The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

Zhao Jun took the rifle case and, holding it by both ends, flipped it over. He saw three words embroidered in red thread on the army-green canvas: Dongfeng Defense Field.

Zhao Jun glanced around. They were seated toward the back of the room, and the only other occupied table was the one behind him.

With his back conveniently turned, Zhao Jun unzipped the side of the case and slid the rifle partway out.

A Type 56 semi-automatic rifle.

After a single glance, Zhao Jun slid the rifle back in and zipped the case shut.

Just then, Du Chunjiang, sitting opposite him, chuckled. "Technician Zhao, why don’t you take it out for a proper look?"

Zhao Jun smiled back. "It’s a brand-new rifle. What’s there to look at? I’m sure it’s perfect!"

With that, Zhao Jun held the rifle case out to Du Chunjiang, gesturing to return it.

To his surprise, Du Chunjiang held up a hand to stop him. He glanced at Li Baoyu, then said to Zhao Jun, "Technician Zhao, I know you and Master Li are close, so I’ll be direct. This rifle is for you. I came to Lingnan today just to buy it. I didn’t expect to run into you here, so instead of lugging it back, I’ll just give it to you now."

"Absolutely not." Zhao Jun immediately stood up and pushed the rifle back toward Du Chunjiang. "This is far too valuable. I can’t possibly accept it. What would people think?"

Without waiting for a response, Zhao Jun placed the rifle on the table directly in front of Du Chunjiang.

Seeing this, Du Chunjiang grew anxious. He quickly put a hand on the rifle case to hold it down. "Technician Zhao, I don’t mean anything by it," he said urgently. "I just want to be your friend."

"That’s not how you make friends," Zhao Jun said quickly. "We can be friends—we already are, aren’t we? We’ve known each other for a while, there’s no need for this. I can’t accept the rifle. Du Leader, you have to take it back. If anything, hurry up and return it to the store."

"Huh?" Du Chunjiang was taken aback, then gave a wry smile. "Technician Zhao, you’re joking, right? Since when can you return something you bought at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative?"

"Well..." Zhao Jun hesitated.

In those days, the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives in the Northeast might not have been like the ones in the Southern Region, where they wouldn’t think twice about roughing up a customer. Still, they were known for their take-it-or-leave-it attitude and weren’t easy to deal with.

Seizing on Zhao Jun’s hesitation, Du Chunjiang immediately pressed his advantage. "Technician Zhao, I can’t return it. If you won’t take it, it’ll just be a complete waste."

Seeing Zhao Jun was still on the fence, Du Chunjiang pushed the rifle case back toward him again. "Look, in my hands, this rifle is just a decoration. But in your hands? Think of how many wild boars and Black Bears you could hunt in a year! And if you bring me a bit of meat, I’d get to enjoy the spoils too, wouldn’t I?"

Du Chunjiang’s words seemed to make sense. Zhao Jun, sitting on his stool, gave a slight nod but remained silent.

Seeing this, Du Chunjiang also fell silent, simply watching Zhao Jun and waiting for his decision.

"It’s still not right." Suddenly, Zhao Jun shook his head and reached out to push the case away. But as he pushed, Du Chunjiang held it down firmly.

Du Chunjiang’s voice was insistent. "Technician Zhao, you’re a tiger-slaying hero! How can you not have a worthy weapon in your hands? With you using this rifle, it’s... it’s..."

Du Chunjiang wasn’t a man of letters. He struggled for a moment, unable to finish the phrase, and just stammered, "A fine sword... a fine sword for a..."

"A fine sword for a hero," Li Baoyu chimed in from the side, seeing him struggle.

"Yes, yes!" Du Chunjiang shot Li Baoyu a grateful look before turning back to Zhao Jun. "Did you hear that, Technician Zhao? A fine sword for a hero! A fine rifle belongs in your hands."

"Exactly." Just then, Li Baoyu felt a tug on his pant leg under the table. It was Zhao Jun, pulling him closer. Li Baoyu instantly understood the cue and played along. "Brother, I think Du Leader has a point..."

"A point about what?!" To both Li Baoyu and Du Chunjiang’s surprise, Zhao Jun suddenly flew into a rage. He cut Li Baoyu off, fuming at him, "What do you know? On our way here, we passed the Duck Frame Forest Farm. Remember their technician? Last winter, he accepted a watch from a Leader, and that same Leader reported him for it!"

Du Chunjiang was startled by this and quickly tried to interject, "Technician Zhao, I would never—"

But Li Baoyu, catching Zhao Jun’s eye, cut in. "Accepting a watch? How could he prove that? All he had to do was deny it."

In those days, with no video or audio recordings, it was indeed hard to press charges. Besides, Zhao Jun was just making it up. What Leader would dare report a technician without concrete evidence?

"Are you an idiot?" Zhao Jun seemed even more agitated. But since they were in a restaurant, he kept his voice down to avoid making a scene. He pointed at the rifle on the table and hissed at Li Baoyu, "You think this is the same as a watch? This thing has a serial number!"

He then jabbed a finger toward Du Chunjiang but kept his glare fixed on Li Baoyu. "The number matches the one on the receipt! If anything went wrong, I’d lose my job!"

Li Baoyu seemed to get worked up too. He looked at Zhao Jun but pointed at Du Chunjiang. "Well, if he’s giving you the rifle, isn’t he going to give you the receipt too?" he demanded.

With that, Li Baoyu turned to Du Chunjiang and asked, "Du Leader, where’s the receipt?"

"Right here, right here." Seeing both men—four eyes in total—staring at him, Du Chunjiang quickly fumbled in his pocket, pulled out the receipt for the rifle, and offered it to Zhao Jun.

Now, it would have been awkward for Zhao Jun to take the receipt and scrutinize it, so he didn’t reach for it.

But Li Baoyu was there to do the dirty work. He snatched the receipt, spread it open, and slapped it on the table in front of Zhao Jun. "See? The receipt’s right here, isn’t it?"

"Whether it’s here or not..." Zhao Jun picked up the receipt, his anger instantly vanishing. He turned to Li Baoyu and said, "This isn’t about the receipt, you get it? I’m trying to teach you how these things work. You drive your truck to every Logging Camp. What are you going to do if someone accuses you of taking bribes and extorting favors someday?"

"Oh!" Li Baoyu exclaimed, feigning a sudden realization. "You’re absolutely right, Brother. You’ve got a point."

Across the table, Du Chunjiang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He could clearly see that the two young men didn’t trust him and had orchestrated this entire performance.

What’s more, they weren’t even being subtle about it. It was almost as if they were intentionally trying to put him on the spot.

But then Du Chunjiang recalled what had happened the first time Zhao Jun visited his Logging Camp, and he smiled wryly to himself. ’As expected of Zhao Ergudong’s son,’ he thought. ’He sure as hell can hold a grudge!’

At the same time, he knew Zhao Jun didn’t trust him, and he couldn’t fault the man’s reasoning. Although Zhao Jun had accepted four dogs from him just two days ago, dogs were different from a rifle.

A dog has no fixed price; it could be worth a few yuan or a few hundred. If you told a layman you’d spent nearly three hundred yuan on four dogs, they wouldn’t even believe you.

But this Type 56 semi-automatic rifle was different. It was an item with a clearly marked price at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

If Zhao Jun had accepted the gift and Du Chunjiang had withheld the receipt, all he’d have to do was go to the Forest Farm and report him. Once they matched the receipt to the rifle in Zhao Jun’s possession, he’d be finished.

However, Du Chunjiang knew who had Zhao Jun’s back. Unless he had a complete lapse in judgment, he would never pull a stunt like that.

But Zhao Jun’s sheer caution and prudence made Du Chunjiang even more wary of overstepping. He just hoped they could finally bury the hatchet so that, eventually, he could ask Zhao Jun for a small favor.