mtl008 Chapter 297 A near miss
Chapter 297 A near miss
Li Xiaoyun made a pot of rich soup with venison, fried a few pieces of venison, and served it with freshly made cornbread, which smelled delicious.
"Try it," Li Xiaoyun said, serving Li Xiangyang a bowl of thick soup. "It's freshly made."
Li Xiangyang took the soup bowl, took a sip, and nodded with satisfaction: "It's delicious."
At this moment, Li Xiaohua and Wang Ying also woke up. The two girls were dressed neatly and looked like they had finished washing up.
"Hey, what's this?" Li Xiaohua spotted the deer antlers leaning against the corner of the wall and walked over curiously.
Wang Ying's eyes widened, and she exclaimed softly, "What huge horns!"
“These are antlers,” Li Xiangyang explained with a smile, “the antlers of the male deer that your Uncle Ergou and I hunted yesterday.”
"You really shot a deer?" Li Xiaohua looked at the antlers in surprise and touched them. "They're so hard!"
Wang Ying leaned closer and gently touched the forked antlers with her fingertips: "I've only ever seen deer in books, I never imagined their antlers were so big."
"Brother, can you take us into the mountains to see the deer?" Li Xiaohua suddenly suggested, her eyes sparkling.
Wang Ying also looked at Li Xiangyang expectantly. Although she didn't say anything, the longing in her eyes was obvious.
Li Xiangyang thought about it. He had originally planned to go with Wang Ergou to get the remaining venison today, and it wouldn't hurt to bring the two girls along. After all, they weren't going deep into dangerous territory; they were only going to the place where they camped yesterday.
“Okay,” he nodded, “I was just about to go get the rest of the meat today, I can take you to see it. But you have to behave and not run around.”
"Great!" Li Xiaohua jumped up excitedly, grabbing Wang Ying's hand. "We can go play in the mountains now!"
Wang Ying smiled and said softly, "Thank you, Brother Xiangyang."
Li Xiaoyun asked with some concern, "It's dangerous up in the mountains. Can you take good care of them?"
"Don't worry," Li Xiangyang reassured him, "It's not like we're going hunting. Er Gou will help look after things, they'll definitely be able to keep an eye on things."
Li Xiaoyun nodded, "Then you should eat quickly so we can go up the mountain."
She served each of the two little girls a bowl of venison soup: "Here, drink it while it's hot. Your brother caught the venison yesterday; it was so delicious."
The little girls sipped their soup with relish, repeatedly praising, "It's so delicious!"
After breakfast, Li Xiangyang took the two girls to find Wang Ergou.
When Wang Ergou saw Li Xiangyang arrive with the children, he was somewhat surprised: "You're taking them up the mountain with you?"
“They want to see deer,” Li Xiangyang explained. “Don’t worry, even if we go to the same spot we visited yesterday, we might not see any. Nothing will happen.”
Wang Ergou nodded: "That's good, let the children broaden their horizons."
The four set off together, with Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou each carrying tools, while the girls traveled light and skipped ahead.
"Don't run too far," Li Xiangyang reminded him. "Stay behind me and Uncle Er Gou."
The mountain path was not easy to walk, but the two little girls seemed particularly energetic, chattering all the way, finding everything on the mountain novel.
Li Xiaohua pointed to the wildflowers by the roadside and asked, "Brother, what's the name of this flower?"
“Those are wild lilies,” Li Xiangyang replied. “They bloom in autumn and smell very fragrant.”
Wang Ying quietly observed everything around her, occasionally jotting things down in her notebook.
"What are you writing down?" Li Xiangyang asked curiously.
Wang Ying smiled shyly: "I want to write down everything I see so I can tell my dad when I get back."
Li Xiangyang patted her head: "What a good girl."
After walking for about two hours, they arrived at the place where they had camped the night before.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou checked the remaining venison and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that it hadn't been stolen by wild animals.
"Wow, so much meat!" Li Xiaohua exclaimed, gazing at the venison hanging on the tree.
"Is this venison?" Wang Ying asked curiously, examining it closely.
“Yes,” Wang Ergou said with a smile, “let’s take them down and bring them back to the village.”
Just as the two were about to make their move, Li Xiangyang suddenly became alert and stopped Wang Ergou.
“Wait,” he whispered, “there’s some noise.”
Wang Ergou immediately stopped what he was doing and listened carefully.
There was indeed a rustling sound coming from the bushes, as if something was moving.
"Xiaohua, Xiaoying, come here," Li Xiangyang whispered to the two girls, "Stand behind me and don't make a sound."
Wang Ergou subtly gripped his gun, watching the direction from which the sound came.
The rustling sound grew closer, the bushes trembled slightly, and then an adult wild boar emerged from the bushes, sniffing incessantly, clearly having caught the scent of venison.
Li Xiangyang shielded the two girls behind him, while giving Wang Ergou a wink.
"Don't be afraid," he whispered to comfort the two frightened girls, "Uncle Er Gou and I are here."
The wild boar sensed the presence of humans, raised its head, and scanned its surroundings warily.
Its heavy breathing was particularly clear in the silent forest.
Li Xiaohua trembled with fear, while Wang Ying clung tightly to Li Xiangyang's clothes, her face pale.
The wild boar saw them and let out a low growl.
"It's charging!" Wang Ergou said nervously. "I have to shoot."
Li Xiangyang quickly made a decision: "No, wait until I've taken the children and left, then you can make your move. You go around to the right to distract it, and I'll take the children down the mountain to the left."
Wang Ergou nodded and slowly moved to attract the wild boar's attention.
The wild boar moved toward Wang Ergou, its eyes filled with ferocity.
Li Xiangyang picked up the two little girls and took the opportunity to slip away from the left: "Hold on tight to me, don't make a sound."
I had only walked a dozen meters when a gunshot rang out, followed by the howl of a wild boar.
A moment later, Wang Ergou emerged from the bushes, a hint of frustration on his face: "I missed, I just scared it away."
"Whether we hit anyone or not doesn't matter, the important thing is no one was hurt." Li Xiangyang patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder, then looked at the two girls, "Are you alright?"
Li Xiaohua and Wang Ying were still somewhat shaken, but they nodded bravely.
"That was terrifying," Li Xiaohua said, her voice still trembling. "Do wild boars eat people?"
“Wild boars don’t usually attack people unprovoked,” Li Xiangyang explained, “but they can become very dangerous when startled or threatened. So we need to avoid them.”
Wang Ying nodded thoughtfully, her eyes gleaming with awe: "Nature is truly wondrous; sometimes beautiful, sometimes dangerous."
"Let's end our hike in the mountains here for today. Let's get the meat and head back. Safety first."
Although the two girls were a little disappointed, they understood the importance of safety and nodded obediently.
On the way down the mountain, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou were extra vigilant, constantly paying attention to their surroundings.
Li Xiaohua and Wang Ying were no longer as lively as when they arrived, and followed closely behind the adults, afraid of encountering danger again.