This family's surname was Meng, and the man of the house was called Meng Changshun; he used to be a trapper as well.
Once, while trapping in a battle with the wilderness, he was knocked down by a stampeding herd of wild boars, which trampled and broke his ribs and one of his arms. Fortunately, he didn't die.
However, due to limited medical conditions, while his broken ribs healed reasonably well and recovered properly, his broken arm had been set slightly out of alignment.
This resulted in him not daring to apply too much force to his right arm after it healed, effectively leaving him semi-disabled.
Nevertheless, although he could no longer engage in large-scale trapping, he still did small-scale trapping every year—meaning setting snares, traps, or digging pits.
Furthermore, just as Wang Li had described Feng Chengmin, he led dogs for small-scale trapping, letting the dogs catch small animals like foxes, rabbits, and wild pheasants.
Truth be told, although Meng Changshun could only do small-scale trapping, the hunting dogs he raised were truly excellent.
Two female dogs had given birth to a total of seven puppies, all of which were the same local, most common, and most numerous yellow dogs.
Moreover, one look at the two mothers and the sire of these seven puppies made it difficult not to like the seven adolescent dogs.
Because that large yellow male dog looked in no way inferior to Da Hei or Xiao Hei; he was robust and sturdy, with broad shoulders, a glossy coat, a wide mouth, long fangs, and four thick, powerful legs.
In short, he was absolutely a proper hunting dog in every sense of the word, and at the very least, a top-tier reliable helper.
But in Wang An's view, for such a great dog to only follow Meng Changshun to catch pheasants and rabbits was simply a damn waste of talent.
Thus, Wang An asked Meng Changshun in a casual, chatting tone
"Uncle Meng, is this big male dog the lead dog among your pack?"
Meng Changshun nodded with a face full of smiles and said with great pride
"Yup, he's the lead. Although he's a 'low-head scent' type, his scenting is top-notch, not a bit inferior to the 'high-head scent' ones."
Before Wang An could speak, Meng Changshun continued
"These seven adolescent dogs are all his offspring. I reckon that among these seven, there are likely two more good lead dogs in the making."
Wang An didn't contradict Meng Changshun, but instead asked tentatively with a smile
"Uncle Meng, would you sell this lead dog? I'll give you a high price."
Hearing this, Meng Changshun shook his head without hesitation, his attitude firm
"Not for sale. No matter how high the price, I won't sell. I'm counting on him to catch jumping cats and pheasants for me. Let me tell you, my 'General' is fierce when it comes to rabbits and pheasants; he hits the mark every single time without a single miss."
Wang An grimaced, feeling even more that this so-called "General" was truly wasted.
Since the man wouldn't sell, Wang An had no choice but to withdraw his gaze and focus on inspecting the seven adolescent dogs.
Soon, Feng Chengmin and Wang An looked at each other and nodded, clearly very satisfied with these seven puppies.
Seeing their nods, Mu Xueli was instantly delighted.
The main reason was that although Sujia Village was large and many households raised dogs for trapping, the vast majority of the dogs in the village were basically at the level of the four yellow dogs in Wang Li's house.
They weren't exactly "great," just "okay"—usable, in any case.
Of course, this wasn't just the case for the hunting dogs in Sujia Village, but for the hunting dogs in the entire Xing'an Township, and even the entire DJ County.
Because dogs are just like people; the vast majority are mediocre, while those who are exceptionally brilliant always make up a small minority.
It is so for people, and so it is for dogs. Finding lead dogs as outstanding as Da Hei, Xiao Hei, and Da Qing was truly no easy feat.
With a look of joy, Mu Xueli didn't wait for Wang An or Feng Chengmin to prompt him; he asked Meng Changshun with a smile
"Uncle Changshun, what's the price for these dogs? We're all from the same village, and you watched me grow up, so you can't overcharge me, alright?"
It must be said, this kid Mu Xueli was indeed quite a smooth talker.
After Mu Xueli finished, Meng Changshun said with a chuckle
"You brat, your family is so wealthy, and you're still playing mind games with me? Aren't you afraid the villagers will gossip about you behind your back? Hahaha!"
The term "gossip" here implied both cursing someone behind their back and being the subject of village rumors.
Mu Xueli gave a嘿嘿 (hehe) laugh and said
"That can't happen. What does our family friendship have to do with them? Hehehe..."
Meng Changshun pretended to be helpless and said
"Then just give what you think is fair, as long as your uncle doesn't lose out too much. Does that work? Hahaha!"
Then, Meng Changshun continued
"I'm telling you, Xueli, I'll sell you five dogs at most; I have to keep two for myself. Tell you what, you pick first, and I'll take whichever two are left."
It was evident that although Meng Changshun was semi-disabled, his characteristic Northeast Chinese generosity hadn't changed one bit.
Earlier, while the three of them were chatting at Mu Xueli's house, Mu Xueli had already learned that Wang Li spent 70 yuan on those four dogs.
Therefore, after a brief consideration, Mu Xueli said directly
"Five it is. Now, Uncle Meng, friendship is friendship, and business is business. I'll give you 20 yuan per dog, making it 100 yuan in total. You'll take a bit of a loss, but consider it as looking after your nephew. How does that sound?"
As he spoke, Mu Xueli pulled out a small stack of "Big Unity" bills and counted out ten to hand over.
Meng Changshun was stunned for a moment upon hearing the price, then hurriedly waved his hands and said
"No, no, no... absolutely not! Where on earth are five adolescent dogs worth that much? This is a joke! You say 'uncle looking after you,' I think it's more like you're looking after your uncle. How about this: give your uncle 10 yuan per dog. If you want all five, just give me 50 yuan and be done with it. Honestly, you're just messing around."
Although Meng Changshun was now semi-disabled, before his injury, whenever he caught a large animal, he would occasionally send some meat to Mu Xueli's family.
One must realize that back then, describing Mu Xueli's home as "four bare walls" would not have been an exaggeration.
For Meng Changshun to send meat to them at that time was no different from "sending charcoal in the snow."
Thus, Mu Xueli still remembered this kindness; his earlier comment about not being overcharged was mostly just talk.
Of course, although the current Meng Changshun was semi-disabled and could only do small-scale trapping, between his trapping and his son working at the forestry farm, his family's life was actually quite decent.
Since Meng Changshun wouldn't take the money, Mu Xueli quickly persuaded him with a smile
"What year is this? Uncle, do you think it's still two years ago? These days, where can you find a good hunting dog for 10 yuan? Are you really not afraid the villagers will gossip me to death? Let's just make it 100. 100 yuan for five dogs isn't too much at all. Really, Uncle, I'm not lying to you."