Chapter Seventeen: Learning Hunting Skills
Lin's mother served Yang Aiguo two bowls of sweet soup. The rough porcelain bowls had some chips on the rim. She waved her hand and sent Hu Zi and Tian Tian to the yard: "Go, go, go, you two go play in the mud, don't get in the way here."
Turning to Lin Baozhu in a low voice, he said, "It was barely dawn when Old Man Bi and Old Lady You were arrested by the police..."
Zhi Kuo is gone. I heard Zuo Shuanzi is still lying in the commune clinic. Bi Yuntao took Zhao Xiaoyu to town yesterday, and they haven't returned yet—tsk tsk, thank goodness we broke off the engagement with their family, otherwise, being related to such filthy, rotten-hearted people as in-laws would have made us the laughingstock of the neighbors!
"I bet they went to get their marriage certificate." Lin Baozhu stirred the sugar granules in her bowl. Sugar was very precious in the 1970s, and this bowl of sugar water was probably bought with coupons that her mother had saved up for a long time.
"Alright, let's not talk about those unpleasant things!"
Lin's mother wiped her hands with her apron and said, "Aiguo, don't leave today. Yesterday, Baozhu hunted a wild boar weighing 500 jin. We sold half of it, and we still have half left at home. Tonight, your aunt will make you sauerkraut stew with pork and vermicelli, with some chili powder. I guarantee it will be so delicious you'll swallow your tongue!"
As Lin's mother spoke, she got up and walked outside. The sun was blazing, and from the village entrance came the cry of "Changing ice blocks!"
She ran to the kitchen, opened the cupboard, and took out four heads of purple-skinned garlic—freshly dug from the vegetable garden that morning, enough to exchange for four blocks of ice to cool the children off. In the rural areas of the 1970s, there were no popsicles. In winter, people would break up river ice and store it in cellars. When it got hot, they would break it into blocks and take it out to exchange for eggs, grain, or garlic. Who would be willing to spend money to buy them?
Yang Aiguo circled around Lin Baozhu for a while, then exclaimed in amazement, "Good heavens! I hunted a 400-pound wild boar the other day, which is enough for me to brag about for half a year. But you, you quietly took down a 500-pound one—how did your little body handle that?"
Lin Baozhu chuckled: "That wild boar was blind. When it was chasing me, it ran headfirst into a tree and passed out. I took the opportunity to finish it off with a few more stabs..."
"I've only ever heard of waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump, this is the first time I've seen someone waiting for a pig to run into a tree stump!" Yang Aiguo laughed. "But a 500-pound pig, it must take several people to carry it, right?"
“It took four men to carry it down.” Lin Baozhu became serious. “Speaking of which, I really want to get a hunting license so that I can hunt wild animals legitimately in the future.”
Yang Aiguo's village was a well-known hunting team base in the commune. When young men turned sixteen, the production team would issue them hunting licenses. Only with a license could they enter the deep mountains. In those days, the country's policies towards hunters were lenient, and those who met the quotas well could even be recognized as advanced workers. She was determined to get this license.
"Seriously? Why would a girl like you need a hunting license?"
Yang Aiguo grew anxious: "If you want to go into the mountains, I'll take you halfway up to hunt rabbits and deer, but listen to me, we're not getting a permit!" If they got a permit, they'd have to hand over game every month, and if they didn't meet the quota, they'd be criticized at the brigade headquarters. Besides, Baozhu's first time was lucky, but how many times in a lifetime can one encounter such a fool?
Seeing that he wouldn't agree, Lin Baozhu drank half a bowl of sugar water in one gulp, wiped her mouth, and said, "Brother Yang, I'm the strongest in our village, you'll see if you don't believe me..."
After Lin Baozhu finished speaking, she ran into the yard, and with a forceful effort, easily lifted the millstone, even raising it high above her head.
Tiger, who was playing in the mud with Lin Tiantian in the yard, widened his eyes, then ran up to Lin Baozhu, patted the millstone, and said, "Wow, Auntie, this millstone looks just like the real thing! Put it down quickly, let me take it out to play for a while."
He wanted to show off his strength to the village kids, and he was sure he'd scare Dazhuang half to death, making him realize how much he used to bully him.
Lin Baozhu gently placed the millstone on the ground, flicked Hu Zi's forehead, and laughed, "You brat, when have I ever lied to you? Your grandma used this millstone to grind cornmeal today."
"Auntie, how long has it been since you tricked me into giving my eggs to Bi Yuntao and you've already forgotten? I don't believe it. Put them down now, I'm sure I can pick them up."
Lin Baozhu: ...
Why doesn't she remember when she tricked this kid out of her eggs? Don't make things up without evidence!
Lin Baozhu pouted and gently put the millstone down: "Try it if you want, but don't cry if you can't lift it."
Tiger looked at the millstone on the ground, imitated the adults by spitting twice into his palms and rubbing them together, then bent down...
"Ugh~ Ha..."
The millstone didn't budge!
“Auntie, auntie, this millstone... you can lift it so easily! My goodness, it's such a waste that you only earn three centimeters a day with that strength. If you carried an ox, you would definitely earn the most centimeters in the village.”
At that time, if any of the village kids dared to bully him, he would have his aunt carry a cow and smash them with it!
Looking at the excited little guy, Lin Baozhu's lips twitched.
Carrying a cow? She's also carrying a tractor...
Yang Aiguo, standing in the courtyard, was already speechless with astonishment.
His gaze involuntarily fell on Lin Baozhu's slender arms; such a delicate body possessed such great strength.
“Sister Baozhu, with your strength… it’s a pity you’re not a beast of burden.”
Lin Baozhu: "..." Her lips twitched!
How come such a perfectly healthy young man has a mouth?
"Being a beast of burden is out of the question, but being a hunter is possible, Brother Yang, this hunting license..."
"I'll have my dad write an application form for you. Once they give you a reply, you can go to the county to have your strength and some hunting skills tested. But once the application is approved, the commune will give you quotas. If you don't meet them, you'll be criticized. Are you sure you still want to apply?"
"Then I'll trouble Brother Yang to help me fill out the application form."
He took out twenty yuan from his small handbag and said, "How can you ask for help without buying something? Take this money, you can't let this old man work for nothing."
Yang Aiguo only took one large ten-yuan note and laughed, "One pack of cigarettes is enough! With your strength, it shouldn't be a problem. Next, you just need to familiarize yourself with hunting techniques. When hunting rabbits, you have to look at the footprints; fresh footprints are damp. When setting traps, you have to choose the animal trails that deer often take, and the knots have to be slipknots..."
Lin's mother came in carrying a large, rough porcelain bowl. Inside the bowl were broken pieces of ice, with bits of grass floating on top.
Listening to Yang Aiguo teach his daughter hunting techniques, goodness, no wonder they're in-laws. Who would be willing to teach their best skills to outsiders? If his daughter learns how to hunt rabbits, she'll be able to hold her head high in her husband's family in the future.
After explaining the hunting knowledge to Lin Baozhu, he glanced at the sky and said, "I'll take you to the back mountain of your village to show you and teach you in person. This thing isn't actually that complicated. You're smart, you'll definitely learn it in no time."
"What are we waiting for? Tiger, Sweetie, grab your weapons and let's go..."
"Auntie, are we going hunting in the mountains?"
"That's right, we'll tie you and Tian Tian to a tree to attract wild boars..."
Wow! So Sweetie and I are that important?
The little guy wasn't scared at all; instead, he excitedly took the rope off the wall and put it in the basket.
Before he knew his aunt was so strong, he definitely wouldn't have dared to let her do whatever she wanted. Now, his aunt is like a superhero. If a wild boar tries to hurt him and Tian Tian, his aunt can definitely punch the wild boar into eight pieces.
Yang Aiguo glanced at Lin Baozhu and said, "Don't scare them. We just need to dig a few traps at the foot of the mountain. The main purpose of bringing you up the mountain today is to cover up how to make the traps."
Lin Baozhu chuckled. If it weren't for the fact that making traps would be on the test, she definitely wouldn't have learned this skill. No matter how good she was at digging traps, it wasn't as convenient and quick as using stones herself.
However, if he learns through the "system" and becomes a skilled hunter in the future, he can use "Yang Aiguo taught him" as an excuse to fool the villagers. Whether others believe him or not is their business.
"Mother, let's go up the back mountain. Let's eat dinner early tonight, as Brother Yang still needs to go back to the village."
"Go early and come back early!" Lin's mother said, distributing the ice blocks to the children, and added, "Don't go too far in, come back after the sun sets!"
"knew."
Lin Baozhu held Tiantian in her arms, Yang Aiguo carried a basket on his back containing a machete and hemp rope, and Huzi followed behind with a small basket slung over his shoulder...
As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw Bi Yuntao and Zhao Xiaoyu riding bicycles towards the village. Zhao Xiaoyu was holding onto Bi Yuntao's waist, and the two were chatting and laughing. There were also several packages of pastries hanging on the handlebars.
When Zhao Xiaoyu saw Lin Baozhu, a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes. Then she patted Bi Yuntao's waist, signaling him to stop the car.
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