Zhao Guofeng had also told her that he had gotten Zhao Jun to take thirteen dogs into the mountains to hunt the Black Bear that killed her husband.
But no matter what Zhao Guofeng said, Mrs. Elder Jiang acted as if she hadn't heard a thing.
Zhao Guofeng was at a loss with her. He could only pray silently, 'I hope Zhao Jun kills that Black Bear and brings its head back.'
"Guofeng!" Suddenly, Tan Chaoyang burst into the Village Office. "I saw all of Zhao Jun's dogs come back!"
"Really?" Zhao Guofeng shot up from his stool. "Quick," he said to Tan Chaoyang, "go south and meet them!"
"Right!" Tan Chaoyang agreed, glanced at Mrs. Elder Jiang, then turned and left the room.
Before long, Tan Chaoyang returned with news, his face beaming with joy as he told Zhao Guofeng, "Guofeng, Zhao Jun is back!"
Seeing Tan Chaoyang's smile, Zhao Guofeng's heart leaped with joy. He quickly asked, "Did he get it?"
"He got it!" Tan Chaoyang said with a grin. "He brought back the Bear's Head and the Bear's Paws!"
"Where is he?" Zhao Guofeng asked urgently.
"He'll be at the Village Office any second!"
Zhao Guofeng glanced to the side and saw Mrs. Elder Jiang rising from her stool. But the old lady had only eaten a bowl of congee in the morning and had been in turmoil for most of the day. She wavered and fell back onto the stool.
This scared Zhao Guofeng and Tan Chaoyang, who rushed to support her. Zhao Guofeng said urgently, "Auntie, be careful."
The old lady ignored Zhao Guofeng. Her lips trembled as she pointed toward the door, indicating she wanted to go outside.
Tan Chaoyang understood, but he was terrified the old lady might die right there on the doorstep. If that happened, even in an age without blame-seeking lawsuits, he and Zhao Guofeng would be in no small amount of trouble.
"Ma'am!" Tan Chaoyang pleaded. "Zhao Jun and the others are about to come in. Just wait here."
But as soon as the words left his mouth, the old lady, who had been holding on all day, finally broke down upon hearing that her great enemy had been vanquished. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, and whimpering sounds escaped her lips.
"Quick!" Zhao Guofeng pointed at Tan Chaoyang. "Go, get Han Shang!"
'She's like this without even seeing the Bear's Head yet. What if she gets too excited when she sees Zhao Jun and... passes away?'
Tan Chaoyang scrambled out the door again. Not long after he left, Zhao Jun came in with Li Baoyu and Wang Dalong.
The moment she saw Zhao Jun, the old lady was suddenly filled with strength. She shook off Zhao Guofeng's hand, rose from the stool, and reached out to Zhao Jun, crying, "Xiaojun!"
They were all neighbors in the village, and this old lady had watched Zhao Jun grow up. Seeing her, he quickly set the gunny sack down at his feet, went to her, and took her hand. "Granny Jiang," he said.
The old lady squeezed Zhao Jun's hand and asked, "Where's the bear?"
"Right here!" Zhao Jun gestured to Li Baoyu and Wang Dalong. The two quickly put down the sacks they were carrying, which held the Bear's Paws. Then, together, they upended the sack containing the Bear's Head and dumped its contents onto the floor.
As the Bear's Head rolled onto the ground, the old lady rubbed her blurry eyes and stared at it without a word.
Zhao Jun looked at Zhao Guofeng, who gave him a nod. Zhao Jun then said, "Granny Jiang, this is the same bear that Master Jiang set the trap for. I don't know how it happened, but it didn't bite the explosive. It just got its eye blown out."
Hearing Zhao Jun's words, the old lady finally walked unsteadily toward the Bear's Head. She had spent most of her life with Jiang Hua and had seen plenty of dead Black Bears; she wasn't afraid of them at all.
She went up to the Bear's Head, squatted down, and turned it upright. The head was mangled from a gunshot, but the wound on its left eye, where it had been blinded by the explosion, was still visible.
"SOB SOB SOB..." Once she saw it clearly, the old lady clutched the Bear's Head and began to wail.
But after just a few sobs, she let out a couple of gasps and collapsed, overcome by her crying.
This terrified Zhao Guofeng, who rushed forward to press the pressure point under her nose and rub her back. While helping, Zhao Jun directed Li Baoyu and Wang Dalong to carry the Bear's Head outside.
The old lady let out a couple of groans and slowly opened her eyes, but it sounded like she had phlegm in her throat, and she couldn't speak.
Zhao Jun stepped forward to comfort her. "Granny Jiang, the bear's head is just outside the door. In a bit, I'll have my Uncle Zhao help you take it to Master Jiang."
It had been three days since Jiang Hua's death.
But in this sweltering heat, his body had been kept outside the village, unburied.
Because the old lady had declared that since things were already so bad, she didn't care about anything else. As long as this score wasn't settled, she wouldn't let her husband be buried, even if his body rotted.
Now, hearing Zhao Jun's words, Mrs. Elder Jiang slowly closed her eyes. As her eyelids met, more tears streamed down her cheeks. But she gave a slight nod in response to Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun added, "Granny Jiang, there are also four Bear's Paws. I've left them all for you. Take them home, stew them, and eat the meat. Vent your anger!"
At these words, the old lady nodded twice in succession.
After speaking, Zhao Jun stood up, glanced at Zhao Guofeng, and ignored the look Zhao Guofeng was giving him. He turned and walked out.
As soon as Zhao Jun left, Li Baoyu and Wang Dalong took off their semi-automatic rifles, stood them in a corner, and followed close behind. They didn't even take the sacks that had held the Bear's Paws and the Bear's Head.
"Brother!" After leaving the Village Office and heading home, Wang Dalong said to Zhao Jun, "Everyone in the North and South Villages says you're a righteous man. I saw it for myself today. Four big Bear's Paws... you just gave them away, just like that."
Hearing this, Li Baoyu frowned slightly. On the surface, Wang Dalong was praising Zhao Jun, but between the lines, it was clear he was upset about the Bear's Paws.
On the way back, the three of them had discussed it. Of the four Bear's Paws, each of their three families would get one. The last one would go to Village Chief Zhao Guofeng. After all, he was the one who paid for the job.
But now, they'd all been given to Mrs. Elder Jiang, just because Zhao Jun felt sorry for her.
Zhao Jun stopped, glanced at Wang Dalong, and said, "Brother Long, the rest of the bear meat is still up on the mountain. If you want it, it's all yours."
"No, no." Hearing Zhao Jun say this, Wang Dalong quickly waved his hands. "Xiaojun, that's not what I meant. I was just..."
Zhao Jun shook his head, cutting Wang Dalong off. "Once her revenge is complete, that old lady will have nothing left to live for. I left her the four Bear's Paws, so she'll have to take a few days to eat them, won't she? Over time... sigh!"
Zhao Jun didn't finish his sentence, just sighed, shouldered his rifle, and walked home. Li Baoyu gave Wang Dalong a deep look and hurried to catch up with Zhao Jun.
Watching the two of them leave, Wang Dalong snorted coldly and turned to walk away.
"Brother!" Li Baoyu caught up to Zhao Jun and advised, "Don't mind him. That's just how he is!"
"Yeah," Zhao Jun grunted in agreement. Thinking of how Mrs. Elder Jiang had looked just now made his heart ache.
'Perhaps for the old lady, following Elder Jiang in death after her revenge was complete would be a form of release.'
'But when I gave her the Bear's Paws, I was just trying to buy some time, to keep a living person alive.'
Because after his rebirth, he had come to believe that human life was the most precious thing in the world.
Back home, as soon as Zhao Jun entered the courtyard, he saw Wang Meilan, Jin Xiaomei, and Li Ruhai in their respective yards, tending to the dogs.
"Son, you're back." Seeing Zhao Jun return, Wang Meilan hurried to greet him. The two families had sent out nine dogs today, and eight of them had returned injured, a testament to how dangerous the fight had been.
Both Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei had been sweating with worry, afraid that something might have happened to Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu.
"Yeah." Zhao Jun smiled at Wang Meilan. "Mom, it's alright now. We killed the Black Bear."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Wang Meilan smiled at his words. Then, thinking of the family's dogs, she asked Zhao Jun, "The dogs are all injured. Should we get Doctor Han to give them a few shots?"
"The injuries aren't serious, but an anti-inflammatory shot would be good." Zhao Jun scanned the yard, thought for a moment, and said, "But don't go now. Doctor Han isn't home."
Then, Zhao Jun briefly told Wang Meilan what had happened with Mrs. Elder Jiang.
After listening, Wang Meilan nodded. "Son, you did the right thing. Elder Jiang's eldest nephew has been here these past few days. He said that after the old man's funeral, he'll take the old lady to live with him. A change of scenery might help her recover."
"Mm," Zhao Jun nodded but said nothing more.
Then Wang Meilan suddenly looked toward the front of the house, pointing at Black Tiger, who was lying in front of the doghouse licking his paws. "Our Huzi is the best, isn't he?" she said to Zhao Jun. "All the other dogs are hurt, but he's not injured at all."
"Ha!" At this point, Zhao Jun didn't yet know about Black Tiger's great contribution that day. Hearing his mother's words, he just chuckled. "Yeah, your Huzi is so amazing he even chews his cud."
"What?" Wang Meilan was completely stunned. Just then, Li Baoyu's laughter rang out from the other side of the courtyard wall.