Zhang Ermu had asked Bajie about the possibility of a blind date with Zhang Yulan, but while Bajie hadn't outright refused, he had made it clear he wasn't interested.
Zhang Ermu had been annoyed at first when he refused his sister. But after so thought, he realized it was for the best. Bajie was ambitious and bold—traits that made him a good businessman but an unreliable husband.
Such a man might bring a lot of wealth but would likely neglect his family. For soone like Zhang Yulan who grew up under other's bullying and scrutiny, a dependable partner was far more important than riches.
Still, the thought of telling his sister about Bajie's lack of interest gave him a headache. Perhaps his Ah Piao could help him figure out how to handle this delicate situation.
After he reached this conclusion, he focused on the work at hand. He tied up the roe deer and reset the trap. Using a shoulder pole to carry the animal, he continued to his final trap.
This last trap was larger and deeper, designed for bigger prey. As he approached, he noticed the bait was gone. Feeling curious, he peered into the hole and froze in shock—a bear was lying inside.
Putting down his basket and shoulder pole, he grabbed a stick and poked the bear cautiously. After a few prods, he realized it wasn't moving. Relief flooded him as he concluded the bear was dead.
Securing himself with a hemp rope tied to a nearby tree, he climbed into the hole to inspect the situation. Initially, he thought the bear had fallen and broken its neck, but the strong sll of fresh blood made him frown.
Using the stick, he moved the bear's body slightly and discovered the source of the blood.
There was a wild boar beneath the bear. Its sharp tusks had pierced the bear's stomach and killed it. While at the sa ti, the boar itself seed to have been crushed under the bear's weight and died.
After examining the small wounds on the bear and wild boar's body, Zhang Ermu deduced that the two animals had fallen into the trap during a fight. The wild boar must have been fleeing when the bear chased it, leading both to tumble into the pit.
This was truly a case of 'the fisherman reaping the benefits while the fish and shrimp fought.' The bear alone was worth a fortune—its paws could sell for thousands of yuan, not to ntion the value of its fur and at.
By selling the bear and the roe deer, he no longer has to worry about not having enough money to marry a wife. The only problem was how to transport such a large haul back ho by himself.
After thinking for a while, he decided to ask Li Chenze for help cleaning up the wild boar and bear before he brought them back. As for the roe deer and pheasants, he would bring them back himself.
He chose to seek help from his friend because his friend was a skilled hunter with extensive experience in dealing with prey but no one knows about this. So, with the help of his friends, they were able to clean up the bear without damaging the parts.
Once he made up his mind, he climbed out of the hole and used dried branches to cover it. Afterward, he placed dried vines on top of the branches before covering everything with dried leaves.
This area was far from the village, and no one was likely to co here. So, this cover should be enough to hide the bear and the wild boar.
When he finished, Zhang Ermu picked up the bamboo basket and bamboo pole and headed toward the open field he had found yesterday. He still couldn't understand why the vegetation and animals in the mountains had suddenly grown so rapidly.
Previously, he could only forage small amounts of grains in the mountains once in a while, and even those were pitifully scarce. But yesterday, he stumbled upon an open field filled with matured corn and wheat. He had also found various mushrooms growing nearby.
On the day he discovered the field, he had already carried five sacks of corn cobs back ho. Yet, the amount of corn in the field was still a lot.
Now, he was returning to gather more corn. He planned to visit twice a day to harvest as much as he could. When he finished harvesting the corn, he would harvest the wheat before the sumr rains arrived.
The thought of having so much grain stocked at ho lifted his mood. When he reached the open field, he put down the pheasants and the roe deer and began his work. Today, he had brought six sacks, intending to carry more corn back for drying.
It took him two hours to fill the sacks. Placing the roe deer together with the pheasants in the bamboo basket, he tied three sacks of corn on each side of his shoulder pole. Although the load was heavy, it was a sweet burden for Zhang Ermu.
Due to the weight, the journey back took more than two hours. When he finally entered the backyard, he saw his sister washing clothes. Although her hands moved swiftly, she seed to be in a daze.
After placing the sacks and the bamboo basket down, he walked over to his sister and asked, "Yulan, what's wrong with you?"
Startled by her brother's sudden voice, Zhang Yulan jolted. She turned to him and complained, "Brother, why don't you make a sound when you walk? You nearly scared to death."
Noticing her pale face, Zhang Ermu squatted beside her and asked, "Yulan, did sothing happen? Why are you so distracted?"
"Well, this morning, the Huang family ca looking for trouble. They smashed Sister Liu Piao's house. Fortunately, I was there, so I inford the vice leader," Zhang Yulan said.
Hearing this, Zhang Ermu was shocked. Although she spoke lightly, he knew the situation wasn't as simple as she made it sound. He quickly checked her from head to toe before asking, "Are you hurt?"
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