pjbooks Chapter 169 Hunter Girl
Chapter 169 Hunter Girl
Chapter 170 The Hunter Girl (4000 words combined)
Looking at the stream in front of him, Zhou Xin knew that he had reached the edge of his rented land, and this stream was the boundary.
He had been here before; the water used for washing ore in the mine was also drawn from a tributary of this stream.
He jumped off the bear's back, walked to the stream, and scooped up some water to wash his face.
The cool water gave him a refreshing feeling.
The weather is nice today; the midday sun shines on the stream, making it shimmer and sparkle.
With a splash, Bartholomew plunged his front paws into the water and snatched up a large salmon.
It's salmon season now, and although this place is far from the sea, many salmon still manage to swim here despite the hardships.
As soon as Bartholomew pressed his forepaw against the salmon's belly, red roe immediately shot out.
It happily licked the fish roe until it could squeeze out no more roe, and then began to tear the fish meat.
The stream was teeming with large salmon; it was practically a buffet for brown bears.
Zhou Xin took off his shoes, rolled up his trousers, and waded into the water, intending to catch two fish for lunch.
These salmon were not agile and were very easy to catch. Even with his bare hands, he quickly caught two large fish with bulging bellies.
He tossed a fish to Logan, but Logan just sniffed it and turned it away.
It was already used to eating cooked food, and the smelly raw fish did not interest it at all.
"You're much more discerning than Bartholomew."
Zhou Xin smiled as he picked up the fish and began preparing lunch.
He plans to stay out a bit longer today and go back in the afternoon.
The sun was shining brightly, and the grass along the stream was lush and green, with flowers of various colors in full bloom.
He moved several large stones from the stream and built a stove on the lawn.
After gathering enough dry firewood, a fire was lit, and the frying pan was placed on it.
He planned to make a fish head and offal hot pot, and grill the fish meat for Logan.
There were many wild onions and sorrel by the stream, and he casually picked some.
He only brought a bag of all-purpose hot pot base with him when he set off today. With these wild scallions, it was enough to cook a delicious fish head and offal hot pot.
Clean the fish head, fish maw, fish roe, fish milt, and fish intestines thoroughly, and blanch them together with sour grass.
Since I didn't bring ginger or cooking wine, I could only use sourness to simply remove the fishy smell.
However, the hot pot broth is rich in spices and has a strong flavor, which is enough to suppress the fishy smell of the offal.
Melt the butter from the hot pot broth, then fry the fish head until golden brown and set aside.
Then stir-fry the hot pot base until fragrant, pour it into the stream water, and after the water boils, first put in the fish head to simmer, and finally add the fish offal.
The pot was bubbling and boiling, and the aroma filled the air.
While the fish offal was stewing, Zhou Xin searched the surrounding area and found some tender wild vegetables.
After tossing the fish meat that had been grilled by the fire to Logan, he sat down on the grass by the stream and began to enjoy the fish offal hotpot in front of him.
The main dish was two steamed buns, which had been heated by the fire beforehand.
The fish roe was fresh and tender, and the fish offal was crisp and smooth; the taste was truly excellent.
He enjoyed the beautiful Alaskan summer scenery and the delicious salmon hot pot, feeling very content.
After finishing his meal, he lay on the grass for a while before continuing on his way.
He had always stopped here before, but today he planned to go further and wade across the stream to take a look.
Although the land opposite is no longer his territory, it shouldn't be a problem to take a stroll around.
After walking for a while, he rode on the bear's back again.
The trees ahead were even taller, all towering spruce trees, but not densely packed, making the ride on the bear very smooth.
Bartholomew became increasingly adept at manned travel and walked more steadily, allowing Zhou Xin to even close his eyes and rest.
Since this was someone else's land, he did not rashly shoot at the birds, but simply walked quietly and casually.
The smell of gold still lingered in the air, indicating that this land had a decent gold content and was worth mining.
However, as far as he knew, this land belonged to private individuals and had not been rented by gold prospectors.
He did not deliberately manipulate Bartholomew, but let it go wherever it pleased.
I don't know how long we walked, but suddenly, we heard a series of urgent barks from ahead.
The barking of dogs drew closer, and then four hunting dogs appeared before him.
The hounds had clearly smelled the scent and were following them.
But when they realized that what was in front of them was a brown bear as big as a mountain, their fur stood on end and they dared not take another step forward.
In the forests of Alaska, brown bears stand at the top of the food chain, and the hunting dogs clearly knew this, and were immediately intimidated.
What terrified them even more was that a ferocious tundra wolf, much larger than them, suddenly appeared from the side, baring its teeth at them.
The four hounds trembled and prepared to turn and run away.
"Russo, why are you running so fast? I can't catch you!"
A bright, girlish voice came from not far behind the hunting dogs. Upon hearing the voice, the four dogs immediately barked loudly, seemingly to warn their owner.
But the girl's figure had already been revealed.
"ah"
As soon as the girl peeked out, she immediately saw the huge brown bear standing in front of her.
She screamed in fright and instinctively raised the shotgun in her hand.
"Calm down, don't shoot!"
The girl froze when she heard a man's voice coming from ahead.
How come the brown bear can speak human language?
She calmed herself down and looked more closely before finally spotting Zhou Xin on the brown bear's back.
This did not calm her down; instead, it surprised her even more.
How could anyone in this world dare to ride on the back of an adult Kodiak brown bear?
Her pretty face was filled with fear, and she wanted to run away as soon as possible.
"Please don't be afraid, it won't hurt you."
As Zhou Xin spoke, he jumped off the bear's back and slowly walked towards the girl.
The girl realized that the person who jumped off the bear's back was indeed an ordinary person, and her emotions calmed down a little, but her face was still full of vigilance.
"Who are you, and why are you riding a bear?"
Although the voice trembled slightly, it was clear and pleasant to the ear.
"I'm a gold prospector from that mine over there. This bear is my friend. Please believe me, it's very gentle and won't hurt you."
Hearing Zhou Xin's words and seeing that the brown bear had been standing there without moving and showed no sign of attacking them, the girl finally felt a little relieved.
"I heard from my dad that a mine opened over there. Are you really a gold prospector?"
"That's right, our mine has been operating for several months now."
The girl patted her chest and let out a long breath: "That really scared me to death! I thought I was going to be chased by a bear. How did you become friends with it?"
The girl blinked her big eyes, her face full of curiosity.
By this time, Zhou Xin had gotten close enough to see the girl's appearance clearly.
She looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and jeans, which were cinched at the waist with a leather belt, outlining her shapely figure.
She had bright eyes and white teeth, and her hair was tied with a red ribbon, making her look very lively and energetic.
Zhou Xin smiled and said, "It was seriously injured, and I helped it. Over time, we became friends."
The girl exclaimed in amazement, "This is the first time in my life I've ever known that you can be friends with a brown bear! It's amazing!"
"Maybe I was just lucky and encountered a bear that wasn't too fierce. It's best not to try this kind of thing lightly."
The girl nodded: "I think so too. My dad said that brown bears are usually very irritable, and several of his hunter friends were killed by brown bears."
"Is your father a hunter?"
The girl raised her head, a proud expression on her face: "That's right, and I'm already a qualified hunter."
In the United States, to become a legal hunter, one needs to pass an exam and obtain a hunting license.
The girl in front of him was clearly proud of having obtained her hunting license.
"I can tell you must be an excellent hunter."
Zhou Xin was generous with his praise; he wanted to cultivate his career in Alaska and make more friends.
The girl's face lit up with a bright smile after being praised, but she quickly suppressed it.
"I'm not exactly a great hunter yet, otherwise I wouldn't have panicked so much just now."
"No, when encountering a large brown bear, running away is what a qualified hunter should do. You made the right judgment, which proves what I just said."
Zhou Xin showered the girl with compliments, making her beam with joy.
"My name is Sofia, nice to meet you!"
"Zhou Xin, I am also honored to have met such an outstanding hunter as you."
19
Sofia smiled brightly: "Mr. Zhou, may I invite you to our base? My father would be very happy to meet you."
"It's my honor, but it's a bit late today, and I'm worried I won't be able to get back to the mine tonight. I'm really sorry."
It was already past 3 p.m., and it would take him at least three or four hours to get back to the mine. If it got dark, he wouldn't be able to walk in the forest at all, and he didn't have any camping tools or equipment with him.
To everyone's surprise, Sofia was unusually enthusiastic: "It's alright. If it gets too late, you can stay at our base. Our base is huge."
Zhou Xin was amused by the naive girl. On their first meeting, she actually wanted to invite a strange man to stay overnight.
"This might not be very convenient. Please give me your contact information so I can visit you next time when I have more time. Alternatively, you can come visit my mine."
Sofia nodded, and the two exchanged contact information.
Suddenly, Logan darted out from the side with a whoosh and started circling around Zhou Xin.
"Any prey?"
Zhou Xin immediately understood its meaning and decided to follow it.
He came out today intending to hunt some wild game to enrich the food supply for the mine, but so far he has only hunted some birds.
"This...this is a tundra wolf?"
Sofia once again wore an expression of disbelief.
Logan had run into the woods after both sides lowered their guard, so it was only now that she noticed the ferocious beast, much larger than her hunting dog.
She had been hunting in the mountains with her father since she was a child and knew many wild animals, so she could tell at a glance that Logan was not a dog, but a tundra wolf.
Zhou Xin smiled and said, "Yes, it's been with me since it was a puppy; it's my pet."
The expression on Sofia's face at that moment could only be described as fascinating.
She couldn't understand how the man in front of her could tundra wolves and Kodiak bears as his pets at the same time.
How did he manage to do that?
Are you an animal trainer?
Although she asked this question, as a hunter, she knew in her heart that even the top animal trainers in the circus would find it difficult to train wild beasts to be so docile.
"No, I'm just a professional gold prospector."
Sofia's face showed a mixture of curiosity, shock, and other expressions, which eventually turned into deep admiration.
"That's incredible! I'm sure even my dad has never seen anyone train a tundra wolf and a Kodiak bear as their pet. You're amazing!"
Just as Zhou Xin was about to say a few more modest words, Logan couldn't wait any longer and started tugging at his trouser leg.
"May I hunt some prey on your land?"
Zhou Xin knew that this land definitely belonged to the girl in front of him, and it was not appropriate to hunt on her land without her permission.
Sofia was filled with curiosity about the man in front of her and naturally wanted to see how he hunted with a tundra wolf.
She nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, but please allow me to follow you. I want to see how you hunt."
Although she had four hunting dogs, they were nothing compared to the ferocious tundra wolves before her.
"That's how it should be."
After Zhou Xin finished speaking, he didn't delay any longer. He instructed Bartholomew to stay put and then immediately ran forward with the tundra wolf.
Sophia's bright face was full of excitement as she followed Zhou Xin.
Led by Logan, they ran for about four or five hundred meters through the forest. Sofia's hunting dogs had already smelled the prey and were preparing to run in one direction.
"Stop!"
Sofia called softly, and the four hounds obediently stopped.
She wanted to enjoy Zhou Xin's performance and naturally didn't want her dog to ruin it.
Logan slowed his pace and walked forward quietly, with Zhou Xin and Sophia following closely behind.
Zhou Xin knew that the prey should be not far ahead.
After walking a few dozen meters further with Logan, Logan suddenly stopped and peered ahead cautiously.
The next moment, Zhou Xin and Sophia also spotted their prey.
It turned out to be a rather large porcupine, its body covered in sharp quills, threatening any animal that dared to show interest in it.
No wonder Logan didn't just hunt it down and bring it back himself; he knew very well that dealing with this porcupine would be very difficult.
Even if it successfully hunts down the porcupine, it will definitely suffer a lot of injuries.
Having your body covered in porcupine quills is a very unpleasant experience.
With two people, four dogs, and a wolf, the commotion was too great, and the porcupine immediately became alert.
It turned around, glanced at it, and immediately took off running.
boom!
Zhou Xin reacted quickly and immediately drew his gun and fired.
The porcupine fell to the ground with a thud, struggled for a few moments, then immediately got up and continued to flee.
Zhou Xin originally intended to shoot the porcupine in the head, but the distance was too far, and he only hit its neck.
Although it was still a fatal wound, it did not kill him immediately.
"Too bad, we missed. But it can't go far, let's chase it!"
Zhou Xin put away his pistol and chased after the porcupine in the direction it had fled.
Sophia stared blankly at Zhou Xin's retreating figure, once again stunned by this man who called himself a gold prospector.
At that distance, with the prey already fleeing, he casually fired a shot and hit it directly.
She knew that even her father, who had been a hunter for half his life, probably didn't have such amazing marksmanship.
This man is absolutely amazing!