In the heavy snow, the smell of blood dissipated quickly. If there were animals like coyotes nearby, they would soon be drawn by the scent. Liu Tiezhu curled up in a pile of weeds, laying a thick layer of grass on the ground, then pulling more over himself. After doing this, he tightened his grip on the compound crossbow, his eyes fixed on the spot where the blood lay.
An hour later, the blood was already covered by snow, but the smell of blood was still strong. The weed pile where Liu Tiezhu hid was now blanketed in thick snow. The temperature had dropped several more degrees. Even in his thick cotton coat, Liu Tiezhu felt his hands and feet going numb. Numbness in the limbs was a bad sign—if they froze completely, he could lose them. "Looks like there aren't any meat-eating game around here." Liu Tiezhu rubbed his hands together, ready to get up and move elsewhere.
But just as he arched his back, a rustling came from the broken branches and deadwood a few dozen meters ahead. Hearing the noise, Liu Tiezhu quickly flattened himself. His nerves tensed as he adjusted the compound crossbow, aiming in that direction, while his left hand gripped a short knife. In the mountains, besides fierce coyotes, there were large carnivores like leopards. The commotion just now suggested a sizable animal was approaching.
Crack, crack, crack... The sound of snapping branches continued, accompanied by low growls, making Liu Tiezhu's heart race. Soon, he saw an adult coyote emerge. This coyote had a long scar on the right side of its face, weighed about forty pounds, with clearly defined muscles and green eyes locked directly onto him. Seeing this, Liu Tiezhu's hair stood on end. Decades of wilderness survival experience told him this coyote was no easy opponent. A lone wolf was often more cunning than a pack. This coyote had likely spotted him from the start and stayed quiet, waiting for a chance to hunt him. "What a sly beast. Since you're asking for death, I'll grant it." Liu Tiezhu stopped hiding, stepped out of the weed pile, and slowly aimed the compound crossbow at the coyote's head. But he didn't fire immediately. At a distance of several dozen meters, the crossbow's power wasn't enough to take down a large predator like a coyote. Also, at that range, aiming would be off. To deal with such a cunning coyote, he needed a single, fatal shot. Otherwise, there would be no second chance.
The coyote sensed danger, bared its sharp fangs, and slowly crept closer to Liu Tiezhu. "You damn beast, you really think I'm your meal." Liu Tiezhu cursed inwardly, scanning the surroundings, ready for the coyote's counterattack. In his past life, he'd been a mercenary for decades, mastering both combat and hunting skills. Though this coyote wasn't on the same level as his former enemies, he couldn't afford to be careless.
When the coyote was five meters away, Liu Tiezhu crouched down. In hunting terms, this was a sign of submission. The coyote growled, bent its front legs, pushed off with its hind legs, and lunged. Liu Tiezhu quickly adjusted the crossbow and fired a bolt made from an umbrella rib. At such close range, the bolt pierced straight through the coyote's chest, splattering bright blood everywhere. But the bolt was too small; even piercing the coyote's body didn't stop it. Enraged by the pain, the coyote attacked again. Liu Tiezhu leaped up like a fish, lunging forward, grabbing the coyote's neck with his right hand while stabbing deep with the short knife in his left. The whole move was lightning-fast, completed in an instant. The coyote twitched for a moment, blood gushing out, before finally dying. Liu Tiezhu rolled over, gasping for air. That move looked easy, but it was extremely dangerous. If not for his past-life memories and years of hunting experience, taking on a coyote like that would have been suicide.
After draining the coyote's blood, Liu Tiezhu didn't venture deeper. With the coyote and two civet cats, he had over fifty pounds of meat—carrying it down the mountain alone was exhausting work. Over an hour later, Liu Tiezhu finally reached the foot of the mountain with the coyote and civets. The snow on the ground was too thick; carrying dozens of pounds of game made every step a struggle, which reminded him of his plan to improve his physique. In his past life, he could run for miles with a hundred-pound load, but now his body was far too weak. After resting for an hour, Liu Tiezhu continued on.
He got home in the afternoon, and it was already getting dark. Winter days were short, with only five hours of daylight. His older brother and sister-in-law had returned and were cooking lunch in the kitchen. Hearing noise in the yard, his brother hurried out. "Oh my god, a coyote... Tiezhu... you... you..." Seeing the game on Liu Tiezhu's back, Liu Tieshan was so shocked he stammered. Such a fierce animal—they'd only ever run from it, never dared to hunt it. Huang Xiumei heard the commotion and rushed out of the kitchen. Seeing the dozens of pounds of game, she was equally stunned. Only Yaoyao excitedly shouted about wanting to eat wolf meat. Snapping out of it, Huang Xiumei urged, "Tiezhu, go change your clothes quickly, don't catch a cold. Lunch is almost ready." His brother, Liu Tieshan, deftly took the coyote and civets, skillfully skinning them. A whole coyote pelt could sell for three yuan and sixty cents, enough to buy twenty pounds of rice. Civet pelts were cheaper; two could still get fifteen pounds of rice. He'd heard from his father-in-law today that the snow might last until June, and spring planting could fail, which would drive up rice prices.
After processing the coyote and civets, lunch was ready. Plain boiled bamboo chicken, stir-fried chicken gizzards with green peppers, and dry-fried dried radish. Yaoyao's wolf meat would have to wait for the next meal. After lunch, Liu Tieshan brought up the possible rice price hike. "Brother, let's trade the coyote pelt and meat, along with the civet pelts, for rice first." "We'll salt and store the remaining civet meat." Liu Tiezhu thought about two months later, when the snow would continue until after the New Year in February. By then, rice would cost thirty cents, and ten days later, fifty cents. The massive snow disaster would eventually block all village roads, making it impossible to buy rice even with money. Many in the village would starve, and some would turn to robbery and murder. Though it was still dozens of days away, stockpiling more food couldn't hurt.
"No way. We'll sell the wolf meat for money for your bride price, and trade the wolf pelt and civets for rice." Liu Tieshan waved his hand. Over thirty pounds of coyote meat could sell for twelve or thirteen yuan in town—a big income, too valuable to trade for rice. Liu Tiezhu said, "Brother, this snow will last a long time. We need to store more food." "Don't worry about the bride price; I'll figure it out." In his past life, the day after his brother's accident, the Liu family came to call off the engagement. They even announced in front of the whole village that she would marry the village chief's son, Liu Fugui. So, he had no good feelings for Liu Ruyu. In this life, he didn't want anything more to do with her.
Liu Tieshan opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted by urgent knocking. "Brother Tieshan, Brother Tiezhu, open up! Something terrible happened!" It was Liu Ergou, his voice choked with tears.