Looking at the young man before him, Zhang Yuanmin couldn't help but be reminded of his former self—poor, yet resourceful and brave.
But then he looked at himself now. 'I've really let myself down,' Zhang Yuanmin thought, hating how the Black Bear had scared him witless. He'd lost all his former courage, leaving his sharp mind with no way to put its schemes into action.
'How pathetic!'
Gu Yang, sitting opposite Zhang Yuanmin, noticed his troubled expression. He took the paper-wrapped packet of potassium aluminum cyanide from his pocket and placed it gently on the *kang* table.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanmin snapped back to his senses and quickly asked Gu Yang, "What's this about?"
"Huh?" Gu Yang said. "Brother Zhang, you didn't look right. If you want to keep this and use it, I won't take it."
"It's not that." Zhang Yuanmin picked up the packet with one hand, grabbed Gu Yang's hand with the other, and placed the packet back in his palm. He comforted him in a low voice, "Gu Yang, we haven't interacted much in the past, but I can see it today. You're a young man with a boundless future!"
Hearing this, Gu Yang gave a self-deprecating smile. "Brother Zhang, don't joke with me. It's not like you don't know my family's situation. Right now, I'd have a hard time even finding a wife."
"Don't you worry about that!" Zhang Yuanmin waved his hand dismissively. He shifted his position, sat up straight with his legs crossed again, and then began to speak with great feeling. "What's so scary about being poor? I used to be poor too, but look at me now."
As he spoke, Zhang Yuanmin gestured around the room. "Take a look at my house. What do you think?"
Gu Yang's eyes followed his gesture, and as he looked around, his heart filled with envy.
Compared to just three months ago, Zhang Yuanmin's house had been completely transformed. The room was filled with a matching set of brand-new furniture, all of it crafted from high-quality elm, coated with a layer of pine oil that made it look clean and bright.
The lumber for this furniture was originally obtained by Zhou Jianjun for Zhao Jun to build his house. He'd brought back five whole cartloads of wood at once. After Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu had taken what they needed, there was still quite a bit left over.
So, Zhao Jun had a carpenter pick out the best of the remaining lumber to build furniture, making sure to have a set made for Li Baoyu's new house as well.
Zhang Yuanmin happened to be there at the time, so Zhao Jun asked if he wanted anything built, since they couldn't use all the wood anyway.
Having recently come into some money, Zhang Yuanmin ordered a set without a second thought. Furthermore, he paid the carpentry fees for all three families. In his own words, since his two good brothers were moving into new homes, it was his duty as their elder to help furnish them.
Neither Zhao Jun nor Li Baoyu refused his kind offer, and just like that, Zhang Yuanmin's home got a major upgrade too.
"It's really nice!" Gu Yang forced himself to tear his gaze away from the new furniture, his eyes filled with envy as he looked at Zhang Yuanmin.
Zhang Yuanmin smiled faintly. "No need to be envious. If you really manage to poison that Black Bear, then we'll be the ones envying you."
Hearing this, Gu Yang quickly said, "Brother Zhang, you're the one who got me this poison. Once I kill the Black Bear and get its gall, I'll give you and Brother Jun a share."
"That's not necessary." Zhang Yuanmin knew Gu Yang had misunderstood and laughed. "I didn't mean anything by it; I just have high hopes for you. You probably don't know this, but around this time last year, my house was nothing like this. Back then, I was up to my ears in debt, and it was worrying me sick. On top of that, your sister-in-law, my wife, is a homemaker who just manages the house, so it was all up to me, the man of the house, to bring in money."
At this point, Zhang Yuanmin was overcome with emotion. He sighed and continued, "I was backed into a corner with no other options, so I had to find a way to make some money. I ended up thinking about raiding a Black Bear's Den, and it just so happened that those two despicable bastards from next door, Minister Li and Li Erchen..."
Once Zhang Yuanmin got started, the words flowed like a river. He recounted his "legendary" experiences from the past six months to Gu Yang, one story after another.
However, when it came to the perilous parts of his bear-killing encounters, Zhang Yuanmin glossed over them with vague descriptions. He mainly focused on telling Gu Yang about his endless brilliant schemes and the glorious moment he stood his ground and stabbed a Black Bear.
This alone was enough to leave Gu Yang stunned and utterly convinced. His gaze was now filled with nothing but admiration for Zhang Yuanmin.
After talking for what felt like half the day, Zhang Yuanmin's mouth was dry. He climbed off the *kang* to pour some water, returning to hand an enamel mug of warm water to Gu Yang.
Gu Yang was too worked up to drink. He said to Zhang Yuanmin, "Brother Zhang, I'm so impressed! I used to admire Brother Jun the most, but now, you're the one I admire most!"
"AHEM! AHEM!" If only Gu Yang hadn't mentioned Zhao Jun. The moment he did, Zhang Yuanmin choked on his water.
Gu Yang quickly put his mug down on the *kang* table, got up, and patted Zhang Yuanmin on the back.
To be honest, among all the young men in Yong'an Village around Zhao Jun's age, everyone admired him—everyone except for Zhang Laibao.
But this admiration was for someone they could look up to but never hope to reach. After all, Zhao Jun dominated the great mountains by relying on two things: his Spear Technique and his hunting dogs.
The young men of his generation had all been through militia training, so they knew just how good—or bad—their own Spear Technique was. To them, Zhao Jun was on a level they could never hope to attain.
But Zhang Yuanmin was different. His Spear Technique was average, his physical fitness was average, and he couldn't afford to keep hunting dogs. Yet, he was able to use his wits and intelligence to take a Black Bear's life.
It was much easier for people to relate to the achievements of someone like that.
Gu Yang was a perfect example. After hearing about Zhang Yuanmin's past ingenious schemes, he truly began to worship him as if he were a god.
The two of them then sat on Zhang Yuanmin's *kang* and began to enthusiastically discuss ways to deal with the Black Bear.
The more they talked, the more they found in common, and the more excited their conversation became.
Around noon, Little Lingdang came home from school. As soon as she walked in the door, she heard someone inside animatedly discussing something with her father.