Chapter 6: Vast in Scope

After a short while, Lin Xing came home cheerfully, a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder.

Wu Xiulan and Lin Yiyi were both startled when they saw the rifle behind him. After all, they rarely ever saw a real gun.

Lin Yiyi stepped forward and touched the rifle curiously, exclaiming in surprise, “Brother, so this is a hunting rifle? It looks so impressive, and it feels really heavy.”

“Little girl, don’t go touching it carelessly,” Lin Xing said with a laugh. “This isn’t something someone your age should be messing with. Be careful it doesn’t go off.”

Frightened, Lin Yiyi quickly snatched her hand back, her little face full of fear.

Lin Xing was so amused by her expression that he burst out laughing.

Wu Xiulan frowned in puzzlement. “Did Uncle Chen lend you the gun so easily? In my impression, he doesn’t seem like someone who’d be so easy to talk to.”

“There were conditions,” Lin Xing said with a smile. “After I bring back game, I have to give him some bones. And with your son’s silver tongue on top of that, Uncle Chen relented.”

Wu Xiulan rolled her eyes and said irritably, “I knew you must have talked your way around him. He’s already an old man, so don’t play tricks on him or take advantage of him.”

“Got it, got it. I’m not that kind of person,” Lin Xing said, waving it off with a grin.

By then the sky had already grown dark; evening had come.

Though Lin Xing was eager to go hunting at once, entering the mountains at night would be courting death.

Most carnivorous beasts came out after dark. Even if it was Lin Xing, a soldier king from his former life, he would not dare head into the mountains after nightfall. So he would wait until daylight tomorrow.

Of course, he still needed to make some preparations in advance.

He had a hunting rifle now, but there were only five bullets. If he could avoid using the gun, he would rather not use it. He needed to gather some other hunting tools as backup; the gun was only for insurance.

As for what tools to use, there was one especially practical hunting implement that had to be mentioned: the spear.

From primitive times to the present, and even into the distant future, the spear had always been the hunter’s first choice. It was simple to make, deadly in use, and easy to carry—almost as if it had been born for the hunt.

Lin Xing put the hunting rifle on the table and reminded Lin Yiyi, “Yiyi, I’m leaving the gun here for now. I need to go out for a bit, so don’t touch it, all right?”

“Brother, don’t worry. I won’t touch it,” Lin Yiyi said at once.

Wu Xiulan added, “I’ll keep an eye on her. But what do you need to go out for so late?”

“To find some things. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon,” Lin Xing said, and hurried out the door.

Pianxi Village was nestled among the mountains and forests, so there were plenty of trees around.

After wandering about for a bit, Lin Xing gathered more than a dozen thick branches of suitable size and sturdy quality.

Carrying them on his back, he headed home.

Once he returned, he took up a woodcutter’s axe and began to whittle the branches.

Lin Yiyi came over and asked curiously, “Brother, what are you doing? Why are you shaving those branches?”

“You’ll know in a little while,” Lin Xing replied with a smile, his hands never stopping.

In about half an hour, he had whittled the branches into spears.

These spears could be used directly in hand-to-hand attacks against prey, and they could also be thrown as ranged weapons. They were extremely practical.

In his previous life, when Lin Xing was surviving in the jungle, he had even fought a black bear with such crude spears!

As long as he was not using the hunting rifle, the spear was the best and most useful hunting tool there was. No exception.

Lin Yiyi looked at the spears on the ground and asked curiously, “Brother, what are these things you made?”

“Spear. For hunting,” Lin Xing said with a laugh.

“Hunting?” Lin Yiyi tilted her head. “Can you hunt with these things? They don’t look impressive at all.”

Lin Xing patted her head and said with a smile, “If I say I can hunt with them, then I can. If you don’t believe me, wait until tomorrow and I’ll bring back game for you to see.”

“Oh, all right then.” Lin Yiyi nodded.

Wu Xiulan said with some concern, “You’re planning to go into the mountains tomorrow?”

“Yes. Didn’t I already tell you and get your agreement?” Lin Xing nodded. “I’ll only wander around the outer edges of the mountains and won’t go too deep. And I’ve got the hunting rifle with me too, so safety won’t be a problem. You don’t need to worry.”

Wu Xiulan opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end no words came out.

It was already late, so Lin Xing called everyone to bed.

There was little in the way of entertainment in this era, no television or anything of the sort, so when night came and there was nothing to do, people generally went to sleep early.

The house, however, was very crude and had no separate rooms, only one large heated brick bed, and the three of them lay down on it together.

The room was very quiet, and the only sound was the whistling winter wind outside.

The house leaked from all sides, with many cracks and gaps. The cold wind outside forced its way in, making the whole place as frigid as an ice cellar.

There were no quilts at home either, only thin hemp blankets, which offered no protection against the bitter cold. All three of them were shivering from the chill.

Lin Xing secretly resolved that when he went hunting tomorrow, he would bring back more hides. He would not only rely on hunting to fill their stomachs, but also use the pelts to make clothes and bedding. Otherwise, this whole family would freeze to death.

Gradually, Lin Xing drifted off to sleep.

When he woke again, it was already the morning of the next day.

The weather was good today, a rare clear day, and the temperature had warmed up quite a bit.

Wu Xiulan had already prepared breakfast. It was very simple: plain porridge with some wild greens.

“You’re up? Come eat,” Wu Xiulan called.

Lin Xing got dressed and drank a bowl of plain porridge with the wild greens.

The family was poor and had no sugar at home, so the porridge had little taste to it; it was much like drinking slightly thick water. Still, at least it filled the stomach.

After eating his fill and resting for a while, Lin Xing prepared to head into the mountains.

“Son, why don’t I go with you? I really don’t feel at ease with you going alone,” Wu Xiulan said worriedly.

Lin Yiyi chimed in as well, “Yeah, Brother, let us go with you. Maybe we can even help.”

Lin Xing smiled and shook his head. “Who goes hunting with their whole family in tow? If you follow me, you’ll only slow me down. It’s much more convenient for me to go alone. Just stay home and wait for me.”

Wu Xiulan and Lin Yiyi had nothing to say, their worry plain on their faces.

Lin Xing did not want to dither with them any longer. He slung the hunting rifle and the spears onto his back, then left home under their anxious instructions and headed toward the mountains and forests.

The Greater Khingan Range stretched for hundreds of miles, vast in scope.

If Lin Xing was going to hunt, he first needed to plan out his territory.