C29 Returning to the 1960s: Starting with Digging for Fo-ti

Du Jianguo had no time to worry about the hidden thoughts of Zhang Desheng and Li Ergou. He was busy at the village committee, rushing around with his feet barely touching the ground.

The bear carcass was placed on the stone table at the entrance. Du Jianguo rolled up his sleeves and began to butcher it.

The bear could not be left out for long. If delayed any further, the meat and organs would begin to rot, causing the selling price to drop significantly.

Most of the village children had been dragged home by their adults, as such a bloody scene was not suitable for them to witness.

The adults, however, gathered around, watching with great interest, occasionally gathering in small groups to whisper comments.

Although pork and mutton were precious, villagers could still manage a meal of them during festivals.

Bear meat, however, was a true rarity. One rarely even saw it in ordinary times.

The adults stood around the stone table, staring at the pitch-black bear meat with wide eyes, their mouths watering.

Finally, someone could no longer hold back. They stepped forward and asked, “Du Jianguo, are you selling this bear meat? I heard that bear meat, dragon meat, and donkey meat make a great feast together, all being excellent tonics! If you are willing to sell, I would like to buy half a jin to taste the freshness!”

[Tl: yup dragon meat was the literal translation, its a hyperbole that could also mean a type of snake or even crocodile]

Du Jianguo smiled, his tone straightforward. “Uncle Zhang, what kind of talk is that! There are only a few valuable parts on the bear; the rest of the meat I had planned to sell cheaply anyway. Earlier in the Wilderness Gully, everyone helped out. If you really want to taste it, take half a jin each. I won’t charge you!”

“Really?”

Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces lit up with joy, and they thanked Du Jianguo profusely.

Regardless of whether the bear meat was actually good, the favor of Du Jianguo giving it away for free was enough to make everyone happy.

The group lined up happily to receive the bear meat, mentally calculating what this black-skinned creature might taste like at home. Of course, many felt it was too much of a favor to just take and leave. Instead of rushing off, they stayed to help Du Jianguo finish butchering the entire bear.

The courtyard of the village committee was suddenly filled with the divided bear meat and bones.

Du Jianguo counted the valuable items on the bear. The bear paws, of course, were needless to mention. Since ancient times, they had been expensive treasures. Rarely seen, one could say they were royal delicacies fit only for emperors of the past.

In addition, there was bear gallbladder, which could be used as medicine, and a thick bear skin.

The bear skin felt warm to the touch, and Du Jianguo formed an idea. He would take it home, sew it up, and make a bear-skin coat.

When winter came and he went hunting in the mountains, it would block the wind and keep him warm. Furthermore, wild animals in the mountains would smell the scent of the bear and dare not approach.

As for the remaining bear meat, Du Jianguo weighed it in his mind. He had already given some to the villagers to taste, but the remaining amount was still substantial. He could not just let it sit there.

He himself did not eat this kind of thing. Bear meat was coarse and tough, full of fibrous flavor, dry and stringy. Selling it for money would fetch a price far lower than pork or mutton.

After pondering for a while, Du Jianguo turned to the old village head beside him. “Village Head, could you please run an errand and find a way to sell this bear meat? I don’t ask for a big profit, just that it doesn’t go to waste.”

“That’s simple!” The old village head smiled and patted his chest. “Leave it to you! In a moment, find a scale to weigh how many jin there are. I guarantee that by tomorrow afternoon, this meat will be snatched up instantly! In the village, who cares about the difference between bear meat and pork? Usually, they just eat steamed buns with roasted vegetable scraps. As long as there is a mouthful of meat to eat, who would be picky?”

Du Jianguo nodded readily. “Okay! Village Head, I leave the meat to you. I will give you a share of the profits later.”

“Oh, if I accepted that, wouldn’t I be shameless?”

The old village head immediately shook his head. “You went to the Wilderness Gully to save my son. If not for you, my boy would have long become food for that beast! How could I ask you for money? I will do this for free!”

That day, the old village head pulled Liu Chun’an along to weigh the bear meat.

Seeing this, Du Jianguo said goodbye to the two and left. He had not yet fed the livestock and needed to hurry over.

Arriving at the courtyard for raising livestock, Du Jianguo immediately spotted Old Sun cutting pig grass for the pigs.

He approached with a bit of apology and handed over a few jin of bear meat he had prepared in advance. “Uncle Sun, sorry to trouble you. This was originally work for two people, but today you have to carry it all alone.”

Old Sun took the meat, and his face, which had been gloomy, instantly broke into a smile. “Hey, what’s the big deal? Before you came, didn’t I do it all alone? Besides, you specially brought me some meat!”

He held the meat to his nose, sniffed it, and smacked his lips. “Whoa, this meat is quite gamey! It must be from that bear you hunted, right?”

“Yes.” Du Jianguo nodded with a smile. “Take it home. If it’s not enough, I will bring you some more.”

“Enough, enough, this is several jin already!” Old Sun waved his hands quickly. He was not an ungrateful person.

“Xiao Du, Uncle Sun has figured it out. You are naturally born for hunting! I suppose when you said you wanted to feed the livestock with me, you were just using it as an opportunity to go hunting in the mountains, right?”

Du Jianguo coughed lightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. “You saw through me. However, please rest assured. In the future, I will try to schedule my time so I don’t interfere with the feeding of the animals.”

“No, no, I am not blaming you!”

Old Sun immediately waved his hands. “What I mean is, in the future, if you have business, go handle it. Leave the livestock matters to me. Do not let it hinder your real business of hunting!”

Upon hearing this, Du Jianguo was momentarily stunned.

He vaguely understood something.

Old Sun was naturally the type who would not give up an advantage. How could he change his nature just because he received a few jin of bear meat?

So he asked with a hint of testing. “Uncle Sun, do you have something you want to tell me? If there is something, just say it directly. Do not be polite with me.”

Old Sun coughed and said, “There really is a small matter. It is not difficult. If you can help within your ability, that would be great.”

“I heard there is a medicinal herb called Dragon Tongue Grass on the back mountain that can treat rheumatism. My wife had an attack of rheumatism these past two days, and the pain makes her grimace. If you can go and pick this herb for me, you can do whatever you want with the livestock in the backyard without needing to worry too much!”

So it turned out he wanted help finding herbs in the mountains.

Du Jianguo finally understood. No wonder Old Sun, such a shrewd person, would say such careless words.

It was all leading up to this.

Du Jianguo smiled and spoke frankly. “Uncle Sun, no problem with that! I can help you find the herbs in the mountains, but I also have a condition.”

Old Sun was stunned. “What condition? Just say it.”

“You have to give me a brood of your old hens.”

Du Jianguo said with a smile.