mijobooks Chapter 66 One Shot, Two Hits
Chapter 66 One Shot, Two Hits
"Sun the Cripple, you guys get paid and have quotas, but we're just an old man and a young boy, two bachelors, and we depend on this river bend for a living! What does the Forestry Bureau say?"
Sun Changkui had his plans, and Wu Laowai had his schemes.
"And another thing! Shouldn't the armed forces department restock us with a few hundred rounds of ammunition for the two of us we used to hunt wolves?"
Sun Changkui had just promised to give each of them two hundred more water-filled bullets, but Chen Tuo, who had just made the request, was also in a difficult position.
"Brother-in-law Sun, the stove in my house isn't working well either. If I don't add firewood in the first half of the night, I'll wake up freezing in the second half. Uncle Wu, do you need some coal?"
"How can we refuse! Sun the Cripple, give each of you a cartload!"
Chen Tuo gave him a target, and Wu Laowai's demands weren't excessive.
The coal in the Songling area is transported directly from the Huma Coal Mine next door via the Nenlin Railway branch line.
The timber yard next to the railway line was paved with coal gangue mixed with coal slag.
A truckload of coal is not valuable; what is valuable are the gasoline and diesel fuel used by cars and tractors to transport the coal, which all need to be transported from elsewhere.
"These are minor matters. It's better for you two to stay home and rest for a couple of days!"
Sun Changkui also took full responsibility for matters related to wolf attacks that affect forestry production.
Timber in the forest area is worthless, and coal that can't be transported out is even less valuable.
If it weren't for the thermal power plant built in Huma, the coal mine would have been closed long ago.
As long as the two of them stay put and he successfully leads his men to wipe out the wolf pack, bullets and coal will be as plentiful as timber in the forest!
When distributing the prey, Wu Laowai didn't want the wolf pelt cut in half, so Chen Tuo chose the pelt and gave him the wolf meat.
Sun Changkui and his men dealt with the wolves and gazelles trapped in the snare, and even gave each of the two men a gazelle.
On the way back, looking at the gazelles on the sled, Old Wu muttered:
"When did that cripple Sun learn to be so cunning? He won't let us help him; there must be a lot of sheep stuck in that icy pit!"
Sun Changkui told the two men about the dozen or so wolves and seven or eight gazelles back in the Hetao region.
After the meat was divided, Wu Laowai still complained, because gazelles could be sold for money, but wolf meat was worthless.
"Uncle Wu, fishing is prohibited in the Hetao region. How about we go cast our nets in the unfrozen river tomorrow?"
Just as they were beginning to enjoy the fruits of their labor, their plans to hunt wolves were thwarted.
Hunting is prohibited, so fishing is the only option, and Chen Tuo doesn't want a moment's peace and quiet right now.
"I'm not going! Who knows how heavy the snow will be tonight! If it snows up to my knees and I run into a pack of wolves on the way to the unfrozen river, I won't even be able to run away!"
After pulling off the skinned goat at the educated youth settlement, Wu Laowai still took the hide home to cook.
While Chen Tuo went inside to add firewood and keep the fire going, a security guard from the Forestry Bureau brought him water-filled bullets.
In addition to two hundred water-based bullets, Sun Changkui also made him bring two boxes of fifty buckshot bullets.
If he had had deer bullets earlier, he might have been able to hit more wolves.
After drying his snow-soaked overcoat, Chen Tuo sat down at the table and began to record his experience from hunting wolves.
The details of the Bloodhound's daily life need to be supplemented.
How to connect the Blood Wolfhound, Blood Wolf Plain, and Wolf Totem into a series of works also requires careful consideration.
After writing more than ten pages of ideas, Chen Tuo felt a bit sleepy and went to bed.
Restoring a normal routine is very important for him; otherwise, he always feels out of touch with reality.
I slept soundly until dawn. Hongye didn't come, and the little puppy Hongmaozi didn't make a sound either.
Lying in the quiet gatehouse of the educated youth settlement, Chen Tuo felt an unprecedented sense of comfort and ease.
When he has time, he goes fishing and hunting; in his spare time, he writes some poems, essays, and miscellaneous notes.
No need to worry about work, no need to toil for a few coins.
At this moment, reciting Hai Zi's poem "Facing the Sea, Flowers Blooming" brings a sense of happiness to the literary youth.
Chen Tuo lay there until the red-haired dog started whimpering that it was hungry before reluctantly getting up to give it some blood clots.
Thinking of the two female mountain dogs that howled and left the Hetao region last night, Chen Tuo wondered if he could also keep those two at the educated youth settlement.
"Chen Tuo, Chen Tuo! Are you there?"
Wearing a Mongolian sheepskin military overcoat, Chen Tuo leaned against the warm gatehouse, his body and mind in a lazy atmosphere, and did not want to respond to Hong Ye outside the door.
However, since the two had become familiar with each other, Hong Ye, after calling out twice without receiving a response, simply pushed the door open and entered, ruining their carefree and blissful feeling.
"Chen Tuo, are you sick? What's wrong?"
Seeing Chen Tuo leaning against the wall with dazed eyes and a worried expression, Hong Ye reached out to check his forehead temperature before starting to ask him how he was doing.
"It was quite comfortable, but you interrupted my train of thought..."
After a brief moment of relaxation, Chen Tuo not only felt physically energetic, but his mind was also cleansed by the tranquility and languor he had just experienced.
The resentment accumulated during his time as a beast of burden was also swept away.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were looking for inspiration."
"Talking is cheap. Come here, the wall's too hard, you can be a cushion for a while..."
Hong Ye's cushion wasn't made in vain. Chen Tuo, in a good mood, leaned against her and began to talk about his understanding of "new life".
After talking about the new student, he talked about her "Ewenki woman". When talking about the Evenki woman, Chen Tuo also mentioned the lack of life experience of the blood wolfhound.
Chen Tuo shared his life experiences, which gave Hong Ye, who had been struggling to make a living since she was seven or eight years old, the opportunity to confide in him.
At that time, the flood had just begun, and life was difficult for the family.
Hong Ye, who almost didn't finish elementary school, started doing housework at a very young age.
Later, the food rations in the city were simply not enough, so Hongye followed his older brothers to Heilongjiang Province to make connections.
Hong Ye, who got separated from his brothers along the way, like Chen Tuo, rushed to Songling.
After finally getting in touch with my family, the answer I received was that I wasn't allowed to go home.
Later, Hongye realized that there was no such thing as getting separated; it was just that her family wanted to get rid of a mouth to feed.
Therefore, over the years, Hongye has not sent most of his income home, but has instead used it for his own consumption.
After recounting his own experiences, he began to talk about life in the forest area.
Like Hu Yuling, Hong Ye had also entered Wu Laowai's courtyard, but she was too young at the time and was chased out.
She also harbored a grudge against Wu Laowai because of this.
As Hong Ye recounted her story, Chen Tuo picked up his pen and paper and began to record her descriptions of life in the forest area.
When her mouth became dry, Hong Ye finally remembered the purpose of her visit.
"Oh, right! I'm here to bring you some good news!"
Hong Ye's excitement affected Chen Tuo's train of thought. He leaned back heavily, giving the chubby girl a warning.
"Don't bother me..."
Having been warned, Hong Ye could only say softly:
"The Evenki woman's story of fishing will not only be published in Heilongjiang Literature and Art Publishing House, but also in the northern Xinjiang region of Ussuri River. Our work has achieved a double success..."
Chen Tuo knew about Longjiang Literature and Art, which had been renamed Northern Literature, but he had never heard of the northern border region of Ussuri.
"Northern Xinjiang? Is it a literary journal?"
"Northern Xinjiang is the journal of the Ussuri outpost. If Longjiang Literature and Art has suitable manuscripts, it will be assigned to Northern Xinjiang."
"Oh...good news! Once it's published, remember to buy a few copies as souvenirs!"
Chen Tuo had no particular attachment to plagiarized modern poems, or essays and notes that borrowed ideas from others.
What he cares more about is how to protect his reputation and avoid being criticized after becoming famous for plagiarism.
He does whatever comes to mind, turning himself into a hodgepodge, and will have to spend a lot of time and effort explaining things in the future.
This is also the starting point for him to write the Blood Wolfhound, Blood Wolf Plain, and Wolf Totem series.
With his experiences in essays, notes, and novels, he gained sufficient creative depth in the eyes of others.
A double hit or instant fame are all empty titles; they are not supported by works that match one's own experiences.
Even the greatest fame will soon fade into obscurity.
After all, in the next few years, countless young writers will emerge like bamboo shoots after a spring rain...