Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Just then, a bright golden light swooped down from above the deer herd, and a half-grown sika deer running at the back was bitten on the neck.

"Damn, it's a Far East Leopard." Zhou Rui thought to himself, quickly aiming his gun at the leopard.

The herd of sika deer must have sensed the danger beforehand and been driven here by the Amur leopard. But somehow, the Amur leopard had already reached above the herd, which is why it was hit by the leopard.

Zhou Rui moved the gun barrel, but he couldn't catch the leopard's trail. The leopard merely shook its head, and the half-grown sika deer was already motionless. However, the Far Eastern leopard had most of its body hidden behind a large tree, with only its tail and claws slightly exposed.

Suddenly, the Amur leopard dragged the fawn a few steps. Taking advantage of the leopard's brief pause, Zhou Rui was about to pull the trigger when the leopard leaped into a tree with its prey in its mouth. Now he couldn't see anything; all he could see was a dense thicket of leaves. What a pity! If only he had a thermal imaging camera from later generations, the leopard wouldn't have been able to escape.

Left with no other option, Zhou Rui aimed his gun at the herd of sika deer that had just passed under the trees and were still out of sight. There were three left: a male, a female, and a fawn. Zhou Rui aimed at the male deer, which clearly had long antlers, at its head, at a distance of 130 meters, giving it a slight lead. With a bang, the male deer fell to the ground, its body sliding forward at an angle for two or three meters. The female deer following behind the male deer was startled by the gunshot and immediately jumped up, making a sharp turn and running in a different direction. The last fawn almost couldn't keep up, barely managing to stop after a few stumbles and run after the female deer. Zhou Rui immediately raised the barrel of his gun, not intending to fire a second shot. The female deer was clearly pregnant, and the fawn was not yet mature, so it wasn't of much value.

Zhou Rui moved the gun barrel back to the spot where the Amur leopard had disappeared, but still nothing happened. He waited quietly for another two minutes before slinging his basket over his shoulder, sliding down the tree, and heading towards where the sika deer had fallen, his attention still fixed on the direction of the Amur leopard. During this time, Zhou Rui also used his external sensory abilities; although the movement was slow, the chilling feeling in his heart was receding further and further away. Your prey is yours, my prey is mine; let's not bother each other.

Zhou Rui walked to the sika deer and saw a large hole in its head; it was already dead and didn't need any further treatment. Zhou Rui took out his dagger and stabbed the deer in the neck, and blood flowed out. Zhou Rui drank some blood from the neck; it tasted a bit fishy, ​​so he didn't dare drink more, watching the remaining blood flow onto the ground. What a pity, there was no container; it was such a waste.

Next, Zhou Rui used a knife to cut open the sika deer's belly, removed the heart and liver, wrapped them in leaves, and then cut off a pair of antlers. Zhou Rui weighed the antlers in his hand; they were quite good, about a pound and a half, and even after drying, they would weigh about half a pound. Zhou Rui put the antlers, heart, and liver into his basket, and then took out all the remaining internal organs and hung them on a tree.

"Leopard, oh leopard, if you're not full, then eat this. But don't come along. If you do, who knows who will die between us."

After finishing, Zhou Rui found a vine, removed the tender shoots, and tied the deer hooves securely. He slung the basket over his shoulder and hoisted the deer onto his back. Damn, this deer weighs at least a hundred pounds, and with the other prey and gun, it's going to be tough. Zhou Rui mentally grumbled, but he still had to leave; he couldn't bear to throw away the venison. It's incredibly nutritious, perfect for replenishing Pingwa and An'an's depleted bodies.

Zhou Rui took a shortcut and slowly made his way down the mountain, constantly watching his step, making his progress incredibly slow. It was already afternoon, and there were still about ten miles of mountain road to go before he got home. He probably wouldn't get home until dark, and he wondered if An'an and the others could take care of themselves. Thinking this, Zhou Rui quickened his pace.

When Zhou Rui reached the foot of the mountain, the temperature had already dropped by late evening. The cool breeze from the canyon blew along with the stream, making Zhou Rui's sweat-soaked body feel much cooler.

Zhou Rui stopped to catch his breath, moved the sika deer on his shoulder to a comfortable position, and then continued on his way home.

Walking through the night, seeing the faint light of the house in front of me, I finally arrived home. But what's with this wailing?

As they approached, they heard An'an's comforting voice: "Don't cry, don't cry, your second brother will be back soon."

"Are you hungry? I'll ask Third Brother to make you some malted milk powder. Let me tell you, this malted milk powder is so fragrant and delicious."

"Third Brother, is the malted milk powder ready?"

Zhou Rui hadn't expected that his aunt, An An, would be so responsible and loving in taking care of the child at home. When Zhou Rui was home, An An would always cling to him and act spoiled, but when Zhou Rui wasn't home, she acted like a domineering matriarch.

Zhou Rui smiled and pushed open the courtyard gate, then with a bang, threw the sika deer directly to the ground.

"Second brother, second brother is back." This time, when Zhou Rui heard An An calling, she didn't come out and hug Zhou Rui's leg directly. Zhou Rui knew that An An was holding Xiao Niangao and coaxing her.

At this moment, Zhou Ping came out of the kitchen with a bowl in his hand, blowing on it as he walked.

"Second Brother, you're back." Zhou Ping looked down at his feet. There was no light, just a huge, dark mass. "What is this? It's so big! It's much bigger than that silly roe deer from last time."

"The sika deer, like the roe deer, belongs to the deer family, but it's several times larger than the roe deer," Zhou Rui replied. "Why did you come out of the kitchen?"

"The thermos is empty, so I'll boil some water for Xiaoniangao to make malted milk powder."

"You go in and feed Xiao Nian Gao first, I need to clean up this deer."

As Zhou Rui spoke, he first lit a torch and stuck it to the side, then untied the vines binding the sika deer's hooves. He then used a knife to remove the deer penis, which was also a valuable ingredient; it could be used to make medicinal wine for those who needed it, and everyone was eager to have it.

Then he hung the sika deer upside down on a wooden post in the yard. This post had been specially erected since Zhou Rui started hunting, specifically for skinning prey. Zhou Rui first made a cut around the four hooves of the sika deer, then carefully peeled it off, being careful not to damage it, as it was intended to make clothes for An'an.

"Second Brother, what's this? Is this a roe deer too?" With Zhou Ping feeding Xiao Niangao malted milk powder, An'an finally had a free hand and came out.

"No. This is sika deer meat, it tastes even better than roe deer meat." I can't tell An'an that sika deer is expensive or that it can be sold for more money. As long as I tell her it's delicious, she'll definitely like it.

"Really? It's delicious?"

"Your second brother will stew some for you tonight, do you want some?"

"Eat, eat, we definitely have to eat. I'm starving from waiting."

"Alright, then Second Brother, hurry up."

After Zhou Rui skinned the deer, he set it aside to deal with later. Then he cut off the hooves, removed the tendons, and began to disassemble the entire deer.

"Pingwa, come here, take this piece of meat and stir-fry it." Zhou Rui cut off a large piece of tenderloin, which was the most tender and perfect for a child like An'an.

"Okay, brother." Zhou Ping's cooking skills are gradually improving. After all, Zhou Rui is away from home most of the time, so the two of them still have to rely on themselves for meals.

After Zhou Rui divided the venison, he salted the rest and made it into smoked bacon, except for the pieces he would make in the next two days. Zhou Rui strung together pieces of meat weighing five or six pounds each with rope and hung them from the kitchen beam. He divided the rest into several portions to give away.

"It's delicious and fragrant. But my second brother's is even better."

"You bootlicker! You think your second brother's cooking is the best? Then you can just ignore what your third brother makes!"

"No, actually, Third Brother's cooking is delicious too. Hehe..."