Chapter 178: Chapter 153: Zhang Zhanshan
Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu headed into the mountains with four dogs, while Zhang Laibao returned home, crestfallen, holding one injured dog and carrying another on his back.
Zhang Laibao’s mother, Xu Meihua, was carrying wood out from the storeroom, while his father, Zhang Zhanshan, was chopping firewood with an axe.
Just as Xu Meihua emerged from the storeroom carrying wood, she saw her son looking pale as a ghost, his padded cotton jacket filthy. He cradled one dog in his arms while another trailed behind him.
The Qing Gou that Zhang Laibao held was whimpering softly.
"Oh, my dear son!" Xu Meihua dropped the wood she was holding and rushed over to Zhang Laibao. "Son, did Xiong Ba do this?" she asked frantically.
"Are you an idiot?" Zhang Zhanshan threw down his axe and snapped, "He’s only been gone a little while. How could he have run into Xiong Ba?"
The couple helped Zhang Laibao move the injured dogs inside. Already in the house was another dog, a Hua Gou wrapped in bandages, lying half-dead on a burlap sack.
Zhang Zhanshan found another burlap sack and had Zhang Laibao set the Qing Gou down. Once he saw the dog’s injuries, his expression changed instantly.
Zhang Zhanshan turned to look at his son’s miserable state, and rage welled up inside him. "What happened?" he demanded. "Did Er Gudong’s son set you up?"
"No!" Though his voice was full of grievance, Zhang Laibao shook his head firmly.
"Then what happened?"
After Zhang Laibao explained what had happened, Xu Meihua flew into a rage, yelling that she was going to the Zhao and Li families to settle the score.
But Zhang Zhanshan stopped her. The reason was simple: when it came to arguing, he was no match for Zhao Youcai; when it came to fighting, he couldn’t beat Li Dayong.
If he asked for help from friends and family, he still didn’t have as many connections as Zhao Youcai. A direct confrontation would only end badly for them.
"Son!" Zhang Zhanshan pulled Zhang Laibao down to sit on the edge of the kang bed. "Tomorrow morning," he said, "I’ll go up the mountain to the workers’ shacks and get some Medicinal Beans. We’ll poison Zhao Youcai’s dogs. We’ll kill every last one of them!"
"Dad, let’s not do that," Zhang Laibao said quickly. "I’m still counting on Zhao Jun to take me hunting. I want him to help me with my dogs."
Zhang Zhanshan stared speechlessly at his foolish son. Helpless, he fired off four questions: "What are you thinking? You know what my relationship with his father is like! You think he’s going to take you hunting? You think he’s going to help with your dogs?"
"He will! Why wouldn’t he?" In response to his father’s doubts, Zhang Laibao nodded confidently. "All these years, whenever I see Zhao Jun, we’re always friendly and laughing. You don’t get along with his dad, but he and I have our own relationship."
Zhang Laibao’s words made his father purse his lips in disbelief.
Seeing his father’s expression, Zhang Laibao added, "Zhao Jun is a sucker for flattery. You praise him a little, and he gets all full of himself."
And he wasn’t wrong. The old Zhao Jun really had been like that. Otherwise, Zhang Laibao wouldn’t have been able to trick him so many times in his past life.
But Zhang Zhanshan wasn’t convinced. He waved a dismissive hand at Zhang Laibao. "All right, you stay out of it. Now, hurry up and take that dog from the Qin Family back to them. If we keep it, we’ll have to pay for its treatment."
"Fine, I’ll go right now!" Zhang Laibao got up to leave, but turned back at the doorway. "Dad," he said, "please don’t poison Zhao Jun’s dogs. If he still won’t take me hunting after a while, I can just steal them for us!"
"Get the hell out of here!" Zhang Zhanshan snapped, looking up.
Zhang Laibao turned and fled.
Xu Meihua quickly called after him, "Son, go find Doctor Han! Tell him to come to our house first!"
After shouting, Xu Meihua closed the outer door and came back inside. "You should talk to our son properly," she said to Zhang Zhanshan. "He’s still immature. You have to teach him."
"How damn old is he and still so immature?" Zhang Zhanshan felt utterly exhausted. "This son you gave me is a real piece of work, isn’t he? Still expecting Er Gudong’s son to help with his dogs..."
...
Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu led the dogs into the mountains, heading up toward Gaozi Peak. Without their skis today, the journey was arduous.
Li Baoyu broke trail in front, moving in fits and starts.
By the time they reached Gaojian Peak, it was nearly noon. They wanted to build a fire to toast some of their dry rations, but the snow was too deep, and the wind was strong.
"Baoyu!" Zhao Jun scanned their surroundings. "How about we skip eating for now?" he said to Li Baoyu. "We can eat after we’ve taken down Xiong Ba and are back home."
"Sounds good. I’m with you."
Zhao Jun nodded, blew a whistle, and urged the dogs onward toward Jumping Stone Pond.
Hearing the whistle, Hua Xiao’Er took the lead, guiding the other three dogs down the slope, making a beeline for Jumping Stone Pond.
By the time Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu got down, they could see the four dogs far in the distance, climbing the eastern slope.
Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu quickened their pace to follow, but by the time they reached the slope, the four dogs had already vanished from sight.
With Li Baoyu in the lead and Zhao Jun behind, they followed the dogs’ paw prints. The wind grew increasingly fierce, whipping at them so hard they couldn’t even lift their heads.
"BARK..."
Suddenly, the sound of barking carried over on the wind. Hearing it, Li Baoyu immediately quickened his pace.
"Baoyu, be careful!" Zhao Jun shouted from behind him.
"Yeah," Li Baoyu replied. "I’m getting my knife ready."
"Hold on!" Zhao Jun spotted bloodstains in the snow nearby. He walked over, pulled off a glove, and scooped up a handful of the blood-tinged snow.
Zhao Jun rubbed the snow in his palm, melting it. Sniffing the gamey scent of the bloody water, he waved Li Baoyu off. "No need to ready your knife. Xiong Ba took two bullets. It won’t have much fight left in it today."
Hearing this, Li Baoyu broke into a grin. "So we’re cleaning up Qin Qiang’s mess for him again, huh?"
As they spoke, another gust of wind blasted them, forcing its way into their mouths. They quickly ducked their heads and trudged forward, hunched over.
A li away, a large brown bear lay under a big pine tree, surrounded by four dogs.
Suddenly, Hua Xiao’Er lunged for the bear’s hindquarters. The brown bear roared to its feet, its front paws crashing down toward Hua Xiao’Er.
Hua Xiao’Er dodged back. As the bear’s attack missed, Da Huang, Daqing, and White Dragon swarmed in.
As the brown bear turned, a single paw swept out like a scythe, forcing the three dogs to fall back.
"BARK..."
The four dogs circled the brown bear, craning their necks and barking.
After just two movements, the bear felt more than half its strength drain away. The day before, it had taken a bullet from Tao Dasheng that went clean through its ribs.
Later, as it charged Qin Qiang, it had taken another bullet to its right thigh. While the shot hadn’t damaged bone or sinew, its movements were still somewhat hampered.
It glanced at the four dogs, then turned and headed south.
The four dogs couldn’t block it head-on. It wasn’t until the bear passed in front of Hua Xiao’Er that the dog leaped up and snapped at it.
The bear swiped a paw at it, but Hua Xiao’Er retreated. Daqing then lunged, biting at the bear’s injured leg.
The bear twisted around, clawing back at Daqing. But this was no longer the reckless youngster Daqing had once been. Despite its large size, it was exceptionally smart and never fought recklessly.
The instant the bear twisted, Daqing fell back.
The four dogs played a game of cat and mouse with the bear—advancing and retreating, dodging and weaving—keeping it tied up.
By the time Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu arrived from down the slope, they saw that a good portion of the mountainside had been completely trampled flat by the one bear and four dogs.
