Reborn in the 1980s: I made my fortune hunting wild game in Changbai Mountain

Under the dim light of the oil lamps in the camp, Yue Feng easily finished processing the tiger cub. He rolled up the skin, and hung the skinned carcass on a tree trunk outside the camp entrance.

Afterwards, one of the brothers stayed behind to keep watch over the fire at night, while the others went to bed and slept soundly.

In the past few days, it may seem like they haven't done much, but they've been on edge the whole time. They spent all day clearing bushes around the campsite and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning. It would be a lie to say they weren't tired.

They all slept very soundly.

With a lynx and more than ten wild boars, the harvest from this trip into the mountains has exceeded expectations. Even though they had to descend the mountain at dawn, no one was particularly emotional.

When I woke up in the morning, it was already bright outside.

Wild boar meat and compressed rations were simmering in the pot, emitting the aroma of grains. Yue Feng got up on time and took another long walk around the camp.

Apart from the tracks left by the lynx, everything outside the camp was normal.

When they got back inside, breakfast was already cooked. Everyone took their own lunchboxes, filled them with rice, and ate.

"Brother Feng, we've killed the tiger cub. Should we continue wandering around looking for other mountain animals, or are we going back?" Xiao Tao was the first to put down his lunchbox and asked casually.

Yue Feng did some quick calculations and realized that it had already been six days since he arrived here, and he still had a day to go home, so it was quite a long time.

"Before we came, we told our families we'd only have a week at most! This little tiger cub has delayed us by at least three days! According to our original itinerary, we should go back now!" Yue Feng said truthfully.

"It's time to go back. I checked the condition of the pork jerky yesterday when I was moving it!"

"Our work with pine wood to dry and dehydrate the food was a bit rough! We reduced the quantity, but we cut it too thick, so the inside probably isn't dry yet!" Xiaowen added.

Yue Feng also checked the general condition of the dried meat. According to traditional methods, to make this kind of dried meat dry enough and of stable quality, it needs to be boiled in a large pot of salt water and then naturally dried to achieve a relatively stable state.

Yue Feng and his group were in the middle of nowhere, with only a small iron pot for cooking. They simply didn't have the necessary conditions to process wild boar meat into jerky using traditional methods.

As a last resort, they burned pine wood to create a fire, and then smoked the food at a safe distance to dehydrate it and reduce its weight.

However, in the mountains and forests of Northeast China during winter, the temperature can easily drop to minus twenty degrees Celsius. Even if the processing is rough, the meat will not spoil. It is a stopgap measure and does not cause any major problems.

The nearly 2,000 kilograms of fresh meat, after being thinly sliced ​​and smoked, loses at least half its weight due to dehydration.

In this way, each of the brothers can take a sled and bring it back in one trip, which will achieve the established goal.

"We've been out for so many days, let's eat our fill and then pack our tents and luggage. We're heading down the mountain today!" Yue Feng said decisively.

"Hehe, brother, you miss my nephew, don't you?" Xiao Tao grinned, his eyes seemingly seeing right through Yue Feng.

Yue Feng curled his lip: "Truth or a lie?"

"Of course it's the truth! I just don't believe that after being out for so long, you don't want to be happy?"

Yue Feng said quietly, "Of course Kai Xin misses her, but he misses his wife the most! You bunch of naive girls wouldn't understand!"

"Damn it! You're the big brother, how can you provoke your brothers like this!" Xiao Tao was instantly defeated, and looked at Yue Feng with a face full of resentment.

In terms of age, Yue Feng is not much different from them. Yue Feng already has a son, while the rest of them are still single.

Once a man has a family, he naturally exerts extra pressure on his brothers. A simple "a virgin doesn't understand" is enough to leave the three brothers speechless.

"Do you have a daughter you like? I'll have your sister-in-law help you find one! You're not getting any younger, and your families are probably all waiting to hold their grandchildren!" Yue Feng didn't rub salt into the wound, but instead asked with a smile.

Xiaowen and Xiaowu exchanged a glance, and both brothers shook their heads, their minds completely at ease.

Yue Feng's gaze swept over the Zhang brothers, finally settling on Xiao Tao.

Compared to the brothers Xiaowen and Xiaowu, Xiaotao seemed a bit awkward and even felt uncomfortable under Yuefeng's gaze.

"What? You're keeping it a secret from me? If you have a target, hurry up! A good woman is sought after by many men! You'll be snatched away by someone else if you're not careful!"

Yue Feng put his right hand on Xiao Tao's shoulder and said in a tone of someone who had been through it all.

"I'll reveal the truth! I just don't know if it's appropriate!" Xiao Tao scratched his head, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to be honest with his older brother.

"Which village are you from? What's your name? I'll ask around for you!"

Xiao Tao shook his head: "She's not from the village, she's a girl who sells clothes at Fengcheng Department Store! Everyone says that city workers are picky, and although we have some money, we're still farmers after all, so we're unlikely to have any chance!"

"So, you've just stopped moving forward? The other person doesn't even know you like her, does she?" Yue Feng added insult to injury.

"Well, I'm too shy to go and get to know him! I met him last time I went to the building to buy something!" Xiao Tao answered truthfully.

"Okay, having a goal is a good thing! When we get back, I'll help you look into it!"
"What's so great about being a full-time employee at a department store? If you really want to find a job, it's just a matter of a word!" Yue Feng said with a smirk, quite confidently.

Yue Feng wasn't exaggerating at all when he said that.

With his current connections in Fengcheng, it wouldn't be difficult for Yue Feng to arrange a formal job for his brother in the mining bureau, coal mine, forestry bureau, or even the police station and forest police, as long as he's willing to ask.

Xiao Tao shook his head after hearing this: "I don't want to find a place to work and be managed by others!"
The meager salary earned by ordinary employees after a month of hard work isn't even a fraction of our monthly bonus! We'll see how it goes; maybe they won't even consider us!

Upon hearing this, Yue Feng nodded and did not continue the topic.

Yue Feng had considered the brothers' future, but ultimately respected their wishes.

The village's business is relatively stable now; it needs people for purchasing mountain products and drilling wells.

Xiao Tao and the Zhang brothers, as the core members, did a lot of work for Yue Feng on a daily basis, which allowed Yue Feng to live a leisurely life.

If they were given jobs in the city with secure employment at this point, not to mention the shortage of hunters, there would be a shortage of people in their families' businesses.

……

After finishing this somewhat complicated topic, the group put down their chopsticks and finished their breakfast.

Yue Feng fed the two eagles the melted meat, and then joined the others in their work.

The tents should be dismantled and packed neatly, and the equipment and bedding for going into the mountains should also be arranged in a tidy manner.

The largest sled was completely full. The other three sleds were all empty.

Yue Feng used snakeskin bags to pack the dried meat into several large bags, tied them up, and fixed them to the sled. Then he did a final check on all the odds and ends.

After making sure nothing was missed, the four brothers called out and together they dragged the sled, along with Eagle and Dog, and walked down the mountain along the original route.

There were snowmobiles and three-wheeled vehicles along the way, and the group seemed quite calm as they descended the mountain.

Dragging heavy loads, we walked for several hours to reach the place where the snowmobiles were hidden.

The weather had been fine these past few days, with no strong winds or heavy snow. The snowmobile, covered by a sack made of snakeskin, was perfectly intact. Yue Feng built a small fire next to the snowmobile, warmed himself for a while, and then tried to start it. It started successfully in less than five minutes.

With snowmobiles for transportation, the rest of the journey became much simpler.

Yue Feng made two round trips, dragging the sled, personnel, and supplies to the motorcycle hiding place.

Using the same method, they started the motorcycle tricycle, and the four brothers, carrying their harvest, sped down the mountain along Chaiji Road. Their first stop was the farm on the mountain.

At 12:30 pm, the group arrived at the farm by vehicle.

Before the motorcycle was even turned off, Zhao Dashan opened the gate to the courtyard.

"Master, we're back!" Yue Feng greeted his master.

Zhao Dashan's sharp gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on the two dogs with bandages wrapped around their necks.

"Have you run into some tough wild animals? What's wrong with these two dogs? Come inside and let's talk!"

The guys obediently drove the vehicle into the yard and then went inside.

Yue Feng entered the room, picked up the tea on the table, and gulped down a large mouthful before saying to his master, "This time when we went up the mountain, we encountered a tiger cub that was almost a spirit. Our two dogs were scratched by that tiger cub!"

"It got away?" Zhao Dashan frowned slightly when he heard the words "tiger cub." The old hunter knew how clever and troublesome these creatures were.

"Hehe, after three days of effort, we still managed to kill him! On the very first day..." Yue Feng recounted how they encountered each other, how they chased and circled each other, and how they finally ambushed and killed him!
After listening to his apprentice's summary, Zhao Dashan nodded slightly.

Yue Feng may lack experience in other areas, but he is quite mature in terms of risk avoidance and maintaining rationality in leading the team. He did not make any fatal mistakes in the entire process.

"Tiger cubs are troublesome, but tiger cubs that have become cunning are even more troublesome! Although the dog was injured this time, you handled it quite well!" Zhao Dashan gave a fairly satisfactory evaluation.

"Hehe, the leather is right in the car. Let me take it down so you can see it," Yue Feng said, as if showing off a treasure.

"Okay, I'll take a look and see what's going on!"

Soon, Yue Feng got up and went out, carrying the lynx pelt under his arm and bringing it back into the house.

Zhao Dashan took it, shook it at the doorway, and a smell of earthiness instantly filled the air.

Zhao Dashan laid the hide on the table and then examined it carefully.

“This is a female lynx, at least seven or eight years old! No wonder you said she’s almost become a spirit! It’s only because this hind paw was damaged that you were able to hunt it down so easily. If it had been intact, the dog would probably have suffered a fatal loss if it had been ambushed!” Zhao Dashan said with great certainty.

"Is the difference that big? If the dogs are tied together, they should be at a disadvantage if they meet face to face, but they shouldn't be bitten to death, right? Tanlang is quite smart. He knows that he can't fight recklessly if he can't win!" Yue Feng was somewhat skeptical of his master's judgment.

Zhao Dashan shook his head: "If its hind legs weren't injured, it wouldn't even take half the time to lead you around the mountain. It would have at least half a day to figure out a way to attack the leashed hunting dogs!"
When tiger cubs bully hunting dogs, even the fiercest dog will suffer greatly. If its neck is locked, it will be dead in half a minute at most!
Let alone our wolfhounds, even a genuine Siberian wolf would have to keep its distance from a lynx if it had a grudge against it. If it's even slightly careless, it will suffer casualties!

Are the dogs' injuries serious?

"Oh no, it's all through the skin, I need stitches!"

"Untie the bandages so I can see!"

"profound!"

Yue Feng responded and slowly unwrapped the dog's bandages, revealing the treated wound.

Both dogs' injuries had scabbed over, and the wounds were still a little red and swollen but quite clean.

He's physically strong and recovers relatively quickly. Overall, the wound is in good condition and doesn't require rework!
"They're alright, our dogs are in good shape, nothing's wrong! They'll recover in a few days! I'll change their dressings later!" Zhao Dashan said calmly.

Mentioning the change of dressings, Yue Feng glanced into the inner room: "How is the wounded soldier on the mountain recovering?"

Including the days Yue Feng spent hunting in the mountains, it has been about ten days since that outsider named Zhang Wenhui was injured, and Yue Feng has no idea what her condition is now.

Zhao Dashan said, "He's being well-fed and cared for! The wound has already started to scab over! I estimate he'll be able to get out of bed in about half a month!"

Hearing his master say that, Yue Feng nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The injured person is most likely sleeping and resting in the inner room. It would be inappropriate to make a big fuss and wake them up.

However, the whispered conversation in the outer room still woke Zhang Wenhui, who was on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Inside the room, Zhang Wenhui opened her eyes and called out in a slightly hoarse voice, "Is Brother Yue back?"

Yue Feng nodded to his master, then got up and lifted the curtain.

"How are you feeling, Brother Zhang?"

"Much better! The fever's gone down, and I've been eating and sleeping well these past few days! I vaguely heard you say just now that the dog was injured? Was it bad?"

"Hehe, it's nothing! Just like you, I only need a few stitches and some time to heal!"

"That's good!"

……

Yue Feng stayed in the inner room for less than five minutes, then came out after saying hello.

The old man heated up the food for the children, and the pot was opened. The children didn't stand on ceremony with Grandpa Zhao, and they set up a table and started eating heartily in the room.

After lunch, Yue Feng dragged several large snakeskin bags of dried wild boar meat from the sled into the house.

"What the hell is this?"

"Hehe, wild boar jerky! Sliced ​​thinly and smoked over a pine fire! It's a bit rough around the edges, but we hunted a whole herd of wild boars, and we still have quite a bit of meat left! We'll keep this meat on the mountain as a reserve!"

You can also choose a better spot and prepare it a bit more, so we can save it for future meals!

Zhao Dashan curled his lip: "Fine, you don't need to worry about it! Lighting a fire to smoke jerky in the dead of winter sounds like an amateur's method! Roasting it over a fire will waste so much oil!"

"Hehe, we didn't bring much salt into the mountains. It's just that resources were limited, and we couldn't bring it all back in one trip! We've had our fill, so we have to go home. We haven't even gone home yet after leaving the mountains; we've come to the farm first!"

"Go back home, your family is worried about you! Come back when you have time. The dog can stay here if you're free, I'll change its bandages!"

"OK!"

……

After handing over the dog to his master and settling the injured dog on the mountain, Yue Feng, along with some dried meat and the lynx, went down the mountain and went straight home. (End of Chapter)