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Last night, Yezhi had a restless sleep and woke up feeling groggy in the morning. She had a bean bun for breakfast, while One Gun Brother wandered to the back of the house, mumbling to the mountains as if engaged in some sort of ritual.
"Who is One Gun Brother praying to?"
In the 1980s, people still believed in "cause and effect, retribution without fail," while the government was vigorously promoting "advocating science and breaking superstitions." No one expected that in the 21st century, people would fall into a crisis of faith. As a thorough materialist, Yezhi believed in nothing—no God, no Allah, no afterlife, no cycle of reincarnation, and no blood being thicker than water.
Zhou Yiqiang looked at the leaves and replied seriously, "Everything has its own spirit; I am praying to all the living beings on the mountain!" Despite not having much formal education, Zhou Yiqiang had his own philosophy about life.
Yezhi wasn't superstitious; her attitude towards life used to be moderate but has now become more casual. However, she did believe that everything has a spirit and that there are connections between people. Looking at Xiaobinzi, the culprit for her sleepless night, she felt a stir in her heart.
One Gun Brother left the sled dog at the wooden cabin. He led three dogs ahead while Niu Niu curiously looked around from atop his owner's head.
Wolf Child ran happily with One Egg chasing behind, shouting, "Little Sister, wait for me!"
Leisurely walking in the middle was Zhou Yiqiang, holding a large pipe and occasionally taking a few puffs. Lin Haitao brought up the rear, keeping an eye on Yezhi while surveying the true Forest Sea Snowfield.
This old forest located deep in the mountains stood at an elevation of seven or eight hundred meters. The dense Red Pines towered dozens of meters high among other trees like Korean Pines, Red Skin Stink trees, fish scales, Long White Pines, and a few Cypress trees. Covered in white snow, they appeared even more solemn and majestic. Through the branches, one could faintly see the bright red sun reaching its zenith.
Zhou Yiqiang stopped by a tree and set up a contraption similar to what he used as a child—a dustpan with chopsticks and bricks to scatter rice grains to trap sparrows. Of course, Zhou Yiqiang's mechanism was much more sophisticated; it had clamps inside and scattered red Pine Nuts.
"In the past, when there were no hunting rifles, our ancestors used these simple methods to set traps for hunting. Life was still enjoyable. Now that we have rifles, as long as one is bold enough, they can go hunting in the mountains. However, wild animals are becoming increasingly scarce. I wonder if when One Egg grows up and wants to hunt something, will he still have to live deep in the mountains?" One Gun Brother's concerns were not unfounded. Hunters who understood sustainable practices would become fewer and fewer as more people pursued profit-driven motives. Even with wildlife protection laws implemented in a few years to safeguard animals legally, it wouldn't stop those driven by profit.
At this moment, Yezhi recalled what Xiao Fang said about Cabrera Planet's development history. This planet similar to Earth once faced constant wars due to blind technological pursuits and over-exploitation of resources. People lived in misery while the planet became scarred. Eventually, the Cabra People left their homeland for outer space. After over 300 years of wandering through star systems, they returned to Cabrera Planet after it had recovered from devastation. Comparing photos showed that after 300 years of rest, Cabrera Planet had only regained half of its former appearance; many places were barren. It was then that the Cabra People found their direction for technological development—committing themselves to using technology to protect their homeland and restore Cabrera Planet's original state. For 5,000 years, they have been dedicated to achieving harmony between nature and technology.
Yezhi glanced around at the densely wooded area covered in white snow. Actually... this is quite nice! She may not have the ability to change the world, but at least... for the first time, Yezhi had the thought of protecting the mountains.
“Deer herd~!” One Egg excitedly pointed ahead.
“Yezhi, I have a way to capture one alive!” Zhou Yiqiang remembered that Yezhi wanted to raise deer and harvest Deer Antler.
The leading sika deer perked up its ears, alert to the sounds behind it. It quietly scanned its surroundings, ready to flee at any moment.
Yezhi shook her head, “One Gun Brother, I don’t want to raise deer anymore!” One Egg exaggerated a bit; it was just a combination of two adults and one young one, clearly a happy family. At this moment, Yezhi was very clear-headed. There were plenty of ways to make money, and as one of the three treasures of the Northeast, Deer Antler would have many people eager to raise them in the future. She didn’t want to put in that effort; Zhoujiatun should just stick to farming and developing high-end crops...
Zhou Yiqiang had no intention of hunting either. Watching the three sika deer dash away, he cheerfully remarked, “They sure run fast!” Lin Haitao saw Zhou Yiqiang as a different kind of hunter for the first time; his simple words were reminiscent of a sage in the mountains, prompting deep reflection.
Today, Yezhi paid special attention to Xiaobinzi's every move and leaned over, asking, “Why are you staring at One Gun Brother?”
Lin Haitao's dark and profound eyes revealed seriousness as he said, “There aren’t many people like One Gun Brother who are so open-minded these days…!” His tone carried a hint of sighing that left Yezhi taken aback: What’s wrong with being open-minded? There are plenty of open-minded people in Zhoujiatun!
As they continued forward, numerous animal tracks dotted the snowy forest floor—tiny paw prints lined up in rows and hoof prints the size of fists scattered about. It looked chaotic yet orderly, like an abstract painting waiting for hunter Zhou Yiqiang to interpret.
Suddenly, Wolf Child, darting around in the woods, quickly ran back from a distance while three dogs barked wildly together. One Egg, unable to see what kind of animal it was, nervously shouted, “Little Sister, run! Hurry!”
Zhou Yiqiang and Lin Haitao exchanged glances and raised their rifles, aiming at a shadow ahead. A sika deer came charging towards them; Zhou Yiqiang shouted, “Not good!”
Yezhi called out for Xiao Fang, pulling along Wolf Child. One Egg stepped back and exclaimed, “Master, it’s... a tiger~!” The greedy look in Xiao Fang's eyes made Yezhi want to sever ties with it immediately as she silently prayed: Please don’t come over, Northeast Tiger!
A thunderous tiger roar echoed from a distance, startling a flock of wild chickens and birds into flight. Zhou Yiqiang's face showed an unusual seriousness, while Lin Haitao remained calm, fully focused on the front, waiting for Zhou Yiqiang's command.
"One Gun Brother, let's run!" The wild Northeast Tiger was indeed quite precious, and Yezhi couldn't bear to hunt it.
"It's too late!" Zhou Yiqiang shook his head. The king of the mountains, the tiger, had only a few left in the Old Forest, but encounters were becoming rare. Leaf Sister was truly... sigh!
Yezhi, feeling flustered, had a sudden idea. She took off her Niu Niu hat and assigned it the task of stunning the Northeast Tiger with electricity. "Niu Niu, don't go overboard! Just use the minimum power to stun it for four or five minutes!" Niu Niu barked twice in acknowledgment and disappeared in a flash.
"Sister Ye, where did Niu Niu go?" One Egg asked with concern.
"Just taking a leak!" Yezhi casually replied.
"Master~!" Xiao Fang pouted and complained. A cooked duck flying away would hardly make him happy. Yezhi deliberately ignored him and cheerfully ordered Xiao Fang to lead the way.
"One Gun Brother, Xiaobinzi, let's hurry!"
The two on guard found it strange that the tiger was incredibly fast yet hadn't caught up yet. Zhou Yiqiang hesitated for a moment before quickly putting away his hunting rifle. "Xiao Lin, let's go!" Lin Haitao secured his gun and moved behind Yezhi to provide cover.
"Master, blood~! Xiao Fang feels faint!" Xiao Fang pointed at a sika deer that had collapsed in a pool of blood without them noticing. Eager to scavenge and snatch food from the tiger's mouth, Yezhi was very proactive. "One Gun Brother, let's carry the sika deer back!" Zhou Yiqiang readily complied and hoisted the deer onto his shoulders before running off.
Having completed its mission, Niu Niu rushed back and proudly wagged its head in front of Yezhi. She gave it a hearty kiss, and Niu Niu floated in delight, barking excitedly.
Their group struggled to run through the snow. "Master, it's safe now! The Northeast Tiger has gone deeper into the forest!" Xiao Fang chose a route to avoid the tiger. Since the threat was gone, Yezhi quietly returned the leading role to One Gun Brother.
Returning to Zhou Xiaomu's house, everyone was so hungry that their stomachs were touching their backs. After gnawing on a piece of Corn Cake, Yezhi urgently shouted for the sika deer to be prepared.
The sika deer was valuable all over, and One Gun Brother didn't let One Egg help; he took the knife himself. In winter, the sika deer's fur was a smoky brown color with less distinct white spots compared to the summer's brownish-yellow or chestnut-red. The white spots along its back and sides were not as beautiful as in summer.
One Gun Brother pulled out the heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys of the sika deer and chopped off two legs for the impatient Yezhi.
Yezhi's mind was filled with scenes from Dream of the Red Chamber where Shi Xiangyun and Jia Baoyu enjoyed the snowy scenery while roasting deer meat. She instructed One Egg to start a fire and rummaged for a fork while she marinated the deer meat with salt and white liquor.
Two hours later, Yezhi couldn't wait to skewer a large piece of deer meat and placed it over the fire. Soon, the meat roasted quickly over high heat, bubbling with oil, and a rich aroma wafted through the cold air.
Wolf Child kept swallowing saliva beside Yezhi, scratching his head anxiously. One Egg handed a piece of roasted meat to Wolf Child, who gave One Egg a hearty pat as thanks. Lin Haitao smiled knowingly at Yezhi, making her face feel a bit warm; she wasn't that rough!
"Go ahead and eat!" Lin Haitao handed the roasted deer meat to Yezi, who quickly shook her head: "I'm roasting it myself!" Normally, she wouldn't be so polite, but after yesterday, she couldn't face Xiaobinzi's kindness without feeling awkward.
"Xiaobinzi, I heard from Zhang Ling that your family is in Provincial Capital and won't be home for Spring Festival. Why did you come here?" Yezhi had wanted to ask this for a long time but was now even more eager to know.
Lin Haitao hadn't planned on returning to Provincial Capital; he intended to stay on duty during Spring Festival. However, Zhu Team insisted on giving new recruits an opportunity and arranged a week's leave for him. Staying in that cold house made him think of Yezi leaning against him that day and her sudden turn back into her room, which is why he came.
"Zhoujiatun is beautiful; I wanted to come see it!" Lin Haitao replied casually.
Yezhi smacked her forehead: "You fool! They risk their lives to protect you; it might just be an instinctive reaction of police comrades. Why are you getting tangled up in this and seriously considering nibbling on tender grass?"
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