Chapter 292 - 216: Unexpected Harvest (2)
"Awoo... Oww... Woo..."
"Hhhaaa—"
A few consecutive roars had exhausted the last of its strength. After a few ragged gasps, it gradually stopped moving.
"Hahaha, such a huge black bear! This is awesome!"
The usually calm Zhao Ergou was the first to jump up in excitement. Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Wenwu also broke into happy smiles. This was a massive, unexpected prize. Judging by the black bear’s size, it had to weigh at least four or five hundred pounds. But Zhao Wendong wasn’t smiling; his expression was a little grim. He could feel the bear’s life force rapidly fading, but its inner voice kept echoing in his mind.
’Cub.’
’Cub.’
Zhao Wendong carefully examined the black bear’s abdomen and, sure enough, saw signs of lactation. It was a she-bear, one that had just given birth this year. That explained why it had been blocking the tree hollow and fighting the Wolf Pack. It was protecting its cub.
"Third Brother, it’s dead!"
Zhao Wenwu’s voice snapped Zhao Wendong out of his thoughts. Zhao Wendong looked up. The she-bear’s head had drooped limply, and a pool of its blood had congealed on the ground beneath it. He didn’t know how long it had been fighting the Wolf Pack, but it must have been a while. The others noticed something was off with Zhao Wendong. Zhao Wenjun asked tentatively.
"Third Brother, is something wrong?"
Zhao Wendong rubbed his face with his hands. ’The tiger last time also left cubs behind, and now this black bear too. Maybe this is fate’s design. There’s no reward without a price.’ He forced a smile for his brothers.
"What are you waiting for? Let’s get to it! We need to get the gallbladder!"
"Haha, you got it."
Seeing Zhao Wendong back to his usual self, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Wenjun went straight to deliver the finishing blow, while Zhao Wenwu grabbed the bear’s legs and started dragging it back. Zhao Wendong told Zhao Ergou to bleed the wolves the bear had killed, as well as the few they had just killed. He himself prepared to personally extract the most precious prize: the bear gallbladder. The bear’s fur was thick and black as it lay motionless at the entrance of the tree hollow. Zhao Wenjun first plunged his knife into the large black bear’s left chest, right where the heart was. He gave it a half-twist and, after confirming it was completely dead, nodded.
"It’s done."
Zhao Wenwu let out a great shout, wrapped his arms around the bear’s legs, and began to heave with all his might. He dragged the large black bear away from the tree hollow’s entrance. Zhao Wendong had experience hunting bears in his past life—more than one, in fact. He took his knife and made an incision into the major artery under the bear’s neck, then began to collect the blood in a leather pouch specifically designed for it.
The temperature outside was so low that the flowing blood quickly turned into a semi-solid, semi-liquid jelly. Bear blood was useful for treating consumption and coughs, and it could also be cooked directly. A dish like stewed bear-blood tofu was a rare delicacy. Zhao Wendong reached out and patted the black bear’s head twice. Then, his sharp hunting knife cut straight down from the center of the bear’s chin to its chest. He followed this with an incision down the inside of each of the four legs, all the way to the paws.
The most valuable part of a bearskin is the thick fur on its back, so Zhao Wendong didn’t cut it there. Once the initial cuts were made, Zhao Wendong pressed one hand on the layer between the hide and flesh. He used his hunting knife, holding it flush against the inside of the hide, to slowly and meticulously separate the skin from the meat, bit by bit. The bearskin was very thick, and rich with fat for the winter. His movements were steady, precise, and decisive, and he didn’t nick the hide once. Beside him, Zhao Wenjun watched, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Third Brother, how did you get so good at this? You’ve never killed a black bear before!"
"I’m smart. I can figure it out just by imagining it. The principle is the same for all of them."
"Second Brother, grab a corner of the hide and pull down. Go slow, don’t tear it."
"You got it."
Zhao Wenwu grunted in acknowledgment and began to slowly pull on the bearskin. Soon, the entire hide was peeled off. It was a magnificent pelt—the fur was black, plush, and thick. Old Zheng would be ecstatic to see it. After telling Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Wenwu to stretch the hide out and store it, Zhao Wendong made another cut, slicing open the black bear’s abdominal cavity. A cloud of cold air, mixed with the stench of blood and other odors, immediately wafted out.
He quickly reached his hand inside, and with extreme gentleness and care, he separated the bile duct. He then coated the base with plant ash, and with a firm twist, he removed the entire gallbladder intact. Holding it up to the light reflecting off the snow, it was a translucent golden yellow all over. It felt heavy in his hand and was as hard as an iron ball.
Zhao Wenjun sucked in a breath of cold air. "Third Brother, it’s an ’iron gallbladder’! This has to be ’golden gallbladder’ quality, right?"
"Yeah, top-grade quality. This one alone is probably worth three fat pigs."
"Really?"
Zhao Wenjun took it, beaming with joy, and cradled it carefully in his arms. His expression was even more cautious than when he held Yadan.
"Get a cloth bag."
This black bear was at its fattest, right in the middle of hibernation, and it had been nursing cubs. Its entire loin and chest cavity were filled with large, glistening white chunks of bear fat. Zhao Wendong dug them out piece by piece, filling more than half a bag. Bear fat was an excellent remedy for everything from frostbite and chapped hands to chronic bronchitis and burns—even better than badger oil. Once they got it home, rendered it down, and let it solidify in a clay pot, it would become a snow-white balm.
"Alright, Big Brother, you take over!"
Zhao Wendong handed the knife to Zhao Wenjun. The rest of the work was something his brother could handle—the heart, liver, kidneys, intestines, and stomach. Zhao Wendong didn’t need to worry about butchering the meat, either. He was still thinking about the little ones in the tree hollow. ’I wonder how many cubs the she-bear had.’ He took a few steps toward the hollow, then paused. After a moment’s thought, he walked to the side and started washing his hands with snow. He scrubbed them over and over until they were bright red, then shook them dry and walked back toward the tree hollow.
At the entrance to the tree hollow, Zhao Wendong cautiously switched on his flashlight first. He scanned the inside and, seeing no other black bears, finally felt safe enough to crawl in. In the deepest corner of the hollow, Zhao Wendong found what he was looking for: two small, dark, furry bundles huddled together. Each had a ring of white fur around its neck, like a necklace. One was a darker shade, the other lighter. They were, unmistakably, two little black bear cubs.