Chapter 43: Grandpa Jiancheng?
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After chatting with his younger sister for a while, Tang Jiancheng grew even more eager to make money.
Once he had finished the breakfast she prepared, he left the house.
He had originally intended to continue hunting, but Tang Xingde told him that ammunition was difficult to buy in the township. They would have to go to the county People’s Armed Forces Department to get it. Even then, it would not be available immediately; it had to be ordered, and usually took five or six days.
Having tasted success this time, Tang Xingde went ahead and bought a hundred rounds of ammunition.
That amounted to several dozen yuan!
His heart ached for quite some time, but whenever he thought of Tang Jiancheng’s almost supernatural hunting skills, he felt it was all worth it.
“Jiancheng, why don’t you go ask Linbao? He has a matchlock gun too, and it seems he hasn’t been going into the mountains lately.”
Tang Xingde introduced Tang Linbao to Tang Jiancheng with great reluctance.
There were five hunting families in Daping Village, but only Tang Xingde and Tang Linbao owned matchlock guns. The other three merely set snares and traps in the mountains.
“All right. I’ll go ask him.”
Tang Jiancheng turned and headed toward Tang Linbao’s house.
Whenever he thought of Tang Linbao, he could not help feeling amused.
In his previous life, that fellow had done very well for himself and often looked down on Tang Jiancheng. Every time they met, he would heap all kinds of ridicule upon him.
In this life, I’m going to trample you properly!
The best part was that Tang Linbao would have nothing to say when he did.
According to the family genealogy and the village’s generational hierarchy, Tang Jiancheng belonged to the generation above him—he was, in effect, his grandfather.
So, the moment he arrived at Tang Linbao’s house, Tang Jiancheng shouted, “Is my grandson Linbao home? Grandpa’s come to visit!”
Tang Linbao was inside playing cards and chatting with a group of friends. They happened to be discussing how Tang Jiancheng had brought down so many wild boars the day before.
When he heard that voice, Tang Linbao’s face darkened. But a smile quickly spread across it. He opened the door and, seeing that it really was Tang Jiancheng, hurriedly said with a grin, “Why, it really is Grandpa Jiancheng! Come in, come in!”
Then he shouted into the house, “Juan, Grandpa Jiancheng is here! Hurry up and pour him a cup of hot tea!”
Huh?
What was going on?
With Linbao calling him “Grandpa Jiancheng” this way and that, Tang Jiancheng suddenly felt that something was very wrong.
When had this fellow become so courteous and well-mannered?
In the past, whenever he saw Tang Jiancheng, he had mocked him mercilessly, sneering and looking down his nose at him. Had he seen a ghost today?
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When Tang Jiancheng entered the house, everyone stood up. They were all card players from the village, a bunch of fellows who had joined forces more than once to win money from him. Yet now they stood there with exaggerated politeness.
“Grandpa Jiancheng.”
“Uncle Jiancheng.”
“Brother Jiancheng.”
One after another, they greeted him enthusiastically, each using a respectful form of address. No one called him by name anymore, and none dared make sarcastic remarks.
“What’s gotten into all of you? How did you suddenly become so well-behaved?”
If they were all going to act like this, it would ruin the fun. How was he supposed to trample them now?
“Grandpa Jiancheng, please have some tea.”
Tang Linbao’s wife, Yang Juan, presented him with a cup of tea in both hands.
It was the formal gesture used when showing respect to an elder.
“All right, I was wrong. I was only joking with Linbao. The way you’re all carrying on so solemnly makes me feel old.”
Tang Jiancheng was somewhat depressed. He had intended to tease Linbao, but the man had simply accepted the relationship outright.
There was no fun in teasing him anymore.
“Grandpa Jiancheng, you weren’t joking. According to the generations recorded in the family genealogy, you really are of my grandfather’s generation.” Tang Linbao wore an ingratiating smile. “We were ignorant before and called you whatever we pleased. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“Forget it. Call me whatever you like.”
Tang Jiancheng could not be bothered to argue over the matter. “I just went to Xingde’s house. He said he used up all his ammunition yesterday and was only preparing to go to the county today to buy more. It would take about five or six days. He also said your family has a matchlock gun, so he sent me here to ask you.”
In fact, Tang Jiancheng already knew that Linbao’s family owned a matchlock gun.
In his previous life, he had borrowed it from Linbao to practice his shooting. Although the fellow often mocked him and flaunted his superiority, he was actually quite generous.
Whenever Tang Jiancheng asked to borrow something, he agreed. Of course, the condition was that Tang Jiancheng had to treat all his taunts as wind passing through his ears. Otherwise, Linbao could infuriate a man to death.
“Grandpa Jiancheng, do you mean you want to borrow my matchlock gun?”
Tang Linbao’s eyes lit up. “Of course you can borrow it. I also have quite a lot of ammunition prepared—three hundred rounds in all! But I do have one condition.”
“What condition?”
Tang Jiancheng looked at him.
Tang Linbao grinned. “Everyone in the village knows how good you are at hunting, so I want to go into the mountains with you. Is that all right?”
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“Grandpa Jiancheng, I want to go too.”
“Uncle Jiancheng, I run fast, and my nose is even sharper than a dog’s. If you take me with you, I can definitely help you find more game.”
“Brother Jiancheng, I’m strong. I can carry a two-hundred-pound wild boar without even trying!”
The others all wanted to accompany Tang Jiancheng into the mountains as well.
Who would pass up such an opportunity? The day before, Tang Xingde had gone into the mountains with Tang Jiancheng and come back with twenty-one wild boars, earning more than three hundred yuan!
Who would not be envious of that much money? Who would not covet it?
“Get lost! What does this have to do with any of you? Just look at yourselves—you’re so poor your underwear is nearly showing. What qualifications do you have to go hunting with us? Hunting requires equipment. Do you have any? Hunting requires skill. Do you have that?”
Tang Linbao immediately switched into his familiar mode of vicious mockery.
This was the Tang Linbao Tang Jiancheng knew.
Yet the moment he turned back to Tang Jiancheng, he put on a servile grin and said obsequiously, “Grandpa Jiancheng, take me with you. Don’t worry—I’ll let you use all three hundred rounds of ammunition as you please, and I won’t charge you a single cent. From now on, you can even keep the matchlock gun at your house! I’ll buy all the ammunition myself. How does that sound?”
“After putting it that way, wouldn’t I have to be an idiot to refuse?”
The instant Tang Jiancheng finished speaking, Tang Linbao asked, “Wonderful! When are we leaving?”
“You’re not going to play cards anymore?” Tang Jiancheng looked at him teasingly.
“Forget the cards! Grandpa Jiancheng, wait a moment. I’ll go get the matchlock gun and ammunition right now.”
Before he had even finished speaking, Tang Linbao had already dashed into the room.
Before long, he emerged carrying a matchlock gun over one shoulder and three ammunition canisters.
“Grandpa Jiancheng, each canister holds a hundred rounds, for a total of three hundred. Do you think that’s enough? If it isn’t, wait a day and I can go to my brother-in-law’s family and get another two hundred rounds for you.”
“That’s more than enough. Why would we need so many? A hundred rounds will do.”
“All right, then we’ll take a hundred for now.”
Tang Linbao removed the other two canisters and handed them to Yang Juan, instructing her to keep them safe.
Then he followed Tang Jiancheng into the mountains to hunt.
Tang Linbao had probably only recently taken up hunting. He knew very little about its basic principles, experience, or techniques, so Tang Jiancheng had no choice but to patiently explain everything to him.
Tang Linbao’s heart immediately blossomed with delight, and the respect in his eyes as he looked at Tang Jiancheng grew even deeper.
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