"Uncle Du, that was incredibly skillful!" Wang Tieniu leaned closer, his eyes fixed on the homemade gun without blinking. "I watched you perform for a while, it was like magic."
Du Jianshan grinned: "You'll get used to this thing after playing with it for a while. If you really want to learn, I'll teach you again when we get back."
"That's great!" Wang Tieniu grinned with joy. "I've wanted to learn how to shoot for a long time, but my old man at home thinks I'm clumsy and can't even tie a match properly."
"Then you'd better build up your courage first," Du Jianshan said, raising his homemade gun and pointing it towards the woods ahead. "Listen to this noise—"
"Fluttering—"
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the bushes ahead. A pheasant flew up from the thorns and soared into the air!
"Just then!" Du Jianshan shouted, his shoulder slumped, and with a loud "crack!" a burst of flames erupted.
The pheasant tumbled in mid-air, its feathers scattering like rain as it plummeted to the ground. After landing, it fluttered a few times and then fell silent.
"I got it!" Wang Tieniu jumped up excitedly and ran over to pick up the chicken. "Now we've got our meal sorted! Enough for a pot of stewed sweet potatoes!"
Du Jianshan laughed and slung the homemade gun over his shoulder: "Don't be too happy yet, kid. Let's go for a walk in the bamboo forest to the west. I saw rabbit droppings there the other day. Maybe we'll run into someone."
As Wang Tieniu tied the pheasant up, he chuckled, "Uncle Du, if it weren't for you, I would have been eating cornbread for the past few days."
"Alright, enough nonsense, hurry up and follow me." Du Jianshan turned and strode into the depths of the forest. "Be careful, that bamboo grove is loose underfoot, it collapsed a few years ago."
The two had only walked a few steps when they heard a "whoosh" sound from the other end of the woods, and a dark figure emerged from behind a tree.
Wang Tieniu shuddered in fright: "What?! Uncle Du—"
Du Jianshan didn't say anything, but simply raised his hand to signal him not to move. A moment later, the dark figure appeared. It was a middle-aged man wearing a felt hat, carrying a tattered wicker basket on his shoulder, and was rummaging through the grass for something.
"Old Li?" Du Jianshan called out in a low voice.
The man looked up at the sound of the voice, his face lighting up with delight: "Oh, Brother Du, it's you! I thought it was one of those mushroom-picking kids!"
"What are you doing here?" Du Jianshan took two steps closer. "Didn't you say you saw a snake nest in this area last year?"
Old Li clicked his tongue and said, "It's a snake's den, but I've noticed this place is damp and has an old bamboo grove, so there might be morel mushrooms. I just found two, and I'm thinking of finding some more to take back and dry."
"Hmph, this old man is really sharp." Du Jianshan shook his head with a smile. "But you have to be careful. If the snake isn't fully awake, one bite will draw blood."
"I know, I know." Old Li patted his waist. "I brought my tools." He shook the small bamboo tube hanging from his waist. "It's lime ash mixed with chili powder. It cowers as soon as I sprinkle it on."
Wang Tieniu leaned closer to take a look, frowned, and asked, "Does it really work?"
"Of course!" Old Li puffed out his chest proudly. "Look at my leg! I twisted it two years ago when I was scared by a snake, and it still hurts. But that snake didn't dare touch me!"
Du Jianshan couldn't help but laugh: "That's because you were so scared that you hit the snake on the head with the basket. No wonder the snake ran away."
The three of them chatted for a while, exchanging a few more words. Du Jianshan glanced at the sky and said, "Alright, Lao Li, be careful. Let's go to the back of the bamboo forest."
“Then take care. Oh, by the way,” Old Li suddenly leaned closer and whispered, “I made some footprints by the bamboo grove yesterday. It looks like someone set a trap. Be careful not to step on them.”
Upon hearing this, Du Jianshan's face darkened: "Which bastard dares to cause trouble here? This is the village's collective hunting area. What if someone gets caught setting traps without reporting them?"
"I didn't see anyone either, but the footprints were very heavy, so they must have gone deep into the bamboo forest," Old Li said. "Be careful."
"Thanks." Du Jianshan nodded, then turned to Wang Tieniu and instructed, "I'll go first, you stay close and don't step on anything."
"Um!"
The two walked around several clumps of old bamboo and sure enough, they saw several places on the ground where the grass had been dug up. The grass was packed down very firmly, clearly not the work of any animal.
Du Jianshan squatted down, examined the mud for a while, touched it, and frowned, saying, "It was stepped on within the last three days, and the person was wearing rubber-soled shoes. It doesn't seem like someone from our village."
"Those are outsiders?" Wang Tieniu gasped. "Could it be Li Magan's gang again?"
“Li Magan was caught by us once two years ago, so he doesn’t dare to be so blatant anymore.” Du Jianshan stood up, his expression solemn. “I suspect it’s someone from Xiling. Not long ago, someone from their area also came to try to ‘borrow’ land, but was driven back by the village.”
"Should we report to the commune?"
"Don't rush." Du Jianshan touched the powder pouch at his waist. "Let's circle around first and see if there are any traps or shacks. If we run into anyone, then we'll decide what to do next."
The two continued deeper into the forest. The sky gradually darkened, and the mountain wind rustled the bamboo leaves. Suddenly, a strange sound came from a slope ahead, like the snapping of a metal spring.
"Clap—"
"There's a trap!" Du Jianshan roared and quickly crouched down. He saw a wild rabbit about three or four meters away, its leg caught in an iron trap, writhing and struggling in pain.
"Damn it, there really is one!" Wang Tieniu was furious. "They're so heartless! They didn't even put a warning sign on the trap. What if a kid from the village comes to play and gets their foot caught in it!"
Du Jianshan's face was ashen. He strode over and deftly untied the trap, saying in a deep voice, "This matter can't be delayed any longer. Tie Niu, go and call Old Li. Let's go back to the village and report to the Party Secretary. I'll stay here and keep watch to see if anyone else wants to come back to collect the trap."
"Then be careful!" Wang Tieniu ran off.
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