"Oh, give me a break." Hearing Li Baoyu trying to rope his brother into another scheme, Zhao Jun quickly cut in, "Ruhai can barely even walk. Don’t go tormenting him again."

The other day, Li Ruhai had secretly followed Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu up the mountain and gotten a sound thrashing from Li Dayong for it. He was bedridden for days.

"So if you’re short on cash, what are you gonna do about the dog?" Li Baoyu’s eyes widened. "Bro, you’re not planning on backing out of the deal, are you?"

Zhao Jun shook his head. ’It’s not like I can just stiff Wang Dalong,’ he thought, but said aloud, "It’s fine. I’ll ask my mom for the money when I get home."

"Your mom..." Li Baoyu hesitated for a moment before continuing, "She’s just like my mom. Once money goes into their pockets, it never comes back out."

"What are you talking about!" Zhao Jun’s eyes crinkled into slits as he grinned, but he retorted, "Don’t talk nonsense. Have you been drinking?"

When they reached the gate, they parted ways and headed home.

Their families already knew they would be late. Before dinner, Yang Yufeng had personally visited both houses to invite them all to eat at her place.

Neither the Zhao nor the Li family went, but since Yang Yufeng had told them, they weren’t worried about their sons being late.

Zhao Jun tied the white dog to Hua Xiao’er’s doghouse. Since Hua Xiao’er was still inside recovering from his injuries, he let the newcomer take over its spot for the time being.

Then, Zhao Jun went inside to see Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan.

Seeing her son, Wang Meilan quickly poured him a cup of hot water and asked about what had happened on the mountain. When they heard what Minister Li and Li Erchen had done, the couple, Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan, were left speechless.

Screwing someone over once might be forgiven, but to do it time and time again... that meant there was something wrong with them.

However, since Zhao Jun wasn’t the one who got cheated this time, Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan just made a few comments and let the matter drop.

Then, Wang Meilan asked what dishes Zhao Jun had eaten at Zhang Yuanmin’s house. She was astonished when Zhao Jun listed them off. Eight dishes was already a lot, but the crucial part was that six of them were meat dishes. That was an impressive spread; it was the kind of feast you’d prepare when meeting your future in-laws, wasn’t it?

Seeing Wang Meilan in a good mood, Zhao Jun sidled up next to her, slinging an arm around his mother’s shoulders. "Mom, do we have any leftover soup?"

"We do," Wang Meilan said, looking at him in surprise. "Why? Didn’t you get enough to eat over there?"

"I’m full," Zhao Jun said. "But I brought a dog home, and it’s starving. Mom, could you make it some cornmeal mush and mix in some of that soup?"

"You what?"

The moment they heard this, Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan both climbed off the kang, threw on their padded jackets, and hurried outside.

After a quick look in the courtyard, they came back inside. Zhao Youcai asked Zhao Jun, "Isn’t that Dalong’s Mengxi mix? How did you end up with it?"

Wang Meilan, however, pulled Zhao Jun aside and said with grave sincerity, "Son, you didn’t just find it, did you? We’re all neighbors here. If you find someone’s dog, you have to return it."

"I didn’t find it. I bought it."

Zhao Jun had Wang Meilan sit down and told his parents the whole story of what happened after he ran into Wang Dalong that day.

After Zhao Jun finished, Wang Meilan fell completely silent. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Seeing his mother’s reaction, Zhao Jun felt a headache coming on.

He was just about to try and talk her around when, unexpectedly, Zhao Youcai spoke up from the side.

"Meilan, give our son fifty yuan."

"What?"

"What?"

Wang Meilan wasn’t the only one who was surprised; so was Zhao Jun.

Zhao Jun never would have imagined his old man would actually step up and support him at a time like this.

Wang Meilan hadn’t expected it either. She looked at Zhao Youcai in disbelief.

Zhao Youcai said, "Our son’s reputation has spread all over the Forest Area. Do you really think you can stop him from going into the mountains now? An extra dog can work for him, and he can use its help."

At this, seeing Wang Meilan still wasn’t saying anything, Zhao Youcai added, "You know how good our son is at hunting Black Bears. He’s only going to be out there showing off more in the future. With more dogs, at least they can protect him."

As soon as Zhao Youcai said this, Wang Meilan’s expression changed.

She had been married into the Zhao Family for many years and had heard so many hunting stories that her ears were practically calloused. She knew that when a Black Bear lies in ambush, it conceals its tracks, staying perfectly still wherever it has settled down, waiting for someone to pass by before launching a violent attack.

It was just like that day with Xing Zhuyong and Li San. The two of them were tracking a Black Bear with their rifles when it suddenly burst out from behind a fallen log and nearly trampled them.

But if they’d had a dog that could track bears, that situation would never have happened.

Moreover, when hunting with a pack, dogs will generally protect their master if danger arises, even at the cost of their own lives.

Wang Meilan had opposed Zhao Jun’s hunting before not for any other reason than her concern for his safety.

As the saying goes, the pitcher that goes too often to the well is broken at last, and a General can’t avoid dying on the battlefield.

After all, hunting was dangerous. Who could guarantee that nothing bad would ever happen?

Over the years, how many famous Cannon Shooters had lost their lives in the deep mountains and ancient forests?

Zhao Jun’s marksmanship was good, but how did it compare to Zhou Chengguo’s?

Wang Meilan knew that Black Bear Gall was expensive and Lynx Fur was valuable, but this wasn’t his grandfather’s era. Back then, the old man had to rely on hunting to feed his entire family.

But now? He had a proper job. It might pay a little less, but at least it was stable. Why did he need to go into the mountains and risk his life against Black Bears and wild boars?

Look at Zhao Youcai—he stopped hunting as soon as he had a son and focused on his work at the Forest Farm.

In Wang Meilan’s heart, no amount of Black Bear Gall was as important as her son.

In her eyes, while the family wasn’t rolling in wealth, they had no problem keeping themselves fed and warm.

Besides, Zhao Jun was going to start his job at the Forest Farm after the New Year. It was a decent position, wasn’t that better than risking his neck hunting?

That was why Wang Meilan had always been against Zhao Jun going into the mountains to hunt.

When her attempts to stop him failed, Wang Meilan had chosen to fight back by withholding her support.

By holding the family’s purse strings, she could ensure he had no money for a gun. Without a gun, she figured he might dabble for a bit and then give it up.

But what Wang Meilan never expected was that her son was extraordinarily capable. Not only did he have a gun now, but he was also recruiting his own little army of dogs.

In truth, it wasn’t about the fifty yuan. She just wanted to stop Zhao Jun from making a career out of hunting.

But Zhao Youcai was right. It was too late to stop him now. Since that was the case, why not do something to make him safer?

With this thought, Wang Meilan sighed softly. She climbed cross-legged onto the kang, opened the door of the kang-side cabinet, and from beneath a floral mattress at the very bottom of a stack of unused bedding, she pulled out a thick wad of cash.

Under the intense gazes of the father and son duo, Zhao Youcai and Zhao Jun, Wang Meilan counted out fifty yuan. But instead of handing it to Zhao Jun, she kept it pinched in her fingers.

"Son," Wang Meilan said, looking at Zhao Jun. "That gun you have now, you’ll have to give it back eventually, won’t you?"

"Yeah." Hearing Wang Meilan ask about the Type 56 semi-automatic, Zhao Jun replied without a second thought, "As soon as Brother Zhou gets out of the hospital, I’ll return it to him."

"Then I’ll give your dad the money, and he can buy you another gun."