"No way. Going into the mountains now is too dangerous."
Before Yang Haitian could speak, Yang Yulan was the first to shake her head in opposition.
"Zhu Zi, we have plenty of food for now. There's no need to take that risk." Yang Haitian chimed in, trying to persuade him.
"I'm just making a preliminary plan. We'll see how things go when the time comes."
Liu Tiezhu brushed it off with a vague reply and called everyone to eat.
After breakfast, Liu Tiezhu fed the mule some hay, told Er Gouzi to bring the compound crossbow, and then headed toward town.
He had to admit, when traveling in heavy snow, nothing beat a mule.
Even with over twenty centimeters of snow on the ground, it didn't slow the mule's pace at all.
Er Gouzi sat on the wooden sled, grinning. "Brother Zhu, having a mule is great."
"We save both energy and time."
Last time, the two of them had hauled several hundred pounds of rice with a tricycle, and it had worn him out. With this mule, they didn't have to exert any effort at all. They just sat back and guided it along.
"By the way, Brother Zhu."
"Why are we bringing the compound crossbow to town?" Er Gouzi asked.
Liu Tiezhu reminded him, "Remember when Liu Yusheng blocked our way last time?"
"With the compound crossbow, if we run into any more bastards with bad intentions, we won't have to be afraid."
Er Gouzi thought it over and figured he had a point.
Half an hour later, they arrived in town and sold the meat.
The price had gone up this time, from the previous four mao six fen to seven mao—nearly double. This was because the snowstorm had sealed off the mountains, and many hunters had stopped hunting, leading to a meat shortage.
"Gou Zi, looks like we really need to head into the mountains early."
As they left the meat purchasing station, Liu Tiezhu immediately sensed a huge business opportunity.
"Brother Zhu, what do you mean?" Er Gouzi said.
Liu Tiezhu explained, "In the past, when we came to sell meat, that Zhou Papi would either nitpick or drive down the price."
"This time, he didn't complain at all and even raised the price. What does that tell you?"
Er Gouzi was still confused. "What does that have to do with us going into the mountains?"
"What does it mean?"
Liu Tiezhu frowned and kicked Er Gouzi in the butt.
"Gou Zi, is your head filled with paste?"
"Zhou Papi's behavior means the town is running out of meat."
"If we seize this chance, we can definitely make a tidy profit."
Er Gouzi paused, then slapped his thigh.
"If mountain chicken can go up to seven mao, then wild game from deep in the mountains could definitely hit one yuan."
"If we bag two thousand pounds a day, that's two thousand yuan a day."
"Then... damn... we'd be rich..."
Liu Tiezhu chuckled. "Gou Zi, your brain's finally working."
"But don't get too excited. Two thousand pounds of meat isn't that easy to get."
Er Gouzi was thrilled and grabbed Liu Tiezhu to leave.
"Brother Zhu, no time to waste. Let's hurry and buy the wood and tires."
"Hold on, we still need to buy some other stuff."
Liu Tiezhu said, steering the mule toward the town's market stalls.
The market was nearly deserted, with just a few people selling pickled vegetables. Not a single meat stall was open. This only confirmed that the town's meat supply was almost gone.
"What are we doing here? Buying pickles?" Er Gouzi asked, puzzled.
"Buying dogs." Liu Tiezhu pointed at the native dogs penned up in bamboo enclosures not far away.
Er Gouzi said, "Don't we already have nine at home? You want more?"
"Nine isn't enough. If we want to make a fortune, we need to keep raising them."
Liu Tiezhu walked over to the dog seller.
The bamboo pen held twenty-nine puppies, each weighing over ten jin. These puppies were skin and bones, huddled together, shivering from the cold.
"Boss, want to buy some dogs? Selling cheap."
The dog seller flashed a mouthful of yellow teeth, grinning slyly like a total swindler.
"How much?" Liu Tiezhu replied, but his eyes were sizing up the puppies.
These puppies were about two months old. Normally, they should weigh around twenty jin. But in these times, people couldn't even feed themselves, so no one was willing to give these puppies meat, leaving them malnourished and underweight. Still, their frames were large, and after a dozen days of proper feeding, they'd quickly regain their weight.
Liu Tiezhu scanned them and found that out of the twenty-six puppies, ten could be trained as hunting dogs.
"One yuan fifty per dog. If you buy ten, I'll give you a twenty percent discount," the seller said.
Hearing the price, Er Gouzi's eyes widened.
"One yuan fifty each? Why don't you just rob us?"
The seller replied, "Boss, this is the going rate. I'm not overcharging."
"If you don't believe me, ask around."
"Eleven yuan, and I'll pick ten. Deal or no?" Liu Tiezhu said.
"This... eleven yuan, I'd be losing money."
"Boss, can you add a bit more?"
The seller put on a pained expression.
Liu Tiezhu didn't waste words and turned to leave.
At eleven yuan, the seller could still make a profit of three to five yuan. Putting on this act of desperation was just to squeeze out more.
Seeing Liu Tiezhu walk away so decisively, the seller panicked and caught up in a few steps.
"Boss, eleven yuan it is. I'll sell at a loss."
Liu Tiezhu didn't dawdle. He picked the puppies, paid the seller promptly, and loaded them up.
After securing the puppies, they bought a few hundred jin of rice, then went to get the wood and tires.
By the time they had everything, it was already noon.
Not far out of town, Liu Tiezhu noticed the dog seller and a burly man trailing them from a distance.
His sharp instincts told him these two meant trouble.
"Gou Zi, get the compound crossbow ready. We've got trouble."
"Trouble?"
Er Gouzi looked puzzled but followed Liu Tiezhu's orders, taking out the compound crossbow and loading a bamboo arrow.
Liu Tiezhu took the chance to urge the mule to speed up.
After about thirty meters, the road ahead was blocked by a long pine log.
Three sturdy men stood on the log, grinning at Liu Tiezhu and the others.
At the same time, the dog seller and another burly man caught up from behind, cutting off their escape.
"Boss, what's the meaning of this?"
"You sold me those puppies, and now you want them back?"
Liu Tiezhu's face darkened as he addressed the dog seller.
The seller grinned. "You've got it wrong. I, Gou Touqiang, do business fair and square."
"I took your money for the puppies, so I'm not taking them back."
"Then why are you blocking our way now?" Er Gouzi said.
"The boys and I are a bit short on cash. We thought we'd borrow some from you."
"Play nice, and leave the money and this load behind."
Gou Touqiang rubbed his hands together, looking calm.
When Liu Tiezhu had paid earlier, he'd seen a stack of ten-yuan notes in his hand. How could he pass up such a fat sheep?
"Play nice, my ass."
"The money and goods are right here. If you've got the guts, come and get them."
Liu Tiezhu exploded on the spot, pointing at Gou Touqiang and letting loose.
This outburst stunned Gou Touqiang and his crew.
Usually, when they surrounded people like this, the victims were scared stiff.
This was the first time they'd run into a tough nut who not only wasn't afraid but also cursed out his mother.
"Kid, you're asking for a beating."
"Today, I'll teach you a lesson so you'll behave."
One of the burly men stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, ready to teach Liu Tiezhu a lesson.
*Swish!* A bamboo arrow from the compound crossbow embedded itself in the pine log, sending wood chips flying and startling everyone.
Er Gouzi aimed the crossbow at the man's head. "Go to hell! Come on, let's see if your fists are tougher than my bamboo arrows."
"That shot hit the log. Next time, it'll be your head."
"If you're not afraid to die, come try it. Let's see if I shoot you or not."
Another man tried to sneak up from behind, but Liu Tiezhu didn't hold back, shooting an arrow straight through his foot.
"Damn it, you really aren't afraid to die."
Liu Tiezhu cursed and fired another arrow.
This one landed right in front of Gou Touqiang as a warning.
A repeater?
Gou Touqiang and his men jumped back in shock, retreating several steps.
Liu Tiezhu aimed the compound crossbow at the three men in front.
"Move that log out of my way, or I'll make sure you bastards regret it."
The three were terrified out of their wits and immediately moved the log aside.
"Next time you run into your uncle, make sure to stay far away."
Liu Tiezhu left them with a warning before driving the mule forward.