Chapter 127 Undercurrent
Xiao Tao held up the bear gall he had just picked and showed it to everyone. The whole bear gall was slightly larger than an adult’s fist. The surface of the bear gall bladder shone with a layer of metallic luster like gold plating, which confirmed that it was a copper gall bladder.

Bear bile is divided into two types: copper gall and grass gall. Grass gall is dark green and accounts for the majority. Only a few bears can be obtained into copper gall after being slaughtered. For bear bile of the same weight, the quality of copper gall is at least one grade higher than that of grass gall, and the price given by the purchasing station is also more expensive.

Two minutes later, another brown bear’s gall was taken out.

This brown bear is big and its gallbladder is also big. The fresh brown bear gallbladder is at least as big as the fist of a half-adult person, and is a whole circle larger than the copper gallbladder just now.

Yue Feng and his companions went into the mountains to hunt bears, so they brought a white cloth bag containing bear gall. However, there was only one white cloth bag. After putting away the copper gall, Yue Feng simply gritted his teeth, tore off his close-fitting hurdle vest, and packed the second bear gall!

The most precious bear bile was temporarily dealt with, and then the internal organs of the two bears were all cleaned out.

There are rocks nearby, so there is no need to hang it on a tree. Just put the internal organs on the rocks and the temperature will cool down quickly.

After taking out the gallbladders and opening the stomachs, it was time to feed the dogs. As the owner, Yue Feng personally took the knife and fed the three hunting dogs meat.

In addition to the bear’s heart and liver, Yue Feng also cut into the fattiest part of the black bear’s belly and cut off strips of bear meat.

“Come, Dahuang, eat some meat! Good dog!!!” Yue Feng fed the yellow dog first. This was the treatment for the head dog. After killing prey, the head dog must be fed first.

After feeding three bear hearts and four pieces of bear meat in a row, Dahuang had almost eaten most of them, so Yue Feng fed him another one.

After the three dogs finished eating, Yue Feng grabbed a handful of snow foam, wiped his hands, and stood up.

“It’s hard for us to drag such a big bear back in one go! Xiaowen, you and Xiaotao, go get our sled! Xiaowu and I are waiting for you here! Pull as much as you can, and if you can’t, come back tomorrow!” Yue Feng called out.

Xiaowen nodded to Xiaotao and immediately turned back in the direction of the original path. The backpack and sled they brought with them were still on another ridge.

Xiaowen and Xiaotao went to find a sled for the time being. Yue Feng was not idle either. He gestured with the knife and cut off the black bear’s head. He didn’t even cut off the bear’s nose which was worth some money and just put it away.

With this bear head, Uncle Zhao’s commission was successfully completed.

After cutting off the black bear’s head, Yue Feng removed all other valuable parts, including the paws and ridges of the two bears and the nose of the big brown bear, and put them aside.

Xiao Tao and Xiao Wen went to pull the sled, and it took at least half an hour to go back and forth. Yue Feng hesitated and simply skinned the black bear while the bear was still warm.

A bear weighing about 300 pounds would still weigh at least 200 pounds after removing its internal organs. If it were mounted on a sled, it could be pulled by almost one person.

While Yue Feng was skinning the bear, Xiaowu was not idle either. He had been out since dawn and had been running all morning. He was very hungry. Xiaowu started the fire again, cut a few pieces of lean meat from the bear’s thigh, strung them with pine branches, and roasted them over the fire. He would then find the dry food he brought into the mountains and heat them up to eat together.

Forty minutes later, brothers Xiaowen and Xiaotao came back, each dragging a sled.

Not only did the two of them come back, but the Zhang family’s hunting team also came with them.

When Zhang Junhong, the leader of the Zhang family hunting team, heard that they had killed two bears, including a giant bear, he insisted on following to take a look. After seeing the giant brown bear weighing at least 500 pounds on the ground, Zhang Junhong’s eyes revealed some complicated emotions.

Annoyance, envy, surprise, all kinds of emotions are there.

“Of course, Xiaofeng! You guys have done a great job this time! We thought it wasn’t too late to set off this morning, but we hurried and still couldn’t catch up! You strong guys are really fast!” Zhang Junhong said with a smile, holding his arms around his son.

“Uncle Zhang, what you said is, I know you are being lenient towards us younger generations! We brothers are just lucky to have these two tricks!” Yue Feng greeted in a humble manner.

“Do you need help? These two bears, with four of you on two sleds, you can’t drag them back in one trip! We’re also pulling the sled! With more people to lend a hand, we can get them back in one trip!”

Zhang Junhong was very satisfied with Yue Feng’s humble attitude, so he pointed at the bear corpse on the ground and asked.

Yue Feng nodded and agreed without hesitation: “That’s great, the two of us will sled together, at best we can pull this bear back, but we definitely can’t bring this black bear back in one trip!

Otherwise, can you and your brothers help out? When we get back, this black bear will give you two big legs!”

“Whether he is a big shot or not is not a big deal. Just because you are helping the two brothers Xiaowen and Xiaowu make money, I have to help them. Xiaowen, don’t you think so?” Zhang Junhong said with a smile.

Xiao Wen smiled and nodded: “Of course! You are my uncle. My father is gone, and you have always taken care of our family!”

The polite words seemed harmonious, but Yue Feng knew the truth.

Zhang Junhong is indeed a good hunter in the mountains, but he is only barely decent when it comes to treating his own nephews and nephews, and is not very kind.

For example, in the past, Xiaowen and Xiaowu followed their uncle, who was five generations younger than them, to go hunting in the mountains. They did the most tiring work, but received less than other drivers.

But even so, Xiaowen and Xiaowu were very grateful to this uncle. They had made some money from flying hawks with Yue Feng some time ago, and around August 15th, they bought holiday gifts and went to visit their uncle.

Yue Feng didn’t want to get involved in the affairs between the brothers Xiaowen and Xiaowu and their uncle, but now that this relationship existed, at least on the surface it seemed harmonious.

As for the two bear legs that he promised the other party, Yue Feng didn’t feel that he was at a loss. He killed two bears in one trip. The two thighs of this black bear would weigh no more than a few dozen kilograms at most. It wouldn’t be much if several people shared it. Besides, the other party would help drag the bear back, so it was reasonable to give him the meat.

“Then let’s get ready and rush back?

We have been running all the way here, so I guess everyone hasn’t eaten yet. Let’s make do with the ready-made fire and the roasted bear meat to eat something. After we are full, we will head back!” Yue Feng said something else.

Zhang Junhong nodded: “Okay! Let’s do as you say!”

Just like that, the four Yue Feng brothers and Zhang Junhong’s hunting team, which also consisted of four people, gathered together around the campfire.

Only when they sat together to eat in close proximity did the gap between different teams become apparent.

Yue Feng and the four brothers Xiao Tao, Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu are not related by blood, but the four brothers eat the same dry food. In the morning, Meng Yulan steamed fat cakes with bear oil, white flour and fat residue, while the four members of Zhang Junhong’s hunting team each ate the dry food they brought up the mountain.

The best dry food Zhang Junhong brought was made of dried sweet potato steamed buns and cornmeal cakes. It was just steamed buns made of two grams of flour mixed with a lot of cornmeal. Everyone toasted their own dry food and ate with pickles. The atmosphere looked weird.

At this time, Xiaowu was quite capable. He exchanged a glance with Yue Feng and after getting Yue Feng’s nod of approval, he handed the bear leg skewers that had been almost roasted to several cousins ​​and uncles.

“Uncle, the meat is almost done, you guys eat first! I’ll grill some more!”

The sizzling roasted bear meat was sprinkled with only a little bit of salt, but at this moment it was as delicious as any delicacy.

Zhang Junhong didn’t bother to be polite with his nephew and took it generously: “Okay, uncle will also benefit from you! Come, have a taste of Xiaowu’s cooking!”

In this way, the eight people ate and rested around the fire. Afterwards, except for the bears that had been left on the rocks nearby, all the other spoils were dismembered and loaded onto the sled. The eight people headed back in a mighty procession. In the morning, they had walked along the ravines when chasing the dogs, so it would not be so difficult to drive back. At Zhang Junhong’s suggestion, they went down the mountain along the firewood road in the forest area, and it took less than two-thirds of the time to get down the mountain.

At around 3:40 in the afternoon, Yue Feng’s team and Zhang’s hunting team dragged two bears back to the village.

At the entrance of the village, Yue Feng personally delivered the black bear’s shattered skull to the temporary mourning shed where Zhao Yuanjie’s body was kept.

“Brother Yuanjie, this is the black bear that hurt you. I will help you get your revenge! Now that you have nothing to worry about, you can reincarnate as soon as possible!!”

Yue Feng bowed three times solemnly in front of the tent, and then led the others back home in a mighty procession.

The news that Uncle Zhao had found several hunting teams in the village to go into the mountains to hunt bears spread throughout the village that morning. There were three hunting teams, the Zhou family, the Zhang family, and the newly emerged Yue family.

At the intelligence station at the entrance of the village, the gossiping young girls and wives were more optimistic about the Zhou and Zhang hunting teams. After all, Yue Feng and his team were still young and had no experience in the mountains. They might not be able to succeed just by having a Type 56 and a half rifle.

In comparison, the leaders of the Zhou and Zhang families have much more experience in hunting in the mountains.

But unexpectedly, the young men from Yue Feng, who were the least favored, actually got the job done.

Not only did they get the job done, they also offered a buy one get one free deal, and directly dragged back two giant blind bears, one of which even weighed five or six hundred kilograms.

In an instant, almost half of the village rushed into Yue Feng’s house after hearing the news.

The wealth of the mountains cannot be enjoyed alone. Villagers who usually catch some pheasants or rabbits are too embarrassed to come to my house to ask for them. But if they kill two blind bears, that’s 700 to 800 kilograms of meat. It’s reasonable for them to come and help with the work and ask for some meat.

Although Yue Feng knew the personalities and faces of the villagers, he still had to maintain his reputation since he lived in the village.

He did not hesitate and directly carried the big brown bear into the warehouse, and hung the black bear that had been skinned in the mountain directly on the rack in the yard.

As agreed, the two legs of the black bear were removed along the hip joints and given to Zhang Junhong and his men as a reward for their work. Other villagers who came in gave two pounds or one pound, depending on the closeness of their relationship with the bear. Most of the meat from the black bear was divided among them.

After greeting the villagers who came to his house to ask for meat, the sky gradually darkened. Yue Feng arranged for his brothers to cut up the bear meat and take it home, while he asked his mother to wash the pot and dip it in bear bile.

The water here has just boiled and the bear bile has not yet been processed, the dog in the yard is barking, and Uncle Zhao has come again.

“Don’t cook at home tonight. Come to my house. I’ll ask your aunt to prepare dinner. Come to my house tonight! I’ve also called the other families. You all must be there!” Uncle Zhao said straight to the point.

“Uncle, let’s not go! My mom will have the meal ready in a while!”

Yue Feng really didn’t want to cause any more trouble for Uncle Zhao, so he implicitly refused.

It was originally a very normal reaction, but unexpectedly, when Uncle Zhao heard Yue Feng say this, he became anxious!

Uncle Zhao’s eyebrows twitched and his eyes glared: “How can you not go? I said yesterday when I came to invite you that I would treat you when I come back today! Do you think my words are bullshit?
Stop arguing. If you guys don’t show up tonight, I won’t recognize you as my nephew anymore!”

“Okay, okay, you can’t go yet! This is the bear meat that has just been cut. You can take some back to have a dish for dinner. I’ll dip the bear gall and I’ll be there in a minute!”

Yue Feng nodded repeatedly. When Old Uncle Zhao got angry, it was no small matter. As a junior, Yue Feng didn’t dare to show off in front of the old man.

“That’s better! Remember to come. If you don’t come, there won’t be a feast at home!”

Uncle Zhao’s expression relaxed, and he left with the half basin of bear meat that Yue Feng had brought him.

After seeing off Grandpa Zhao, Yue Feng tied the bear gall with cotton thread and dipped it in boiling water. He also dipped the bear gall that he got back last time in the boiling water. It was still a short time and the bear gall still contained a lot of water. It was still a certain distance from the selling standard, so he could only continue to hang it on the beam of the warehouse.

Before they knew it, it was six o’clock. Yue Feng took Xiao Tao, Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu and went to Uncle Zhao’s house.

As soon as Yue Feng entered the yard, Uncle Zhao’s son Zhao Hongbo came out to greet him.

Zhao Hongbo is a retired soldier who works in the security department of the Red Star Forest Farm on the mountain. Such a big thing happened at home, and the old man is a bit old, so many things at home are taken care of by the eldest son Zhao Hongbo.

“Xiaofeng, you are here, come in quickly!” Zhao Hongbo directly welcomed the four brothers Yue Feng into the house.

In rural Northeast China at this time, most houses have a layout of three and a half rooms. What does three and a half rooms mean? It can be considered a regional characteristic.

In conventional northern dwellings, the main house should be the main house and the side house should be the side house. No matter if there are three or four rooms, they should be lined up in a row with a door in the middle, and the functional distinction is very clear.

However, the layout of the three and a half houses in rural Northeast China is a little different.

As you enter the main house, there is usually a narrow L-shaped corridor, also called a bright hall or a bright room. This is not a room in the traditional sense of later generations, but more like a separate kitchen and heating area.

On the side of this walkway, close to the fire wall, there will be a series of daily utensils such as stoves, stoves for heating kangs, water jars, etc.

Walking through another door from the main hall, you will find the formal rooms, which are usually two-by-one. The middle room does not have a kang, and family members usually eat here by pulling up a folding table to the side. The rooms at the east and west ends have half-heated kangs.

When guests come to the house, they are invited to sit at the kang table in more formal occasions.

Today, Brother Yue Feng and his three friends came over and made the same arrangement.

However, there were 12 people in the three hunting teams, and one kang table was definitely not enough for them to sit on. So Zhao Hongbo arranged the people from the Zhou and Zhang families to sit on the kangs in the east and west rooms respectively.

Yue Feng’s family was busy cutting the bear meat and dipping the bear bile, so he arrived a little late. When he arrived at Uncle Zhao’s house, there were people sitting on the kangs on both sides.

“Man! East room or west room? Or go to the east room, Uncle Xiaowen and the others are here!?”

Uncle Zhao also knew that Yue Feng had had friction with the Zhou family some time ago because the matter of selling the eagle had been reported to the village office, so he didn’t want the two groups of people who were at odds with each other to sit together.

But Yue Feng didn’t want to hide from the Zhou family.

“It’s alright, Uncle Zhao. It’s normal that there aren’t enough seats on the kang when there are too many people. Xiaowen, Xiaowu, you two go to the east room, Xiaotao, you and I go to the west room! It’s just right to even out the number of people!”

Yue Feng waved his hand and refused to accept Uncle Zhao’s arrangement. He lifted the curtain and entered the west room.

(End of this chapter)