OBS Chapter 426 The Slide
Chapter 426 The Slide
The next morning, before dawn, Li Xiangyang woke up. He got up quietly, started a fire to cook, and tried not to disturb his wife who was still fast asleep.
When the porridge in the pot was ready, Li Xiaoyun woke up. She rubbed her eyes and slowly got up from the kang (a heated brick bed).
"Good morning, did you sleep well?" Li Xiangyang helped her put on her thick cotton-padded coat.
Li Xiaoyun nodded: "Yes, I just had a dream. I dreamt that our baby was born, and it was a chubby little boy."
Li Xiangyang laughed: "That was a wonderful dream. Here, have something to warm up."
After the two had breakfast, Li Xiangyang packed up his hunting gear and prepared to go out.
“I’ll go check on Er Gou’s family and see if he’s coming,” Li Xiangyang said, bending down to kiss Li Xiaoyun on the forehead. “You stay home and take care of yourself. Don’t do any heavy work. I’ll be back before dark.”
"Okay, be careful on your way." Li Xiaoyun stood at the door, watching Li Xiangyang walk out of the yard.
When Li Xiangyang arrived at Wang Ergou's house, he could hear lively laughter and chatter coming from inside before he even entered the yard.
He pushed open the door and found Ma Hongxia feeding the chickens in the yard. Seeing him, she quickly greeted him, "Brother Xiangyang's here! Er Gou is tidying up inside."
"Hongxia, Happy New Year!" Li Xiangyang replied with a smile. "Ergou, are you going out?"
"Yes, he said the New Year is over and he wants to go for a walk in the mountains to see if there's any game," Ma Hongxia said with a smile. "Come inside quickly, it's cold outside."
Li Xiangyang walked into the house and saw Wang Ergou maintaining a gun.
Upon seeing him, Wang Ergou's eyes lit up: "Brother Xiangyang, it seems we're thinking of going together. I was just about to look for you. I've been getting restless staying at home these past few days."
“Yes,” Li Xiangyang nodded, “I just can’t stay idle.”
Wang Ergou quickly packed his things: "Shall we set off now?"
"Yes, while it's still early." Li Xiangyang nodded.
The two said goodbye to Ma Hongxia, carried their guns, and, along with Xiao Hu and Xiao Jin, headed towards the mountain.
"I heard you sent Mother and Xiaohua back to the city the day before yesterday?" Wang Ergou asked as they walked along the path leading to the foot of the mountain.
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Yes, my mother should be back at work soon, and Xiaohua has school to attend, so I'm relieved."
"When your future sister-in-law has her baby, will it be in the city or in the village?" Wang Ergou asked curiously.
Li Xiangyang thought for a moment: "The conditions are better in the city, but it's still better to stay in the village. Children shouldn't be spoiled, and besides, Xiaoyun is a teacher..."
The two chatted as they walked towards the foot of the mountain. Two deep footprints were left on the snow-covered ground.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Xiao Hu suddenly stopped and looked warily at a thicket of bushes.
Li Xiangyang immediately crouched down, raised his hunting rifle, and stared in that direction.
The bushes rustled slightly, and a plump hare darted out. Little Tiger immediately gave chase. In a few leaps, Little Tiger pinned the hare to the snow.
"Well done, Little Tiger!" Li Xiangyang quickly stepped forward, took the wild rabbit, and hung it on his waist.
Wang Ergou walked over, squatted down to examine the wild rabbit: "This one is very fat, weighing at least seven or eight pounds."
Li Xiangyang nodded and hung the rabbit on his belt: "A successful hunt on the first day of the new year is a good omen."
The two continued walking deeper into the mountains and forests, where they could see various animal tracks in the snow.
Li Xiangyang squatted down and carefully observed a set of footprints.
“Look, those are roe deer footprints, and not just one; it must be a small group,” Li Xiangyang said, pointing to the clear hoof prints on the snow.
Wang Ergou squinted at the road ahead: "Shall we follow them and see?"
Li Xiangyang nodded, and the two followed the footprints up the mountain.
Sunlight casts dappled shadows through the snow-covered pine forest. The air is crisp and cold; with each breath, white vapor rises from the mouth.
After walking for about half an hour, Li Xiangyang suddenly stopped, squatted down, and carefully examined the marks on the ground.
"What's wrong?" Wang Ergou squatted down and asked curiously.
Li Xiangyang pointed to a series of footprints in the snow: "Look, the footprints here are a bit messy. This herd of roe deer must have encountered a predator hunting."
Wang Ergou's eyes lit up: "Isn't that even better? Whatever kind of ferocious beast it is, it's just unlucky to have run into us."
Hearing Wang Ergou's arrogant words, Li Xiangyang smiled and reminded him to be careful. The two of them carefully followed the footprints and moved forward.
Little Tiger walked ahead, sniffing the ground from time to time, while Little Gold flew in the air, helping them scout out the situation ahead.
After following for about fifteen minutes, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes ahead.
Li Xiangyang immediately made a shushing gesture, and the two slowly squatted down and raised their hunting rifles.
Behind the bushes, an adult roe deer was munching on the withered grass that revealed the snow.
Its body is plump, and its fur is a grayish-brown color unique to winter, shimmering slightly in the sunlight.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance. Li Xiangyang gestured for Wang Ergou to go around from the right, while he approached from the left.
The two moved carefully, afraid of startling the roe deer.
After the two men were in position, Li Xiangyang nodded slightly, raised his hunting rifle, and aimed at the roe deer's heart.
Just then, a loud crash came from the mountain, like the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.
The roe deer raised its head alertly, its ears perked up, ready to flee at any moment.
Knowing he couldn't wait any longer, Li Xiangyang immediately pulled the trigger.
"boom!"
A crisp gunshot echoed through the mountains, and the roe deer fell to the ground, twitching a few times on the snow before becoming still.
"Great marksmanship!" Wang Ergou excitedly ran out from his hiding place and walked towards the roe deer.
Li Xiangyang frowned: "That sound just now wasn't right. Let's go check it out."
Wang Ergou hesitated for a moment, but still nodded: "What about the roe deer?"
"Take care of it first, hang it on the tree, and we'll get it when we get back." Li Xiangyang said, walking to the roe deer, taking out a knife, and skillfully gutting the roe deer and cleaning out its internal organs.
After handling the situation, the two men worked together to hang the roe deer on a thick branch of a pine tree, ensuring it was out of the wild animal's reach.
“Let’s go, let’s go up and take a look.” Li Xiangyang slung his hunting rifle back over his shoulder and led the way up the mountain.
As they ascended, the snow became thicker, and their feet sank into it, making walking much more difficult.
But this did not slow their pace; instead, they became even more vigilant, observing the surrounding movements.
After walking for about an hour, a crack suddenly appeared ahead, turning over the snow and revealing the soil and rocks underneath.
"It's a landslide." Li Xiangyang crouched down to examine the marks on the ground. "That sound just now must have been caused by this."
Wang Ergou looked around: "This place isn't safe, shall we go in another direction?"
Just as Li Xiangyang was about to answer, Xiao Hu suddenly let out a low growl, his body tense, staring at a clump of bushes in the distance.
Li Xiangyang immediately became alert, raised his hunting rifle, and gestured to Wang Ergou: "There's something here."
The two held their breath and stared at the bushes.