mtl008 Chapter 444 Never mind, do whatever you want.
Chapter 444 Never mind, do whatever you want.
The few days of recuperation made Li Xiangyang feel like he was sitting on pins and needles. Every day, apart from eating and sleeping, he was constantly on edge.
Watching Li Xiaoyun busy herself with chores, he tried to help with some housework, but was always stopped.
"Don't move, your wound hasn't fully healed yet," Li Xiaoyun said as she added firewood to the pot.
"But lying here makes me feel even worse." Li Xiangyang stood up, supporting his lower back. "Look, it's all better now, completely better."
Li Xiaoyun put down her work, walked up to Li Xiangyang, and carefully lifted the gauze on his back. The wound had already scabbed over.
"It seems she's almost fully recovered," she said softly, though her eyes still held a hint of worry.
Li Xiangyang held her hand: "It's really okay now, look, it doesn't hurt when I move." As he spoke, he twisted his body to demonstrate.
Li Xiaoyun sighed, "I know I can't stop you. Go ahead, whatever, do whatever you want. But you have to promise me you won't go too far, and don't go alone."
Li Xiangyang nodded quickly: "I'll just wander around the village and catch a few wild rabbits before coming back."
With his wife's permission, Li Xiangyang felt like he had been granted a pardon and immediately went to find a hunting rifle and equipment to prepare for departure.
"Wait a minute." Li Xiaoyun took a cloth bag from the cupboard. "Take some dry food with you, don't go hungry."
Li Xiangyang took the cloth bag and gently kissed his wife's forehead: "Don't worry, I'll be careful."
The sun was shining brightly, and the early spring breeze still carried a hint of chill, but the vibrant life of the season was already palpable. Li Xiangyang left the village and walked along the familiar path towards the mountains and forests.
In the distance, Wang Ergou was coming out of his yard. When he saw Li Xiangyang, he immediately jogged over.
"Oh, your injury's healed? Going hunting already?"
Li Xiangyang nodded: "I was feeling cooped up at home, so I came out for some fresh air."
“Then I’ll go with you,” Wang Ergou said. “I also wanted to go up the mountain to check out the traps.”
The two walked together and soon entered the mountains and forests.
Springtime in the mountains is quite different from winter. Tender green buds sprout on the branches, and the snow on the ground has melted, revealing fresh soil and newly sprouted wild grass.
"It's not good hunting in the mountains this time of year," Wang Ergou said. "The animals are all very thin."
Li Xiangyang, however, was confident: "This is when animals wake up from hibernation and are hungry, looking for food, making them easier to catch."
The two moved slowly along the ridge, with Li Xiangyang stopping from time to time to observe the marks on the ground.
“Look, these are rabbit tracks,” he pointed to the marks on the ground, “they must have been left this morning.”
Wang Ergou looked at him in surprise: "Your eyesight is even better than before."
Li Xiangyang smiled without saying a word, but inwardly he was filled with emotion. His rebirth had given him decades of hunting experience from his previous life, and he knew every plant, tree, animal, and trace in the mountains and forests like the back of his hand.
The two continued walking when Li Xiangyang suddenly stopped and made a shushing gesture.
"What's wrong?" Wang Ergou asked in a low voice.
Li Xiangyang pointed to the bushes ahead: "There's movement."
Sure enough, the bushes swayed slightly, and a plump wild rabbit darted out, looking around warily.
Li Xiangyang raised his hunting rifle, aimed steadily, and with a muffled thud, the rabbit fell to the ground.
"Great marksmanship!" Wang Ergou gave a thumbs up.
Li Xiangyang walked over and picked up the wild rabbit: "This one weighs at least eight pounds, enough to stew a pot."
In the following hours, the two hunted three more rabbits and a fox.
Just as they were preparing to return to the village, Li Xiangyang suddenly discovered a series of unusual footprints.
“This is… a roe deer!” he exclaimed in surprise.
Roe deer meat is incredibly delicious, even more so than wild rabbits and wild boars. If you manage to hunt one, it can not only improve your family's meals but also fetch a good price.
“Let’s go, let’s follow the footprints and see what’s behind them,” Li Xiangyang said softly.
The two carefully followed the footprints and came to an open area. In the distance, in the grass, an adult roe deer was grazing on the spring grass, completely unaware of the approaching danger.
Li Xiangyang picked up his hunting rifle, took a deep breath, and aimed at the roe deer's vital points.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the roe deer seemed to sense something, suddenly raised its head, and looked around warily.
Li Xiangyang held his breath and remained motionless.
The roe deer observed cautiously for a while, and then, seemingly confirming that there was no danger, lowered its head and continued eating.
Li Xiangyang narrowed his eyes and gently pulled the trigger.
"boom!"
A sharp gunshot shattered the tranquility of the forest, and the roe deer fell to the ground.
"I got it!" Wang Ergou shouted excitedly.
The two men rushed forward and found that the roe deer was already dead. Li Xiangyang skillfully processed the prey, draining the blood and hanging it on a sturdy tree branch.
Wang Ergou helped hang up the roe deer, his face beaming with joy: "We're really lucky today, such a big catch in such a short time."
Li Xiangyang wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around. "Since it's still early, let's walk a little further and see if we can find better prey."
“Sure,” Wang Ergou patted his hunting rifle. “I’m in good form today, let’s shoot a few more to take back, that way we won’t have to go into the mountains again anytime soon.”
The two packed up their gear, temporarily hanging the roe deer and other prey in high places to prevent them from being snatched away by other animals, and then continued deeper into the mountains and forests.
Spring sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the forest path. As you venture deeper, the forest grows denser, the air filled with the fragrance of earth and wildflowers.
“Look, these are sika deer tracks,” Li Xiangyang squatted down and pointed to the marks on the ground. “It should be a small group, about three or four.”
Wang Ergou leaned over to look: "You're really something, you can even spot such a faint mark."
“These were left recently,” Li Xiangyang said, touching the damp soil. “They should have gone in that direction.”
The two carefully followed the footprints, stopping occasionally to observe their surroundings. Li Xiangyang's movements were light and agile, as if he had become one with the mountains and forests.
After walking for about half an hour without finding the deer, Li Xiangyang suddenly stopped after passing through a thicket of bushes, bent down, and picked up something: "Look, what's this?"
Wang Ergou leaned closer for a look and exclaimed in surprise, "Perilla leaves? They're here this season?"
“It’s not perilla leaf,” Li Xiangyang shook his head, “it’s moneywort, which has high medicinal value and is good for the liver. It should be able to fetch some money.”
Li Xiangyang looked around and indeed found a large patch of moneywort in the shade. He and Wang Ergou carefully picked some and put them in a cloth bag.
"There are so many good things in these mountains," Wang Ergou exclaimed. "We used to be so focused on hunting that we never paid attention to these medicinal herbs."
Li Xiangyang smiled and said, "There are many treasures in the mountains, you just need a pair of eyes to discover them."
After carefully collecting the harvested moneywort, the two continued to follow the tracks left by the deer.
As the light in the forest gradually dimmed, the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the treetops, draping the forest in a golden-red veil.
"Judging from these tracks, the deer herd must have headed towards the valley," Li Xiangyang said, crouching down and pointing to the increasingly fresh hoof prints on the ground, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "They're not far from us."
Wang Ergou nodded and said softly, "Shall we speed things up? It's getting dark."
“Yes, but be careful, deer have exceptionally keen hearing.” Li Xiangyang lowered his voice, slowly stood up, and the two of them moved forward quietly, following the tracks.