"It's good that you remember." Du Jianshan withdrew his hand and rubbed his knuckles, which were red from the cold. "This mountain is all about patience."
The two men crouched in the withered grass, in front of them a snow pit about waist-deep, its opening covered with pine branches and dry grass, with an iron noose buried underneath. The mountain wind howled through the forest.
Tie Niu couldn't help but lean forward again, muttering softly, "Brother Jian Shan, do you really think this big green-skinned guy will come?"
"Shut up." Du Jianshan didn't even lift his eyelids. "The thing we hate most in the mountains is too much talking."
Tie Niu quickly shut his mouth, but after a while, he lowered his voice again and said, "Last night I heard Zhao Mancang say that Qianpo had Li Youfu and his men set a trap first."
Du Jianshan sneered: "Li Youfu's skills are limited to catching badgers and rabbits. He wouldn't dare come this way; Old Wang keeps a close watch on this area."
As we were talking, we heard the soft sound of footsteps on snow behind us.
"Are you two just squatting here like mushrooms?"
Tie Niu turned around and saw Chen Changshun, carrying a homemade gun on his shoulder, his face red from the cold.
"Uncle Shunzi," Tie Niu called out softly.
Chen Changshun squatted down, glanced at the trap, and said in a low voice, "Old Wang asked me to come and take a look. He said the wind direction is wrong and he's afraid the smell will damage the trap."
Du Jianshan nodded: "I've been thinking about this too."
Chen Changshun brought his nose to the wind and sniffed: "It's alright, a northwest wind. Let's head into the ditch. Did you two eat garlic this morning?"
Tie Niu quickly shook his head: "I didn't dare to eat it. I only drank some corn porridge last night."
"That's alright." Chen Changshun patted his shoulder. "Tie Niu, this is your first time coming out with Jianshan, so observe more and do less. Working in the mountains isn't about strength, it's about being shrewd."
Tie Niu blushed: "I'll remember that, Uncle Shunzi."
The three fell silent again, with only the sound of the wind and the occasional snapping of branches coming from the distant woods.
After an unknown amount of time, Tie Niu's legs went numb from squatting. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he tugged at Du Jianshan's sleeve.
"Look, Brother Shan!"
Du Jianshan looked in the direction he pointed, and the bushes at the edge of the snow swayed slightly.
"Don't move," Du Jianshan said in a low voice. "Look carefully before you speak."
A low breathing sound came from the bushes, and a gray-black shadow slowly emerged.
Chen Changshun squinted: "It's a wild boar cub, not very big. There must be a mother behind it."
Tie Niu's heart was pounding: "Can we trap it?"
"If you can't catch the big ones, catch the small ones first," Du Jianshan said. "Remember what Old Wang said: when catching mountain goods, first break their courage."
The wild boar cub sniffed around in the snow, its hooves crunching as it slowly moved toward the trap.
Tie Niu's palms were sweaty, and he couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Can I pull now?"
Du Jianshan's eyes sharpened: "Wait a little longer."
A wild boar cub stepped into the pit with one of its front hooves, causing the pine branches to collapse.
"Now!" Du Jianshan said in a low voice.
Tie Niu instinctively reached for the rope, but Chen Changshun stopped him.
"What's your rush?" Chen Changshun gritted his teeth. "It's not fully inside yet."
Sure enough, the wild boar cub suddenly retreated, grunted twice, and turned to run away.
Tie Niu's face turned pale: "They ran away!"
Du Jianshan breathed a sigh of relief: "It's alright, it will come back."
Tie Niu was taken aback: "Give it back!"
“It remembers the taste,” Du Jianshan said. “Mountain products are greedy and more stubborn than people.”
Sure enough, after a short while, the bushes moved again, this time with an even larger shadow.
Chen Changshun muttered under his breath, "They really brought a woman with them."
Du Jianshan said in a deep voice, "Shunzi, you keep an eye on the back. Tie Niu, let me count."
Tie Niu stared intently at the rope, nodding until his neck was stiff.
"one."
The wild boar mother bowed her head and nudged the snow.
"two."
The piglet moved closer again.
"Three."
The pine branches collapsed, and the rope suddenly tightened.
"pull"
Tie Niu pulled with all his might, and the rope tightened instantly, accompanied by a scream from the pit.
The sow was enraged and charged forward, roaring.
"Fire!" Chen Changshun roared.
The homemade gun fired, and smoke filled the air. The sow was startled and fled into the forest, dragging snow with her.
Tie Niu slumped to the ground, panting heavily: "It's done, it's done!"
Du Jianshan stood up, walked to the edge of the pit, glanced at it, and nodded: "It's done."
Chen Changshun laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, you almost messed things up just now."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com