"Dad," Zhao Jun said when he saw it was Zhao Youcai. Though he didn’t know what his father was up to, he still greeted him.

Zhao Youcai walked over to Zhao Jun’s bed and sat at its head. "Stop sleeping. Get up. I need to ask you something."

"What’s up?" Zhao Jun climbed out of his warm quilt, grabbing his cotton-padded jacket to put it on.

Zhao Youcai asked, "What did you and Baoyu see today?"

Zhao Jun immediately knew his father was asking about the wild boar tracks they had seen on their way home—the ones that indicated a large gathering.

Just as Zhao Jun was about to answer, Li Dayong walked in. "You’re up, nephew," he said to Zhao Jun.

"Uncle Li." Zhao Jun quickly folded his quilt and mattress, pushing them to the back of the bed to make room for Li Dayong to sit.

Li Dayong sat on the edge of the bed. "I got home and listened to that kid Baoyu run his mouth," he told Zhao Jun, "but what he said sounded a little too fantastic."

Hearing this, Zhao Jun understood. ’Baoyu must have gone home and started bragging. When Li Dayong heard about it, he must have come right over to tell Dad.’

Once Li Dayong knew, he came to tell Zhao Youcai.

Looking at the two older men, Zhao Jun guessed they had the itch to go hunting.

Hunting was like fishing—it was an addiction. Once you reached a certain level, it didn’t matter whether you ate your catch or not. The satisfaction of bagging a huge prize was a feeling nothing else could compare to.

Zhao Jun had no idea how big the "Pig God" Xu Changlin mentioned really was. But judging by the old man’s eagerness, and the way his own father and Baoyu’s father were acting, ’it must be massive.’

After Zhao Jun recounted what he’d seen on his way home, Li Dayong said angrily, "That little bastard! He told me there were more than a hundred and fifty of them, arranged on the hillside like an army."

Zhao Jun chuckled. He knew Li Baoyu must have stitched together what he had seen with Xu Changlin’s description.

’He probably just wanted to show off,’ Zhao Jun thought, ’but he never expected to stir up the hunting fever in Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong.’

But Zhao Jun was curious too. He asked Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong, "Dad, Uncle Li, how big is the boar in the middle of that circle?"

According to Xu Changlin, the "Pig God" was hiding in the very center of the circle formed by the other wild boars.

"At least a thousand pounds!" Zhao Youcai answered, then turned to Li Dayong. "We’ve only got a half day of work tomorrow. After we get off, we’ll have Shunzi take us up there for a look."

"Alright, sounds good to me."

"But Dad, the New Year is almost here!" Hearing the two elders make plans to go up the mountain after exchanging just a few words, Zhao Jun was at a loss for words.

Today was already the twenty-sixth of the twelfth lunar month. Tomorrow, the twenty-seventh, the Forest Farm was only open for the morning; everyone would be off in the afternoon.

The day after tomorrow, on the twenty-eighth, both the Zhao and Li families were hosting banquets.

In response to Zhao Jun’s words, Zhao Youcai waved a dismissive hand. "We’re just going up to take a look and track its movements. We’ll hunt it after the New Year."

After speaking, Zhao Youcai turned and clapped Zhao Jun on the shoulder. "Brought the sheep back for you. They’re in the storeroom."

"Oh, great."

Li Dayong was heading home, so Zhao Jun hopped off the bed and saw him out.

As usual, Li Dayong hopped the wall to get home. Zhao Jun, meanwhile, went to his family’s storeroom to check on the ewe and her lambs.

Zhao Youcai had laid down a thick layer of dry straw in the storeroom. The three sheep—one large and two small—were lying on top. He had even draped a thick burlap sack over the two lambs to keep them warm.

...

Early the next morning, Zhao Jun got up and had a quick bite to eat. Then he went back to his room, tucked the Xiaoqing puppy inside his jacket, and headed to the storeroom. Under the ewe’s wary gaze, he placed the puppy in front of her belly.

The Xiaoqing puppy had never nursed from its mother and couldn’t find the teat on its own. But with Zhao Jun’s help, it was soon suckling the ewe’s milk.

Just then, Li Baoyu saw Zhao Jun bustling about in the storeroom from next door. He hopped the wall and came over to watch the Xiaoqing puppy and the two lambs jostle for milk.

Whether because it was born weak or for some other reason, the Xiaoqing puppy couldn’t compete with the lambs. It was constantly getting knocked over or shoved aside.

"This little pup is pretty weak," Li Baoyu said with a laugh. "There were three of them, so why’d you pick the runt?"

Zhao Jun just smiled without saying anything. ’This Xiaoqing puppy may be weak now,’ he thought, ’but in two years, it’ll be extraordinary.’

In his previous life, Zhao Jun had raised four dogs—cyan, black, yellow, and patterned—all named "Dragon."

Cyan Dragon, the Big-headed Dog, had come to Zhao Jun’s family at two years old. At first, he only hunted roe deer; wild boars and Black Bears could walk right past him, and he wouldn’t spare them a glance.

But in just six months, Cyan Dragon had become a top-tier lead dog, specializing in hunting bears.

During the spring and autumn hunting seasons, out of every ten Black Bears he set his sights on, no more than three would escape.

In his previous life, Cyan Dragon had been with Zhao Jun for over five years. When the dog was six, Zhao Jun botched a shot at a Black Bear. To save him, both Yellow Dragon and Hua Long died in the fight.

The following year, Black Dragon was pregnant, so Zhao Jun had to hunt in the mountains with only Cyan Dragon by his side.

Within five days—just five days after entering the mountains—Cyan Dragon had helped Zhao Jun take down two Black Bears.

Then, about half a month later, Zhao Jun and his brother-in-law took Cyan Dragon up the mountain to hunt roe deer.

In the winter, dogs couldn’t catch roe deer, known for being able to "fly on snow."

But in early spring, the sunny slopes of the mountain were already clear of snow, while the snow on the North-facing Slopes had yet to melt.

Moreover, a thick, hard crust had formed on the surface of the snow on the North-facing Slopes.

A dog could run across this crust just fine, but a roe deer’s weight would break through, causing it to sink into the snow.

And just like that, Cyan Dragon ran down three roe deer in a single morning.

When Zhao Jun’s brother-in-law gutted the roe deer and cut out their hearts to feed Cyan Dragon, the dog refused to eat and instead ran back to Zhao Jun’s side.

Zhao Jun was sitting on a tree stump, smoking a cigarette. When he saw Cyan Dragon run over, he reached out to pet him. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

But before his hand could touch him, Cyan Dragon collapsed and died.

Zhao Jun picked up the sated Xiaoqing puppy. He looked at the two white spots on its eyelids, then smiled and tucked it back into his jacket. "Brother," he said to Li Baoyu, "don’t mind that he’s small now. In the future, he’ll definitely be able to take over for Hua Xiao’Er."

"He’s that good?" Li Baoyu was skeptical. Hua Xiao’Er was the number one lead dog in the entire Yong’an Forest Area. He found it hard to believe that the little puppy in Zhao Jun’s arms—one that couldn’t even win a fight for milk against a lamb—could ever compare.

The two boys went inside and saw Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei busy portioning out deer meat.

They were hosting a banquet tomorrow, so Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei were extremely busy.

Zhao Jun handed the Xiaoqing puppy to Zhao Hong and Zhao Na to look after, then he and Li Baoyu joined in to help.

They worked until well past two in the afternoon. By the time they finished portioning the venison, they had set aside more than ten pounds of it to soak in a large basin of cold water.

"We’re heading back now," Jin Xiaomei said to Wang Meilan, holding a piece of venison. As she was leaving, she muttered, as if to herself, "Didn’t Dayong and your husband only have a half-day shift? How come they’re still not back?"

"You’re right about that." Wang Meilan frowned, a seed of worry sprouting in her mind.

Nearby, Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu exchanged a look. They knew what Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong were up to, but they didn’t dare say a word.

Just then, the door was suddenly flung open. A blast of cold air shot into the room as Zhao Youcai and Li Dayong walked in, rifles slung over their backs.

They were all Type 56 semi-automatic rifles. Zhao Youcai had one on his back, and Li Dayong had two.

And not only that, they were each carrying a bundle of Mazes.

"What are you doing bringing those things in here?!" Wang Meilan shrieked the moment she saw the Mazes in Zhao Youcai’s hands.

With the large stove burning in the house and Zhao Youcai being a smoker, if a stray spark happened to land on the Mazes, the Zhao Family wouldn’t be celebrating the New Year at all.

That was why Wang Meilan was frantic.

Normally, Wang Meilan would never lose her temper with Zhao Youcai in front of Li Dayong and Jin Xiaomei.

Zhao Youcai froze for a second, but then realized his mistake. He quickly took the bundle of Mazes from Li Dayong’s hands, handed both bundles to Zhao Jun, and said, "Quick, take these to the outer room."

As Zhao Jun headed out with the two bundles of Mazes, he heard Li Baoyu ask from behind, "Dad, Uncle, there aren’t any Hu Zi left on the mountain. What are you two planning to fight with all this gear?"