Chapter 98: Chapter 98: My Heart Itches If I Don’t Kill

In times like these, life wasn’t easy. But for that very reason, the mountain folk, who toiled year-round, always looked forward to a good New Year’s celebration.

Typically, around the twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month, rural families that raised pigs would begin butchering them for the New Year.

Butchering a pig was an occasion to call on friends and relatives, inviting them over for a meal to strengthen their bonds.

In the past, when Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong were still hunting in the mountains, their families never raised a New Year pig, but they never lacked for meat to host guests.

But ever since the two men started focusing on their regular jobs, the Zhao and Li families were no longer in a position to host a pork feast.

For the past few years, it had always been their relatives and friends who did the butchering, inviting them over for the festivities.

While close friends and family didn’t keep score, they couldn’t help but feel they’d accumulated a significant social debt.

It was January 16, 1987, the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month. The New Year was just over ten days away.

Wang Meilan had an idea: they could use the wild boars Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu had hunted. Together with the Li Family, they could set up a few tables in their courtyards and treat their friends and family to a proper feast.

Jin Xiaomei was all for it, agreeing without a moment’s hesitation.

After that, Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu had nothing more to do with it. The matriarchs of the two families put their heads together to plan the feast.

That evening, when Zhao Youcai got off work at the Forest Farm and returned, he heard fellow villagers praising his son the moment he entered the village. They said Zhao Jun was a true chip off the old block.

Zhao Youcai exchanged a few pleasantries, then headed home, feeling quite pleased with himself. The first thing he did upon entering his courtyard was peek into the storeroom. But when he saw the large boar trotters, he couldn’t help but frown and mutter, "Why is it cannon eggs again?"

With that, he walked over to the dog kennel.

It was a Hunter’s habit. The first thing they did when they got home wasn’t to check on their wife and kids, but on their dogs.

When he saw the white dog wagging its tail, a pleased look appeared on Zhao Youcai’s face. He patted White Dragon’s head before finally heading into the house.

Once inside, Zhao Youcai checked on Hua Xiao’Er and Daqing. He then took off his quilted cotton jacket, washed his hands, and sat down on the kang to have a drink of water.

Just then, Zhao Jun came in. "Dad, I bagged another boar today."

"Yeah, I saw." Zhao Youcai nodded. "Next time, try not to just get cannon eggs. The meat is too gamy to taste good. Go for old sows or yellow-haired ones."

Zhao Jun grinned. "It wasn’t just cannon eggs. I got others, too."

"Others? What’d you get? An old sow? A yellow-haired?" Zhao Youcai fired off a rapid string of questions.

Zhao Jun said, "All of them!"

"Three of them?" Even a veteran like Zhao Youcai was a little stunned to hear his son had taken down three boars in a single day. But his experience quickly kicked in, and after a moment’s thought, he grasped the situation. "It was windy today," he asked Zhao Jun. "Did you sneak up on a whole sounder?"

"Yup."

"You’re really something, kid." It was a rare compliment from Zhao Youcai. But his next question was sharp. "Who taught you how to hunt like that?"

’That was a tough question to answer.’

Zhao Jun knew he couldn’t explain it. Making up a lie would be pointless. So he went with the most unbelievable excuse he could think of. "Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been listening to you all brag—er, I mean, tell stories. Stories about your hunts. I guess I just picked it up from listening."

Zhao Youcai ignored the flippancy in his son’s tone. "And I suppose you learned to shoot by listening, too?"

"Shooting... you just pull the trigger," Zhao Jun said, feigning nonchalance. "If it hits, it hits. If it misses, it misses. Simple as that."

Zhao Youcai was left speechless. There was no talking to him. It just made him want to teach the boy a lesson.

Fortunately, Wang Meilan came in from the outer room just then. She started talking to Zhao Youcai about the plan to butcher the boar for a New Year’s feast, and he agreed immediately.

The Forest Farm’s holiday started on the twenty-seventh of the twelfth month and lasted until the seventh day of the new year. Zhao Youcai planned to personally take charge of the cooking on the twenty-eighth and treat their friends and family to a fantastic meal.

After dinner, Zhao Jun went to his room to rest. Zhao Youcai sat at the low table on the kang, holding his youngest daughter, Zhao Na, and regaling her with tales of his glorious past exploits in the great mountains.

Nearby, Zhao Hong watched her father with a resigned expression. She’d heard these stories dozens of times growing up, and now that her little sister was here, she had to listen to them all over again.

Only when Wang Meilan finished cleaning up in the outer room and returned to the main bedroom did Zhao Youcai set his little girl down. "Meilan," he said, "keep an eye on our son for the next few days."

"What’s wrong?" Wang Meilan asked.

"The New Year’s is almost here," Zhao Youcai said. "Let’s just have a quiet, peaceful holiday. If he wants to hunt, he can wait until after it’s over."

Only then did it click for Wang Meilan. He was right. With the New Year so close, any accident now would be an unlucky omen for the entire year to come.

At that thought, Wang Meilan nodded. "You’re right. I’ll talk to him in the morning."

"Talking won’t work," Zhao Youcai said. "You’ll have to watch him closely."

...

The next morning, as Zhao Jun sat down for breakfast, Wang Meilan told him he was forbidden from going into the mountains to hunt, starting today and lasting until after the New Year.

Zhao Jun didn’t object and readily agreed. He’d been plenty active lately, and the family wasn’t short on meat. Besides, he also wanted to wander around the village and soak in the old-fashioned New Year atmosphere.

For the next few days, Zhao Jun stayed in the village, wandering from one place to another and visiting neighbors.

This continued until the twenty-first of the twelfth month. Zhao Jun was at the village’s small canteen, watching some of the older men—his father’s generation—play cards.

Suddenly, someone nudged him from behind.

Zhao Jun turned around. "Oh, Brother Zhang! What are you here to buy?" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Zhang Yuanmin glanced around warily, then stood on his tiptoes and whispered to Zhao Jun, "Brother, come outside. I need to talk to you."

Zhao Jun was completely baffled by his behavior. ’What’s all this about?’ he thought.

Still, Zhao Jun followed Zhang Yuanmin out of the canteen.

The moment they were outside, Zhang Yuanmin acted even more furtively, glancing around before pulling Zhao Jun around the corner of the building.

"What is all this?" Zhao Jun was completely bewildered.

A strange grin suddenly spread across Zhang Yuanmin’s face. He asked Zhao Jun, "Brother, what do you say we go raid a Black Bear’s Den?"

"What?" Zhao Jun was speechless. ’All this secrecy for that? Was it really necessary to make such a big fuss?’

Zhang Yuanmin said, "My brother-in-law was over for drinks yesterday. He told me that south of Forest Class 38, near Shan Erlie in Forest Class 56, there’s a den up in a tree."

He trailed off, giving Zhao Jun a meaningful look, full of winks and nudges. He didn’t have to say another word; his meaning was crystal clear.

"Brother," Zhao Jun said earnestly, "the New Year is right around the corner. Let’s deal with it after the holiday. The Black Bear is hibernating in its den; it’s not going anywhere."

"Well..." Zhang Yuanmin hesitated, a little embarrassed. But since Zhao Jun had saved his life, he felt he could be frank. "My brother-in-law went up the mountain with Li Dagua. It sounds like Li Dagua is already gathering people to go after it."

"If he wants to hunt it, let him," Zhao Jun said. "Brother, did your wife mention it to you? After the New Year, once spring arrives, I’m going to prepare some sedatives for deer hunting. We can go after them together, get some Antler Velvet and Deer Fetus, and split the money from the sale.

Wouldn’t that be great? Much better than hunting a Black Bear, right?"

"That’s true," Zhang Yuanmin first agreed, but then his tone shifted. "But if we don’t go after this Black Bear... I’ve just got this itch I can’t scratch."

Hearing this, Zhao Jun was truly exasperated.

Both he and the others had been roughed up by a Black Bear before. But where Minister Li and Li Erchen were scared witless...

...this brother of mine wasn’t scared at all. In fact, he had an itch to get back at it.

’He’s a hopeless case.’

But all Zhao Jun could say was, "Brother, my mom laid down the law. I’m not allowed in the mountains from now until after the New Year. I really can’t go with you."

"No problem, brother. You go on and have fun with them. I’ll head back now." Zhang Yuanmin gave a magnanimous wave and bid Zhao Jun farewell.

"Brother, wait," Zhao Jun said, grabbing Zhang Yuanmin’s arm. "You can’t go by yourself. This isn’t just any other time; the New Year is almost here. I don’t mean to be blunt, but if something were to happen to you, how could your family possibly celebrate?"

Zhao Jun meant every word. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be staying home so obediently himself.

Zhang Yuanmin knew Zhao Jun meant well. He smiled and said, "Don’t worry, brother. I’ll get Chen Dalai to go with me."

Zhang Yuanmin had sought out Zhao Jun partly to leverage his skill, but also with the kind intention of splitting the Bear Gall with him. In his mind, it was far better to share the prize with Zhao Jun than with anyone else.

But if Zhao Jun wouldn’t go, Zhang Yuanmin was confident someone else would. Plenty of people were short on cash.