Yang Yufeng, thinking something terrible had happened at home, quickly asked Little Lingdang what was wrong. Little Lingdang told Yang Yufeng that her dad was at home, discussing how to hunt a Black Bear.
The moment she heard, Yang Yufeng grabbed Little Lingdang and ran home. Sure enough, as soon as she burst through the door, she found Zhang Yuanmin animatedly talking with Gu Yang.
'That damn husband of mine never learns his lesson,' she thought, her anger flaring. 'Now he's goading Gu Yang into hunting a Black Bear. What if that boy gets himself killed?'
And so, Yang Yufeng stormed in, ready to let him have it.
"Let go! What do you think you're doing?" Zhang Yuanmin quickly pried Yang Yufeng's hands off himself and said irritably, "Gu Yang came to ask me for that potassium aluminum cyanide."
Hearing this, Yang Yufeng pointed at Gu Yang but directed her question to Zhang Yuanmin. "He wanted Medicinal Beans to poison a deer, so why are you going on about a Black Bear?"
"Who told you he was after a deer?" Zhang Yuanmin snapped. "Gu Yang is here to poison a Black Bear!"
"Huh?" Yang Yufeng stared at Gu Yang in shock, asking in disbelief, "Gu Yang, you don't even hunt in the mountains. Why on earth are you going after a Black Bear?"
"Sister-in-law!" Seeing the couple fighting because of him, Gu Yang felt a little guilty. He explained to Yang Yufeng, "I want to get a wife, but I don't want to have to marry into her family. So I figured I'd get some Medicinal Beans, tie them to a dead chicken, and see if I can manage to poison the Black Bear."
"Hmm?" Hearing this, Yang Yufeng froze for a moment, then turned to look at Zhang Yuanmin.
Zhang Yuanmin shuffled further back on the kang. "What are you looking at me for? This wasn't my idea. Gu Yang came up with it himself."
But to Zhang Yuanmin's surprise, Yang Yufeng said, "You know, Gu Yang's idea isn't half bad. If that potassium aluminum cyanide can take down a big fella, it should work on a Black Bear."
You couldn't blame Zhang Yuanmin and Yang Yufeng. They only reasoned that if the Medicinal Beans could take down a large Ma Lu based on weight, they could surely take down a Black Bear as well.
Besides, once Yang Yufeng knew this was Gu Yang's own idea and had nothing to do with her Big Pants, she relaxed. Feeling a little embarrassed, she invited Gu Yang to stay for a meal.
But Gu Yang declined, saying that after he'd successfully poisoned the Black Bear, he would come over with the bear meat and have a real drink with Zhang Yuanmin.
Then, taking the Medicinal Beans and the comic books Zhang Yuanmin had lent him, Gu Yang hastily left the house.
...
Early the next morning, at just past three, Zhao Jun was woken up by the sound of a chicken squawking.
In fact, the roosters had started crowing a little after two in the morning.
But once you get used to it, the roosters crow when they crow, and people stay asleep.
But today, the sound the rooster made was a panicked shriek.
'Something's wrong!' Zhao Jun rolled off the kang, slid his feet into his shoes, and rushed outside.
Just then, Wang Meilan and Zhao Youcai also got up to take a look. As the three of them opened the door, they saw Black Tiger in the yard, pinning a dead chicken with its paws and tearing at its rump with its mouth.
Surrounding it, the leashed Little Bear, White Dragon, Big Fatty, and San Pang all stared wistfully as it ate the chicken.
Hearing the door open, Black Tiger shot to its feet. When it saw Zhao Jun glaring, it quickly snatched up the chicken, scurried over to him in short steps, and tossed the bird at his feet.
Zhao Jun swung his foot for a kick, but Black Tiger dodged aside, and Zhao Jun nearly slipped and did the splits.
After steadying himself, Zhao Jun charged furiously toward Black Tiger. But the dog turned tail and ran. Reaching the courtyard wall, it leaped and vaulted over the meter-high earthen barrier.
"Son of a bitch!" Zhao Youcai cursed. "If it weren't for that lame leg, it'd be able to get on the roof."
Zhao Jun watched fuming as Black Tiger fled the yard. Ignoring it, he turned back to Wang Meilan and said, "Mom, go boil some water. Pluck this chicken and we'll stew it."
"Forget about that for now!" Wang Meilan shouted at Zhao Jun. "Go catch it before it starts terrorizing the neighbors!"
At her words, Zhao Jun quickly turned and opened the courtyard gate.
The moment he stepped outside, Zhao Jun saw Black Tiger sneaking around, peering into the neighboring Li Family Courtyard.
When it saw Zhao Jun, Black Tiger bolted.
Zhao Jun gave chase relentlessly, pursuing the dog all the way to Zhang Yuanmin's house. As luck would have it, the couple, Zhang Yuanmin and Yang Yufeng, were just leaving their home—one with a basket on his back, the other with a basket on her arm—headed to the fields to pick some corn.
The couple had just closed their gate when they heard Zhao Jun's voice in the distance.
"Brother! Sister-in-law! Stop that damn dog for me!"
Hearing the voice and seeing Black Tiger bolting toward them, Zhang Yuanmin and Yang Yufeng quickly stepped forward, using their baskets to block the dog's path.
With the couple blocking its way, Zhao Jun closing in from behind, and courtyard walls on either side, Black Tiger simply turned around, tucked its tail between its legs, and trotted toward Zhao Jun to meet its fate.
As Zhao Jun got close, he seized Black Tiger by the scruff of its neck, and a series of pitiful yelps erupted from the dog.
Zhao Jun thought for a moment, then grabbed its two front paws, hauling it up to stand like a person. But Black Tiger just tucked its tail, bent its back legs as if kneeling, and buried its snout between its front paws, only peeking up at Zhao Jun with its dark, shifty eyes.
What a pitiful sight it was!
But Zhao Jun felt not an ounce of pity. He was just thinking about how he was going to give it a proper beating when he got home.
Just then, Yang Yufeng walked over, smiling. "Brother! What happened?"
Zhao Jun glared at Black Tiger and snapped, "Chicken thief!"
"Then he needs a beating!" Yang Yufeng said, feeling the sting of the loss for him. "Stealing a chicken? That's a serious offense!"
"Yeah," Zhao Jun grunted, catching his breath. Noticing their attire, he asked, "Brother, Sister-in-law, you two heading to the fields?"
"Yeah," Zhang Yuanmin nodded. "We're going to see if any of the corn is ripe. If it is, we'll shuck some and bring it back."
"Okay..." Zhao Jun said, then suddenly remembered something. He asked Zhang Yuanmin, "By the way, Brother, did Gu Yang ever come find you?"
"He did!" Zhang Yuanmin laughed. "Brother, even if you hadn't asked, I was going to tell you about it."
Hearing that, Zhao Jun thought, 'Oh, there's a story here.' He asked, "So what happened?"
Zhang Yuanmin let out a hearty laugh and briefly told Zhao Jun what Gu Yang had said when he'd come over the previous day.
By the time he finished, Zhao Jun's head was spinning.
Seeing the look on Zhao Jun's face, Yang Yufeng quickly asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"
In his urgency, Zhao Jun ignored Yang Yufeng and demanded of Zhang Yuanmin, "Brother, which patch of land did Gu Yang go to?"
"The land by our uncle's place." Zhang Yuanmin could also tell something was seriously wrong with Zhao Jun and didn't dare waste time with pleasantries. He just answered, "He said he's going to wait there, and after the Black Bear is dead, he'll harvest the gallbladder..."
"Harvest my ass!" Panicked, Zhao Jun turned to leave, but then he spun right back around. "Brother," he said to Zhang Yuanmin, "Hurry! Get me your gun!"
"Huh?" Zhang Yuanmin froze.
Seeing him rooted to the spot, Zhao Jun roared, "Hurry up and go!"
"Right!" Zhang Yuanmin dropped his basket, yanked open the gate, and ran into his yard.
"Brother, what is it?" Yang Yufeng asked Zhao Jun, completely bewildered. "I thought Gu Yang's plan was a good one. Those Medicinal Beans can take down a big fella, so how much more can a Black Bear weigh?"
"Aargh..." Zhao Jun let out a long sigh. "Sister-in-law, not all mountain beasts are built the same. Why do you think a Black Bear's gallbladder is so expensive?"
At this, seeing Yang Yufeng's completely baffled expression, Zhao Jun added the final, crucial piece of information. "It can neutralize poison!"