Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Zhou Rui brought six badgers to the village chief's house. There wasn't much meat, as some of them were small, and the total weight was less than 100 jin (50 kg). It was a pity; at least half of them had been eaten by jackals, and the rest had escaped by hiding in a den. In the end, Zhou Rui emptied them out.

When Zhao Youzhi saw Zhou Rui's badger, he no longer felt the same joy as before: "I told you to bring more people. Look at this, the harvest is far less than expected."

Ignoring the village chief's attitude, Zhou Rui said with a serious expression, "Grandpa Zhao, there's trouble. I hope you can call the hunters from the Gu and Chen families."

Less than half an hour later, Gu Dayong and Chen Ye arrived at the village chief's house and sat around the kitchen table with Zhao Youzhi and Zhou Rui. On the table were two skeletons and a tuft of reddish-brown hair, all of which Zhou Rui had brought back.

Gu Dayong stared intently at the things on the table, a thoughtful look on his resolute face.

Chen Ye acted somewhat casually, appearing somewhat skeptical. "You mean, based on these two badger skeletons and this tuft of fur, you think a large pack of jackals has come to the mountains?"

"Otherwise what?" Zhou Rui was a little displeased. He was just explaining the problem to everyone; there was no need to act like he looked down on them.

"This color of fur isn't just found in jackals; foxes and antelopes also have it. Wolverines have a similar color." Chen Ye's know-it-all attitude only made Zhou Rui more disgusted.

"I know what you're saying, but I don't think I'm wrong. There's another reason why I said a pack of jackals has come here: you haven't been able to hunt any large wild animals around here lately. Apart from tigers and bears, only wolves and jackals have that kind of intimidating power, making roe deer, wild boars, and sika deer stay away."

"That's not necessarily true, maybe..."

"That's right." Gu Dayong slammed his hand on the table, interrupting Chen Ye's continued argument. "Ruiwa's analysis is correct. It must have been a pack of jackals that scared away all the prey that could run away."

"I was wondering why I haven't been able to find any prey lately. Turns out, a tough one has come along." Gu Dayong's eyes lit up, his frustration from always coming back empty-handed was gone.

"Old Gu, you don't really believe this kid, do you? How old is he? How many times has he been in the mountains? What kind of knowledge could he possibly have?" Chen Ye stared at Gu Dayong with surprise.

Gu Dayong turned his gaze to Chen Ye, his eyes carrying a warning: "Chen Ye, I don't know why you're targeting Ruiwa. But I don't believe that just because someone is young they don't understand anything, nor do I believe that just because someone is old they know everything."

"Back when I was in the army, a student who was eight years younger than me joined our regiment, but he knew more about fighting than I did."

"You need to be more open-minded. Look at you, you haven't made any progress all these years."

"You..." Chen Ye was so angry that he couldn't speak, his heart was pierced by Gu Dayong's words.

"Village chief, tell me, do you also believe what Zhou Rui said?"

Zhao Youzhi merely raised his eyelids slightly and said firmly, "I trust Dayong and Ruiwa's judgment. Although I don't know anything about hunting, I know Ruiwa's abilities and Dayong's more than ten years of experience."

"You, you guys... I don't believe what Zhou Rui said. You can discuss it yourselves, I'm leaving." Chen Ye was a little embarrassed; the village chief and Gu Dayong would rather believe a minor than him.

"Hey, don't go!" the village chief called from behind.

"That guy is unbelievable. How could he just leave during a meeting?"

"Let him go. Chen Ye has always been stingy and short-tempered. There's no point in talking to someone like that. We should discuss things ourselves. Can't we get anything done without Chen Ye?" Gu Dayong said, pulling the village chief aside to persuade him.

"Alright, since you put it that way, then let's discuss it ourselves." Zhao Youzhi listened to the advice and didn't think that losing Chen Ye would make a difference. In his mind, Gu Dayong, a veteran who had fought on the northern battlefield, was much more reliable than Chen Ye.

"Since you accept the information that Ruiwa brought back, then tell me what to do."

Gu Dayong didn't even think about it: "Shoot them. Either kill them all, or drive them all out. We can't let these jackals stay here. If they stay here for the New Year, will I still be able to hunt? They've ruined all the animals."

"That's right, Uncle Dayong is right. This jackal has been circling around this area. Larger animals don't dare to come, and there aren't enough small animals to eat. Sooner or later, they'll be eaten to extinction," Zhou Rui chimed in.

"Don't be fooled by the high mountains and steep roads on both sides of our village. If these guys are always around, they might sneak into the village one day."

Zhao Youzhi lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, admitting that both of them had a point.

"You two are both expert hunters, so you can discuss it yourselves. I know nothing about hunting, so just tell me if you need anything, and I'll take care of the logistics. Or should I arrange for a militia squad to accompany you?"

"No need. It's not like we're hunting a large pack of jackals. We don't need so many people to search for them. Too many people will make a lot of noise, and the jackals will run away before we even get to the edge. Just a few of us will be enough," Gu Dayong refused. It wasn't that he looked down on the militia, but these militiamen had no hunting experience and wouldn't be of much help.

"Actually, it's better to have more hunting dogs to hunt jackals; humans are not as useful as hunting dogs."

Zhou Rui nodded. Indeed, there was no need to bring too many people, lest they do more harm than good. However, the image of one person flashed through Zhou Rui's mind.

"Grandpa Zhao, could you send someone for me? Have Liu Qingguo come over; I need him to help me out."

"Great, bringing more people means bringing more meat." Zhao Youzhi had no other thoughts but wanting meat. The autumn harvest was in its final stages, and he didn't want a few people to collapse from exhaustion and ruin everything.

"Alright, it's settled then. I'll bring my son, Ruiwa, Qingguo, and my three dogs, that'll be enough. We'll head up the mountain first thing tomorrow morning." Gu Dayong has always been decisive and efficient, a trait he hasn't changed in the ten years since his retirement.

"Okay, you can arrange it as you see fit." Zhao Youzhi then said to Zhou Rui, "I'll make arrangements for Liu Qingguo right now. He doesn't need to work tomorrow; he can go up the mountain with you."

After saying that, the three of them went their separate ways. Zhou Rui left the badger with the village chief, who would naturally give him work points.

At Chen Ye's house, Chen Feiyue saw Chen Ye as soon as he entered the door.

"Dad, didn't the village chief want to see you? Why are you back so soon?"

"Hmph... Village Chief Zhao is talking nonsense. Just because Zhou Rui brought back two badger bones and a tuft of red fur, he insisted that a pack of jackals had come from the mountains above our village, and that big idiot Gu Dayong actually believed it. It makes me so angry." Chen Ye sat down, picked up his cup, and took a big gulp of water.

"But Dad, if it's not a jackal, then what is it? We haven't caught anything big in over a month. The traps you set in that wild grape field haven't yielded anything either. Even the pheasants and rabbits are very alert; they escape before we even get close. They're really hard to catch." Chen Feiyue was very puzzled. Even though he had little hunting experience, he felt that something was very wrong.

"It's really strange that you're saying this. It seems that even without the jackals, a big guy has come." Chen Ye didn't believe Zhou Rui's words, but he trusted his son's analysis.

"Looks like we'll have to go up the mountain again tomorrow. If we can kill a bear, we'll be rich." Chen Ye usually only manages to catch roe deer and wild boars when he sets traps, but he's been eyeing bears for a long time. Bear gallbladders are worth a lot of money.

Now my son's marksmanship is getting better and better. With a Type 38 rifle and his double-barreled shotgun, he can easily take down a bear.

"Are you with Gu Dayong and the others?"

"No, let them go their way, my son and I will go our own way. If we actually manage to catch a bear, hehe..."