Seeing his eldest brother still frowning, Liu Tiezhu continued to reassure him.
"Big brother, don't worry. Our family's two and a half acres of land are already the worst in the village. Unless someone's an idiot, they wouldn't swap with us. Besides, we can't rely on these two and a half acres to get rich in the future."
"Tiezhu's right. This little bit of land, working it all year, at most yields a few hundred catties of rice. A hundred catties of rice isn't even worth a day's hunting, and it takes months of farm work. Let Liu Shan swap with whoever he wants. We don't care."
Second Uncle had also come to terms with it and chimed in to persuade.
Before, without other ways to get resources, they could only cling to a few acres of land. Working all year, they got nothing but a few hundred catties of rice. That kind of life had no hope—just poverty on top of poverty. If they didn't change their mindset, they'd never leave this village in their lifetime.
Liu Tieshan thought it over carefully and felt Second Uncle's words made sense.
After dealing with the fish and meat, it was already past nine in the evening.
Liu Tiezhu glanced at the clock on the wall and then said to Er Gouzi beside him, "Gouzi, do you dare to go into the mountains with me now?"
Now?
Everyone was startled by this.
The roads were very dangerous at night; one wrong step could lead to getting lost. Plus, with the weather warming up, many snakes would come out looking for food. A bite would be a huge problem. Going into the mountains at this time was undoubtedly very risky.
"Tiezhu, did I hear you right? Going into the mountains now?" Second Uncle asked uncertainly.
Liu Tiezhu nodded. "Second Uncle, I want to try night hunting. So many people caught prey today; there'll definitely be more people going into the mountains tomorrow. We need to be one step ahead."
In fact, more animals came out at night to look for food, and they weren't as alert as during the day, making them easier to hunt. Another thing was that no one else was hunting at night, which made it easier for him to show his skills. Even though the danger level was higher at night, the rewards wouldn't be bad.
Second Uncle thought for a moment and nodded. "Tiezhu, you've got a point. So many people caught prey today; there'll definitely be a lot going into the mountains tomorrow. Everyone chasing after each other won't just make it hard to catch anything, but it'll also lead to conflicts. Let's go into the mountains tonight. Everyone put on long rubber boots to prevent snake bites, and bring a few more flashlights."
Er Gouzi immediately stood up. "Sounds good. I'll go back now and change gear."
"I'm going too."
Liu Tieshan said as he prepared to change gear, but Liu Tiezhu stopped him.
"Big brother, you can't go. There's only sister-in-law and Yaoyao at home. I'm not comfortable with that."
Second Uncle said, "Tiezhu's right. You stay home. The three of us—me, Tiezhu, and Gouzi—are enough."
Liu Tieshan thought it over, looked back at the mother and daughter behind him, and finally didn't say anything more.
The three of them changed into thick cotton-padded jackets, brought fire starters and flashlights, and packed a dozen or so dried meat strips before heading toward the big mountain.
The weather was warming up, and the snow was gradually melting, but the temperature was even lower. As soon as they left the village entrance, they couldn't help shivering.
"Tiezhu, Gouzi, have a swig too."
Second Uncle took out his wine flask, took a small sip of the strong liquor, and handed it to Liu Tiezhu.
Liu Tiezhu didn't stand on ceremony; he took it and downed a few gulps, and his cold body warmed up instantly.
Er Gouzi couldn't handle alcohol well; after a small sip, he handed it back to his father.
An hour later, they arrived at the foot of the mountain.
The tangled weeds and trees, stirred by the cold wind, made all kinds of eerie sounds. Anyone with a weak heart would be scared out of their wits.
Suddenly, a shadow darted out from the thick grass, fluttered, and disappeared.
The shadow moved so fast that before the three could see what it was, it vanished into the weeds.
Liu Tiezhu turned his head and fixed his gaze on Er Gouzi. "Gouzi, did you see what that thing was?"
Er Gouzi stammered a bit, lowered his voice, and pointed at the nearby cemetery.
"It looked like a human figure. It was too fast; I couldn't make it out. Tiezhu ge, could it be that thing?"
As soon as he said that, he got a slap on the head.
"Bullshit! What era is this, and you still believe in that? Grab the flashlight and come with your old man. I don't buy that nonsense."
Second Uncle said, then kicked Er Gouzi in the backside before striding forward.
"Second Uncle, wait!"
Liu Tiezhu stopped Second Uncle, then shone his flashlight on the ground while signaling Second Uncle behind him to do the same.
Following Liu Tiezhu's cue, Second Uncle and Er Gouzi quickly crouched down and turned off their flashlights.
At that moment, a rustling sound came from the weeds, and then patches of grass were pushed down one after another.
"What is it? Sounds like a group."
Second Uncle moved closer, lowering his body to ask.
"I can't tell either. But something making this much noise can't be a small animal. I'm guessing it's either wild boars or something big like coyotes. Second Uncle, you stay behind. When I call out, you come out with the pitchfork to fight."
After saying that, Liu Tiezhu turned his gaze back to Er Gouzi behind him.
"Gouzi, don't you chicken out on me. Listen to my command. When I tell you to shoot, you shoot."
Er Gouzi nodded, signaling he was fine.
The rustling grew closer, heading toward the three of them.
Then, Liu Tiezhu could see what the animal ahead was.
It was sheep—the curved-horn sheep unique to this area, also called big-headed sheep or ghost-face sheep. But the villagers here usually called them ghost-face sheep.
These sheep were bigger than ordinary ones, with a face that looked twisted and a bit creepy. Hence, the nearby villagers called them ghost-face sheep.
Adult ghost-face sheep typically weighed around two hundred catties. These sheep mostly stayed deep in the mountains, rarely seen coming out.
"Tiezhu ge, our luck is insane. Sixteen of them! If we can take them all down, we'll be rich."
Er Gouzi drooled, his voice low, his face full of excitement.
Second Uncle gripped his pitchfork, also trembling with excitement.
But Liu Tiezhu, who was observing, frowned.
He was thinking about how to catch as many ghost-face sheep as possible. These sheep weren't very alert, but they were extremely fast. Once startled, it was almost impossible to hunt them again.
After a moment of thought, Liu Tiezhu pointed at a rock behind the ghost-face sheep.
"Second Uncle, do you see that rock?"
Second Uncle nodded. "What's up, Tiezhu?"
"Sneak around and hide behind that rock. When I shoot my arrow, these ghost-face sheep will definitely turn back. Then, when I call out, you stab with the pitchfork. Remember, don't go all out."
"Got it. I'll sneak over now."
Second Uncle understood that Liu Tiezhu planned a pincer attack. He nodded, crouched down, and quietly moved over.
"Gouzi, prepare an extra bamboo arrow. After the arrow from the compound crossbow is shot, load the second one immediately. When I say 'shoot,' you pull the trigger. Got it?"
As he spoke, Liu Tiezhu loaded a bamboo arrow into his compound crossbow and aimed ahead.
Er Gouzi followed Liu Tiezhu's instructions, took out a bamboo arrow and held it in his hand, slowly moving the compound crossbow in his grip to aim at the neck of a male ghost-face sheep.