It was true that Xing Zhuyong and Li Hu knew how to shoot and hunt.

But what did they usually hunt?

In the spring, they’d take the dogs out to chase roe deer. During the farming off-season, they’d hunt wild ducks and sand partridges.

Compared to Li Erchen, Xing Zhuyong and Li Hu did have one advantage: they had seen a Black Bear on two separate occasions.

The only thing was, they had run away both times while still a good distance from the bear.

This was their first time actually setting out with guns to hunt a Black Bear. They figured it would be just like hunting roe deer or wild boar—get to the right spot, fire one shot, and be done with it.

They didn’t even know the first thing about a Black Bear’s habits.

A Black Bear, whether in winter or summer, doesn’t just lie down when it wants to rest on the trail. It will first circle around before finding a sheltered spot to hide.

The old-timers called this "a Black Bear doubling back on its trail."

Any experienced Hunter tracking a Black Bear without dogs knows to be careful. As soon as you see its tracks begin to circle, you know it’s about to stop for a rest.

At that point, you have to be on high alert, because the Black Bear could pop out from anywhere and attack.

Last night, when this mother bear and her cub were ready to rest, they too had circled around before settling down behind this fallen log.

But as Xing Zhuyong and Li Hu passed the spot where the two bears’ tracks looped back, they were completely lost in their daydreams, chatting away as they walked.

Just then, the mother Black Bear suddenly vaulted over the fallen log. Xing Zhuyong and Li Hu panicked instantly. Forgetting all about their guns, one ran forward and the other ran back.

The mother Black Bear went after Xing Zhuyong, who screamed in terror and ran for his life.

The mother Black Bear caught up to Xing Zhuyong in just a few bounds. It was about to swipe at him with its paw when a gunshot rang out from behind.

It was followed by the constant squealing of the Little Black Bear.

A mother’s instinct is to protect her young. Hearing her cub’s cries, the mother Black Bear immediately turned and ran back.

At that moment, Li Hu was in the middle of breaking open his rifle to reload. He heard the mother Black Bear’s roar, turned to see it charging at him, and scrambled to the side, taking off around the fallen log.

The mother Black Bear ignored Li Hu and ran straight for its cub.

With a single roar from its mother, the panicking Little Black Bear regained its courage and rushed to her side.

Li Hu’s marksmanship was truly awful. A moment ago, while running forward, he had spotted the Little Black Bear darting out from behind the log.

Having just been chased by the mother bear, Li Hu completely forgot their plan to capture the cub alive. He just raised his gun and fired.

But in his haste, he hadn’t even aimed. It would have been a miracle if the shot was accurate.

But the sound of the shot terrified the Little Black Bear, which opened its mouth and began to squeal.

And that squeal was what saved Xing Zhuyong.

Anxious to protect her cub, the mother Black Bear ignored Xing Zhuyong and Li Hu, grabbed the Little Black Bear, and took off running.

"Big Brother!" Li Hu ran to Xing Zhuyong’s side. He grabbed Xing Zhuyong with both hands, his whole body slumping.

Xing Zhuyong’s legs had given out as well, and Li Hu’s weight pulled him down into a sitting position on the snow.

"El... Elder San, that thing is terrifying!" Xing Zhuyong stammered. He was too embarrassed to admit that the mother bear had nearly scared the piss out of him.

"Let’s go home, Big Brother." Li Hu had lost the stubborn persistence he’d shown over the past few days. The two of them headed back down the mountain the way they came.

Xing Zhuyong got home right at noon. His early return took Hu Erya by surprise.

But her surprise quickly turned to anger. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’He had a perfectly good job at the Forest Farm, but no, he had to go up the mountain to hunt.’

’He’d been hunting for two and a half days, leaving before dawn and coming back after dark, getting up earlier each morning.’

’That would have been one thing, but did he bring any game back? No!’

’He’d wasted two and a half days, fallen behind on so much work, and hadn’t bagged a single thing.’

Hu Erya immediately let him have it, unleashing a verbal torrent at Xing Zhuyong.

Ever since Xing Zhuyong had come home from the Forest Farm, Hu Erya’s words had been laced with barbs, dripping with sarcasm and passive-aggression.

Today was the third day of this, and for three days, Xing Zhuyong had held his tongue.

Today, he finally snapped.

The couple’s argument grew more and more heated. Just as their war of words was about to escalate into a physical fight, Hu Mantang arrived.

Today, the Hu family was making pickled cabbage dumplings. Even though there was no meat in the filling, eating any kind of stuffed food was considered a feast in the Northeast back then.

Hu Mantang, thinking of his daughter and grandchildren, had come over to invite Hu Erya to bring the kids back to her parents’ house for the meal.

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, he heard shouting and cursing coming from inside the house.

Hu Mantang thought his daughter had gotten into a fight with someone and rushed into the house.

When he pushed the door open, Hu Erya and Xing Zhuyong saw it was him and instantly called a truce.

Hu Mantang entered the room, took one look, and froze. He asked Xing Zhuyong, "Dayong, aren’t you supposed to be working at the farm? What are you doing back here?"

"He came back to hunt," Hu Erya chimed in, her words still sharp. "Hunted for two and a half days and didn’t bag a single thing."

By now, Xing Zhuyong’s anger had mostly subsided. Hu Mantang’s arrival gave his son-in-law an easy way to back down. "Alright, alright," Hu Mantang said. "Squabbling like this over a hunt? Stop your bickering. Hurry up, grab the kids, and come over to our place for dinner."

Without another word, Xing Zhuyong got up and followed Hu Mantang out the door. Hu Erya followed close behind with their two children.

During the meal at the Hu Family’s home, Hu Mantang asked about the hunt. Figuring he wouldn’t be going after the bear again, Xing Zhuyong told him the whole story of what happened with him and Li Hu.

"Good Lord, son-in-law!" Hu Mantang exclaimed after hearing the story, slapping his thigh. He spoke bluntly, "You two were just looking for trouble, weren’t you? That’s like picking a fight you know you can’t win."

The words were harsh, and Xing Zhuyong’s face turned bright red.

"Watch your mouth, old man!" Hu Mantang’s wife said, giving him a nudge.

Hu Mantang said, "This is no laughing matter. He’s lucky he made it back alive today. He could’ve easily been torn to shreds by that Black Bear."

Hearing this, a wave of fear washed over everyone. Hu Erya pointed at her husband and scolded, "You damned fool! If that Black Bear had mauled you, what would become of me and the kids?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Xing Zhuyong just kept his head down and chewed on his pickled cabbage dumpling.

Hu Mantang and his wife calmed their daughter down. When he was seated again at the kang table, he said to Xing Zhuyong, "Dayong, you don’t have the experience for this. You can’t track a Black Bear on foot. You need dogs to run it down."

"But our dogs won’t track it," Xing Zhuyong finally managed to say after a long pause.

Hu Mantang said, "Your dogs don’t know what a Black Bear is. Of course they won’t track it."

"So what’s the right way to do it?" Xing Zhuyong had already given up any thought of hunting the bear; he was just asking out of curiosity.

But Hu Mantang misunderstood his intention. He thought for a moment and asked Xing Zhuyong, "You know Zhao Youcai, the head cook at the Forest Farm cafeteria, right?"

"Of course," Xing Zhuyong said. "Isn’t he your sworn brother? Every time I go for food, he gives me an extra half-ladleful."

"That’s right," Hu Mantang said, puffing his chest out with pride. "He has a Flower-necked Dog that Lin Xiangshun from the transport team got for him. That dog can take on Black Bears, wild boars, anything. Go and borrow it. I guarantee you’ll be able to bring that Black Bear down."