You had to hand it to Zhang Yuanmin.

He might not have been a successful strategist, but he was definitely a very successful persuader.

Ever since he started, although every battle he planned ended in defeat, before each major conflict, everyone who heard his plans would be won over by his "strategies."

Today, another person had been completely bamboozled by Zhang Yuanmin.

At this very moment, a hint of admiration had crept into the way Zhang Laibao looked at Zhang Yuanmin.

It had to be said, Zhang Laibao was moved by Zhang Yuanmin’s speech. He had heard from Qin Qiang that if you raise Black Bears from when they’re cubs, you can domesticate them.

Not only do they recognize people, but they’re also smarter than dogs.

You can train a dog to be a hunting dog, so you could definitely do the same with a Black Bear. Besides, a Black Bear’s fighting prowess was far greater than any dog’s.

Just as Zhang Yuanmin said, even though wild boar meat wasn’t as valuable as Black Bear Gall, if he took two bears out to hunt wild boars, killing a pig under three hundred jin would be a sure thing.

If he could bring home a wild boar every day, selling the meat and eating it too, whose life could possibly be better than his family’s?

In that moment, Zhang Laibao’s heart was stirred. He even forgot about going to see Liu Mei and just said to Zhang Yuanmin, "Brother Zhang, when are you heading home? I’m going to get the money from my dad in a bit, then I’ll come find you."

This time, Zhang Laibao didn’t call him Big Pants; he called him Brother Zhang.

Zhang Yuanmin’s eyes darted. He knew what Zhang Laibao was thinking and what he really meant by his words.

But Zhang Yuanmin asked, "What do you need me for?"

"Hey, Brother Zhang, you’re asking even though you already know the answer, aren’t you?" Zhang Laibao said. "My family doesn’t get along with the Zhao family. If I go by myself, I’m afraid they won’t sell to me."

"That’s true." Zhang Yuanmin nodded. "Alright then. Once you have the money, I’ll make the trip for you."

"Thank you, Brother Zhang! Thank you, Brother Zhang!"

After thanking Zhang Yuanmin, Zhang Laibao limped home. He found his father, Zhang Zhanshan, getting dressed and ready to go to work.

"How are you back so soon?" Zhang Zhanshan thought for a moment before asking, "Did things work out with the Liu family’s girl?"

"No, no." Zhang Laibao waved his hands dismissively. "Dad, I need to ask you for some money."

"What do you need money for again?" Zhang Zhanshan asked with a frown.

Zhang Laibao’s recent hospital stay had cost the family a lot of money, wiping out more than half of Zhang Zhanshan’s savings. They still had some left, but it was all being saved for Zhang Laibao and his brother to get married.

Zhang Laibao didn’t hide anything from his parents and said directly, "I want to buy the Black Bears."

"What did you say?" Upon hearing this, both Zhang Zhanshan and Xu Meihua were stunned.

So, Zhang Laibao repeated everything Zhang Yuanmin had told him. At first, Zhang Zhanshan and Xu Meihua were dismissive, but as they listened, the expressions on both their faces changed.

When Zhang Laibao finished, the couple exchanged a look, but neither said a word.

It had to be said, they were captivated by Zhang Yuanmin’s brilliant plan. The scheme he’d come up with was logical and completely feasible.

Suddenly, Zhang Laifa appeared at the door and said, "I heard that Zhang Big Pants is so close with the Zhao family they could be sharing the same pair of pants. He came to get my brother to buy Zhao Jun’s Black Bears. Isn’t this just a setup he cooked up with the Zhaos?"

Despite Zhang Laifa’s young age, he had hit the nail on the head with a single sentence. Zhang Zhanshan and Zhang Laibao both turned to look at him in unison.

But just then, Xu Meihua asked, "Son, did Big Pants say how much Zhao Jun wants for those two Black Bear cubs?"

Xu Meihua’s question surprised the father and son, and they both stared at her.

They remembered that when Zhang Zhanshan had wanted Zhang Laibao to learn how to hunt, Xu Meihua had been against it. First, she said hunting was too dangerous, and second, she was unwilling to spend money on things like dogs and guns.

Unexpectedly, now that it was about buying Black Bear cubs, she, Xu Meihua, was actually willing.

As if she knew what the father and son were thinking, Xu Meihua’s face darkened, and she said in a venomous tone, "We’ll buy those two Black Bear cubs, feed them well, and wait until they’re grown. Then, the next time Wang Meilan goes into the mountains to gather goods, I’ll take the Black Bears and corner her. Let’s see where she can run then!"

Years ago, Xu Meihua had tried to lure Wang Meilan into Black Bear Gully. Not only did she fail, but she almost got shot by Wang Qiang. Xu Meihua had never forgotten this grudge.

Hearing this, Zhang Zhanshan had a sudden realization.

The day Zhang Laibao was injured, they had also gotten into a conflict with Zhao Jun’s family. It was thanks to the Village Chief, Zhao Guofeng, mediating that Zhang Laibao was able to get medical treatment in time.

But back then, to get away quickly, Zhang Zhanshan had personally promised to never cause trouble for the Zhao Family again, or else he would face the consequences.

But if a member of the Zhao Family went into the mountains and got hurt, or even killed, by a Black Bear, who could possibly be blamed?

’How could you prove it was my Black Bear that mauled you?’

’It’s just not plausible.’

At this, Zhang Zhanshan already pictured the scene. One day, when the two bears were grown, he would take them and ambush Zhao Youcai on the road.

The thought that so many years of being bullied by Zhao Youcai could be avenged in such a way filled Zhang Zhanshan’s heart with immense satisfaction.

At this thought, Zhang Zhanshan’s eyes narrowed, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile, and he muttered to himself, "Oh, Er Gudong, Er Gudong, when the Black Bear is about to gnaw on you, I’ll hold it back a little. I won’t let it kill you. Crippling you would be best, so you can suffer for the rest of your life."

Seeing Zhang Zhanshan’s foolish grin, Zhang Laibao quickly snapped him out of his daydream and said, "Dad, you should help me figure out the money for the gun first."

Although he was interrupted during his happy moment by Zhang Laibao, Zhang Zhanshan still asked Xu Meihua, "How much money do we have left at home?"

"One thousand eight hundred," Xu Meihua replied.

How could a cook be so rich?

You have to understand, Zhang Zhanshan’s father had been a wealthy man. Back then, the Zhang Family was considered a prosperous farming family.

Their fortunes later declined, but the Zhang Family had secretly hidden away quite a few valuables. Over the years, Zhang Zhanshan and Xu Meihua had used these valuables to support their two sons, as well as pay for Zhang Laibao’s medical treatment, using up well over half of it.

"Get it for the boy!" Zhang Zhanshan suddenly gritted his teeth and said to Xu Meihua, "Count out one thousand for him first."

"Alright!" As if gritting her teeth in solidarity with Zhang Zhanshan, Xu Meihua agreed with a pained heart. She opened the kang cabinet and took out a large sum of money.

When Xu Meihua had counted out one thousand yuan—a thick stack of ten-yuan banknotes—Zhang Zhanshan said, "I heard recently that the big stores in the city down the mountain have raised their prices for Bear Gall. Even the gall from a small bear of eighty or a hundred jin can sell for six or seven hundred yuan."

Zhang Zhanshan’s meaning was clear: buying these two bears wouldn’t be cheap, and Zhao Jun would definitely seize the opportunity to fleece their family for all they were worth.

"It’s fine!" Xu Meihua, who was standing to the side, waved the remaining eight hundred yuan in her hand and said, "As long as I can get revenge on Wang Meilan, I’m happy to spend any amount of money."