Going into the mountains for a drive hunt requires "the people to be in harmony, the heart to match the horse, and the saddle to fit." Wang An hadn't originally wanted to get mixed up with them, but after thinking it over, he agreed.
Mainly, Zhang Tiegang and Lyu Deshu had very good reputations; they weren't the kind of bastards who constantly tried to take advantage of others or nitpicked over every little thing.
Furthermore, the bear gallbladders and pelts those two caught were all sold to Wang An's group of three, and every transaction had been professional and pleasant.
Therefore, in terms of both sentiment and reason, occasionally joining them for a large drive hunt was acceptable.
After Wang An and Wang Li left Lyu Deshu's house, Wang Li asked him
"Fourth Brother, are we really partnering with them for the hunt?"
Wang An nodded and said
"We'll see. It's not certain. Those two are decent within the hunting circles. Besides, if they hadn't run into a job that was truly too big for them to handle, I reckon they wouldn't have come looking for us."
Basically, Wang An made all the decisions, so once Wang Li heard this, he nodded and fell silent.
Soon, the two brothers arrived at Niu Dalin's house.
During this season—the start of the farming season—most hunters began preparing for their crops and stopped drive hunting before the snow fell, with the exception of those who hunted medicinal deer or professional deer hunters.
If it weren't for the deer herd discovered during the spring hunt, neither Zhang Tiegang's group nor Niu Dalin's group would have actually entered the mountains that day.
When Wang An and his brother arrived at Niu Dalin's house, Niu Dalin and his wife were in the yard spreading manure.
Wang An had even less of a relationship with Niu Dalin; mainly, they weren't in the same age group and hadn't played together as children.
Thus, without even any small talk, Wang An got straight to the point.
After delivering the same pitch, Niu Dalin wasn't as pleased as Zhang Tiegang and Lyu Deshu had been. He seemed somewhat dissatisfied that the four of them were only splitting 200 yuan.
However, he didn't make it too obvious.
Wang An was not the type of person to spend money and not get a good result.
So, Wang An gave a chuckle, pulled his hand back from where he was about to take out the money, and said
"Brother Dalin, we're all men here. If there's something on your mind, don't keep it bottled up—just say it."
Before Niu Dalin could speak, his wife chimed in
"Little brother, I heard you drove back over ten deer. Isn't 200 yuan a bit too little for that?"
Niu Dalin's wife was named Li Cuizhen, a member of the Li family in the village and a notorious shrew.
Once, during a fight with Niu Dalin, she had called her brothers from her maiden home to help, insisting on breaking Niu Dalin's legs, claiming that once they were broken, she would take care of him for the rest of his life.
Although the Li family had many people, the Niu family was also a prominent clan in Kaoshan Village. Naturally, they wouldn't let the Lis break Niu Dalin's legs, so because of this couple, the Niu and Li families had once engaged in a massive brawl.
Fortunately, everyone put in the effort without actually exerting force; no one dealt a heavy blow. After all, they were a married couple, so in the end, the matter just fizzled out.
Neither spouse had managed to beat the other into submission.
Hearing Li Cuizhen say this, Wang An didn't get irritated. Instead, he said with a smile
"Sister-in-law, it's true that we caught over ten deer, but we spent six full days and nights lying in wait to get them. If Brother Dalin had gone into the mountains, could you guarantee he wouldn't come back empty-handed?"
"Besides, if I remember correctly, Brother Dalin uses a Type 38 rifle, right? That thing requires a bolt action after every shot. Using that to hunt sika deer—setting aside whether every shot hits—you ask Brother Dalin himself, how many shots can he actually fire in time?"
Wang An wasn't saying this just for Li Cuizhen; he mainly wanted Niu Dalin to hear it.
Because any drive hunter knows that the difficulty of hunting sika deer is roughly the same as hunting tigers, leopards, and lynxes.
The fundamental reason is that these creatures are far too alert and their running speed is incredibly fast.
Not only is it hard for a hunter to get close, but once a shot is fired, there is basically only one chance.
One must realize that in terms of running speed, no land animal is a match for the sika deer except for tigers and leopards; even when a leopard hunts a sika deer, the failure rate is very high.
The key is that when they run, they are not only fast but also zig-zag, never running in a straight line. You never know when they will instantaneously change direction.
It can be said that with human aiming speed, it is very difficult to find the lead and fire.
After Wang An finished speaking, Niu Dalin, as an experienced hunter, naturally knew the situation, and his face instantly flushed red.
Niu Dalin's hunting skills were indeed good, and he caught a fair amount of game every winter.
But he knew very well that Wang An was right. With his marksmanship, while the probability of killing a sika deer in a single shot was high, it was absolutely not a sure thing.
Then he heard Wang An speak again
"I recall Brother Dashuang uses an old foreign musket, right? The range on that thing is only about a hundred meters, not much better than a pipe-gun. Brother Dalin, are you sure a foreign musket can hunt sika deer?"
When saying the last sentence, Wang An raised his voice slightly, his tone full of skepticism.
Hearing this, Niu Dalin's face grew even redder. Just as he was about to speak, Wang An continued relentlessly
"Have Niu Dasheng and Niu Dalei ever done a drive hunt before? How good is their aim? I don't even need to say it, right? Hehehe..."
After a pause, Wang An concluded
"At the end of the day, if that herd of sika deer had been left to Brother Dalin and his crew, they'd be lucky to hit even one, and that would have to be Brother Dalin who did it. Setting aside the marksmanship of the other two, their guns aren't even up to the task. Sister-in-law, is 200 yuan too little?"
Wang An's argument was well-reasoned and evidence-based. Li Cuizhen, like Niu Dalin, had a flushed face, but she continued to argue stubbornly
"So you're saying the three of them couldn't even be like a blind cat hitting a dead mouse? What if they actually killed one, then what?"
As soon as Li Cuizhen said this, Wang An and Wang Li burst out laughing almost simultaneously.
Niu Dalin, however, couldn't take it anymore. After all, he was an old mountain man and a man of some standing in Kaoshan Village; he still needed to save face. Pretending to be angry, he scolded Li Cuizhen
"What do you know, you woman? Don't interrupt when the men are talking! Get inside the house!"
Li Cuizhen gave Niu Dalin a glare, shot an unsatisfied look at Wang An, stomped her foot, and turned to go inside.
Regardless, this couple was actually quite interesting. First, the woman would lead the charge; once she couldn't hold her ground, she would retreat from the battlefield, leaving the man to clean up the mess.
This way, they could ask for as much money as possible. Even if they didn't get it, no one's face was dragged through the mud, and most importantly, Niu Dalin and his group wouldn't lose anything.
Turning back, Niu Dalin said to Wang An with a face full of embarrassment
"Brother Xiao An, uh, the woman doesn't know any better, don't take it to heart, hehe... hehehe..."
Wang An didn't expose the couple's little scheme and said
"Brother Dalin, why don't you call Brother Dashuang and Niu Dasheng over, and then I'll give you the money?"
After a pause, Wang An added
"By the way, Niu Dalei's share definitely cannot be given. He doesn't follow the rules, so he's useless. If you give him a share of the money, don't blame me for getting angry!"
Unexpectedly, Niu Dalin seemed quite happy to hear this. It was unclear whether he was happy because he got a larger share, or because Wang An had kept his word.