"Uncle Du, is this homemade gun really accurate?" Wang Tieniu asked without blinking. "I heard my father say that when you were young, you could shoot down a flying chicken from ten feet away with one shot. Is that true?"
Du Jianshan grinned, but didn't reply. He lowered his head and wiped the muzzle of his gun again before slowly saying, "Ten zhang is nothing. The farthest I've ever shot was over at Shiliangtou. I went down the slope and shot a wild goose that was just taking off its wings. That thing is much more cunning than a pheasant."
Wang Tieniu's eyes lit up even more: "That must be a very steady hand! I practiced slingshot for half a year and still couldn't hit anything flying."
"That's because you're not focused," Du Jianshan snorted. "Hunting isn't about arm strength, it's about eyesight and mental fortitude. If you can't see the way before you shoot, and your mind is in a mess while you're shooting, it's no wonder you can't hit anything."
"Can I learn it?" Wang Tieniu leaned closer and asked cautiously. "Teach me, I'll go back and take out that empty pipe from my house, and practice using your method!"
Du Jianshan glanced at him, said nothing, then suddenly stood up, leaned into the woods beside him, flared his nostrils, and whispered, "Shh, there's movement."
"Where?" Wang Tieniu was so frightened that he immediately squatted down.
"Behind that clump of horse chestnut trees on the left," Du Jianshan said in a low voice, his eyes fixed ahead, one hand on Tie Niu's shoulder. "Don't move."
Wang Tieniu held his breath. He heard the soft rustling of fallen leaves, and a faint shadow swayed out—it was a large, grayish-brown rabbit with long, erect ears. Its limbs brushed against the fallen leaves as it moved very lightly.
"Here it comes!" Du Jianshan gritted his teeth, slowly raised the homemade gun, and half-squatted to adjust the angle.
Wang Tieniu didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
With a muffled "pop," gunpowder emitted a wisp of smoke, and the rabbit fell to the ground, rolling twice before becoming still.
"It's done!" Wang Tieniu slapped his thigh and was about to rush out.
"Shut up!" Du Jianshan shouted, then stood up and walked over, picked up the fallen rabbit and looked at it. "This one is very fat. The meat on its hind leg is so thick it could be cut into a big plate."
"Uncle Du, you're so accurate!" Wang Tieniu rubbed his hands together. "Why don't you aim properly when you're shooting? I aim for ages and still can't hit the target."
"Watch carefully, stay focused, and be quick with your hands. What's the point of aiming?" Du Jianshan turned around, carrying the rabbit. "A truly accurate shooter can see where the rabbit is moving and know exactly where it will land next."
"Then I'm afraid I'll never learn it in my lifetime..." Wang Tieniu said with a wry smile.
"Yes," Du Jianshan said. "If you come with me to the mountains a few more times and stop thinking about those messy things in the village, your mind will be at peace."
"Then I'll come with you again tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow?" Du Jianshan raised an eyebrow. "You think hunting is like going to a market? You have to wait for the weather to be right, the wind to be stable, and the game to come out. Let's go down the mountain today, go back and fix this gun, and tie a new matchlock. We won't have a chance until the day after tomorrow."
Wang Tieniu immediately deflated upon hearing this: "Th-that rabbit..."
"It's yours." Du Jianshan smiled. "Go back and make a pot of soup for your mother to help her recover. Your father's leg isn't fully healed yet, is it? Rabbit leg stewed with yam is the best for strengthening bones and muscles."
"Really?" Wang Tieniu grinned immediately. "Uncle Du, you're really reasonable!"
"Enough talk, help me pack up the medicine pot and the musket. It's getting dark, let's hurry down the mountain." Du Jianshan picked up the rabbit and started walking back along the narrow path they had come from.
After walking a few steps, Wang Tieniu spoke up again: "Uncle Du, do you think there really are deer roosts over in Xiling? Yesterday I heard Dazhuzi say that his brother saw a pair of deer with their cubs rushing out early in the morning over there."
Du Jianshan snorted: "You're lucky if you can believe even half of what Dazhuzi says. He even said he saw the mountain god last time."
Wang Tieniu chuckled: "So, which mountain do you think is the best place to make a move right now?"
"That ditch in the northwest," Du Jianshan pointed. "No one walks there, and no cattle herders from the village wander around. The grass is thick, and there are lots of bushes. Badgers, roe deer, and pheasants all like to hide there."
"Then take me next time!"
“I can take you, but you’ll have to get a decent wood-chopping knife first.” Du Jianshan stopped in his tracks. “Hunting in the mountains isn’t just about watching the excitement. You have to do everything: walk through the woods, set traps, build night fires, skin and butcher the animals.”
"I'll go back and find a blacksmith to forge it!" Wang Tieniu immediately declared. "And it'll need to be coated with grease to prevent it from rusting."
"Good to know." Du Jianshan nodded in satisfaction. "In the hunter line of work, no one will tolerate your bad habits."
As they walked down the mountain, the forest gradually turned gray with twilight. The wind rustled through the trees, and a few birds called out.
When we reached the halfway point of the mountain, we saw a figure standing at the end of the mountain path in the distance, carrying a bamboo basket in his hand.
"Who is it?" Du Jianshan squinted.
“It looks like Sister Gui,” Wang Tieniu recognized her. “She has several rows of wild scallions planted at home, so she probably went up the mountain to pick some to make pickles.”
As they got closer, it was indeed the woman. Upon seeing the two of them, she quickly greeted them with a smile: "Brother Du, Tie Niu, you've just come down the mountain?"
"Yeah, I caught a rabbit." Du Jianshan waved his hand. "I took a detour around Xiling today, but didn't see any big ones."
"Rabbits are precious!" Aunt Gui's eyes lit up. "If it weren't for your little stone coughing, I would really like to trade with you for half a rabbit to satisfy my craving."
"If you bring some wild onions to my family to make a salted rabbit with onions, I might share some leg meat with your family to try," Du Jianshan said half-jokingly.
"That would be great!" Aunt Gui exclaimed happily. "I'll wait for you to come to my house tomorrow morning to get the scallions."
"Okay." Du Jianshan nodded. "Let's go back. It's cold in the mountains at night."
"Then I'll go down first!" Aunt Gui walked away briskly.
After she walked away, Wang Tieniu came over again: "Uncle Du, if I practice well, can we set a trap to catch a big one next time?"
“Yes.” Du Jianshan paused. “But the big ones are tough to deal with. Roe deer are fast, badgers are burrowing, and foxes are cunning. If we really want to set a trap, we have to wait until the beginning of winter, when the frost is heavy, and the prey has nothing to eat before they will take the bait.”
"Then I'll be waiting!" Wang Tieniu rubbed his hands together. "I've really chosen the right person to follow this time!"
Du Jianshan laughed heartily, shaking the rabbit in his hand: "If you want to eat meat, you have to put in the effort first, don't just be greedy."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
