The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1774 A Grand Reward for Finding a Dog - A Ginseng Gathering

Chapter 1774 A Grand Reward for Finding a Dog - A Ginseng Gathering

Upon hearing Han Shengli's statement that he intended to take Black Tiger for himself, Han Wenxue and Pang Zhendong's expressions instantly changed.

"Brother, that won't do!" Han Wenxue said in a panic, "Ergudong is different now than before, we can't afford to mess with him."

"Holy crap!" Han Shengli said with a disdainful look, "We grew up together since we were kids, how could he possibly hit me?"

"He can!" Han Shengli had barely finished speaking when Han Wenxue added, "The Zhao family is incredibly powerful now; who in this forest area dares to mess with them?"

"So what?" Han Shengli retorted, "I know some big shots in this forest area. I refuse to believe I can't beat him!"

“You really can’t beat him!” Pang Zhendong chimed in from the side, “Well, my brother, our leader, isn’t Karami either. That guy got beaten up by them…”

"What's wrong with you two?" Enraged by being contradicted repeatedly, Han Shengli raised his hand and smacked Pang Zhendong with a stick, saying, "I say one thing, and you two retort!"

“Brother, it’s not that we’re trying to mess with you.” Han Wenxue grabbed Han Shengli’s arm and said, “We really can’t beat them. Listen to me, if Ergudong doesn’t come looking for the dog later, we’ll take the dog home to him.”

After saying this, Han Wenxue paused slightly, then added, "Brother, don't worry about what kind of person Ergudong is. His wife and son are both very kind people. Let's send the dog back to him; he can't treat us badly."

"Go away! Go away! Go away!" Han Shengli waved his hand at Han Wenxue, saying irritably, "What the hell do you know!"

As he spoke, Han Shengli pointed to the black tiger that was chewing slowly and carefully, and then continued, "This is a dog that digs out pigs' butts and testicles. I saw it before I came and it was really shiny. This dog was sitting on the ground by that cannonball."

Han Shengli knew his own dogs were incompetent. He knew that none of his five dogs were strong enough to make a cannonball sit down.

At this point, Han Shengli pointed to the five dogs eating meat not far away and said, "Look at our five dogs, they've been picked at by wild boars. If it weren't for this big black dog, our five dogs would probably all be dead."

“Brother, we can’t just leave someone else’s dog behind…” Han Wenxue wanted to persuade him again, but then Han Shengli said, “Our dog gang is just missing a big, strong guy. Look at this big black dog, it must weigh at least 130 or 140 pounds!”

Hearing Han Shengli's words, Han Wenxue and Pang Zhendong looked at the black tiger chewing meat with a "crunch" sound. Han Wenxue exclaimed, "How do you feed this dog? It's such a fat old man!"

"Then you don't need to worry about it!" Han Shengli nudged Han Wenxue and then said, "Our big flower is good at both incense and music, and with such a great accompaniment, it's perfect."

With that, Han Shengli snatched the rope from Han Wenxue's hand, tied one end in a knot, and strode toward the black tiger, who was lying on the spot licking its paws after finishing its meal.

"Have you eaten enough?" Han Shengli asked with a smile. Black Tiger looked up at him and wagged its tail.

Black Tiger has learned the skills of Green Tiger to circle trees and walk on snow, but it does not have Green Tiger's talent to distinguish between good and evil. Just now, when Han Shengli fed it, Black Tiger took Han Shengli as a good person.

"Hehe..." Han Shengli moved closer to Black Tiger, patted Black Tiger's head with his hand, and then stroked down Black Tiger's head, rubbing Black Tiger's neck with his palm, making Black Tiger feel very comfortable.

Suddenly, Han Shengli raised his other hand, which had been hanging down, and put the rope around the black tiger's mouth and head, finally putting it around its neck.

Black Tiger was taken aback. Before it could react, Han Shengli grabbed Black Tiger's neck a few more times and said, "Come home with me first. What are you going to do in the mountains by yourself?"

Black Tiger was a little confused at this point, but then he heard Han Shengli say, "Your master threw you into the mountains, that means he doesn't want you anymore."

Black Tiger understood these words. It probably thought of Zhao Jun, who hadn't come looking for it. It immediately got up with a sob and started to leave.

But at that moment, Han Shengli grabbed the rope.

These days, guard dogs aren't so independent. No matter how fierce a dog is, once the leash is around its neck and a person pulls the leash, the dog will follow.

Black Tiger, who had been grabbed, looked back at Han Shengli, then sat down on the ground and began to howl at the mountain.

"Hey? Hey!" Han Shengli hurriedly went over to comfort Black Tiger. At this point, he could only conclude that Black Tiger had gotten separated from someone, but he didn't know the specifics.

He was afraid the dog had gotten separated from its owner that day, and that Black Tiger's howling would attract the Zhao family.

"San'er, Dongzi!" At this moment, Han Shengli called to his two brothers and said, "You two cut up this pig, carry the meat back, carry as much as you can, and put the rest in the river to pull out, and come back to do it again tomorrow."

"Brother, where are you going?" Han Wenxue asked. Han Shengli replied, "I'm taking these dogs back first."

At this point, Han Wenxue knew he couldn't persuade Han Shengli, so he could only think of his feelings and said, "Brother, if you insist on taking this dog back, you have to remove its claws first."

"Huh?" Han Shengli was taken aback, then heard Han Wenxue say, "Should we go back? The villagers will know at a glance that this is Ergudong's dog."

A single sentence reminded Han Shengli, who exclaimed "That's right!" and then began to remove the armor from Black Tiger's body.

Although Black Tiger was used to wearing armor, it was still not as comfortable as being naked, especially on a hot day.

With the armor removed, Black Tiger's sleek and glossy fur appeared before Han Shengli.

"Holy crap!" Han Shengli muttered, gently stroking Black Tiger's back. "This dog is just too damn good... Wait, something's not right..."

Han Shengli suddenly realized that Black Tiger didn't have a single scar on his body, not even a single hairy spot.

This means that the dog has never been injured while hunting.

This seemed impossible to Han Shengli, but at that moment, a name flashed through his mind: Big Black Cripple!

He learned the name "Big Black Cripple" from Xue Baojun, one of the four tiger hunters. It was said that Big Black Cripple could single-handedly capture a 400-pound wild boar king and had never been injured. His body was so healthy that it didn't look like a hunting dog at all.

"Come on! Come on!" Han Shengli gently tugged at the rope and called to Black Tiger, "Come on, take a few steps."

Black Tiger followed him for a few steps, and Han Shengli discovered that Black Tiger's leg was not lame.

"Is it cured?" Han Shengli was secretly delighted, and at the same time, he became more determined to take Black Tiger for himself.

Han Shengli is bold and principled. Just think about how he dared to steal tiger bones from the government twenty years ago. That shows what kind of person he is.

"Let's go!" Han Shengli led Black Tiger by the hand and carried Armor in the other, then whistled and called to the five hunting dogs to start their descent down the mountain.

After walking for more than a mile, Han Shengli tossed the armor into the bushes. Seeing Han Shengli's action, Black Tiger instinctively leaped out. Although it didn't like wearing the armor, it knew it belonged to its family.

But Han Shengli grabbed Black Tiger and led it out of the mountain area, all the way back to Yongli Village.

As soon as they left the mountain area, Han Shengli's five dogs—two black and three calico—ran away, and Han Shengli led a black tiger dog home.

When Han Shengli was admitted to the hospital, his wife, Li Meijuan, was tying up the dog while muttering and cursing, "Damn it, this damn dog scared two of my chicks away!"

In mid-May, the hen, or what people in Northeast China call a "broody hen," began incubating chicks. As soon as Han Shengli's hen started brooding, his wife took it inside. Otherwise, it would be too cold in the shed at night, and the chicks wouldn't hatch.

After much effort, the mother hen hatched a brood of chicks, and Li Meijuan was very concerned about them, taking great care of raising them.

Fearing that the chicks might catch a cold at night or attract mice, Li Meijuan lets the mother hen and chicks out every morning around 10 a.m. when it's warm outside, allowing the mother hen to lead the chicks for a stroll in the yard.

Around 3 p.m., she put the chicks back in the box and then took them inside along with the mother hen.

Li Meijuan knew that Han Shengli had taken the dog up the mountain today. But Han Shengli usually didn't return until three or four o'clock when he went hunting, so Li Meijuan was careless.

The black dog rushed into the yard, and the mother hen couldn't protect her chicks. The chicks scattered in all directions, and two of them disappeared without a trace.

But in this situation, the chicks are probably hiding somewhere and will come out soon. Li Meijuan is just grumbling a bit to vent her frustrations.

"What are you babbling about again?" Suddenly, Han Shengli's voice came from behind, startling Li Meijuan.

Li Meijuan turned around and saw the big black dog, which startled her. She immediately looked at Han Shengli and asked, "Why is this dog so big? Where did you get it?"

"Stop making noise!" Han Shengli glanced left and right. At this time, the neighbors should all be out in the fields and not at home. Seeing that no one was around, Han Shengli led Black Tiger into the house.

"Why are you leading the dog around the house?" Li Meijuan chased Han Shengli into the house, but Han Shengli said, "I told you not to make a fuss, I picked up this dog."

"Found...found it?" Upon hearing this, Li Meijuan's eyes lit up. "Is this Zhao Youcai's dog from Yong'an Village?"

"Huh?" Han Shengli was taken aback, looked at Li Meijuan in surprise, and asked, "How did you know?"

But Li Meijuan didn't answer him. Instead, she snatched the dog leash from him and said, "Well... you go inside and rest for a while. I'll go take the dog to Old Zhao's house, and then I'll come back and cook for you."

After saying that, Li Meijuan led the black tiger out. The black tiger wagged its tail and followed Li Meijuan happily, because it could understand both of Li Meijuan's words.

Black Tiger was overjoyed to hear he could go home. But before Li Meijuan could even leave, Han Shengli grabbed the dog's leash.

"No?" Han Shengli frowned and asked, "How do you know his dog is lost?"

“It was Li Ruhai who came,” Li Meijuan said happily. “He came to our house around ten o’clock this morning and told us that Old Zhao’s family had lost a dog. It was a big black dog, chubby and adorable. If anyone found it and returned it, Old Zhao’s family would give them two hundred yuan.”

"I wouldn't do it for two hundred yuan, or even two thousand," Han Shengli said, wrapping the rope around his hand. But then he remembered something and asked Li Meijuan, "Who is Li Ruhai?"

"You don't even know Li Ruhai?" Li Meijuan said, "He's Li Dayong... Li Dahu's second son."

"Ah..." After Li Meijuan said that, Han Shengli understood Li Ruhai's background, but he still had one question, so he asked Li Meijuan, "Then how do you know him?"

Yes, they only moved back a few days ago. It's one thing for them to know Li Dayong, but how did they also get to know his second son?

"How did you meet him..." Li Meijuan was stumped by the question. She blinked and took a deep breath, then said, "I can't remember how we met either. We just chatted and got to know each other. That kid is so nice. He's better than our eldest son in terms of how he talks and how he handles things."

As she spoke, Li Meijuan reached out again and grabbed the dog's leash, saying, "That child told everyone in the village, so the whole village knows. Let's hurry up and send it back; it's worth two hundred yuan."

"You know nothing." Han Shengli tugged at the rope and said, "If this dog were in my hands, I could earn back two hundred dollars for it."

“This dog…” Li Meijuan looked at Black Tiger in surprise and said, “It’s so valuable?”

"So what are you thinking about?" Han Shengli said, holding the rope in one hand and waving the other outside, "Go and get some bean stalks. This dog has been sleeping in the house with us for the past few days."

"Okay!" Li Meijuan replied and turned to run outside.

Black Tiger originally thought Li Meijuan could take it home, but when Han Shengli told it to sleep in the house, Black Tiger's wagging tail immediately drooped.

……

It was 6 p.m. when the Jiefang truck finally returned to the Zhao family compound. When Zhao Jun and the others went inside, Li Dayong and the other three people who had gone to work had already returned.

Upon hearing Zhao Jun say that they hadn't found Black Tiger, Li Dayong said, "Today I went to every workshop and told them that whoever finds our Tiger will be richly rewarded."

As soon as Li Dayong finished speaking, Li Ruhai reported to Zhao Jun, saying, "Brother, today Brother Hui drove our family's Jeep and took me around the four villages. I notified everyone, from house to house and in the fields."

"Okay, Ru Hai." Zhao Jun nodded in response. Losing Black Tiger had really upset Zhao Jun, and his voice had gone hoarse.

"Brother, don't worry." Li Ruhai comforted Zhao Jun, saying, "Tomorrow, I'll have Brother Hui take me and we'll go further afield. I'll tell them about the nearby villages and migrant worker settlements."

"Okay, Ru Hai," Zhao Jun said. "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble at all, brother!" Li Ruhai quickly replied, "As long as we can find Black Tiger, I can endure any hardship."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun raised his hand and patted Li Ruhai on the shoulder. Then Zhao Youcai said, "I called Yongli Village today. Your forest ranger captain, Song something, is actually home. I told him about it, and he said he'll mobilize the rangers to look for the dog today."

"Hmm." Zhao Jun nodded slightly, then said to Li Ruhai, "Ruhai."

"Brother!" Li Ruhai clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhao Jun, who then said, "Spread the word tomorrow that whoever can find my Tiger will get a thousand yuan!"

"Yes!" Li Ruhai nodded emphatically in response. "If you can find a dog for a thousand yuan, I bet some people will stop farming and go into the mountains to find dogs."

After Zhao Jun finished speaking, he saw Wang Meilan looking at him. Zhao Jun quickly asked, "Mom, how are you today? Are you still feeling unwell?"

"Mom's alright now," Wang Meilan said. "Son, Mom has something to tell you."

"What's wrong, Mom?" Zhao Jun asked. Wang Meilan replied, "Grandpa Shao from Lingnan called today."

"This old man." Zhao Jun frowned upon hearing this, thinking that Shao Tianpeng was urging him to go and drive away the tiger.

At this point, Zhao Jun was in no mood for that, and immediately said, "Shouldn't I agree to let him go at the end of the month? What day is it today?"

“No, son,” Wang Meilan quickly stopped Zhao Jun and said, “He’s looking for you to attend some kind of ginseng conference.”

Zhao Jun: "A ginseng conference?"

(End of this chapter)