The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 139: The Dense Forest Behind the Hill_1

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: The Dense Forest Behind the Hill_1

Xiang Rong went ahead, lifted the goat out, and saw that it had broken its leg. There were also four rabbits and two pheasants inside.

They had previously been hopeful that they might catch a lot of game, but after all, they were not experienced hunters and didn’t know the effectiveness of their pit traps.

Now, seeing the significant yield from the first and second traps, their confidence gradually grew.

At the third trap, this time’s catch was even more extraordinary—two deer, a large and a small one, and several rabbits.

"Wow, we’ve got deer, one big and one small," Xiang Rong said, "Let’s take them back, raise them, and we can cut and sell the antlers every year for a good amount of money."

Deer meat was worth a lot more than rabbits and pheasants.

"Yes!" Zuo Li was also very excited, thinking that he could make another significant contribution, "I brought rope with me, tie them up, and bind the stuff inside."

After clearing the three traps, He Tiantian said, "We’ve got quite a bit here; let’s send the stuff down first."

Zuo Li and Xiang Rong looked at each other, everyone had quite a lot on them, especially with one goat and two deer, one large and one small—these were more valuable than rabbits!

"Alright then, let’s go down first, send the stuff back and then return," Zuo Li agreed, and the three of them with their rich haul headed down the back mountain, back to the livestock team.

Old Man Qi, Professor Gu, and Old Man Bai saw their tremendous catch and laughed till their eyes were nearly invisible for all their teeth showing.

Inside the house, Qian Shikun and Sun Sihao saw Zuo Li and Xiang Rong bringing back so much, and hearing that they were going up the mountain again, they too wanted to come along.

Throughout these days, they had both been taken care of by others and felt indebted. They couldn’t do the heavy work, but searching for game on a mountain was something they could manage.

"Brother Zuo, we may not be hunters, but we can help carry things. We’ve always been looked after by you all and feel quite uneasy about it, please let us do something," Qian Shikun said with his thin clothing. He had previously seen Old Man Bai’s hare fur jacket and was very envious. Now that there was a chance to get hare fur, helping out could be a good excuse to ask others to make one for them.

"Sure, carry a bamboo basket on your back, the walk is a bit far, so you need to move fast to keep up," Zuo Li said. Usually, everyone ate together, and these people who hadn’t gone hunting ate the same as everyone else. As for winter fur jackets, everyone had made one, and it would not be right to exclude them. They also couldn’t neglect them for fear of being reported. If they wanted to work and reduce their own pressure, all the better.

It’s always better to work for what you get than to live off others!

"Sure!" Qian Shikun and Sun Sihao agreed, their several months of hard labor had reformed them, and they’d adapted to life here.

Work was no longer a burden, but a part of life.

The reassignment had been tormenting but also transformative!

The group of five set off back up the back mountain, while Professors Gu and Wang, along with Old Man Bai, guided by Old Man Qi, boiled water and went about skinning and deboning the rabbits and pheasants. As for the wild goat and the two deer, they were kept in a makeshift pen to wait for everyone to return and discuss what to do with them together.

This time, they headed straight for the fourth trap.

The fourth trap yielded an even more formidable catch—a young wild boar. As for the several rabbits that had fallen in, they had been killed by the wild boar. The boar itself had broken its leg and was struggling to survive in the pit, constantly grunting and squealing!

"There’s a wild boar here!" Qian Shikun exclaimed in surprise. "My goodness, we haven’t finished eating the pork at home, and we’ve caught another one. Brother Zuo, Brother Xiang, you guys are really impressive, even more skilled than those veteran hunters."

In fact, Zuo Li and Xiang Rong were also quite amazed, how did they manage to catch so much!

They couldn’t figure it out and finally decided that since they couldn’t understand, they just wouldn’t think about it. After all, this was a gift from the mountains, and not to take it would be a waste.

"We don’t know either! Didn’t expect it to work this well," Zuo Li said. Now the young wild boar had broken its leg and was at death’s door, we had our ropes around its neck, and the four of us carried it down. Girl Tian helped carry the remaining wild rabbits and pheasants."

"Alright!" Several people responded.

By the time they all struggled to carry the young boar down to the animal husbandry team at the foot of the mountain, Qian Shikun and Sun Sihao were drenched in sweat, too tired to get up from the ground.

Old Man Qi urged them, "You guys hurry up and come inside. You’ve sweated so much, a little wind and you’ll catch a cold."

Hearing this, everyone quickly got up and stumbled back into the house to drink hot water and rehydrate.

"Where did you guys set up the traps, to catch so much stuff?" Old Man Qi asked in amazement. "People in the village go hunting regularly, but no one has ever caught so much."

Zuo Li thought for a moment and said, "Just above the middle of the mountain, after passing through the dense woods, there’s a stream that’s neither too big nor too small. We saw a lot of animal tracks around it, so we guessed that many animals passed through there. That’s why we dug traps in that area, and we never expected to catch so much. We still haven’t checked three of the traps. Judging by this yield, I guess there’s a lot in those three remaining traps as well."

At these words, Old Man Qi’s expression changed, and he asked, "You guys are too bold. Passing through that dense forest is especially dangerous. If you had encountered a blind bear, tiger, leopard, or wolf, it could have been very dangerous for you."

"Hehe, Uncle Qi, are you trying to scare us? We’ve been up and down the back mountain so many times and not once have we seen those big animals. The biggest we’ve encountered is the wild boar," Xiang Rong said. "Besides, I’ve secretly scouted around; there are no footprints of large dangerous animals, so you can rest assured."

"Impossible!" Old Man Qi said, "In the past, someone from Hujia Village was killed by a blind bear; it was terrible. They were nearly flattened into a pancake. It was such a pity, and it’s been since then that no one has gone hunting there."

Zuo Li and Xiang Rong didn’t seem to care and were waiting to go back after lunch.

He Tiantian wanted to go back and have lunch with Third Grandma Qi, but everyone stopped her.

"Girl Tian, eat here with us. We have so much food." Professor Wang said. Before they had not asked He Tiantian to stay for a meal, it wasn’t that they didn’t want to but because there simply wasn’t enough food for everyone!

He Tiantian smiled and said, "No need. Just prepare one for me, and I’ll take it back and eat it with Grandma Qi. She’s alone at home and gets quite lonely. If I don’t go back, she probably won’t even bother cooking."

He Tiantian truly cared about Third Grandma Qi and, no matter how busy she was, she always went home for meals to keep her company.

"You’re a good kid." Professor Wang took three wild rabbits that were dripping with blood from a processed basin.

He Tiantian quickly waved her hands and said, "If I carry them all the way, wouldn’t I end up with blood everywhere? Better to let it dry here before I take it away."

After all, her share was assured; whether she took it sooner or later didn’t matter.