HPDBC Chapter 1751 The Tiger is Quiet, But the Man is Not
Chapter 1751 The Tiger is Quiet, But the Man is Not
Chapter 1751 The Tiger is Quiet, But the Man is Not
Zhao Youcai was stunned when he saw the cigarette box that Xing San took out.
The name "Zhonghua" cigarettes is known to everyone, but in the Yong'an forest area, this cigarette only exists in casual conversations and boastful talk. Zhao Youcai had never even seen one, let alone smoked it.
“This…” Zhao Youcai knew who he should talk to, so he looked up at Zhao Jun.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun smiled and took out a cigarette from his shoulder pocket.
On the way back, Zhao Jun divided the cigarettes among himself. Xing San, Wang Qiang, Zhang Yuanmin, Xie Chen, and Zhao Jinhui each received a pack, making a total of five packs distributed.
The remaining five boxes were distributed among Zhao Youcai, Li Dayong, Li Dazhi, Lin Xiangshun, and Li Baoyu.
Immediately afterwards, Zhao Jun took out Wuliangye liquor.
Good cigarettes, good wine, good food, and good dishes filled the house with laughter and cheerful conversation.
"Oh, right, brother." Li Baoyu remembered something and said to Zhao Jun, "On the afternoon you left, Director Chu called."
"What's wrong?" Zhao Jun asked. Wang Meilan, who had answered the phone, chimed in from another table, "He asked if you were home, and I told him you went up the mountain to patrol the forest."
Then he said there was a big claw that had come from the other side of the Shuguang Forest Area and was coming towards us, so we should be on guard.
As soon as Wang Meilan finished speaking, Zhao Youcai said to Zhao Jun, "Call Director Chu tomorrow."
"What's wrong?" Zhao Jun asked. "Did he contact me again later?"
“I didn’t contact him,” Zhao Youcai said. “He said if the tiger threatens anyone and needs to be killed or something, you should report to him.”
Hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Zhao Jun blinked and asked Zhao Youcai, "Dad, do you know where that tiger is?"
"Ah!" Zhao Youcai nodded and said, "I had Baoyu drive me up the mountain."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun subconsciously turned to look at Wang Meilan, and then heard Zhao Youcai continue, "The bureau chief called to assign tasks, and since you weren't home, I had to rush to the front lines, didn't I? If something goes wrong, won't you take responsibility?"
"Ah...yes, Dad, you're right," Zhao Jun responded, then asked, "Where is the tiger now?"
“According to your Uncle Zhang, he must have gone into Old Ghost Head Ridge,” Zhao Youcai said. “That day he went up the mountain to walk around the old pigsty, thinking of picking up a few small flower stalks. Then he saw a tiger go over the opposite ridge and headed towards Old Ghost Head Ridge.”
Just as Zhao Youcai finished speaking, Li Baoyu interjected, "Uncle Zhang said that those big claws must weigh six or seven hundred jin."
"What?" Zhao Jun was stunned when he heard this. There were legends of Siberian tigers weighing more than 700 pounds, but that was just a legend.
As far as Zhao Jun knows, the largest Siberian tiger with a clear record weighs 600 jin (approximately 300 kg).
Moreover, due to ecological reasons, it has become very difficult to see Siberian tigers weighing over 500 pounds in recent years.
The black tiger that wreaked havoc in Yong'an before the Lunar New Year was already a rare breed among Siberian tigers.
"The guy with the lisp was probably just scared out of his wits and talking nonsense." Wang Qiang didn't believe this explanation and joked with a smile, "That guy is really nervous."
"攋悬" is a local dialect word meaning to exaggerate or overstate.
“It doesn’t seem so,” Li Baoyu replied. “What Uncle Zhang said was that Big Tiger had a long, slender gait, that guy was really long.”
When he was interrupted earlier, Zhao Youcai glared at Li Baoyu, and now he glared at Li Baoyu again.
When he looked away, he saw Zhao Jun staring at him.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Youcai asked, and Zhao Jun retorted, "Dad, didn't you go up Old Ghost Head Ridge?"
"No," Zhao Youcai replied, giving Li Baoyu another glare.
This time, his little trick was discovered by everyone. Li Baoyu chuckled and boasted to Zhao Jun, "My uncle wanted to go, but I dragged him back."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Youcai glanced at Li Baoyu. That afternoon, upon learning that Youhu had entered Yong'an territory, Zhao Youcai was so excited that he paced around aimlessly and didn't sleep well all night.
The next morning, Zhao Youcai got up and started making arrangements to go up the mountain, but Wang Meilan stopped him.
Then Zhao Youcai brought up Zhao Jun, saying that this was Zhao Jun's job, and the leader had already spoken to Zhao Jun about it. He argued that if anything went wrong under these circumstances, Zhao Jun would definitely have to take responsibility.
Left with no other choice, Wang Meilan sent Li Baoyu with Zhao Youcai. Before they left, Wang Meilan repeatedly instructed Li Baoyu that if Zhao Youcai caused trouble on the mountain, Li Baoyu should act according to the situation and not care who was in charge, as long as he could bring Zhao Youcai back safely.
Having received the imperial decree, Li Baoyu perfectly completed his mission. When Zhao Youcai insisted on going up the mountain to search for the tiger, Li Baoyu grabbed Zhao Youcai from behind, picked him up around the waist, and ran down the mountain with him in his arms.
Zhao Youcai struggled desperately but to no avail. Li Baoyu grabbed and dragged Zhao Youcai off the hill and shoved him into the jeep.
Then, Li Baoyu drove the car very fast, heading straight home.
This scene stunned Zhang Lifu, but it made Zhao Youcai feel very embarrassed, and he cursed Li Baoyu all the way in the car.
Li Baoyu remained silent, brewing his thoughts as he drove, waiting until they returned to the Zhao family compound. There, he would give Zhao Youcai a thorough dressing-down in front of Wang Meilan.
Zhao Youcai was initially unconvinced, but he became obedient the next day.
“Brother!” Li Baoyu said to Zhao Jun, “As the captain of our forestry security team, I have spoken with representatives from the four family quarters about this matter.”
"What?" Zhao Jun was taken aback, then heard Li Baoyu explain with a smile, "I told the village chiefs of the four villages to use loudspeakers to broadcast a message telling everyone not to go to Laoguitouzi Ridge recently."
"Yes, Baoyu!" Zhao Jun praised Li Baoyu upon hearing this, saying, "You did the right thing."
Li Baoyu grinned and said, "I also notified the forestry security, and I had my aunt call the township to ask the township head to notify all the villages."
Upon hearing Li Baoyu's words, Zhao Jun exclaimed, "Brother, you handled this matter perfectly!"
Li Baoyu was very happy to be praised by Zhao Jun and said, "Brother, this is what I should do. As the captain of our forest protection team, I should shoulder the responsibility you left me."
Zhao Jun felt awkward hearing this, and just then Zhang Yuanmin interrupted Li Baoyu, saying, "Baoyu, what are you saying? I'm the battalion commander, haha..."
After Zhang Yuanmin finished speaking, Xie Chen insisted that he was the captain, and laughter and noise immediately broke out.
These brothers weren't power-hungry or vying for fame; they were just joking around, having fun, and trying to liven up the atmosphere.
Men, women, young and old chatted amongst themselves, creating a joyful atmosphere. Only Zhao Youcai had something on his mind.
"Son." As soon as Zhao Youcai spoke, Zhao Jun knew that he had ulterior motives.
Sure enough, Zhao Youcai said, "If that big claw stays in our forest area, it'll be a menace sooner or later. What do you want me to say? Let's submit a report to the bureau and get rid of it."
"Dad, don't worry," Zhao Jun said to Zhao Youcai. "Let's see if it stays put on Old Ghost Head Ridge. If it stays put, we won't bother it."
“That’s right, brother-in-law.” Wang Qiang quickly followed up by advising Zhao Youcai, saying, “Big paws aren’t so easy to hit. If you go up there, where will it hide and dig for you?”
Upon hearing Zhao Jun and Wang Qiang's words, Wang Meilan glared at Zhao Youcai from a distance. Zhao Youcai seemed to realize something and immediately fell silent.
Zhao Jun doesn't drink alcohol, and he left the table after finishing his meal. The journey home had been arduous for several days, and he was tired, so he wanted to go inside and rest for a while.
As soon as Zhao Jun entered the west hut, before he could even lie down on the kang (heated brick bed), the little lynx, the little black bear, and the little fat black bear surrounded him, each acting cute and trying to get Zhao Jun to hold them.
Zhao Jun picked up the little lynx with one hand and the little black bear with the other. The little black bear stood upright and circled around Zhao Jun continuously.
At this moment, Wang Meilan came in with two pieces of paper.
"Son, here you go." Wang Meilan said, handing the paper in her hand to Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun opened the contract and saw that it was for the purchase of the two-story house. In his haste, he had Li Baoyu drive Wang Meilan and Zhao Youcai into the city to pay the remaining balance and sign the contract.
“Son,” Wang Meilan said, “that person said he’d get the house ready for us by the end of the month. Today’s the 27th, so it should be settled in another two or three days.”
"Okay, let's go take a look the day after tomorrow." After saying that, Zhao Jun pushed the little lynx away and handed the contract back to Wang Meilan.
Putting aside Wang Meilan's position as president of the chamber of commerce, she is still the head of the Zhao family, so there's nothing wrong with having this contract in her hands.
"Mom, this is for you too." Zhao Jun said, tossing the chubby little boy onto the kang (a heated brick bed), then got up, grabbed a bag from the table, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to Wang Meilan.
Wang Meilan took a look and saw that it recorded the income and expenses of this trip to Hebei.
Income came from selling hides and bear bile, while expenses included money paid to the Yongxing Brigade, as well as expenses for lodging and meals during those days.
"Son, take a rest." Knowing Zhao Jun was tired, Wang Meilan took the contracts and bills and left. After leaving, Wang Meilan thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
Zhao Jun lay down on the kang (heated brick bed), the warm surface relieving his fatigue. The little lynx, the little black bear, and the little black fat cat gathered around Zhao Jun. The little black fat cat pressed against Zhao Jun's chest, the little lynx pressed against Zhao Jun's back, and the little black bear hugged Zhao Jun's feet.
Zhao Jun didn't chase them away; instead, he reached out and touched the little black fat cat's ears. Just then, the door was pushed open, and Wang Meilan returned.
"Son!" Wang Meilan looked anxious, which made Zhao Jun stand up immediately and ask, "What's wrong, Mom?"
“Son, what did Jinhui say? That leopard-skin quilt is amazing.” Wang Meilan said, “They said that person made hundreds of thousands more by using it for just two days.”
Zhao Jun pursed his lips, unable to suppress a laugh, and said, "My god, what's going on here? Didn't Ru Hai tell you everything? How can you still believe it?"
"Well..." Wang Meilan seemed to want to say something more, but Zhao Jun continued, "Besides, the family that I took that quilt from is so poor. If that quilt were useful, wouldn't they have made a fortune by now?"
Hearing Zhao Jun say this, Wang Meilan blinked and said to Zhao Jun, "Son, if you still have leopard skin, we won't sell it anymore. Mom will sew a small quilt for my grandson to use later."
Zhao Jun smirked, not bothering to argue with Wang Meilan, and simply said, "Alright, we'll fight next time."
Seeing that Zhao Jun agreed, Wang Meilan turned around and went out the door again.
……
After resting overnight, Zhao Jun led all the forestry security guards except Zhao Youcai up the mountain the next day after breakfast and held a meeting with Liu Jinyong at the forestry security team.
After the meeting, a notice was issued to the four family residential areas, warning forest farm workers and their families that it was the season for picking wild vegetables in the mountains, which is also the peak season for black bear and brown bear attacks.
The forestry security personnel advise everyone to travel in groups and not to go alone. If anyone sees bear tracks in the mountains, please inform the forestry security personnel.
After returning from the mountain, Zhao Jun went to Xishan Village to relay the notice. Over the next few days, Wang Meilan led the women up the mountain to gather wild vegetables during the day.
The Zhao family gang, however, were active at night and rested at home during the day. Every night, they would take Qinglong and Heilong up the mountain to raid wild boar dens.
At this time, many female wild boars have already given birth and are nursing their young apart from the herd.
As soon as the Azure Dragon and Black Dragon arrived near the pigsty, the mother wild boar protecting her cubs came out to fight them.
If adult hunting dogs come, the female boar won't last long. But if it's just the Azure Dragon and Black Dragon, they won't be able to take down the female boar in a short time.
While the two dogs were fighting with the sow, Zhao Jun led his men to the boar's den. He, Wang Qiang, Zhang Yuanmin, Li Baoyu, Xie Chen, and Zhao Jinhui blocked the exit with sacks and let Li Ruhai jump up into the boar's den.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the wild boar's den isn't covered in mud or soil and is only built with tree branches; it's incredibly sturdy. As long as Li Baoyu and Zhao Jinhui don't jump on it, it won't collapse.
Li Ruhai jumped on top of it, and the little wild boars in the den ran out and crawled into the burlap sack that Zhao Jun and the others had opened.
Once the wild boar pups were caught, the group left. At this point, Zhao Jun whistled, and Qinglong, the most obedient of the group, abandoned the mother boar and ran away. Heilong was less obedient, but it listened to Qinglong; if Qinglong left, it would leave.
In this way, the Zhao family gang captured more than sixty small flower sticks within a week.
While the Zhao family was busy catching pigs, the four foremen from Xinlengchang took some time to lead the workers to the pig farm designated by Zhao Jun.
In just one day, more than 200 workers built 30 pig sheds and enclosed nearly 1,000 square meters of flat land with wooden fences.
When it came to choosing a person to raise pigs, Zhao Jun selected Hu Dahai. Coincidentally, Yang Shuqiu and his wife had recently helped Hu Dahai find a new partner, so Hu Dahai brought his new partner to show Zhao Jun the pig farm.
For the safety of the elderly couple, Zhao Jun not only bought Hu Dahai two hunting dogs, but also gave him Wang Qiang's modified shotgun for self-defense. Hu Dahai, who loved guns all his life, was particularly fond of the shotgun made from a modified machine gun barrel.
With the arrangements at the pig farm settled, the Zhao family became even busier over the next week.
In early May, the toad came down from the mountain.
The entire Zhao family gang continued their operations at night; they caught small croakers in the first half of the night and went to the river to collect frogs in the second half.
These days, natural resources are plentiful. Even in small mountain villages, you can find frogs in the yard when it rains.
Zhao Jun and his group could go down to the river for two hours and bring home a large sack of frogs.
On the afternoon of May 13th, Wang Meilan, Jin Xiaomei, and others were frying frog legs in the outer room.
They're called toad legs, but they're actually the front and hind legs along with the spine. You just tear off a toad, and those parts come off.
This is the best part of the toad, all lean meat, and the flesh is firm and elastic. Fry it in oil until crispy and fragrant. Sprinkle some salt and chili powder on top, and it's absolutely delicious.
At that moment, in the small east hut, Zhao Jun was chatting with Zhao Weipeng, who had just returned, about the supermarket's opening when the phone suddenly rang.
Zhao Jun turned around and answered the phone, only to hear Shao Tianpeng's voice on the other end: "Zhao Jun, when are you coming over here? Hurry up and chase that tiger away so we can carry the stone dragon!"
Two chapters plus an extra update at this time tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)