The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1851 Zhao Youcai: Grab a gun and come with me!

Chapter 1851 Zhao Youcai: Grab a gun and come with me!

As the old saying goes, you can't rush things; you can't be too proactive in anything, or you'll end up being the one in a passive position.

Zhao Jun wanted to go hunting in the Lushuihe Forest Farm, but he couldn't go by himself; someone had to come and invite him.

His previous request was politely declined by Shen Qiushan, and Zhao Jun was worried about how to contact Lushuihe.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Chengguo gave him such a big gift as soon as he returned.

Zhao Jun became happier and happier as he thought about it. He cheerfully followed Zhou Chengguo out of the garrison and drove Zhou Chengguo home in his jeep.

After chatting briefly with Zhou's wife, who was busy in the vegetable garden, Zhao Jun and his group left Zhou Cheng's house.

They were all from the same village, and Zhao Jun and his group arrived at another Zhou family's house in less than two minutes. When they got there, Zhou Chunming and his family of five were enjoying the cool air and chatting in the courtyard.

As soon as the jeep stopped at the door, Zhao Chun, who was sitting on a small stool, immediately stood up and looked at Zhao Jun, who got out of the car, with a look of surprise and delight.

"Brother!" Zhao Chun hurried a few steps, then saw Wang Qiang coming down from the back row, and called out, "Uncle."

"Hey, Chun'er." Wang Qiang responded cheerfully, and when they saw their in-laws' uncle arrive, Zhou Chunming and Hu Sanmei also got up to greet him.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Wang Qiang, Zhou Chunming noticed Zhao Jun carrying a net bag. Inside the bag were a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, a bottle of Wuliangye liquor, a box of Monkey King tea, and some loose snacks.

“You silly child…” Zhou Chunming frowned and said, “What have you done now? Why are you spending money on these things again?”

In the countryside, everyone can hear what's going on around them, so Zhao Jun didn't say where he came from. He just smiled and lifted his net bag, saying, "I didn't buy much, sir. Just cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and some candy."

As he spoke, Zhao Jun handed the net bag to Zhao Chun and instructed her, "Sister, be careful when giving that candy to my nephew, lest he choke on it."

"Then why did you still buy it for me?" Zhao Chun jokingly asked Zhao Jun, then picked up the net bag, glanced at it, and smiled at Zhou Chunming, saying, "Dad, isn't this the cigarette you promised to smoke last time?"

“These cigarettes must be expensive,” Zhou Chunming said, glancing at Zhao Jun with a smile. “Why don’t you take them back and give them to my in-laws? I can’t afford such good cigarettes.”

Once you get into a high-end cigarette or alcohol brand, it's hard to go back down. Zhou Chunming usually smokes Yingchun or Grape cigarettes, and if you suddenly give him a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, he's afraid he'll get used to it and it won't be a good idea.

"Grandpa, this is for you, please smoke it." Zhao Jun said with a smile, "My dad has cigarettes to smoke."

"Dad." As soon as Zhao Jun finished speaking, Zhao Chun slipped aside and said to Zhou Chunming, "Xiao Jun brought it for you, so go ahead and smoke it."

As she said this, Zhao Chun's small eyes practically disappeared with a smile. It wasn't that she cared about the things her younger brother had given her; rather, it made Zhao Chun feel very proud that he brought her things when he came to visit.

This is not only about saving face in front of the husband's family, but also about letting the neighbors see it.

They kept the doors and windows open all summer, and when they talked in the courtyard, both the east and west courtyards could hear them clearly.

Just then, seeing Old Xue's daughter-in-law peeking over the wall next door, Hu Sanmei called to Zhao Jun and the others, "Let's go upstairs, let's not stay outside. By the way... have you guys eaten yet?"

“I’m done eating, Auntie.” Zhao Jun replied to Hu Sanmei, then suddenly remembered something and turned to call Li Ruhai, “Ruhai, get on the bus and bring ten red sausages for my older sister and the others.”

Li Ruhai agreed and turned to run out of the courtyard, which the Zhou family could not stop him from doing.

Zhao Jun and the others walked into the house with the Zhou family. Zhou Jianjun asked Zhao Jun with a smile, "Jun, where did you go this time? Why are you making red sausage?"

"Ah, I didn't go anywhere." Zhao Jun didn't mention that he skipped work to attend a conference in Fusong, but only said, "Today I went to Shulan to sell ginseng seedlings, and afterwards the people there gave me some red sausage."

"Ah..." Hearing Zhao Jun say that, Zhou Chunming said, "Shulan... isn't that far."

Zhou Chunming is different from Zhou Jianjun. Zhou Chunming is extremely conscientious and responsible in his work. Last year, he lived on-site all winter for the winter operations. If he knew that Zhao Jun was skipping work and wandering around, he would definitely be angry.

After entering the house, Zhao Chun glanced at her father-in-law's face and changed the subject, asking Zhao Jun, "Jun, did you go hunting in the mountains the other day?"

"Ah!" Zhao Jun laughed, "The Chamber of Commerce is buying ginseng seedlings..."

At this point, Zhao Jun glanced at Hu Sanmei, who was calling out to get a cup, and said, "Auntie, don't bother, we'll sit for a while and then leave."

"Please sit down," Hu Sanmei said. "I'll make you some tea."

“Wait a minute, Auntie.” Zhao Jun called out to Hu Sanmei again, “Don’t you remember? That day at the village office, I bought a ginseng seedling from Old Pang’s family.”

"How could you not remember?" Hu Sanmei frowned upon hearing this. "When I came back, I told your sister that Xiaojun spent nine thousand yuan to buy ginseng seedlings."

After Hu Sanmei finished speaking, Zhao Chun also remembered this and hurriedly asked Zhao Jun, "Brother, what kind of ginseng is it? It's so expensive!"

After saying this, Zhao Chun's expression changed, and he added, "Besides, the Pang family is really outrageous."

As he spoke, Zhao Chun pointed at Zhou Jianjun and lowered his voice to Zhao Jun, saying, "I'll tell your brother-in-law to deal with Pang Gaosheng."

Pang Zhendong has two sons. Pang Gaoming is a full-time mountain herder, but Pang Gaosheng is not.

After getting married, Pang Gaosheng, the second son of the Pang family, bought a job from a retired worker in the village. Except for the time when he would take a few days off to go ginseng hunting with the ginseng team during the Red Hammer Market, he had to go to work the rest of the time.

Zhao Chun couldn't understand why someone from the Pang family, who worked at the forest farm, would dare to provoke his younger brother.

Hearing Zhao Chun's words, Zhou Jianjun chuckled but said nothing. Zhao Jun also didn't respond to Zhao Chun's comment, because he knew that since his brother-in-law hadn't tried to reconcile them, it meant he would stand up for him.

At this moment, Zhao Jun picked up where Hu Sanmei left off and asked her, "Auntie, let's not talk about how much I bought those ginseng flowers for. Guess how much I'm selling them for?"

"How much does it cost?" Hu Sanmei blurted out, while Zhou Chunming, Zhou Jianjun, and Zhao Chun all looked at Zhao Jun with curiosity.

Zhao Jun raised his right hand, held up two fingers, and smiled, "Twelve thousand."

"Oh my goodness!" Hu Sanmei exclaimed, "That stone can sell for so much money?"

“Auntie, that’s called a stone dragon.” Zhao Jun explained to Hu Sanmei with a smile, “It’s a special kind of club, very nutritious.”

"Oh dear." Hu Sanmei smacked her lips and said, "I really didn't know."

After saying this, Hu Sanmei seemed to have thought of something and said with a gossipy look, "No wonder the Pang family is so rich. Look at the house they built."

“Sister-in-law, we’re rich now.” Wang Qiang said, holding Zhou Dao and smiling at the Zhou family of four. “Jianjun and Chun’er have both invested in our chamber of commerce. How big will our business be this year? At the end of the year, with the dividends from our shares, building a small two-story house won’t be a problem.”

Upon hearing Wang Qiang's words, the eyes of the Zhou family of four lit up.

Chinese people are persistent in buying houses and land, and these days, rural people are interested in building houses.

Seeing this, Zhao Jun stopped him and said to Zhou Chunming, "Don't build the building. It would be better if you bought an apartment in the city after you were transferred to the bureau."

"Buying an apartment in the city..." Zhao Jun's words made the four members of the Zhou family change their expressions. Zhao Jun knew that this was a good thing and a big deal, and that the Zhou family needed to discuss and digest it slowly.

Then, Zhao Jun brought up his own matter and said to Zhou Chunming, "Uncle, if any other forest areas want me to come over and hunt livestock or something in the next couple of days, please make an exception for them."

"Hmm?" Zhou Chunming was taken aback upon hearing this, then laughed and said, "If something happens in other forest areas, Director Chu will make a call. Do I need to make exceptions for him?"

Zhou Chunming misunderstood; he thought Zhao Jun was referring to the forest areas under the Shanhe Forestry Bureau.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Jun laughed and said, "Uncle, what I mean is... someone from Fusong is calling me or something."

"What? Where?" Zhou Chunming wasn't that he hadn't heard clearly, but rather that he couldn't believe his ears. He didn't know anyone in Fusong, so how could Zhao Jun have any connections?

“Grandpa, there’s a forest farm called Lushuihe Forest Farm in Fusong…” Zhao Jun was only halfway through his sentence when he saw Zhou Chunming’s face darken.

"You kid." Seeing Wang Qiang, Li Baoyu and others present, Zhou Chunming didn't say anything too harsh, only saying, "You have to go to work properly and not run around somewhere."

"Uncle, what am I thinking?" Zhao Jun said, "Doesn't our chamber of commerce buy furs or anything like that? I'll go to Lushuihe and help them hunt wolves, then talk to them and get them to sell all their furs to me. Wouldn't that allow us to earn a little more by the end of the year?"

“Son, making money is one thing, but you still need to do your job well.” Zhou Chunming wasn’t being overly ambitious; he earnestly told Zhao Jun, “Do your job well, and then you’ll become the security team leader, the security field manager, step by step…”

"Old Zhou." This time, Zhou Chunming was interrupted by Hu Sanmei before he could finish speaking. Hu Sanmei said, "As long as the kid doesn't get into trouble, that's fine."

Zhou Chunming was taken aback, and then Hu Sanmei continued, "When Zhao Jun goes out to help those forest areas, isn't that a good deed? When people ask where this kid is from, and he says Yong'an Forest Area or something, doesn't that make us look good?"

Hu Sanmei's words left Zhou Chunming speechless. Zhao Chun secretly gave her mother-in-law a thumbs up. Hu Sanmei winked and thought to herself, "I'd rather rely on my children's uncle to make money for my eldest and second grandsons than on you two."

Zhou Chunming opened his mouth, but found he couldn't argue with his wife, so he immediately nodded in agreement with Hu Sanmei and said, "That's fine too. They'll call me when it's over."

Seeing that Zhou Chunming agreed, Zhao Jun, having achieved his goal, got up to take his leave.

Seeing Zhao Jun about to leave, Hu Sanmei slapped her thigh and said, "I said I'd make you some tea, but I got distracted and forgot."

"Sister-in-law, let's drink again next time." Wang Qiang smiled and handed Zhou Dao to Zhou Jianjun, then gently patted Zhou Dao's cheek and said, "My dear grandson, your great-uncle is leaving!"

It was already past seven o'clock when we left the Zhou family's house, and the sky was overcast and about to get dark.

Zhao Jun stepped on the gas and drove home. By this time, eight foxes had already gathered north of Yong'an Village.

Of the eight foxes, the yellow fox whose wife had died sat down on the ground and howled loudly.

When the yellow fox howled, the other foxes followed suit.

Although we live in a forest area, even when bears and wild boars come down the mountain to steal corn in July and August, they don't howl like this.

The cries of the eight foxes startled the residents of Tunbei, frightening the women and children.

Several men took sticks and made their way to the home of the village head, Zhao Guofeng.

Upon hearing that wild animals had come to Yong'an Village to cause trouble, Zhao Guofeng immediately questioned, "Are you making trouble? Zhao Jun lives in our village, how could wild animals come to our village to cause trouble?"

“That’s right.” Zhao Guofeng’s wife, Qin Xiaojuan, laughed from the side: “They say that even the fiercest mountain beasts slink away when they see Zhao Jun, so how could it come to our village to cause trouble on its own?”

"Dad, Mom," Zhao Jinshan interjected, "Zhao Jun hasn't been home these past two days."

"Really?" Zhao Guofeng was taken aback and said, "They only came because Zhao Jun wasn't home?"

"Village leader, don't worry about whether Zhao Jun is home or not," one of them said. "What do we do now?"

"Village leader, you have to think of something!" someone said urgently. "That screaming is terrifying, it's scaring the children so much they're crying!"

"I'm not afraid." Zhao Guofeng got off the ground as he spoke and said, "Zhao Jun isn't home, I'll go find his father."

Seeing Zhao Guofeng walk out, Zhao Jinshan hurriedly followed, and the people who had come to Zhao Guofeng to make a decision also walked out.

As Zhao Guofeng left home, he heard someone behind him exclaim, "Oh my god, something's wrong!"

Startled, Zhao Guofeng turned around and saw a man named Liu Tiejun looking panicked.

"Tiejun, what are you shouting for?" Zhao Guofeng asked. Liu Tiejun stepped out of the group and said, "I have to go check on my old ox. I don't want Zhao Youcai to kowtow to my old ox."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Zhao Guofeng said in a low voice, "I'll find it for him in a bit. If you keep talking like that, he won't kowtow to you anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Tiejun paused, but the next second he hurried home.

Zhao Guofeng didn't have too many people follow him; he led Zhao Jinshan to the Zhao family compound himself.

When they arrived at the Zhao family's house, they ran into Lin Xiangshun, who was out lighting a large lantern.

Opinions among the people of Yong'an Village were divided regarding the Zhao family's daily practice of lighting lanterns.

Some people say that the Zhao family lights lanterns, and the lanterns illuminate the house when you pass by. But many others say that the Zhao family is just imitating the wealthy and powerful families of the past, simply throwing money away.

Zhao Guofeng also felt that the Zhao family was wasting money like this, and he had talked to Zhao Youcai about it twice, but unfortunately, Wang Meilan was the one who made the decisions in the Zhao family.

"Uncle Zhao, Jinshan." Seeing Zhao Guofeng and his son, Lin Xiangshun greeted them, "It's already dark, where are you two going?"

"Shunzi, I'm looking for your second uncle." Zhao Guofeng responded, then asked, "Isn't he home?"

"They're home, they're home." Lin Xiangshun hurriedly invited Zhao Guofeng and Zhao Jinshan into the courtyard. It took the three of them about three minutes to reach the front of the Zhao family's house.

Earlier today, while at Sun Haizhu's place, Zhao Jun had called home to tell Wang Meilan that they would be back that evening, and very late. So now, all the families had prepared dinner and were waiting for them to return.

When Zhao Guofeng entered the house, he saw two tables set up in the spacious outer room, with more than twenty people, men, women, and children, as if they were having an important business event at home.

"Hey, Guofeng!" Upon seeing Zhao Guofeng, Zhao Youcai quickly stood up, and Zhao Guofeng asked, "It's so late, why haven't you eaten yet?"

"Ah, Zhao Jun and the others came back late today." Zhao Youcai said, "We'll eat together when they get back."

After Zhao Youcai finished speaking, Wang Meilan invited Zhao Guofeng and Zhao Jinshan to sit down.

Seeing the situation, Zhao Guofeng thought that Zhao Jun would probably be back soon, so he led Zhao Jinshan to sit down around the table.

Zhao Youcai took out cigarettes and gave one to each of Zhao Guofeng and Zhao Jinshan, saying, "Guofeng, you're here, let's have a drink."

"No, that won't do." Faced with Zhao Youcai's invitation, Zhao Guofeng quickly refused, "I'm here because I need to talk to your nephew about something."

"What's wrong?" Zhao Youcai asked. Zhao Guofeng replied, "Liu Tiejun and his family from the north of our village just came to see me. They said there's something making a lot of noise on the edge of the village, and it's scared the kids and women in their families half to death."

"Then why wait for Zhao Jun?" Zhao Youcai stood up abruptly upon hearing this and said, "I'll go myself!"

After saying this, Zhao Youcai tossed his hand at Li Dayong and said, "Dayong, grab your gun! Come with me!"