Reborn in 80: Starting with hunting in the mountains to get rich

Chapter 107 Li Paotou, Provoking a Gang

Wang Xudong was getting anxious. How could he just abandon the dog commander like that? What if the six dogs couldn't form a gang? These days, even raising two dogs was a struggle for ordinary hunters; they needed meat to feed them. A gang with six dogs belonged to wealthy families. Now that Wang Guochang couldn't go hunting in the mountains, how were they going to feed these six hunting dogs?

In his haste, Lu Zhiqiang, who was standing nearby, seized the opportunity and quickly said, "Uncle Tao, if you don't want it, just lend me the dog. I want it."

Wang Xudong remained outwardly expressionless, but inwardly he was glaring at him. He was worried about lending it to Lu Zhiqiang, fearing the hunting dog would be attacked by a wild boar. If it were someone close to him, he wouldn't be able to refuse; the familial bond would be too strong a deal. But he wasn't familiar with Lu Zhiqiang, so he didn't need to give him face.

He firmly refused: "No!"

Lu Zhiqiang scoffed, "If you don't want to lend it, then don't. Anyway, you can't help anyone else. If you let the dog starve and lose its spirit, no one will want it."

Wang Xudong was furious and about to explode when Sun Weimin, playing the good guy, advised, "I think this dog is quite good. One lead dog and five follower dogs, each one like a celestial hound, isn't that great?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xudong realized that Sun Weimin was an honest man and proceeded to describe the advantages of the six dogs.

The lead dog is the one who raises the incense stick, two spotted dogs bite the pig and hang pliers on it, and there are three other clever dogs who can recognize bears and roe deer, and even dare to take the pig's testicles. The six dogs are ruthless when they bite, no doubt about it.

When Li Ju'an arrived at the entrance of Lao Tao Yuan, he saw these six fine dogs.

He carefully observed the six dogs. Each dog had strong, powerful limbs, and old scars on its back and sides. Some scars were large gashes from wild boars, while others were lacerations from being gored by deer.

Lu Zhiqiang was secretly tempted and asked, "If you won't lend it, then how about we sell it after the gang breaks up? How much is the leader of a gang?"

He wanted to sell them separately, not the gang dogs, just the lead dog. Lead dogs are very rare; this is the only lead dog in the Xing'an Mountains gang this year.

Wang Xudong shook his head: "I won't sell the pieces if they're sold separately. If you want to buy, you have to buy all six at once."

Lu Zhiqiang immediately shouted angrily, "Why?! Your dogs are so precious, why do you have to buy six of them at once?"

He turned to grab Lu Jinyang and leave, but Sun Weimin said, "It's good that you're ruthless, but what are your shortcomings?"

Sellers who pick and choose hunting dogs are very honest. They will explain the advantages and disadvantages in detail. Otherwise, if the buyer discovers the shortcomings after picking and choosing the dog, and then returns it or mistreats the dog, it will be unacceptable to the seller.

Wang Xudong thought for a moment and said, "These few are a bit slippery."

Which ones?

"These, these five. But we can guarantee that as long as the lead dog takes them back, these five henchmen will definitely be motivated and make great contributions by taking down wild boars and deer!"

"It would be so much better to buy from a group; the dogs wouldn't even need to get along, they could just go straight into the mountains." This idea really appealed to Sun Weimin.

In the Xing'an Mountains, hunting dogs are in high demand, but there's no shortage of help dogs. A well-trained, mature hunting dog costs about 70 yuan. Sun Weimin's eyes lit up, and he asked, "How much do you charge for these dogs?"

Wang Xudong gestured: "800 yuan."

Sun Weimin turned and left, saying, "Damn, they're desperate for money!"

The three men left without looking back, leaving Wang Xudong feeling embarrassed and trapped. He shouted after them, "A first dog is hard to come by! Of this 800 yuan, at least 400 yuan is for the first dog, and it's a prize for raising an incense stick! Go ask around the surrounding villages, who sells a first dog? They all treasure it, you can't buy one even if you beg with a lantern, and you're still being picky."

Sun Weimin's loud cursing voice rang out: "You can keep your precious dog yourself!"

Only Li Ju'an, Lao Tao, and Wang Xudong remained at the entrance of Lao Tao's courtyard.

Wang Xudong glanced at Lao Tao, but Lao Tao, smoking a cigarette, didn't even look at him and turned to walk into the house.

He thought to himself, this isn't a good situation. His father is hospitalized, and the family urgently needs money. They can't afford to keep six dogs, so they definitely need to find someone to help them. Now that he can't find someone to help, he's thinking about it and deciding to compromise and break up the gang.

He quickly smiled and asked Li Ju'an, "Young man, we've met in the village before. Want to buy a dog?"

Li Ju'an waved to him and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother Tao! Can you lend me the hammer and those three little guys?"

Old Tao's voice came from inside the house, sounding very impatient: "What would I do with you? If you go into the mountains, you'll either get attacked by wild boars or slapped by the tiger king."

Li Ju'an hadn't expected his information to be so readily available; he already knew from others that he had encountered the Tiger King on his way into the mountains. He could only smile and coax Lao Tao, saying, "How could a nobody like us be worthy of the Tiger King's presence? The Tiger King wouldn't even look at us. If Brother Tao is unwilling to lend his dogs, then I'll buy them. How about selling Iron Hammer and the three puppies to me for 100 yuan?"

Wang Xudong picked at his ear in disbelief, then looked at the burly, sturdy iron hammer in the yard.

Hammer, with its large physique, strong teeth, and enthusiastic temperament, is clearly a good dog! The three mixed-breed dogs have now passed their awkward stage. Their originally chubby bodies have grown up, and their eyes are bright and sharp. They are also three good dogs!

Wang Xudong was filled with doubt, thinking to himself that Li Ju'an would definitely be rejected outright by Lao Tao. Lao Tao was a well-known eccentric, and also a dog-loving commander. He was waiting to see Li Ju'an make a fool of himself.

Old Tao didn't even look up, just waved his hand and shouted, "Leave the money, take the dog away."

Iron Hammer excitedly shook its head and wagged its tail, leading the three hamsters to follow Li Ju'an. It even rubbed affectionately against his trouser leg and wiggled its round buttocks in a fawning manner, acting all familiar with him.

Wang Xudong paused, thinking he had misread it. Li Ju'an continued, "We don't have cash on hand, we need to write an IOU and go to the bank in the county town to withdraw the money."

Old Tao snapped impatiently, "Leave the IOU, and take the dog with you right now."

Li Ju'an laughed heartily, "Perfect!"

The two made the deal very quickly. Before Wang Xudong could even leave, Li Ju'an had already led Tiechui out of the yard, followed by three mixed-breed dogs.

Wang Xudong's eyes widened, his gaze swirling with emotion. This was Commander Tao's dog! No kennel in the entire Xing'an Mountains trained dogs better than his. Such a beautiful, fine dog, Tiechui, plus three other well-trained half-grown dogs, for only one hundred yuan?

Lao Tao, you've gone too far! You're deliberately disrupting market prices.

He approached Li Ju'an somewhat awkwardly, cautiously and nervously offering a new price.

"Li Pao Tou, wanna team up? Take it for 420 yuan."