Chapter 36: A Dispute Sparked by a Wolf

Qian Weiguo’s shrieks were heart-wrenching, sounding truly miserable.

But Gao Wen just wanted to walk up and give him a sound beating.

"I should just beat this beast to death!"

No one would pity him. If it weren't for a piece of trash like Qian Weiguo leading the Wulipu team, that bunch of good-for-nothings wouldn't have been able to bully the locals and act as henchmen to such a degree.

One bad apple spoils the whole barrel!

Unfortunately, this was not the best time to get rid of him. Zhang Yang could not afford to dirty his hands just yet.

During the standoff, the cold wind howled, and no one made a sound. As the vanguard, Qian Weiguo was terrified! His heart pounded so hard it felt like it was about to leap out of his throat.

"Get your guns on your backs!"

"I want to see who hasn't moved yet..."

"If you don't listen now, I have plenty of ways to deal with you once we get back to the village!"

Qian Weiguo had completely dropped his mask. His gaze was like that of a jackal, as if he were ready to finish off any of the disloyal team members on the spot.

What he didn't know was that the others weren't moving because they wanted to overthrow him as captain. They were terrified that Zhang Yang might change his mind! Right now, all these men could think about was the wolf. They wanted to eat meat! They couldn't let the people from Zhangjiatun snatch the prize back halfway.

Yet, they were well aware of Qian Weiguo’s ruthless methods. Since he was the captain and had given the order, how could they refuse? The men of the Wulipu team had no choice but to take a gamble.

However, they only put away their guns. A few members still had curved daggers tucked into their waistbands. In the shadows, they gripped their hilts tightly. But throughout the walk, not a single shot was fired. It wasn't until the Wulipu men were hundreds of meters away from the cave entrance that they gripped their rifles again.

"Damn it... to think we were actually threatened by a hotheaded kid like Zhang Yang!"

"Look at how pathetic we were just now... like we were being marched out by him as if we were thieves!"

Qian Weiguo was seething with rage, and hearing them chatter only made him feel annoyed.

"Shut up, all of you!"

"You've got the wolf, can't you keep your mouths shut?"

"And another thing!" He turned his head fiercely. "When we get back, I’m going to see if any of you have grown a backbone! Ignoring my orders? Does our team need a little ‘readjustment’?"

The entire group fell silent, not daring to utter another word.

***

After they left the cave, Zhang Yang led Zhao Dong, Gao Wen, and Gao Wu inside to rescue the others. The two men inside had been beaten severely; their bodies were covered in wounds, and one had already lost consciousness.

"They were actually willing to kill for a bit of meat!" Zhao Dong roared in anger. His shouts echoed throughout the entire cave.

"Stop shouting. We don't know how far they've gone. If they double back, we... we only have one gun."

As he spoke, Zhang Yang hoisted the man who was still conscious onto his back. The man was large, and he was afraid it would be too much for Zhao Dong. Zhao Dong and Gao Wen worked together to lift the unconscious team member and hoisted him onto Gao Wu’s back. Gao Wu had a sturdy frame and great strength; he could carry an extra person down the mountain without even breaking a sweat.

Seeing that everyone was taken care of, Zhang Yang moved with agility, hurrying back toward the village.

The man leaning on his back began to sob mournfully.

"That was our wolf... Xiao Nan and I were the ones who cornered it in that cave!"

"If we had just waited for the right moment, we definitely would have killed that wolf!"

"Even if we couldn't do it alone, we could have waited for you all to come!"

"No matter what, that was our wolf! A wolf belonging to Zhangjiatun!"

The man, well into his thirties, felt more aggrieved the more he thought about it, and he wept loudly. Zhang Yang’s heart felt heavy, too.

As he carried the man past the spot where they had buried the animal traps, he had Zhao Dong and Gao Wen collect the wild pheasant.

"Stop crying. Even if there's no wolf, pheasant is still meat. Don't look down on it. Take it back and let your family have a good meal."

Zhao Dong weighed the pheasant and added encouragingly, "It’s at least five pounds! That’s a good meal right there!"

"The wolf, my wolf..."

The man finally ran out of strength and drifted into a restless sleep on Zhang Yang’s back.

...

The group exhausted themselves descending the mountain and took the two injured men home. The villagers didn't say much; everyone just assumed it was a matter of bad luck. The pheasant was split between the two families.

Leaving the villager's home, Zhang Yang felt a knot in his chest. He took Gao Wen and Gao Wu back to his own place and cooked them a large pot of roe deer meat soup himself. He didn't skimp on the meat, and the Gao brothers couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

"No, no!"

"We can't eat this much!"

"Save it for your own family for the New Year!"

Zhang Yang slammed his bowl down. "If you don't want to eat, then don't. Give it all to Dongzi. Dongzi can finish it all by himself."

"We'll eat! We'll eat!"

The Gao brothers immediately buried their faces in the large bowls, devouring the food like starving wolves. It was real meat...

Gao Wen and Gao Wu drank until their eyes brimmed with tears. Once the roe deer meat hit their stomachs, they felt a surge of strength returning to their bodies. After they finished, their stomachs were full, but their hearts were restless.

"We didn't catch anything, and here we are, sponging off you..."

Zhang Yang stopped Gao Wen. "We're brothers. Don't say things like that in the future; it's too distant."

Zhao Dong knew Zhang Yang better than the Gao brothers. Seeing the dark clouds gathering on Zhang Yang’s brow, he couldn't help but ask, "Yangzi, is something on your mind?"

"It’s almost dawn." Zhang Yang looked out the window. "Don't be fooled by the fact that the Wulipu folks took the wolf... I have a feeling this isn't going to be that simple."

Gao Wen and Gao Wu held their empty bowls, reluctant to let them go. At the same time, Zhang Yang’s words made their hearts tighten.

"You're right, those Wulipu rats are capable of anything!"

"They’d try to split a single grain of rice into three just to eat it!"

Zhang Yang nodded slowly. "And besides, this time they actually snatched the wolf from our villagers. They’re guilty, and I’m afraid they’ll try to strike first."

"Then let's go out too! Let's go find the team leader right now!" Zhao Dong started putting on his coat and hat.

Zhang Yang held him back. "Reporting them won't work."

"But we have to report it! We can't let them be the ones to tell the story first!" Zhao Dong was getting desperate.

Zhang Yang glanced at the red bricks in the corner of the woodshed. "I have an idea... but it might hurt a little."

The three of them stared at him blankly. "Huh?"

Zhang Yang took the lead, grabbed a red brick, and slammed it against his own forehead.

"Yangzi! Are you crazy? Why are you hitting yourself for no reason?!" Zhao Dong shouted.

Zhang Yang kicked him. "Keep your voice down! My mother is still sleeping in the next room!"

Zhao Dong covered his mouth, his eyes wide as copper bells. "You... why did you hit yourself!"

Gao Wen was the first to realize Zhang Yang’s intent, and he picked up a red brick as well. With a sudden burst of energy, he slammed it down even harder! A purplish, swollen bump instantly rose on his forehead.

Gao Wu didn't like to ask questions; he always followed his brother's lead. Since his brother was hitting himself with a brick, there must be a reason! Besides, Yangzi had done it too! He wasn't afraid of pain; he’d been beaten since he was a kid! He was tough!

"Whack!"

Gao Wu hit himself too, and he even broke skin, drawing blood.

The three of them, now injured, turned to look at Zhao Dong.