Chapter 446 - 378: Merging the Hound Packs
Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan were making single-layer pancakes. The method was to take two balls of dough, brush oil between them, press them together, roll the pair into a single flatbread, and cook it on both sides in a pan.
Once the center puffed up, they would remove the flatbread from the pan and peel it apart down the middle, turning one into two. Each of these was a single-layer pancake.
The mother and son made a huge batch—from thirty balls of dough, they made thirty single-layer pancakes.
Following the Northeastern custom, they placed the finished pancakes in a basin and covered it with another one to keep them warm.
Next, they started on the stir-fried shredded potatoes. There wasn’t much to say about it, except that back then, they were always hand-cut—the only way to make them truly delicious.
After the shredded potatoes came out of the wok, it was time to make the scrambled egg and soybean paste.
These eggs weren’t from the broody hen in the storeroom; she had stopped laying ever since she started nesting.
These were the eggs Zhao Youcai had brought back in a lunch box last time.
Wang Meilan cracked four eggs into a large bowl and whisked them. She heated oil in the wok, poured in the egg mixture, and once it set, she used chopsticks to lift out the cooked egg.
There was still oil in the bottom of the wok. Wang Meilan poured in a bowl of soybean paste and began stir-frying it with a spatula. Just as the paste was nearly cooked through, she added the cooked egg back in, continuing to stir-fry, breaking the egg into pieces and letting it fully combine with the paste.
Once the egg and soybean paste was plated, she scrubbed the wok, filled it with water, and started cooking congee. But the congee was meant for the end of the meal—to fill in any remaining cracks. On the other side of the room, dinner had already begun.
As soon as they sat at the table, Lin Xiangshun grabbed a pancake and said to Zhao Jun, "You make a wrap for Zhao Hong. I’ll make one for Na."
Then, Lin Xiangshun said to Zhao Na, "Na, I’ll put lots of meat in yours for you, okay? Your big brother’s smoked meat is delicious."
As he spoke, Lin Xiangshun picked up several slices of smoked wild boar and arranged them down the center of the pancake. He then added a layer of shredded potatoes on top of the meat, followed by the egg and soybean paste.
The egg and soybean paste looked like scrambled eggs, but every piece was coated in the savory paste.
Lin Xiangshun finished rolling the pancake and handed it to Zhao Na. The little girl took it with both hands and took a big bite. As soon as she started chewing, her eyes squeezed shut in delight.
Delicious!
At that moment, Zhao Hong began eating the wrap Zhao Jun had made for her.
With the two kids happily munching away, the three sworn brothers could finally dig in themselves. But when they made their own wraps, they added one thing they hadn’t put in the girls’—ram’s horn scallions.
Around here, people plant scallions during the White Dew solar term. The next spring, as the ice and snow melt, these same scallions sprout anew.
These are called White Dew scallions.
When the White Dew scallions grow into late autumn and winter sets in, the parts above the root wither away, but the roots themselves lie dormant beneath the snow and ice.
When spring returns, the roots reawaken and send up new shoots. The leaves of these second-growth scallions are short and thick, shaped like a ram’s horn—hence the name, ram’s horn scallions.
Ram’s horn scallions are incredibly pungent, but Northeastern men love the kick.
May was the perfect season for eating ram’s horn scallions. Adding them to the pancake wraps instantly gave the food its soul.
Lin Xiangshun’s eyes narrowed as he chewed his wrap. The moment he swallowed, he started clamoring for some alcohol.
And so, Lin Xiangshun and Li Baoyu began to drink.
It was worth noting that after a couple of bites of her own wrap, Wang Meilan also poured herself a small cup of liquor.
Thankfully, she stopped after that one cup.
When Zhao Youcai returned, he had already eaten at the Forest Farm, but seeing Lin Xiangshun, he climbed onto the *kang* bed-stove and started drinking with the other two men.
As a result, when the next day came, Lin Xiangshun didn’t show up to meet Zhao Jun.
For the past two days, he had been there first thing in the morning.
On any other day, Zhao Jun could have just taken his dogs out himself. It wasn’t like he’d never handled four dogs on his own.
But today, he had to take eight dogs into the mountains and get the two packs to work together. How could he possibly manage that without Lin Xiangshun?
Left with no choice, Zhao Jun headed to Lin Xiangshun’s house to find him. Just as he was getting close, he spotted Lin Xiangshun ambling toward him with a rifle slung over his back.
Zhao Jun hurried over to him. "Second Brother, what happened?" he asked.
Lin Xiangshun averted his gaze and waved a hand dismissively. "I was throwing up last night. Tossed and turned for half the night."
"Why’d you push yourself like that?" Zhao Jun rushed to support Lin Xiangshun’s arm. "Second Brother, if you’re not feeling well, let’s just call it off for today. We can talk about it tomorrow."
"No way!" Lin Xiangshun refused. "I’m fine. I’ll feel better once we’re in the mountains."
He then pointed at Zhao Jun and said, "Xiaojun, that smoked meat you made yesterday was fantastic. If it had been just before autumn, when the old sows are at their fattest, it would have been even better."
Zhao Jun: "..."
’He’s in this state, and all he can think about is food.’
Zhao Jun tried to take Lin Xiangshun home, but Lin Xiangshun flatly refused. And so, the two of them returned to Zhao Jun’s family home.
According to their original plan, Zhao Jun left the house first, leading Little Bear, White Dragon, Da Huang, and Xiaohua. Ten minutes later, Lin Xiangshun followed at a slow, meandering pace with Big Fatty, San Pang, Flower Cat, and Hua Lang.
Once Zhao Jun reached the mountain hunting grounds with his dogs, he let all four of them off their leashes. Then he began walking slowly, waiting for Lin Xiangshun to catch up.
Zhao Jun moved slowly, but Lin Xiangshun couldn’t manage much speed either. After more than half an hour, Zhao Jun could finally spot Lin Xiangshun and his four dogs when he looked back.
Zhao Jun slowed his pace even further. Little Bear and his other dogs clustered around him, glancing back every now and then.
The two packs of dogs had only ever interacted while on leashes. No one was certain they wouldn’t fight once they were let loose in the mountains.
So, Zhao Jun and Lin Xiangshun had opted for the most reliable method: having their owners guide the packs to merge.
It was exactly what they were doing now: one person leading their pack at a slow walk, while the other person and their pack approached quickly from behind to catch up.
This was a technique refined by countless Hunters over the years. If two packs were to be merged for a hunt, this was the only way to do it.
If the lead group simply stopped and waited, the moment the second pack caught up and they came face-to-face, a fight was inevitable.
But using Zhao Jun and Lin Xiangshun’s method, the two packs would merge naturally.
Sure enough, the moment Big Fatty spotted Zhao Jun, he took off at a run toward him, with San Pang, Flower Cat, and Hua Lang right on his heels.
Seeing the four dogs rushing up from behind, Little Bear and White Dragon’s pack didn’t try to block them; instead, they made space for them.
The four dogs reached Zhao Jun, circled him a few times, then scattered to sniff and relieve themselves along the path.
Just like that, the two packs had merged. Lin Xiangshun, however, couldn’t keep up.
Now leading eight dogs, Zhao Jun couldn’t really wait for him, so he just deliberately slowed his pace to avoid leaving Lin Xiangshun too far behind.
But suddenly, Little Bear lifted his head, took a couple of sharp sniffs of the air, and then, following the ridge, veered right and dashed down into the gully below, barking as he went.
The moment Little Bear moved, Xiaohua was right behind him. The rest of the dogs immediately followed suit.
Standing on the ridge, Zhao Jun watched as the eight dogs formed a single line and charged toward the bottom of the gully. The sheer spectacle of it was enough to make his blood pump with excitement.
Zhao Jun glanced behind him, but Lin Xiangshun was no longer in sight.
"Second Brother!" Zhao Jun yelled at the top of his lungs. "If you can’t keep up, just head back on your own!"
After yelling, Zhao Jun started down into the gully. The two packs had already merged successfully, and not only had they avoided fighting, they were already after prey. He didn’t need Lin Xiangshun anymore.
And so, Zhao Jun descended one slope, climbed the opposite mountain, reached the top of that ridge, went over it, and descended again. He covered more than five *li* this way.
It left Zhao Jun utterly exhausted!
But before he could even catch his breath, he realized that the eight dogs under his command had all fallen silent again!