Chapter 312 - 258: Reconsidering the Tiger Hunt
In a driven hunt with dogs, there are three ways to spur them on.
First, the hunter makes a sharp, guttural cry. To the dogs, this sound means, "Go on! Get ’em!"
Second is firing a shot. As their partners, the hunting dogs trust the hunter. They believe that as soon as the hunter fires, the prey is as good as dead. At that moment, the dogs will give it everything they’ve got.
Third is when the dogs see their hunter approaching during the hunt. To protect their master, they will turn back and fight with everything they have.
As Hua Xiao’Er ran down the slope, it met Zhao Jun coming up to meet it. Its first instinct was to turn and fight the wild boar. But when it turned, it found it couldn’t move a single step.
So it stood its ground, opening its mouth to let out a defiant roar.
In a battle between beasts, posturing is a major factor in determining the outcome. When Hua Xiao’Er roared at the boar, the pain from the beast’s own rear flank made it stumble, and its speed instantly dropped.
By then, Zhao Jun had already taken aim at the wild boar and squeezed the trigger.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
After three consecutive shots, the wild boar collapsed onto the snow, its jaw twitching.
Hua Xiao’Er ran to the wild boar’s side and collapsed next to it, not even having the strength to bite and tear at the carcass.
Zhao Jun walked over and looked at the boar’s head. Seeing its tusks, he thought, ’This must be the one that killed Daqing.’
Zhao Jun slung his rifle over his shoulder, drew the Invasion Blade from the small of his back, and went forward to flip the boar onto its back. He then gutted it, removed the heart, sliced it in two, and offered a piece to Hua Xiao’Er.
Hua Xiao’Er was panting heavily, its tongue lolling out. When it saw Zhao Jun offer the heart, it weakly turned its head away.
Zhao Jun placed the heart in front of the dog, then pulled out the boar’s intestines and hung them on a nearby tree.
It had been an unlucky day. ’Maybe a last-minute offering will help.’
Next, Zhao Jun cut off one of the boar’s massive thighs. It was a cannon eggs boar of over three hundred pounds, and you could smell its gaminess even from a distance. The meat was tough and fibrous, not nearly as tasty as the meat from a Little Yellow.
But Zhao Jun didn’t intend for this leg to be eaten by people; he planned to feed it to the dogs. After all, there were four more dogs back at the house. Little Bear, White Dragon, and Da Huang were all injured and needed some consolation. As for Xiaohua, she had suffered a defeat on her first trip up the mountain and had to be given a treat.
By the time Zhao Jun had cut off the boar’s leg and skinned it, Hua Xiao’Er had recovered some. The dog picked up the heart and began to slowly chew it.
After eating the entire heart, Hua Xiao’Er got up, shook the snow from its coat, and came to lie down beside Zhao Jun again.
Zhao Jun reached out and stroked its head, making a silent decision. ’I’m done with this spring hunt. Tomorrow morning, I’ll say my goodbyes to the Tao Family and ask Tao Erbao to find a sled to take me, Li Baoyu, and the four injured dogs home.’
’And when we get back, Hua Xiao’Er will stay home and recover. Starting tonight, it’s not going up the mountain again.’
Zhao Jun agreed with the saying that all good dogs die on the mountain, but he couldn’t bring himself to lead Hua Xiao’Er to its death when it was in this condition.
Having made up his mind, Zhao Jun got up, shouldered the boar’s leg, and headed down the mountain with Hua Xiao’Er.
When he ran into the militia, Zhao Jun told them he’d killed a wild boar and a black bear, giving them the locations for both.
The militiamen looked at Zhao Jun, wanting to believe him but finding it difficult. They were skeptical because he was so young; he really didn’t look capable of such a feat.
Zhao Jun noticed their doubt and pulled the bear gall from an inner pocket of his padded cotton jacket. That was all the proof they needed.
As soon as he saw the bear gall, the militia squad leader started organizing his men to head up the mountain. But then Zhao Jun asked him for a favor: to cut off two bear’s paws and a leg from the bear and deliver them to Tao Erbao’s house.
Upon hearing he was a guest of the Tao Family, the squad leader readily agreed.
Zhao Jun and Hua Xiao’Er made their way back to Tao Erbao’s house. When they entered the courtyard, he saw only Xiaohua in the dog pen. ’The others must have been moved inside,’ he figured.
Zhao Jun reached the front of the house and slid the door open, just as Li Yunxiang came out to meet him.
The moment Li Yunxiang saw Zhao Jun, she exclaimed, "Zhao Jun! You’re finally back."
"What’s wrong?" Zhao Jun was taken aback, assuming something terrible had happened.
"Nothing’s wrong." Li Yunxiang looked Zhao Jun up and down. "I heard from Xiaofei that you went after the wild boar that hurt the dogs. I was so worried about you."
Li Yunxiang was a kind woman. Even though Zhao Jun wasn’t her own son, she had been worried sick ever since she heard how fierce the boar was and that he had gone after it with just his dog.
"Don’t worry, Auntie, I’m fine." Zhao Jun gave Li Yunxiang a reassuring smile, then pointed to the room he and Li Baoyu were staying in. "Did Baoyu bring the dogs inside?"
"Mhm," Li Yunxiang nodded. "You said injured dogs should be kept inside, didn’t you? So I had him and Xiaofei move them into the room you two are sleeping in."
At this, Li Yunxiang added, "My third oldest brother is a doctor. He just came by to bandage them up and give them some shots. He just left."
"Oh, wow. Please thank Third Uncle for me."
"Don’t mention it. Go on in and take a look."
Zhao Jun entered the inner room, rifle slung over his back and the boar’s leg in hand. He saw Tao Fulun, Li Baoyu, and Tao Fei sitting on the kang, chatting. It looked like Li Baoyu was in the middle of telling another tall tale.
On the floor, three burlap sacks had been laid out, and the injured dogs were lying on top. Their wounds were bandaged, likely with stitches underneath. They even had IV drips in their front legs.
When they saw Zhao Jun come in, Tao Fulun, Li Baoyu, and Tao Fei quickly got to their feet and hurried over to him.
Tao Fulun, in particular, clapped Zhao Jun on the back twice. "Kid, we were getting worried about you."