"Er Wa, your marksmanship is getting more divine by the day."
Shen Futang watched the wild rabbit Tu Er Wa had shot, filled with envy. He couldn't handle a gun himself, or he'd at least try firing a couple of shots for the thrill of it.
Chen Liming, though working at the Jinling Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, had never even touched a gun. What man, deep down, didn't want to hold one? Anyone would jump at the chance to fire a few rounds.
This was far more interesting than staying in the city, confined to their own yard and the nearby vegetable market.
"What's one wild rabbit? When do I go into the mountains and not bag ten or eight rabbits and pheasants?"
Praised, Tu Er Wa immediately puffed up with pride.
Old Master Tu shot him a fierce glare. This brat, he talked without a filter! When had he ever bagged ten or eight prey in one go?
"Do you really think the mountains are a chicken farm? Lying with your eyes wide open."
Even in his youth, he wouldn't have dared to claim he could bag so much game in one trip to the mountains.
Wild animals, born and raised in nature, it wasn't easy to encounter so many in one stretch of forest.
Sometimes, if luck wasn't on his side, he'd go into the woods, wander around, and come back with not a single creature.
"Alright, show off for a bit and then get out of my sight. When I was hunting, you were still wearing a diaper."
"Put the rabbit in the bag. Don't let the blood scent spread, or you'll scare away other prey."
Old Master Tu instructed Tu Er Wa. This was how fathers were.
Seeing their sons succeed, they'd be happy in their hearts, but they'd also fear them becoming arrogant, so they'd pretend to be unimpressed, even picking on them a bit.
A typical Chinese father-son dynamic.
Usually, they wouldn't talk much, and when they did, it was often to scold. Inwardly, they cared deeply, but they just wouldn't express it.
They wished they could stuff all their life experience into their descendants' minds. Seeing them act nonchalant, seemingly not listening, would infuriate them, leading to curses.
"Dad, look, is that a wild mountain goat?"
Just then, Tu Er Wa pointed towards a small pool ahead.
Everyone followed his gaze and indeed, there was a mountain goat.
Mountain goats were mostly found in the northwest regions. In Anhui province, it wasn't strange to find wild rabbits and pheasants in the forest, but a wild mountain goat was quite rare.
"It really is."
"But judging by its appearance, it looks a bit domesticated. Wild mountain goats don't have horns like that."
Old Master Tu stroked his beard, deep in thought.
Seeing the goat, everyone's spirits were raised a hundredfold.
If they could actually hunt a mountain goat today, it would be a truly fruitful trip. That goat, weighing at least dozens of pounds, possibly even over a hundred if it had a good diet, would provide a substantial share for each of them.
They crept forward stealthily. The goat was initially leisurely grazing by the small pool, completely unaware of Chen Yang and the others.
However, as Chen Yang and the others approached within fifty meters, the goat, which had been lowering its head to graze, suddenly lifted its head.
But along the way, with Old Master Tu's guidance, they had all used the surrounding trees to conceal themselves.
The goat stared for a long time, saw nothing, and then lowered its head to continue grazing.
"You all should stay put. Too many people can easily be spotted."
"Er Wa, watch closely how your father hunts."
They watched as Old Master Tu, holding his homemade gun, hunched over and crept towards the grazing goat.
He was incredibly patient, his steps light, moving between the trees. If the goat sensed anything, he would immediately hide behind a tree.
However, the goat was still very alert. No matter how quiet human footsteps were, they sounded different to its ears.
The area near the pool was grassland with no trees to hide behind. Just as Old Master Tu reached a distance of about twenty meters from the goat, the goat looked up and spotted him.
But the moment the goat looked up, Old Master Tu pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
Old Master Tu's shot hit one of the goat's legs. He had aimed for the head, but the goat's reaction was too fast, it had already turned its body, so the shot only hit a leg.
"Whoosh."
Just then, an arrow shot directly into the goat's neck, ending its attempt to escape.
The one who shot was naturally Chen Yang.
Old Master Tu's bow was not like the old heirloom bow, its lethality and range were far greater than the old bow. It could pierce the thick hide of a wild boar, let alone a mountain goat.
Old Master Tu looked at the fallen goat and let out a wry smile.
His experience was undeniable, but he had to admit he was getting old. His reaction speed was no longer what it used to be.
In the past, this shot would have been a direct headshot. He wouldn't have needed Chen Yang to finish it off.
"Dad, if I were the one, that shot would have definitely been a headshot."
Seeing the goat fall, Tu Er Wa swaggered out. Old Master Tu was already unhappy about not killing the goat with one shot.
Good heavens, this simpleton had just walked right into his path.
"Next time we go into the mountains, if you don't bag a mountain goat for me, I'll break your legs."
The old man put away his gun and huffily went to inspect the fallen goat, leaving Tu Er Wa with his words abruptly cut off. He rubbed the back of his head, wondering what he had done to anger his father.
He had been into the old forest dozens of times this year and had only seen a wild mountain goat once. Now that it was down, where would he find another one next time?
Chen Yang walked over and patted Tu Er Wa on the shoulder. Despite Tu Er Wa being in his forties, he was as stubborn as a young recruit.
The group walked over to the wild mountain goat. Blood foamed from its mouth, and it twitched occasionally. Chen Yang's arrow had perfectly pierced its windpipe, leaving it no chance of survival.
Chen Liming looked at his son, and Chen Yang's standing in his heart immediately changed.
Before, he hadn't believed his father-in-law when he spoke of his son killing a wild boar.
Now, seeing Chen Yang finish off a wild mountain goat with one arrow, hunting a wild boar didn't seem so impossible anymore.
The status of the two sons in their respective fathers' hearts formed a stark contrast, leaving Tu Er Wa feeling deeply hurt.
"Master, with this mountain goat, our trip wasn't in vain. Let's head back."
"The scent of blood is too strong. We don't want to attract wolves, that would be trouble."
The disciples hefted the mountain goat. Good heavens, it must have weighed seventy or eighty pounds. This was far better than bagging ten pheasants and rabbits.
"Alright. We'll divide the meat when we get back. Yang Zi, what do you say? This last arrow was yours."
Old Master Tu looked at Chen Yang. The mountain goat had been hit by his gun and wouldn't have run far; he could have caught up. But since Chen Yang had shot the arrow that ended its life, he wanted to ask Chen Yang's opinion.
"I have no objections. It's already very kind of you and the uncles to come along. Just give a little meat to my two fathers as side dishes for their drinks."
Chen Yang naturally wouldn't begrudge sharing the meat. His primary goal in coming to the mountains was to find some enjoyment for his two fathers; sharing the meat was secondary.