Chapter 574: Chapter 439: There Must Be a Big Catch Here
As Zhao Jun’s family “blissfully” enjoyed their breakfast, far away in a shack at the New Logging Camp, Dou Baoguo, Zhao Qingzhu, and Niu Guoliang were also eating.
But their meal was nothing like the sautéed potatoes, eggplant, and peppers made by the Forest Farm’s head chef. In front of each man was a small enamel bowl filled with a soup of cabbage and potato strips.
The soup was thin and watery, with not a drop of oil in it. The staple food was just as simple: steamed cornmeal buns.
Made of pure cornmeal, the buns crumbled with every bite. The men had to hold their bowls underneath to catch the crumbs in their soup, which they would then drink down so as not to waste a single scrap of food.
Dou Baoguo frowned as he ate. Ever since moving to the city, the worst fare he’d had was dry rations made from a two-grain flour blend. It had been years since he’d had to gnaw on a cornmeal bun.
“Sigh!” Suddenly, Zhao Qingzhu let out a sigh. He wasn’t complaining about the food, though. He was worried.
Ever since Zhao Jun and Zhang Xuefeng had gone home, Ma Liang and Han Delin had returned with a vengeance. While you couldn’t say they were harassing Zhao Qingzhu’s trappers at every turn, they were certainly making their lives miserable enough to have them complaining endlessly.
Just this morning, before breakfast, two trappers had come to tell Zhao Qingzhu that once the month was over, they were heading home for the autumn harvest.
But that wasn’t what those two had said when they first arrived.
Zhao Qingzhu knew exactly what was going on, and he was afraid all his trappers would leave. If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to meet the quota, and as the Leader, he would be the one to suffer.
SLURP SLURP…
The sound of Niu Guoliang lifting his bowl to drink his soup came from beside them. He, at least, had a great appetite; everything tasted good to him.
After putting down his enamel bowl, Niu Guoliang grabbed another cornmeal bun, broke off a piece, and tossed it into his mouth. “Brother-in-law, Second Brother, you two should eat up,” he said to Zhao Qingzhu and Dou Baoguo.
Dou Baoguo and Niu Guoliang had only met through Zhao Qingzhu, but they had formed a kind of familial bond. Dou Baoguo was the second son in his family, so Niu Guoliang called him Second Brother.
Upon hearing this, Dou Baoguo shot Niu Guoliang a glare. “It’s just one damn thing after another all day,” he said. “How can anyone with a care in the world still have an appetite?”
“Heh heh…” Niu Guoliang, acting as if he hadn’t caught the jab, broke off another piece of his bun. Chewing, he said to Zhao Qingzhu, “Brother-in-law, Second Brother is just upset because the director sacked him. He’s in a foul mood. But what’s wrong with you? You’ve been moping around all morning.”
Dou Baoguo was speechless.
“Oh, shut it, will you!” Zhao Qingzhu snapped at Niu Guoliang. “All day long, those two technicians are stonewalling us on everything. All my trappers are threatening to fucking quit.”
“Well…” Niu Guoliang’s eyes darted. “Brother-in-law,” he said to Zhao Qingzhu, “what if we brought back a whole pig today? If we butchered it and gave everyone a meat feast, do you think they’d still leave?”
“Get out of here!” Zhao Qingzhu grew even more irritated. Waving him away, he said, “You’re the one who looks like a pig. I’d rather fucking butcher *you*.”
“Brother-in-law, come on, what kind of thing is that to say?” Having been shot down repeatedly, Niu Guoliang was getting annoyed too.
“What am I saying?” Zhao Qingzhu, who had been simmering with anger, threw his chopsticks into his bowl. “Where the hell am I supposed to get them a whole pig?” he snorted.
Planting his hands on the heated brick bed, Niu Guoliang scooted closer to Zhao Qingzhu. “Brother-in-law,” he said with a grin, “yesterday while I was hauling logs, I had to stop to take a dump, and I found a wild boar snare.”
“A wild boar snare?” Zhao Qingzhu paused, instantly figuring out Niu Guoliang’s plan. He curled his lip. “You and your schemes. This is all you ever do!”
“Hey, what are you talking about, Brother-in-law?” Niu Guoliang couldn’t help but laugh at Zhao Qingzhu’s sanctimonious act. “The other day, when I ‘found’ that lynx someone else had snared, you ate more of the stew than anyone!”
“Go on, get out of here,” Zhao Qingzhu said, shooing Niu Guoliang away. Then, he turned to Dou Baoguo with a smile. “Brother, we’ll have Liangzi haul that boar back later. We can cut off some good meat for you to take as gifts. See if that helps with your job situation…”
“Sigh.” Dou Baoguo shook his head. But, figuring it was worth a shot, he looked at Niu Guoliang and asked, “How big is the boar?”
“Gotta be three hundred and seventy, maybe three hundred and eighty pounds!” Niu Guoliang said. “I saw it from a ways off. It’s really, really fat. The snare’s on it, but it’s still over there, digging up roots to eat.”
Hearing this, Dou Baoguo nodded slightly. “A pig that big will yield a lot of meat.”
But Zhao Qingzhu, sitting nearby, glanced at Dou Baoguo before turning back to Niu Guoliang. He gave him a shove. “What? That Big Cannon Egg isn’t dead yet?”
“Nope,” Niu Guoliang said with an air of complete confidence. “If it were dead, I would’ve hauled it back yesterday, wouldn’t I?”
Zhao Qingzhu was speechless for a moment, then let out a laugh of pure exasperation. “You’re full of shit,” he said. “A boar that big, and we don’t have a gun. How are you supposed to kill it?”
“Stab it with a knife!” Niu Guoliang slapped the small table on the bed. “Brother-in-law, you come with me. You get in front to distract it, and when it goes for you, I’ll get behind and stab it.”
Zhao Qingzhu was speechless.
“Liangzi!” Even Dou Baoguo couldn’t stand it anymore. Afraid Zhao Qingzhu might get angry enough to hit Niu Guoliang, he quickly cut in, “What if it gores your brother-in-law? Then what?”
“It won’t!” Niu Guoliang waved his hand confidently. “I already checked it out today.”
He made a circle with his thumb and forefinger. “The Steel Wire Rope is this thick, and the log it’s dragging is real heavy. My brother-in-law just needs to distract it from the front. The boar will thrash around for a bit, and once it’s worn out, I’ll get it with one stab from behind.”
As soon as Niu Guoliang finished, Zhao Qingzhu and Dou Baoguo looked at each other. Then, Zhao Qingzhu said to Dou Baoguo, “Brother, watch things for me at the Logging Camp today. I’m going with Liangzi.”