The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

"Mhm," Zhao Chun responded, then asked Zhao Youcai, "Dad, how much did you pay for this lamb?"

"It wasn’t much. Don’t worry about paying me back." Zhao Youcai knew that even if Zhao Chun gave him the money, he’d just have to turn around and give it to Zhou Jianjun anyway.

’If that’s the case, I might as well let my daughter keep the money.’ So, even though he felt Zhou Jianjun’s expectant gaze, Zhao Youcai said to Zhao Chun, "Just consider this ten yuan a gift for my grandson."

"We can’t accept that..." Hu Sanmei, who was standing nearby, tried to insist, but Zhao Youcai cut her off.

Zhao Youcai said, "Why not? Let’s drop the talk about money. Is there anything to eat? I’m starving over here."

"Of course! How could I forget?" Hu Sanmei said, heading into the house. As she walked, she added, "Come on in, come on in. I’ll get some food on the table for you right away."

Hearing this, Zhao Youcai turned and walked into the house with his hands clasped behind his back. Meanwhile, Zhao Chun went straight to Zhou Jianjun, who was holding the lamb’s lead, and asked, "Dad spent ten yuan on the lamb. Why did you ask me for twenty yesterday?"

"I..." In truth, Zhou Jianjun had asked for the money first, then bought the lamb. He hadn’t known how much it would cost when he went to buy it, so he had asked for a little extra.

But now, feeling as guilty as a thief caught red-handed, his mind went blank when Zhao Chun confronted him. For a moment, he had no idea how to respond.

"Oh, you just wait." With that parting shot, Zhao Chun went back into the house, leaving Zhou Jianjun standing there with the lamb, utterly dumbfounded.

Just then, the hungry lamb started bleating again. BAA, BAA.

Zhao Chun went inside and headed straight for Zhao Youcai’s room. She called out softly from the doorway, "Dad?" Only after hearing him answer from within did she push the door open and enter.

"What’s wrong, my girl?" Zhao Youcai asked.

"Dad!" Zhao Chun walked up to Zhao Youcai and asked urgently, "Are you hiding money from Mom again?"

’Li Ruhai!’ At that moment, only one name flashed through Zhao Youcai’s mind. ’That little bastard! His damn blabbering has reached all the way to Yongsheng Village. When I get back, I’ll make Li Dayong break his legs for sure.’

But he was jumping to conclusions. Zhao Chun continued, "Don’t even try to deny it. Would Mom give you that much money? Where did you get ten yuan to buy a lamb? If Mom finds out about this, she’ll give you hell all over again, won’t she?"

"What in the world are you talking about..."

"Dad, I’m not trying to nag you, but remember when I was little? You sewed money into my quilt, and Mom found it all when she took the quilt apart to wash it. Didn’t you end up having to wash it yourself? If Mom finds out again..."

"Go on, get! Get out of here!" Zhao Youcai waved his hand, shooing Zhao Chun away. "Hurry up and go help your mother-in-law with dinner!"

"Hmph!" Sensing her father was just being stubborn, Zhao Chun sighed and turned to leave. But at the door, she couldn’t resist turning back to advise him to "turn himself in." She said, "You old man, you just won’t listen to a word I say. How about I have Jianjun go to the Village Office and call Xiaojun to come over?"

Zhao Youcai pointed to the door and roared, "Get out!"

...

The next morning, after breakfast, Zhao Youcai and Zhou Jianjun gathered their gear, ready to head back into the mountains to hunt the leopard.

Unlike the day before, the father-and-son-in-law duo was well-prepared. They not only brought a small pouch of bean cakes for the lamb but also packed several steamed sponge cakes for their own lunch.

Once everything was ready, Zhao Youcai shouldered the gun and Zhou Jianjun carried the lamb. They made their way into the mountains and returned to their ambush spot.

After tying up the lamb, Zhou Jianjun scattered the bean cakes in front of it, then went to hide behind a nearby tree.

The father and son-in-law then hunkered down behind the tree. They stayed there until noon without moving, eating their steamed sponge cakes and drinking cool, boiled water from a military-issue canteen whenever they got hungry.

Another two hours passed. Suddenly, the lamb let out a frantic bleat. Sensing something was wrong, both Zhao Youcai and Zhou Jianjun pressed their faces against the tree trunk, each peeking out with one eye to see what was happening.

A leopard came into view. It was creeping cautiously through the woods, stalking step by step toward the lamb.

The lamb, as if sensing the danger, started bleating incessantly at the top of its lungs.

The leopard was very close to the lamb now. With every step forward, it would crouch low and scan its surroundings. Only after confirming there was no danger to its left or right would it rise and advance again.

Zhao Youcai was less than thirty meters from the leopard. He wanted to take the shot, but the leopard was approaching him head-on; it wasn’t giving him a broadside view.

In Hunter’s jargon, a "broadside view" is when the prey turns sideways, exposing the entire side of its body to the Hunter’s gun.

But right now, the leopard was facing Zhao Youcai directly, which made for a difficult shot.

So, Zhao Youcai didn’t rush. He patiently waited for the right moment to fire, confident that the leopard would eventually give him an opening when it turned.

But Zhou Jianjun didn’t know any of this. From his position, he could see the leopard getting dangerously close to his father-in-law, yet Zhao Youcai still hadn’t made a move.

For a moment, Zhou Jianjun thought that his father-in-law simply hadn’t spotted the Northeast Leopard. He immediately pointed and, from about a meter away, whispered as quietly as he could, "Dad, over there."

The instant Zhou Jianjun pointed, the leopard sprang into the air and pounced, sinking its teeth into the back of the lamb’s neck.

As the lamb let out a pitiful shriek, Zhou Jianjun cried out "Dad!" from behind the tree. By then, Zhao Youcai had already raised his gun, just waiting for the leopard to turn and give him a clear, broadside shot.

But before Zhou Jianjun could even finish his sentence, the leopard bounded up a tree, leaped to a nearby willow, and with another powerful spring, vanished into the forest.

Zhao Youcai never got a shot off. By the time he was ready to fire again, the leopard was long gone.

"What did I tell you!" Zhao Youcai whirled around and roared at Zhou Jianjun, who was hiding nearby. "I told you not to talk! I told you not to make a sound! You just had to pick that exact moment to speak, didn’t you?"

"Dad, I was just trying to let you know!" Zhou Jianjun hurriedly explained. "I thought you hadn’t seen it."

"You thought I didn’t see it? I was out hunting when you were still God knows where!"

Zhou Jianjun couldn’t argue with that, so he changed the subject. "Dad, the lamb’s dead. What should we do?"

"We carry it back!" Zhao Youcai barked. "We’ll take it home, skin it, see how much meat we can get, and stew it. It’d be a waste to just leave it here."

’That was one reason. The other was that if the leopard came back to eat the dead lamb and filled its belly, there was no telling when it might appear again.’

After all, Northeast Leopards can endure hunger remarkably well, going for several days without a meal was no problem for them.

The two men then got to work and skinned the small lamb on the spot. It yielded less than seven pounds of meat, which Zhou Jianjun carried on his back as they headed home.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Zhao Youcai said, "Jianjun, I’m heading back tomorrow."

"No, Dad, don’t!" Zhou Jianjun said, hearing his words. "We haven’t gotten the leopard yet, you can’t leave!"

"What’s the point of staying?" Zhao Youcai asked. "The lamb is dead, so we can’t lure it out tomorrow. Why should I stick around? It’s time to go home. If you’ve got fields to plant, plant them. If you’ve got a job to do, do it."

"It’s fine that we don’t have a lamb," Zhou Jianjun said, trying to persuade him to stay. "I’ll just buy another one tomorrow."

"You’re buying another one?"

"I am!" Zhou Jianjun said resolutely. "First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll head over to the Sun Family’s place."

"Fine, then," Zhao Youcai agreed, though he seemed reluctant. Then he suddenly asked Zhou Jianjun, "You’re buying one lamb after another... Just how much money have you been hiding from my daughter?"

"This is the last of it," Zhou Jianjun said with a wry smile. "I’ve only managed to save a little over twenty-three yuan since the New Year. After buying two lambs, there’s nothing left."

Since it was Zhou Jianjun’s money, Zhao Youcai didn’t need to worry about it, so he dropped the subject.

But when the two of them arrived back at the Zhou Family home, they found they had company.