"Good heavens, that's meat! Fragrant bear meat! How on earth did Li Yuemin manage this?"
"I'll say! Goodness gracious, that bear must weigh four or five hundred pounds at least! He killed it all by himself?!!"
The black bear on the snow sled stunned everyone in the courtyard. They couldn't fathom how Li Yuemin, relying solely on his own strength, had managed to slaughter such a man-eating monster with his bare hands. In an instant, every eye was locked onto the massive black bear, burning with greedy desire.
"My god, Yuemin, you're amazing! I just knew you were the hero I always believed you to be!"
Seeing the bear-laden cart in the yard, Zhang Chuntao leaped up with excitement. She threw her arms around Li Yuemin’s neck and showered him with kisses before turning back to look smugly at Song Mengyao and her husband. "My, oh my, it seems my man really is a catch! Looks like I’m definitely getting that bear-fur coat now!"
"Hmph, what’s so special about that? It’s just blind luck!"
Seeing that Li Yuemin had actually brought back the catch, Song Mengyao was consumed with jealousy. She shot back a sarcastic remark and turned to leave the courtyard.
"Oh my, I hear bear fur is worth quite a bit, isn't it? If we take our grain back, doesn't that mean this four-hundred-pound bear is just going to be gobbled up by Li Yuemin’s family alone?"
The villagers who had previously traded their grain looked down at the dry cornmeal in their hands, then back at the succulent bear meat within reach, their faces etched with regret. After a moment of inner struggle, Zhang Erlengzi, a local hoodlum, was the first to drop his cornmeal and eggs onto the ground, grinning.
"Yuemin, it seems I, Erlengzi, misunderstood you! You hunted this bear—you’re the real deal! From now on, you’re the hero of Red Flag Village. I’m not taking my grain back; I want my share of the bear meat!"
"Right, right, exactly!"
Hearing their ringleader, Zhang Erlengzi, speak up, the other villagers quickly set down their grain and chimed in.
"Cornmeal might fill the belly, but it can’t compare to delicious meat! Besides, it’s not just the meat—there are bear paws and bear fur, too! I’ve heard those bear paws are incredibly valuable; they could fetch a pretty penny! Yuemin, I’ve left my cornmeal in your yard. Consider this my reservation—I, Niu Laoer, want those paws, ha-ha-ha!"
As he spoke, Niu Laoer gestured broadly at the black bear. His eyes burned with such hunger that one might have thought he expected to snatch the paws right then and there.
"Get lost, Niu Laoer! Why should those paws go to you? You think you can claim bear paws with two pounds of cornmeal? How can you be so shameless?"
Zhang Daqiang, standing nearby, grew frantic at seeing Niu Laoer try to call dibs on the paws. He shot back, "Dividing this meat has to be done in the order we donated the grain! I was the first to answer Village Chief Zhang’s call, so I have priority over the distribution!"
He then dumped his half-basket of eggs and half-pound of cornmeal on the ground and declared, "I donated two items, so I should get two portions of meat. Listen, Yuemin, I’m telling you—the bear paws and the bear bile are mine. Don't make me lose my temper!"
"What are you talking about? Zhang Daqiang, why should you get first pick? Your family is always trying to hoard the best goods!"
The other villagers, eyes fixed on the meat, were instantly outraged by Zhang Daqiang’s words.
"Everyone knows the eggs you donated were rotten and your cornmeal was full of weevils! Trying to pass off junk like that to get a share? Not a chance!"
"Go to hell! Who are you calling rotten? You say that to my face!"
Zhang Daqiang stiffened his neck and began to curse. Soon, the courtyard was filled with an endless chorus of bickering. Emotions ran so high that the villagers actually started fighting over the meat.
Li Yuemin watched the chaotic scene. He caught Zhang Chuntao, who was about to step in and argue on his behalf, and gestured for her to stay quiet, his eyes cold as he watched the villagers fight tooth and nail over meat that didn't belong to them.
"Quiet! Everyone, be quiet! Have you all forgotten your manners?!" Village Chief Zhang Wanshan shouted as he saw the scene spiraling out of control.
But the fighting had reached such a fever pitch that the villagers no longer cared about his authority as village chief. In their scuffle, they even began to swarm the snow sled holding the bear.
"Back off! The bear bile is mine!"
"In your dreams! Who the hell do you think you are? I’m telling you, those bear paws belong to my family!"
"What are you all fighting for? My elder is sick! That bear bile has to go to me!"
"Ha-ha-ha, fight! Fight harder!"
Watching this, Li Guolin, who was hovering on the sidelines to watch the show, was delighted. He had been seething with resentment ever since Li Yuemin brought the bear back—especially seeing the look of adoration in Song Mengyao’s eyes—and he wanted nothing more than for this to spiral into absolute disaster.
*BANG!*
Just as the shouting reached its peak, a gunshot cracked through the air like a thunderbolt.
In an instant, every villager scrambling for the meat froze as if under a spell. They looked back to see Li Yuemin holding his rifle pointed toward the sky.
"Damn it! My bullets don't have eyes. Anyone who comes near my bear sled again will pay with their life!"
With the threat of the gun, the noisy villagers immediately fell silent, terrified.
Seeing the disturbance quelled, Zhang Wanshan cast an approving look at Li Yuemin. Far from scolding him for firing his weapon, he publicly backed him up. "Son-in-law, now that everyone has calmed down, you can start dividing the meat. Remember, you decide how it’s divided—don't have any concerns. I’m here, and I’d like to see who dares to step out of line!"
"Understood, Father-in-law. Leave it to me."
Li Yuemin nodded, stepped into the center of the courtyard, and took out the list of names he had recorded.
"As the village chief just said, I am the Mountain Guardian who hunted this bear, and the distribution of the meat is entirely up to me. I promised to share this meat because you donated grain when I went hunting, easing my worries about my family. In return, you deserve a share. But some of you took your grain back, and therefore, you don't deserve this reward. Everyone on this list—you won't be getting a single piece of bear meat!"
"How can you do that? Li Yuemin, that’s unreasonable!"
Before Li Yuemin had even finished, Zhang Daqiang, the most aggressive of the bunch, began to protest. "You didn't tell us you’d actually caught a big bear! Isn't it only natural that we took our grain back?"
"Exactly, exactly!" Other villagers chimed in, beginning to argue again. "We were genuinely supporting you! Otherwise, we never would have donated so much grain to you!"
"Pah! Genuinely? Ha! You dare to paint yourselves as saints even after acting like this?"