060 – Little Black Wolf
“I’ll try.” Zhang Dashuan believed that his strength was not small, that he felt competitive. He stepped forward, took up the strong bow in Qin Mian’s hand, exerted all the strength of his arms and shook his head calmly, “Can’t.”
Lei Xiangli and Wu Di also tried out of curiosity and they could not move it either. They admired Lei Tie’s strength.
“See?” Qin Mian once again straightened up his waist as he complacently said.
Lei Xiangli handed over his own bow and arrow, “Eldest sister-in-law, do you want to use mine?” Lei Tie’s strong bow could hunt wild boars, bears, tigers and other big animals. Small bows like him could only shoot small things such as pheasants and hares.Lei Tie gave him a look, stretched out his hand and pushed it back. He said to Qin Mian: “I’ll bring you here again after you learn.”
Qin Mian nodded happily, “Alright.”
The few men continued to go up the mountain. Suddenly, they heard a burst of sound which seemed to be something big.
Lei Tie and Zhang Dashuan both raised their bows and arrows with vigilance.
When the bushes in front of them were pushed aside, a young man in gray cloth came out with a bow in his hand, and was stunned to see them.
He stepped aside and another person came out behind him. It was also a young man with bow set on his back, wearing a white hunting suit with fox fur wrapped on his collar, silver thread in the clothes seam, and a sheep-fat white jade pendant hanging from his waist. His entirety exuded nobility and his face looked somewhat haughty.
Behind him was another man with a square face, dressed in the same clothes as the one who came out first. It was obvious that these two gray-clothed men were attendants of the white-clothed man.Since the two sides did not know each other at all, they only made eye contact and then brushed past.
However, Qin Mian suddenly heard a sorrow and angry whine coming out of the basket of the last walking man. He felt an indescribable sense of heaviness in his heart. His steps paused, and then he shook his head amusingly. It must be their prey in the basket. Isn’t the natural law being the weak are the prey to the strong?
“What’s wrong?” Lei Tie took his hand.
Qin Mian shook his head and said: “Nothing.”
At this time, there was a sound of heavy object fell at the back. Qin Mian looked back. On the ground lay a black prey whose limbs and mouth were entangled in ropes, struggling desperately. It turned out that the prey was unwilling to be caught. Even if it was tied like this, it jumped out of the basket!
The white-clothed man had already turned back. After he was taken aback, he applauded and smilingly said: “Good! The more powerful it is, the more I’ll feel accomplished after it is tamed!”
The square faced attendant rushed to catch the prey. Once again, the thing exerted its strength to twist its body, turned its head and looked at Qin Mian as if it knew him.
Qin Mian took a close look and was astounded. The prey was a dog with black fur all over the body. There was a pinch of white fur in the middle of both ears, like a white spot, which was exactly the same as the black dog he had saved in the previous life! The only difference was that this dog was smaller than the dog at that time, only slightly larger than an adult cat.
After being astounded, he rushed to pick up the dog. The dog was also strange, not only was it not afraid of him, but it also wriggled to his side. Qin Mian picked it up. As soon as the black dog was in his arms, it strangely quieted down, staring at the white-clothed man and his attendants with indifferent eyes.
For a moment, everyone was stunned.
The square faced attendant first reacted, sternly rebuked: “What do you think of doing?”
Lei Tie strode in large steps to Qin Mian’s side, embraced his shoulders, and looked at that attendant coldly.
Although Zhang Dashuan, Lei Xiangli and Wu Di felt that things were baffling, they were not afraid. They came over and stood with Qin Mian and Lei Tie.
The smile on the white-clothed man’s face gradually disappeared. He stared at Qin Mian with a bad look.
Qin Mian also knew that things were not easy to deal with, but he could not let go of the black dog. He looked at the white-clothed man apologetically with sincere meaning, “This gongzi, sorry for my impoliteness. But as you can see, this dog knows me. To tell you the truth, he once saved me. I’m willing to pay for it, gongzi can name a price.”
The white-clothed man’s expression was cold and his eyes narrowed as he sneered contemptuously and said nothing.
The square faced attendant snorted coldly, “Is our gongzi looks like a person short of money? Put it down quick! Otherwise, don’t blame us for being rude.”
Qin Mian frowned and tried to fight for it. “Naturally, I can see that gongzi is not short of money, but this dog is just a prey to gongzi. We’re willing to hunt a few more preys and exchange them all with you for this one. What do you think?”
Another attendant raised his eyelids and said impatiently: “What a rural boy like you know? It’s a rare and clever thing. Our gongzi chased it for three days before it was caught. We want to take it back and tame it. No other prey can match it. That’s enough, there’s need for me to be wordy with you. Quickly put it down.”
The square faced attendant glared and said fiercely: “Still not putting it down? Do you really want us to make a move?”
Seeing the situation headed to bad end, Zhang Dashuan advised Qin Mian in a low voice, “These people don’t seem simple. We ordinary people can’t afford to provoke them.”
Qin Mian’s heart sank. Momentarily, he was out of ideas and helplessly looked at Lei Tie.
Lei Tie gave him a reassuring look. He pinched his (QM) shoulder with his right palm and let go. He took out a small green porcelain bottle from his bosom and walked to the white-clothed man.
Just now, the white-clothed man had been looking at the man with scar on his face. His intuition told him that this was not an ordinary man.
“Has Your Excellency heard of ‘Qingli Pill’?” Lei Tie dully asked.
The white-clothed man, who originally leaned against the tree trunk, moved slightly when he heard the words and stood up straight. There was a look of doubt in his eyes, “Qingli Pill as in the legendary pill that can solve any strange poison and is called the Godly Pill by people? Is there really such a thing in this world?”
Qin Mian was shocked. He quickly went over and pulled Lei Tie’s sleeve. He whispered: “We’ll think of other ways.”
Lei Tie used his eyes to hint at Qin Mian to keep calm and not getting excited. Then, he said in a low voice: “Good. Take this pill in exchange for your prey.”
“Gongzi, be careful.” The two attendants were quick to remind. How could a rural man have that magical pill?
The white-clothed man hesitated, “How do I know that this pill is real?”
Lei Tie handed the porcelain bottle to him, “That’s up to Your Excellency’s courage, insight and knowledge.”
When the white-clothed man looked at the porcelain bottle, his look changed slightly. This porcelain bottle was not an ordinary porcelain, but superior heavenly jade porcelain. This kind of porcelain was not easy to fire [make], and could be used to detect poison. It was extremely valuable. Such a small porcelain bottle alone was worth at least 500 taels of silver. It was impossible for such a porcelain bottle to hold a fake pill. At worst, even if the pill inside was fake, it was not a loss to exchange a prey for a porcelain bottle worth 500 taels of silver.
The white-clothed man stared at Lei Tie for a long time, but Lei Tie was always calm.
The white-clothed man hesitated for a moment before putting the porcelain bottle in his bosom. “The prey is yours.” With that, he left in a hurry. He wanted to find an expert to identify the pill in the bottle as soon as possible.
The two attendants looked at each other in surprise and followed quickly.
“Gongzi, wait for us!”
The three soon disappeared deep in the forest.
With Zhang Dashuan and the two as bystanders, Qin Mian could not ask about the QingLi Pill in detail, so he had to bear his question and untied the rope on the little black dog.
The little black dog whimpered at him and lay soft on the ground, panting slightly.
Seeing it was weak, Qin Mian took out the water bag in the basket and fed it water.
Wu Di squatted on one side and asked curiously: “Sister, did it really save you?”
“En.” Qin Mian said, “I saved this dog, and this dog also saved me.” He had always believed that his rebirth and the space given to him by the black dog at that time had an inseparable relation. Although it was not clear whether this dog was the same as the previous one, but since they met, it was predestined. He could not look on unconcerned.
“This is a wolf.” Lei Tie glanced at his wife with an unknown meaning. His wife had said that he did not remember the past, but he remembered the wolf. Well, there was one more doubtful point about his wife.
“Ah?” Qin Mian was flabbergasted, “Is it really a wolf?”
Lei Tie nodded.
Zhang Dashuan and the other two men were also stunned. They looked at the little thing drinking the water in Qin Mian’s hand. They could not believe it was a wolf. Wolves had always been fierce and bloodthirsty beasts in their minds.
The little black wolf drank the water mixed with the spiritual spring water, and soon stood up.
Qin Mian rubbed its head, “Alright, it’s fine now. Go. Don’t get caught again.”
The little black wolf rubbed against his leg, then ran into the bush and disappeared.
Lei Xiangli said to Qin Mian with a wry smile: “Eldest sister-in-law, you’re really brave. You’re not afraid of it biting you when feeding water just now.”
“Right, I was also shocked.” Wu Di echoed.
Lei Tie looked cold and suddenly did not speak. If the wolf dared to bite, he had a way to stop it.
Qin Mian smiled faintly, “I always think that some animals are spiritual, can feel the kindness and malice of human beings.”
“It’s truly miraculous.” Zhang Dashuan touched his chin as he spoke, “I heard many stories about wild wolves going down the mountain to eat babies when I was a child. I never thought that wild wolves also possess human nature.”
The few of them sighed in place. Zhang Dashuan said: “Come on, continue to hunt.”
They hunted four pheasants, and also found a nearly 100 Jin wild boar. The bows and arrows of Zhang Dashuan and the other two were ineffective, but Lei Tie’s strong bow shot death the wild boar with one arrow.
Qin Mian was so happy. “Don’t have to spend money on pork for the New Year.”
Zhang Dashuan hurriedly said: “I heard that boar meat is more delicious than domestic pork. Tiezi, how about selling a portion to me?”
“I’ll buy some, too.” Wu Di said.
Qin Mian and Lei Tie looked at each other and Qin Mian said: “Although the wild boar was hunted by Lei Tie, it’s thanks to the three of you for intercepting it. Don’t say about buying it, you two each get ten jin of meat. Fourth brother also took ten jin to give our parents a taste.”
Knowing that Qin Mian and Lei Tie were not stingy people, Zhang Dashuan and the others gladly accepted it with few words of politeness.
“Is it noon already?” Lei Xiangli looked at the sky.
Qin Mian said to Lei Tie: “Just roast something on the mountain to eat.” He thought of the roasted chicken drumstick that Lei Tie gave him a long time ago, he missed the taste.
Lei Tie could be describe as agreeing with him in anything, thus he had no objection.
“We’re not in a hurry to go back.” Zhang Dashuan said, “Might as well eat together.”
Lei Xiangli and Wu Di also had no objection.
They followed Lei Tie to a stream. Lei Tie and Zhang Dashuan went to the water to kill the pheasants. Qin Mian, Lei Xiangli and Wu Di went to collect firewood nearby.
After the fire was lit, Lei Tie broke a branch, peeled the bark, and skewered the pheasant to roast. He took a bag of seasoning from his bosom and applied it with a small brush. Since Qin Mian invented the hot pot seasoning, he would bring a small bag of seasoning with him every time he went hunting. If he roasted food on the mountain, he could season it.
Zhang Dashuan and the other two naturally got some share.
Lei Tie was the most experienced. When the first pheasant was well roasted, he gave the whole pheasant to Qin Mian before he roasted a second.
Qin Mian tore off a drumstick for him and held the whole pheasant to gnaw at. The pheasant with seasoning tasted more tender and savory that once he took a bite, he wished he could swallow his tongue, too.
There was a rustling sound came from behind. The previously met little black wolf trotted over on the dead leaves and stood in front of Qin Mian.
Qin Mian laughed in spite himself and cut off the pheasant’s head, neck and rump with a small dagger and threw them to it.
The little black wolf swallowed it in a few bites, sat down quietly next to Qin Mian, and waggled its tail from time to time, looking like a dog again.
Only when Qin Mian, Zhang Dashuan, Lei Xiangli and Wu Di almost finished eating did Lei Tie’s pheasant was roasted. In a low voice, he asked Qin Mian, “Are you full?”
Qin Mian nodded, “Too full.”
Lei Tie divided the roasted pheasant into two parts and threw the half to the little black wolf.
The little black wolf looked at him and bowed its head as it gnawed at it.
Zhang Dashuan, Lei Xiangli and Wu Di vaguely understood why Lei Tie did this. They all looked towards Qin Mian.
As if nothing happened, Qin Mian quietly pinched his hot ear roots.
TL’s side note: Since some didn’t understand/missed the points in the last few paragraphs, let me simplify. They weren’t flirting, simply the act of Lei Tie more generous that Qin Mian when treating his so-called savior, the wolf, that others could perceive Lei Tie as being more grateful to the wolf on behalf of his wife. I mean, Lei Tie gave half of a whole pheasant [of his lunch] to the wolf, but Qin Mian only gave a head, neck and rump. And therefore, Qin Mian was embarrassed. Does it make sense? I hope I make sense.
