Chapter 204 - 190: The Last Trip into the Mountains Before the New Year

Chapter 204: Chapter 190: The Last Trip into the Mountains Before the New Year

After lunch, Zhao Wendong and his three brothers gathered their gear, preparing to head up the mountain again. As they went to retrieve the trawl net, they found not only Third Master Zhao but also Little Bastard’s grandfather waiting.

"Grandmaster Ai, why aren’t you resting inside on such a cold day?"

"It’s nothing. Just stretching my old bones."

Third Master Zhao was suddenly a little displeased.

"You rascal! You only have eyes for Grandmaster Ai. What, am I invisible?"

"Heh heh, of course not. I just hadn’t gotten around to greeting you yet. You’re dressed so sharply today. Got a blind date to get to?"

"You little brat, I’ll kill you!"

Third Master Zhao chased Zhao Wendong in a huff. Fearing the old man would actually wear himself out, Zhao Wendong slowed down and let him land a couple of light taps.

"By the way, is there any of that grass we brought back last time? The horse from our production team really loved it."

"It’s all gone. If it wants more, it’ll have to wait until spring. Or, I could just slap some green paint on the dry hay for you."

"Get outta here!"

Grandmaster Ai watched the pair bicker with a benevolent smile. Even though his grandson wasn’t by his side for the time being, his life was honestly far more comfortable than it had been before.

Zhao Wendong had provided him with grain, so he could eat his fill at every meal, and he was much healthier for it. With Third Master Zhao for companionship—and Third Master’s house always bustling with people—his spirits were much higher too.

"Dahuang! Dahei! Erhei!"

Grandmaster Ai beckoned. General glanced at Zhao Wendong, and after getting a nod, he happily wagged his tail and led his two brothers over to the old man.

"Third Brother, listen! Dahuang’s original name really was Dahuang."

Little Tuanzi, who had tagged along, immediately pointed out the issue. Zhao Wendong was the only one pleased with the names he had picked. The rest of the family thought they were just so-so, and Little Tuanzi had stubbornly kept calling the dogs Dahuang, Dahei, and Erhei.

’I only changed the name because it was too common,’ Zhao Wendong thought. ’None of you understand the aesthetics of a soul from decades in the future.’ To his dismay, after Little Tuanzi finished speaking, everyone nodded in agreement. Even Lin Zhiyin was no exception, wrinkling her nose as she smiled at him.

"I think Dahuang sounds better too."

Zhao Wenwu, for his part, started calling out to General incessantly.

"Dahuang! Dahuang!"

Every time he called, the dog would look back at him in response. Zhao Wendong took it all in and realized General had likely been called Dahuang by Grandmaster Ai’s family since he was a puppy. If that was the case, he wouldn’t press the issue. He walked over and stroked the dog’s head.

"I wanted you to be a majestic General, but if you prefer being a plain old Dahuang, then fine. From now on, your official name is General, and your nickname is Dahuang!"

Male pride kept Zhao Wendong from admitting he was changing the name back completely, but his compromise was more than enough to delight Little Tuanzi and the others. Little Tuanzi came running on his short legs, THUMP THUMP THUMP, and threw his arms around the dogs, shouting in excitement.

"Yay! Dahuang, you can finally be called Dahuang again! And Dahei and Erhei, you don’t have to be called... called some mountain name anymore. Ugh, Little Tuanzi can’t even remember it."

The child’s innocent words made everyone roar with laughter, leaving only Zhao Wendong with dark lines on his face. He glanced at Grandmaster Ai’s complexion, remembered his promise to Little Bastard to ensure his grandfather’s longevity, and thought about the ginseng he had left. A brilliant idea struck him.

He would find an opportunity to get two jars of good wine and infuse them with a couple of ginseng roots. The village elders loved to have a drink or two. They’d only stopped because it was a disaster year; they used to drink quite a bit. He could give them a little Hundred-Year Ginseng Wine each day and help them all live to be ninety-nine.

"Right, I found a small sled in the storeroom. You can have the dogs pull it."

Third Master Zhao handed a small sled to Zhao Wendong. It looked like it had been used for a dog team in winters past. Many families used to keep dogs, but few households had them anymore this year.

"Perfect!"

Zhao Wendong hitched the small sled to the three dogs. He let Dahuang and the others pull their burlap sacks and other supplies, then placed the large cloth bag containing the trawl net on the sled. The sky was beginning to lighten. The four men and their dogs set off for the mountains. The number of women seeing them off had grown from two to four. In that moment, both Lin Zhiyin and Jin Xiuying felt a sudden pang of reluctance—the worry of a wife for her husband.

Grandmaster Ai squinted, looking at the Zhao Family women cradling a fox, a White Weasel, and a small tiger. His gaze then shifted to the retreating figure of Zhao Wendong, who was carrying a wooden cage. His eyes filled with nostalgia. ’In all the surrounding villages, how many years has it been since a Hunter appeared who could tame all sorts of prey, even a Big Eagle? My grandson’s sworn brother... he’s truly no ordinary man.’

The four men had a clear goal this time. They headed straight into the mountains, making for the waterfall pool. Along the way, Zhao Wendong showed Xiaojin the drawings of prey his mother-in-law had made, then let the creature go and didn’t worry about it. If it found game, they would hunt; if not, Zhao Wendong was ready to go straight to fishing.

They followed the trail markers from their last trip, even stopping to pile more snow on the snow-mound grave they passed. After walking for over three hours, they finally arrived at the waterfall pool. Unfortunately, no roe deer or other animals were there for a drink this time. The four men had a quick meal of dry rations to restore their energy, then prepared to get to work.

Zhao Wendong retied the earflaps of his dog-skin hat, covering most of his face. He pulled on his neck warmer, leaving only his eyes visible, his eyelashes already crusted with frost. The other three brothers followed suit, bundling up completely. They took out two ice chisels, along with hammers, pickaxes, and other tools.