Chapter 858: Fearing Fame and Longing for Fame

In truth, there was one thing Liu Guilan didn't say: since Niu Qi hadn't been seen for two days, it was very likely that Niu Qi was already gone.

If Niu Qi had already fallen into the maw of a beast, then entering the mountains to search for him would only result in a situation where neither the living were seen nor the dead recovered.

After Liu Guilan finished speaking, Wang Dazhu added

"Uncle Sun, Xiao An has been hunting for less than a year. That title of 'Gunner' was just something people shouted out in a frenzy. As the saying goes, those without hair on their lips aren't reliable in their work. To let him take the lead and guide people into the mountains now—in my view, that's purely unnecessary."

It was obvious that Wang Dazhu had realized exactly how big of a mistake he had made by letting his tongue slip and mentioning that Wang An and the others had killed a tiger.

As he spoke these words, Wang Dazhu's face was full of self-reproach.

However, as people of the village, everyone knew that a search party for someone missing in the mountains was impossible to refuse. Even if Wang An weren't a "Gunner" but just an ordinary hunter, he would still have to go.

Therefore, whether it was what Liu Guilan had said or what Wang Dazhu was saying now, the goal was the same.

It was to prevent Wang An from taking the lead and becoming the so-called "head" of the expedition—a position that offered no benefits whatsoever.

They were all villagers and kin; no matter how much of a piece of work Niu Qi was, he was still a living soul.

If Niu Qi wasn't found after entering the mountains, and some other accident happened to the people who went along, the "head" of the party would be the one facing the complaints after they descended.

Of course, if Niu Qi were found, Wang An would certainly become a benefactor to Niu Qi's family, but what value was there in being the benefactor of a man like Niu Qi?

And that was assuming no one got injured.

As soon as Wang Dazhu finished, Wang An immediately followed his lead, saying with a face full of sincerity

"That's right, Grandpa Sun. I'll definitely go along to look for Niu Qi; we're all villagers and kin, I can't just stand by and watch. But as for leading the way, forget about it. I reckon any random person you pick would be better than me. But don't worry, Grandpa Sun, no matter who is the head, I'll definitely follow orders."

Truth be told, Wang An's words were perfectly reasoned, and doing this couldn't be considered shirking his responsibility.

After Wang An spoke, Village Chief Sun Dafu, Accountant Li Youcai, and Militia Captain Sun Xiangfeng looked at one another. All three saw a sense of helplessness in each other's eyes.

Because regardless of the task, as long as it was a collective effort, having a highly capable leader was extremely important.

As the saying goes, "A thousand soldiers are easy to get, but one general is hard to find," and this phrase was equally applicable to this situation.

Unfortunately, since Wang An refused to take the bait, the three of them were at their wit's end.

After a moment, Sun Dafu said

"Alright then, Xiao An. Tomorrow morning at six-thirty, bring some dry rations, and we'll all gather at the village headquarters to enter the mountains together."

Wang An immediately replied

"Yes, don't worry, Grandpa Sun, I'll definitely be there tomorrow morning."

Once Wang An finished, the three of them turned and walked out of the courtyard.

At that moment, Wang Dazhu proactively offered a courtesy

"Uncle Sun, what's the rush? Why not come inside for some water before you go?"

Sun Dafu waved his hand without looking back and said

"No need, we still have to check in on other houses."

After the three left, Liu Guilan complained to Wang Dazhu with a face full of grievance

"It's all your fault. You've got a mouth as loose as a cotton pants waist, blabbering all day long, leaking every damn thing. Look at this now—Xiao An just started making a name for himself, and this trouble follows immediately."

Wang Dazhu didn't argue. He let out a deep sigh, his voice thick with self-blame

"Yeah, this really is my fault."

But seeing Wang Dazhu like this, Liu Guilan felt sorry for him again, and her tone softened

"Sigh, don't take it to heart. Even without that business with the big paws, Xiao An's skills couldn't be hidden. Other people bring home one or two wild boars, but this brat of mine brings home a whole litter. Who wouldn't know what was going on?"

By the end, Liu Guilan actually sounded a bit proud; she was clearly happy to have such a capable eldest son.

Seeing this, Yao Ping temporarily set aside the distressing matters regarding her own son and said with a smile

"Look at you. You're afraid of Xiao An becoming famous, yet you hope he becomes famous. Doesn't that make you feel conflicted?"

Hearing this, Liu Guilan denied it with a face full of smiles

"No way, when was I hoping he'd be famous? I'm afraid of him being famous. Look at today's mess, how annoying is it?"

Watching this scene, Wang An was truly caught between laughter and tears. His mother's performance was just one step away from shouting "I'm so proud!" at the top of her lungs.

At this point, Yao Ping's face returned to its previous expression of worry, and she said to everyone

"Then I'll head back and check on my brat. Honestly, the things he does day by day..."

Hearing this, Wang An thought for a moment and said

"Second Mother, Old Five will probably have to follow us into the mountains tomorrow. Tell him to bring a double-barrel shotgun, but don't bring the dog."

Second Mother Yao Ping nodded

"Alright, I got it, Xiao An."

After answering Wang An, Yao Ping seemed to want to say something, but after opening her mouth, she ultimately said nothing.

Clearly, what Yao Ping wanted to say was likely about persuading Wang Li.

However, even if it were brought up again, it was truly unnecessary.

After Yao Ping left, Liu Guilan suddenly sighed to Wang Dazhu

"Why did our Xiao An suddenly become so easy to deal with? To think my eldest grandson is about to be born, hehehehe..."

In front of Wang An and Mu Xueqing, Liu Guilan—not knowing which nerve had misfired—actually blurted out such a sentence.

But it was obvious that, by comparison, Liu Guilan was genuinely quite happy.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dazhu cooperated fully and said

"Maybe we just have good luck."

Wang An and Mu Xueqing looked at each other and simultaneously curled their lips.

The night passed without incident, and dawn arrived in the blink of an eye.

In the morning, Liu Guilan woke up early to prepare dry rations for Wang An to take into the mountains.

Mainly, after finishing Wang An's rations, Liu Guilan still had to cook for the group of hired laborers.

For entering the mountains in this season, the best dry ration was undoubtedly jianbing (savory pancakes).

Because jianbing were dry, they didn't spoil easily and were very filling.

Northeastern jianbing were made from cornmeal. Simply put, fermented cornmeal was spread in a thin layer on a hot pan and cooked in two or three minutes.

However, although they didn't spoil easily, after sitting for a while, they became quite a workout for the jaw.

Eating them was like chewing on rawhide; the primary feeling was exhaustion—the cheeks grew tired.

Still, they were genuinely quite tasty.

(End of Chapter)