Reborn in 1963: I Hunted and Stockpiled Meat During a Famine

Chapter 120 Then let's go fight!

In the evening, of course, we had a feast of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

Qin Qixiu was overjoyed.

While Min was tidying up the bamboo leaves for making zongzi, she heard a knock on the door.

It was Qin Kang who came, looking for Qin Qiming to dig traps and to take Ma Quanxue out to practice catching things and learn.

Honestly, many members were getting restless at the guard post.

In order to dig taro deep in the mountains, they trained every single day.

If we could get out, who would want to stay in this godforsaken place?

However, they cannot act on their own!

Qin Qiming thought about it and agreed. Ma Quanxue was quite skilled, but he lacked experimental experience. Taking him out for a spin wouldn't be a problem, since the location of the leopard depended on him.

Without further ado, he told Qin Kang to go back and gather people, and they set off early the next morning.

Fully armed and carrying their belongings, they set out from the guard team early in the morning.

Qin Qiming set up many traps.

The harvest in half a day was not bad, three wild rabbits.

Afterwards, Qin Kang, considering the matter of the leopard in Majia Village, discussed it with Qin Qiming and decided to take Ma Quanxue back to check on it as well.

"Quan Xue, you haven't been home for a while, have you? We just hunted a rabbit and we still have some time. Shall we go back together to see your aunt? But we don't have much stuff, is that alright?"

Ok?

Ma Quanxue was taken aback.

"Just go see my mother. It's enough that you show up. What's the point of bringing gifts?"

Ma Quanxue didn't care about any of that.

“My mother has been talking about Brother Qiming for a while now. After all, it was Brother Qiming who saved me last time. If she didn’t know that you’ve been too busy, she would have gone to find you directly.”

"There's no reason for an elder to seek out a junior, but wouldn't a wild rabbit be too shabby?"

Qin Qiming chuckled.

Qin Kang said somewhat helplessly, "When I go to my father-in-law's house, bringing half a chicken is considered a lot. I usually go empty-handed."

Who has any surplus grain now? It's just that this year has been a little better.

In previous years, it was good enough to have enough to eat.

Anyone who didn't know better would think you were going to Majia Village to propose marriage!

Qin Qiming thought about it and agreed.

Nowadays, ordinary people don't bring so many gifts when visiting relatives.

I did receive too much this time; it was quite a generous gift.

Others who didn't know the situation might have thought he was going to his father-in-law's house in Majia Village.

"Qiming, just tell Quanxue what's going on. We're all on the same side, as long as he doesn't spread it around. Besides, we don't have enough manpower to go into the mountains, so we need to find some helpers."

Ma Quanxue: "Hmm? What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious?"

"It's really nothing big, just a business deal," Qin Qiming said as he walked. "Someone's offering double the usual price for the leopard skin!"

"Twice?" Ma Quanxue exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right, it's double, but the conditions are harsh. It has to be the best of the best; even the highest grade won't be good enough."

The leather had to be as good as new, without a single scratch or dent.

Even old wounds from fights sustained by the leopard itself, once healed, are unacceptable; the requirements are very strict!

"This request is simply outrageous! But the price offered is indeed tempting, double the price, which is a rare find in these mountains!"

After Ma Quanxue finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Qin Qiming.

"So what do you mean? Why don't you just handle it yourselves? Why are you telling me?"

Qin Qiming patted Ma Quanxue on the shoulder and laughed, "We're short-handed. Besides, we have to consider what kind of help we can get, right? We're such good friends, why wouldn't we think of you when there's something good to be had?"

Seeing that Ma Quanxue was trying to decline, Qin Kang immediately said, "It's just helping out. I'll go find the leopard's habitat near your village and at least treat you to a good meal as a thank you."

"Okay, let's not talk about money. Brother Qiming saved my life, it's not appropriate for me to take a share."

Ma Quanxue refused to accept the money. Qin Kang and Qin Qiming exchanged glances and said nothing more, tacitly accepting Ma Quanxue's decision.

If Ma Quanxue insisted on not taking the money, they would give him some of the things he sold after the hunt as compensation.

If he still doesn't accept it, then just buy him something and give it to him.

Upon arriving at Majia Village, Ma Quanxue led the way to see the old lady.

Qin Qiming brought gifts but was criticized for bringing them, as it made him seem like an outsider.

Because they arrived late, the group stayed overnight after dinner, planning to go hunting in the mountains early the next morning.

"Tomorrow we'll proceed as planned, first setting traps and using bait to test the waters. If that doesn't work, we'll go straight for the kill."

“Agreed. Now that we’re here, we can’t let that thing escape.”

Qin Qiming lay on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Are you sure that's a male leopard? Don't shoot down the female leopard."

"I can tell the difference between male and female."

Qin Kang lay down and asked, "After setting up the traps, are we going back to the village? It's busy there right now."

"Okay, I'll go back and check on the guards' training, then I'll bring Xiaobai back."

Qin Qiming lay there, thinking that he should bring Xiaobai along.

The next day, just as dawn broke, the three of them got up, ate breakfast, took the shovel and rope that Ma Quanxue had borrowed beforehand, and set off up the mountain with several rabbits.

"It has rained these past two days, and the muddy ground in the mountains is slippery and difficult to walk on."

Let the sun shine on it for a while, and the soil will dry out a bit, making it more suitable for us to dig holes.

We must dig as deep as possible to prevent it from escaping.

Qin Qiming only focused on the net that Qin Kang had brought.

Digging a mud pit to a depth of one or two meters is simply not enough to effectively limit the leopard's jumping ability.

Ultimately, catching them still requires a net.

Qin Qiming was worried that the net was not sturdy enough, and that the leopard might be able to break free once it was caught.

It was precisely because of this concern that they decided to set a trap.

“Let’s choose this place. The leopard has been passing by here a lot lately.”

Once the location was chosen, the group immediately began their operation.

Ma Quanxue looked around, while Qin Qiming was responsible for setting up the net trap.

It is necessary to ensure that once a leopard triggers the trap and falls in, the net can quickly fall from above to completely cover it.

“Quanxue, this trap isn’t just for catching leopards. When you go back to the village, you can use it to catch other prey as well.”

You could just put something down as bait; you might just catch something valuable.

Let's catch this leopard first, and we'll deal with the rest later.

Compared to digging, Qin Qiming's skill in setting traps was much simpler.

After they finish this job, they have to wait for the traps to be set and the bait to be placed before they can continue their work.

Qin Qiming watched from the side and told Qin Kang to do other work.

As Qin Qiming looked around, he asked Ma Quanxue, "Don't people from your village come here often?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"I see there are quite a lot of these things. I just saw a lot of things running around there. There are usually so many people coming and going, how could there be so many things?"

"I heard that there have been several deaths from hunting in this area before. Since then, unless it's a group, people in the village rarely come here alone."

Ma Quanxue raised his head and looked at Qin Qiming.

"If you're itching to go hunting, then go ahead and do it."