Chapter 20: A Chance Encounter with the Blue Wolfhound

"Brother Yu, hazel grouse are so expensive. Next time we head into the mountains, should we hunt some?"

Su Yu thought to himself, *Do I not know that hazel grouse are valuable? But if they were that easy to catch, they wouldn't be worth eighty yuan.*

"Hazel grouse are incredibly rare; you’d better put that thought out of your head. People just talk about them, and you take it to heart—that’s all there is to it. If you really want to go out specifically for them, you’d be better off thinking about how to hunt a tiger. Hunting a tiger is a more reliable endeavor than chasing after a hazel grouse."

It was true; while there might be some in the nearby forests, they were absolute rarities. However, if you wanted to hunt a tiger, you only needed to head deep into the mountains and you would eventually encounter one. Hazel grouse were different; some people might not even see one a few times in their entire lives.

These birds were extremely vigilant and scarce, making them difficult to catch. Success didn't depend on marksmanship or archery, but on whether you could even find one in the first place. In other words, even if you had tracking skills, you had to spot them first.

"Ah, are they really that hard to catch? Forget it then. I thought I was about to strike it rich."

Huzi had no idea what a hazel grouse actually was; he only heard Su Yu say it was a type of wild pheasant and assumed it was just a different color and slightly rarer than the common variety. Little did he know, their numbers were truly minuscule, and encountering one was purely a matter of luck.

After each finished a bowl of savory tofu pudding and two steamed buns, Huzi patted his belly with great satisfaction.

"Burp... That’s the fullest breakfast I’ve ever had. If I could eat like this every day, I’d be so happy."

Su Yu shook his head with a smile, then took three yuan out of his pocket and handed it to Huzi.

"Here, this is your share. Keep it safe. Once we sell the furs, you'll have another portion coming."

"Ah, what about the breakfast money? Shouldn't we split it? How can I take advantage of you like this?"

Su Yu smiled and shoved the money into his hand, muttering, "A bowl of tofu pudding and a few buns don't even cost a yuan. Stop dallying and just take it. It’s not easy to make it into town; you should think about what you want to buy. How will you buy anything without money?"

Once fed, the two headed straight for the commune office. Huzi was familiar with the place, having visited with his grandfather as a child, so he knew the way like the back of his hand.

"Fifth Uncle, could you take a look? See how these furs are?"

The man addressed as Fifth Uncle specialized in buying furs. He looked up and recognized Huzi, remembering which family the lad belonged to.

"Hey, you little rascal, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. How’s your grandfather? Not hunting anymore?"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Huzi brought the conversation back to business.

"Fifth Uncle, this is my fellow villager, Brother Yu. We hunted these furs together. Could you take a look?"

Su Yu quickly stepped forward, pulled a pack of Da Qianmen cigarettes from his pocket, lit one for Fifth Uncle, lit one for himself, and stuffed the rest into Fifth Uncle’s hand.

"No, no, kid, where did you learn this? We are all working for the state; we don't do this kind of thing."

"Hi, don't say that. At my age, if I brought these cigarettes home, my father would break my legs! Just keep them, consider it helping a junior like me quit smoking."

The two shared a silly grin. Seeing that there was no one else around, Fifth Uncle stopped refusing.

"Young man, you’ve got a silver tongue. Alright, I’ll take them. Bring them over, and I’ll help you take a look."

Su Yu signaled to Huzi, who immediately opened the sack and pulled out the eight gray squirrel furs. Fifth Uncle glanced at them, his eyes showing a flash of disappointment. He had expected a big catch, but it turned out to be just a few squirrel skins.

Gray squirrel furs weren't cheap, but it depended on who was looking. Fifth Uncle was a professional appraiser who saw countless furs every day, so a few squirrel skins barely caught his eye. Still, he didn't make things difficult for them.

"Hmm, these look like arrow wounds, don't they?" Fifth Uncle looked surprised, finding it hard to believe.

"Heh, they’ve already been skinned, and you could tell at a glance, Fifth Uncle. I’m impressed."

One had to realize that all eight squirrels had been shot in the head; there were no other wounds on their bodies. The fact that he could discern this despite the furs being separated from the carcasses showed why he was the professional—this level of perception was truly remarkable.

"The fur is intact, the processing was timely, and the texture is soft. Not bad. Let’s call them Grade A."

"You have eight in total; let’s count them at two yuan each."

Two yuan per pelt was definitely a favor to Su Yu. Grade A was the highest tier, and while he could technically grant Grade A to anyone as long as the numbers matched, he usually gave others Grade B to drive the price down.

There were three reasons he gave Su Yu Grade A: first, the boy was sensible and offered cigarettes; second, since this was his first time here, he wanted to leave a good impression to ensure they returned; third, the fact that he used a bow and arrow suggested he was either highly skilled or had a skilled family member. Regardless of which, someone with such marksmanship was likely to bring in a big catch eventually.

"Alright, we'll listen to you."

The two nodded repeatedly. Getting an extra fifty cents per pelt was already a great deal, especially since the cigarettes only cost thirty cents a pack.

"Sixteen yuan. Take it, and remember to come back to me if you have any good goods in the future."

There wasn't just one commune office, but the one in their town was the closest. If they couldn't get a good price, some hunters would rather save up and travel to other towns, which was why Fifth Uncle made an effort to leave a good impression.

Once they left, Su Yu gave Huzi five yuan. Huzi now had eight yuan in total, while Su Yu had eighteen—a sum equivalent to his father's monthly salary.

"Let's go. What do you want to buy? Let's wander around a bit."

"I heard there's a market in town. Brother Yu, shall we go take a look?"

Su Yu thought for a moment; there was still time. He had arranged to head into the mountains with Su Dayong in the afternoon, but it was still early.

"Alright, you ride the bike, let's go."

They rode, stopping and asking directions, and soon arrived at the market. It was quite crowded, though most were selling vegetables, fish, chickens, and ducks.

"Brother Yu, look, that side seems to be where they sell livestock. Let’s go check it out."

Huzi and Su Yu walked over. This was indeed the area for live animals—there were pigeons, cats, dogs, and even larger livestock.

Su Yu stopped in front of a stall selling dogs. The owner was an elderly man, and a few puppies were tied up inside the mouth of a sack. The puppies poked their heads out, baring their teeth and looking extremely wary of strangers.

"Old man, are these local dogs, or…?"

The old man grew impatient the moment he heard the question. It was simple: the boy didn't know his wares.

"Go on, go on. If you aren't buying, don't ask the price. Go do whatever else you need to do."

*Hey, this old man…* Su Yu had a fiery temper and barely managed to hold back his anger.

A middle-aged man selling piglets nearby chuckled and said to Su Yu, "Young man, don't look so sour. You called his Green Wolf Hounds 'local dogs'—it's a wonder the old man didn't curse you out. You have to understand, in the eyes of a hunter, a good dog is a comrade, a partner—sometimes almost like family. Calling them that, he’s been quite lenient with you."

Uh…

Su Yu was speechless. He really couldn't tell the difference, and besides, these Green Wolf Hounds looked quite similar to wolves, with that grayish, scruffy look. It wasn't unreasonable to mistake them for common curs.

"Old Liu, why waste your breath on a young kid like that?"

The old man didn't even bother to explain. It was simple: this young kid didn't look like a hunter, and secondly, he wouldn't be able to afford them anyway.

"Hey, old man, that’s not fair. I only asked because I didn't know, right? What’s the matter? You set up a stall to sell things, but you won't let people ask questions?"