Little Liuzi listened intently—throughout his life, the person he admired most was his own father. Over the years, their family’s life had gradually improved, at least they didn’t have to go hungry anymore, and it was all because of the good decisions his father made each time.
"In this world, no one is a fool," Yang Zhenli said with a satisfied smile, "One must look far in dealing with people." His greatest pride in life was that he had been far-sighted. Had it not been for his decisive move to take his wife and children away from their old home, they might have ended up scattered and lost by now. Years had passed, and they had long since become part of the village. "Just you wait and see, the Yang Family will regret their choices sooner or later."
Both Little Liuzi and Liu Cuiying nodded in agreement.
"In the future, go and help out more with Dani, and also visit the Gu Family frequently," Yang Zhenli glanced at his son, "Remember, only through sincerity can one make true friends."
Although the Gu Family were newcomers and didn’t mingle much with the villagers over the years, Yang Zhenli could tell they were no ordinary family. Associating with them would not be a disadvantage.
Even though such thoughts might seem mercenary, it was certainly better than his son hanging out with the likes of Yang Ruban, Wang Wen, and Wang Wu, wasn’t it?
"Mhm," Xiaoliu drank a bowl of water happily, then suddenly laughed, "You don’t know, but that second brother of the Gu Family is amazing. I once saw him climb a really tall tree just like that, and he’s even more incredible at hunting. I personally witnessed him killing a wild rabbit with a small stone, straight through its head..."
Yang Zhenli immediately gasped: "So, he’s a master?"
"Exactly," Xiaoliu said with admiration, "He told me that when he was young, he had learned kung fu from a master. Dad, I want to go hunting with second brother Gu from now on, is that okay?" Seeing his father didn’t nod, he quickly added, "I’ve talked to Gu’s second brother, and he agreed to take me. Dad, I’ll only go during the slack season, so I won’t neglect the farm work. Even if I only bring back a single wild chicken, our family could still have some meat to eat, right? And my little brother is still so young..."
"Alright," Yang Zhenli thought for a moment and nodded, "Tomorrow, let your mother give you some eggs to take over. After all, with one more person hunting, that’s one less share of game for them... Moreover, since you’re learning skills from him, strictly speaking, it’s like becoming his apprentice..."
In this era, taking up an apprenticeship often involved a fee, and sometimes even working for the master’s household. Some even served the master until their final days and that wasn’t considered excessive.
"I know." Xiaoliu immediately felt joyful. In fact, he had long envied the second brother Gu for regularly coming down the mountain with meat. It was just that he had been too embarrassed to ask him to take him along before. Only recently had he started talking and greeting him more often, and with Gu’s help, he mustered up the courage to ask. Did he not agree right away? Could he be anything but thrilled?
Although Xiaocang Mountain was right there, there hadn’t been any professional hunters in the nearby villages. In the past, there was one, but he got killed by a tiger on the mountain, and after that, there had been incidents of wolves carrying off children. Hence, no one had taken up hunting as a profession ever since.
After the Gu Family moved here two years ago, second brother Gu not only ventured into the mountains but also returned safely, even bringing back pheasants and hares. Naturally, this made others envious. Later, some tried their luck in the mountains but ended up bitten by a poisonous snake. Fortunately, the person bitten had a strong will to survive; the snake was not highly venomous. After rolling and crawling down the mountain, Li Yi managed to save him. However, the bitten arm was beyond saving and from that day on, no one tried to compete with second brother Gu again.