Du Jianshan shifted the gun strap to his shoulder and listened to the sounds in the woods: "The wind is coming from the northwest. We'll have to walk close to the wind's edge to get around it. Be careful, the frost from yesterday makes the dry leaves brittle."
"I know." Tie Niu nodded, then muttered to himself, "If it really is a roe deer, I think the hoof prints are quite big, so it's probably a male."
“The male ones are clever too,” Du Jianshan said. “Don’t think about taking one shot. If the snare is empty, we’ll have to chase them down.”
The two crouched low as they descended the slope, their shadows spreading out in sections in the ditch, like a frozen snake. Tie Niu, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and raised his hand to gesture "wait."
"What's wrong?" Du Jianshan asked in a low voice.
Tie Niu pointed to a section of snow ahead: "Newly stamped, just stepped on. Look, the edges haven't collapsed yet."
Du Jianshan leaned closer for a look and raised an eyebrow: "It's not a roe deer, it's a stag. Roe deer have round hooves."
“Roe deer will do too,” Tie Niu grinned. “The meat is good, and Old Wang will take the hide too.”
"Don't get too excited yet," Du Jianshan said softly. "Roe deer are timid. They run around wildly when startled, which can easily lead to them crashing into traps, but they can also easily go astray."
The words had barely left his mouth when a soft "crack" sounded from the woods, like a branch snapping underfoot. Tie Niu's smile froze on his face, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Did you hear that?"
"I heard it." Du Jianshan slowly raised his gun. "On the left slope."
Tie Niu leaned closer and whispered, "I'll go around there, you keep an eye on the ditch entrance."
"Don't rush," Du Jianshan said. "If the wind direction is wrong, it will smell it as soon as you move."
Tie Niu muttered a curse under his breath, then shrank back: "So what do we do?"
"Wait," Du Jianshan said. "The roe deer won't be able to stand it; it will go down into the ditch on its own."
The two crouched behind the bushes, time seemingly frozen. Tie Niu's legs were numb from crouching, and he muttered quietly, "Should I throw a stone?"
"If you're going to throw it away, go home," Du Jianshan said calmly.
Tie Niu pursed his lips and remained silent.
After a while, the soft sound of footsteps in the snow came from the ditch. Tie Niu's eyes lit up, and he whispered, "They're here."
Du Jianshan didn't reply, his eyes fixed on the snare at the mouth of the ditch. Old Wang had cleverly buried the wire snare, leaving only a tiny trace. Tie Niu was so nervous that his palms were sweating and his lips were pale.
"Don't rush..." Du Jianshan barely moved his mouth.
Suddenly, a brown shadow darted down the slope. The roe deer lowered its head and trotted along. Just as it stepped into the ditch, with a "whoosh," the steel wire tightened, and its front legs were firmly caught.
"It's a hit!" Tie Niu almost shouted.
"Shut up," Du Jianshan hissed.
The roe deer was startled and struggled desperately, tightening the noose even further. Tie Niu couldn't contain himself and grabbed a wooden stick, ready to charge.
"Wait a minute." Du Jianshan pulled him back. "Let it wear down a bit, so it doesn't hurt you."
Tie Niu, panting, said, "This thing is quite powerful."
"Good to know." Du Jianshan stared at the roe deer. "Old Wang's plan is sound; he can't escape."
The roe deer struggled for a while, then gradually ran out of strength, only able to breathe heavily. Du Jianshan then nodded: "Go."
Tie Niu charged forward and struck the roe deer on the back of the neck with a clean, decisive blow. The roe deer's body went limp and it collapsed onto the snow.
Tie Niu wiped his sweat, grinning from ear to ear: "You were right, it saves me trouble."
Du Jianshan squatted down to examine the sheath and nodded: "The wire didn't hurt the bone, and the skin is still usable."
“When Old Wang sees this, he’ll be overjoyed,” Tie Niu said. “That old fellow may not say it, but he’s secretly delighted.”
Du Jianshan tied up the roe deer's legs, glanced at the sky, and said, "Don't delay, we still need to skin it when we get back. Once the weather gets warmer, the meat won't be fresh."
Tie Niu responded, then couldn't help but ask, "Jian Shan, why hasn't Old Wang taken a break all these years?"
Du Jianshan thought for a moment: "When a person rests, their heart feels empty. He lives off this mountain."
Tie Niu nodded: "That's true. How about we really send him some wine tonight?"
"Send him some," Du Jianshan said calmly, "just enough to warm him up, nothing too much."
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