzi, Tieniu, it's you guys!" Yang Dacheng quickly waved with a smile. "I came out to find some wild vegetables, did I scare you?"
"You walk so quietly, kid?" Wang Tieniu laughed and cursed. "We almost mistook you for a wolf and chased you away!"
"Hehe, I'm just worried there might be traps on the mountain, so let's be careful." Yang Dacheng's eyes swept across the scene, and he suddenly noticed a few bloodstains on the car. His eyes lit up immediately. "Oh my, what did you kill? Looking at this blood, could it be... a wild boar?"
"I found it, a dead bear." Du Jianshan said without batting an eye. "We came across the corpse on our way down the mountain, so we just dragged it back to skin it."
"A bear?!" Yang Dacheng's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Believe it or not, it's up to you." Du Jianshan didn't want to say more and waved his hand. "We still have to rush back to cook; it's getting late."
"Alright, alright, you guys get busy." Yang Dacheng stood there, watching the oxcart drive away, muttering to himself, "A dead bear? How could that be... the blood was so fresh, who would believe that?"
Once the car had completely disappeared, he quietly made his way around to Hongniwa.
By the time we got back to the shack, it was already dark.
Du Jianshan jumped off the car, tied the old ox to a tree stump at the back, scooped up some water to wash its face, and patted its neck: "Well done, you've worked hard today."
"Moo—" The old ox snorted, seemingly quite pleased with itself.
Wang Tieniu carried a small bag of pork chunks into the shack: "Brother Shanzi, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
"Braised pork, stewed with wild scallions." Du Jianshan grinned. "Go gather some firewood, I'll cook it."
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