Yang Bairao's method proved to be truly effective.
He led the men in digging pits, clearing paths through the overgrown weeds, and using the harvested wild grass to braid sturdy ropes, tying them tightly to the tall grass on both sides of the path.
This created a barrier-like structure that prevented the Steppe Deer from plunging straight into the thick brush, forcing them instead to move along the predetermined route the villagers had designed.
And at the end of this path lay the pits specially dug for them.
So, whether these deer jumped into the pit or not...
Strong, strapping men lay in ambush on both sides of the earthen pits, holding grass ropes in their hands. As soon as a Steppe Deer fell into the pit, before it even had a chance to leap out, they would hurl the ropes across to block the deep trench, forcing the deer back down the moment it tried to jump.
The method was remarkably effective!
As the sun slanted westward, the ravenous men felt not a shred of fatigue; instead, their faces radiated excitement and a palpable thrill.
Working in groups of three, they carried the Steppe Deer—bound tightly with grass ropes—back toward the village.
This hunting haul surpassed any in living memory. The prey captured in a single day was enough to sustain the village without venturing out for half a year, causing everyone to look upon Yang Bairao with newfound respect.
"Ha! With just a wave of my hand, it really feels amazing to point to the rivers and mountains like a master."
Yang Bairao walked at the very front, followed by Xiang Dongliu and his daughter, whose moods had shifted from sorrow to joy.
Xiang Dongliu had complicated feelings. When he first brought Yang Bairao back, he had harbored his own hidden calculations—plans that weren't necessarily harmful to Yang Bairao, to be sure. But after today's events, Xiang Dongliu felt that his previous petty scheming was utterly laughable.
"Young brother, we owe it all to you today. This method is simply brilliant."
Xiang Xiliu hurried a few steps forward to catch up with Yang Bairao. Having just swapped places with someone to rest for a moment, he couldn't suppress the surge of excitement in his heart and rushed over to thank Yang Bairao.
"Call me Yang Bairao. Calling me young brother is a bit too formal."
On the surface, Yang Bairao put on an indifferent expression, but inside, he was blooming with joy.
The method wasn't actually difficult; any nine-year compulsory education graduate could have thought of it. It was simply that these "natives" lacked culture, while he happened to reap the benefits of being educated.
"Alright, Yang Bairao. On behalf of Xiang Village, I thank you and welcome you to join us."
Taking advantage of a free moment, Xiang Nanliu hurried over as well. Though not one for eloquent words, his eyes had truly been opened today, and his admiration for Yang Bairao knew no bounds.
For generations, their hunting methods had been the most primitive. It wasn't that they hadn't tried other ways, but unfortunately, they could find no suitable trees to make heavy bows or long spears, leaving them with no choice but to chase and encircle their prey using the simplest methods possible.
They understood all too well that battue hunting was horribly inefficient, but lacking the proper tools, they could only resort to hurling stones and hacking with crude stone knives.
Today, Yang Bairao's method had truly opened the eyes of the village's most authoritative figure, giving him a glimpse of what real ingenuity could achieve.
"Xiang Village? Is our village called Xiang Village?"
Yang Bairao's focus always seemed to land in places others didn't expect.
"Our village isn't large. Counting the elderly and children, there are less than a hundred of us. It's been this way since I can remember."
A man of about thirty walked over from nearby. Yang Bairao had seen him before, but didn't know his name. This was the man who had just finished his rest and let Xiang Xiliu take his place.
"He's my younger brother," Xiang Nanliu introduced from the side.
"Oh, so it's Xiang Beiliu. Pleased to meet you, Brother Beiliu!"
Yang Bairao spoke his mind without hesitation.
"Xiang Tian!" the man corrected.
"How boring!"
Yang Bairao's thoughts jumped too quickly. For a moment, Xiang Tian didn't know how to respond. Then, turning his gaze toward his older brother—who had lagged a step behind and was preparing to go relieve someone else—he seemed to understand something.
***
Far from the grasslands, deep in the wild mountains.
After days of hurried travel, Yang Li was completely exhausted.
His clothes were already in tatters, his chest nearly bare. As he stumbled through the wilderness, one could vaguely see the bloody, torn fabric wrapped tightly around his back where it had soaked through with fresh blood.
To escape danger, he hadn't dared linger even a moment on the grasslands, yet even so, he had run into perilous situations time and again, narrowly escaping death on multiple occasions.
Had it not been for the conviction burning deep in his heart, Yang Li likely would have given up long ago and sought his own death.
"There's no going back to Feng City now. No one knows how many people in the Yang family have been bought off by the Huang family."
Yang Li gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.
He thought of how, just before parting ways, he had watched through the gaps in the tall grass as his younger brother fell. The steel pitchfork in Huang He's hand had struck true, piercing squarely into his brother's back and tearing straight through his chest.
He had wanted to turn back, to save him, to die in his brother's place. But he knew with absolute clarity that leaving at that very moment was the wisest course of action—preserving his life to avenge his brothers was the only correct choice.
"Brother, you won't die in vain. My father's short-sightedness led me to make the wrong choice before, but this time, I will walk my own path!"
Yang Li had long since made up his mind. With stumbling steps, he walked through the uninhabited, desolate mountains, intending to find a temporary place to rest, recover his strength, and seek out the goal he had set for himself.
***
Life on the great grasslands was exceedingly dull.
Having effectively helped Xiang Village secure six months' worth of game, Yang Bairao had become a celebrity in the village. Wherever he went, he was greeted warmly by the villagers.
The villagers of Xiang Village were simple and honest; lacking talent, they believed that virtue lay in simplicity. In the eyes of the talented Yang Bairao, these people were truly as easy to coax as three-year-old children regarding almost everything.
"That's right. By modern standards, since they never went to school, they're just ignorant villagers!"
Yang Bairao sighed with emotion. He thought of his grandparents and how, once upon a time, because they were illiterate, they too had been lumped together by big-city folk under that ignorant label—country folks!
"How ironic!"
Yang Bairao suddenly felt completely at loose ends. Having spent over a decade accustomed to moving test blocks and carrying bricks, the moment his hands were idle, he felt restless; if he were to gather three or five friends right now, he probably would have started researching missiles.
"The phone battery issue has to be solved. How does it start again?"
Yang Bairao pondered. At that moment, Xiang Die walked over cautiously.
The previous night back in her hut, her father had talked with her for a long time. At an age when her romantic feelings were just beginning to blossom, coupled with her father's persuasion and Yang Bairao's appearance—so unlike the crude brutes of the village, possessing a wisdom no villager had and helping everyone hunt so much game—to say her heart wasn't stirred would be a lie.
She was naturally shy, yet she retained a rustic, pure-hearted innocence.
"Yang..."
Not knowing how to start, Xiang Die approached Yang Bairao, who was currently idling and turning things over rapidly in his mind, and called out softly.
Yang Bairao didn't notice her, still deep in thought about his grand mobile phone charging project.
"First, you need a magnet. According to three years of junior high school compulsory education, cutting a magnetic field with a wound coil generates electricity! I understand the principle, but where on earth am I supposed to find a magnet?"
Yang Bairao was filled with distress.
"Yang Bairao, my dad told me to take you for a walk around, and not to stay cooped up near the houses every day."
Xiang Die finally mustered up her courage, saying so many words all at once.
"A walk around?"
Interrupted by Xiang Die's voice, Yang Bairao snapped back to reality.
"Right, a walk around. We can hold the phone against the ground and sweep it along; anywhere there's a magnet, the phone will definitely have a slight pulling sensation."
He was just thinking out loud, though he knew for a sure thing that magnets wouldn't be so easy to find.
"Let's go!"
Yang Bairao was decisive. Without waiting for Xiang Die to speak again, he strode quickly toward the edge of the village.
Since yesterday's haul of game was enough to last half a year, and in a primitive village lacking effective meat preservation methods, the villagers certainly wouldn't be venturing out anytime soon; everyone was busy around the village trying to figure out how to domesticate and pen the Steppe Deer.
Yang Bairao couldn't be bothered to talk much—he knew how to raise pigs, but raising deer was completely beyond him.
Passing by the bustling villagers at the village entrance and exchanging greetings with people he didn't recognize at all, Yang Bairao greeted everyone with a cheerful, "Have you eaten?"
Though the villagers didn't quite understand the meaning, they all responded with smiles.
"Oh!"
"Alright, alright!"
"Yes!"
"Tsk!"
The final sound was made by Yang Bairao.
"Were you asking them if they've cooked and eaten the Steppe Deer?"
Xiang Die followed closely behind Yang Bairao, not minding in the least that no one else paid her any mind.
In this village, ever since her father had grown old and weak, no longer able to hunt for the village, and with no sons or sons-in-law to step up and support the household, Xiang Dongliu's family—lacking male labor to contribute to the village's productivity—had long been gradually alienated by the other villagers.
Even three-year-old children had older brothers and sisters they disliked, and adult villagers with the simple mindsets of three-year-olds expressed such things even more blatantly.
Hearing Xiang Die's words, Yang Bairao explained, "That's just a greeting. Where I come from, whenever you meet an elder, you ask if they've eaten, and the elders will praise the younger person for being obedient and sensible!"
Giving a brief explanation, Yang Bairao squatted down not far from the village, holding his phone against the ground and sliding it slowly along.
"So that's how it is!"
Deep down, Xiang Die believed Yang Bairao's explanation. She nodded slightly and lowered her head, the adorable shyness of a young maiden on full display.
"You've seemed to never mention where you're from. Are your mother and father still around?"
Xiang Die asked very carefully, afraid of upsetting Yang Bairao.
"Beep beep beep, there's a landmine here, engineer platoon take positions!"
Imitating a line from television, Yang Bairao suddenly leapt up. The jump itself was harmless, but it startled Xiang Die into stepping back repeatedly.
"Hmph, no magnets. How could it be that easy? It's so boring without short videos to scroll through!"
Yang Bairao was a bit deflated.
Xiang Die clasped her hands tightly in front of her lower abdomen, like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to utter a single word.
Turning around and seeing Xiang Die's posture, Yang Bairao suddenly felt a tug at his heartstrings. He blinked his eyes, forcibly swallowing back the tears welling up in his sockets.
This scene was caught by Xiang Die, who locked it deep in her heart: "He doesn't like people asking where he's from!"
Burying this secret in her heart, Xiang Die changed the subject. "Let's go for a walk by the river ahead! There's a stretch of colorful riverbed there—it's really pretty!"
"Going for a stroll to clear my head doesn't sound bad either. I haven't been back to the river since the other day, so checking it out is fine!"
Yang Bairao turned around, sighing deeply in his heart.
"Hanhan, whenever you do something wrong, you always like to clasp your little hands together in front of your tummy. That aggrieved look is so much like you."
"Daddy misses you so much..."