Chapter 52 The Two of You, Together, Demonstrate How to Seize It

It was already late in the night when he returned home.

Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Mother Li hurriedly opened the door. Seeing her son carrying such a heavy load of game, she was both startled and overjoyed.

"Come inside and warm up," Mother Li said, reaching out to take the game from him.

"You rest, I'll take care of it," Li Xiangyang said, not letting his mother help. "I'm much more used to this kind of work than you."

First, he carried the roe deer into the woodshed, and then he brought the male marten into the main room. Precious fur like this required the utmost care; even the slightest damage would affect its price.

In the main room, Mother Li had already lit the kerosene lamp. Under the bright light, the fur of the male marten emitted a soft, lustrous sheen.

"This must be worth a lot, right?" Mother Li asked in astonishment. In her mind, marten fur was something only wealthy people in the city could afford.

"Mm, I just got lucky," Li Xiangyang replied, pulling out a small knife to begin the meticulous skining process.

The tip of the blade slowly slit open the marten's belly, every movement exceptionally gentle for fear of cutting the pelt. This was a time-consuming process. Beads of fine sweat seeped onto Li Xiangyang's forehead, but the rhythm of his hands remained steady throughout.

"Son," Mother Li watched her son's focused expression and asked in a low voice, "Do you think this pelt will cover their medical expenses?"

"It should be enough. City people value this sort of thing," Li Xiangyang said as he worked. "As long as it's processed well, fifteen yuan is guaranteed."

Mother Li drew a sharp intake of breath. Fifteen yuan—that was equivalent to half a year's worth of work points.

After finishing the marten skin, Li Xiangyang went to the woodshed to deal with the roe deer. This time it was much simpler, mainly involving butchering the meat. Although the hide was also worth something, it could not compare to the marten skin.

By the time he finished all of this, dawn was breaking. Li Xiangyang cleaned up briefly and prepared to head into town. These items could not be sold in the village; he needed to find someone who knew the trade to get a good price.

"Wait." Mother Li suddenly called out to him. She turned and went into the side room, returning with a cloth bundle. "Your second uncle mentioned a few days ago that Shopkeeper Zhou, who buys pelts in the city, is an old fox, so you need to be on your guard. This is a bit of money I've saved up. Take it so he doesn't realize we're strapped for cash."

A warm feeling flooded Li Xiangyang's heart, but he pushed the money back. "Mother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Just as the sun crested the horizon, Li Xiangyang headed into town with the processed pelts. Along the way, he held the furs tightly against his chest, terrified something might go wrong.

The fur-buying shops in the city opened early.

When he pushed open the door, a rich scent of leather already lingered inside the shop. Seeing Li Xiangyang enter, Old Zhou immediately put down his work.

"Little brother, did you bring some pelts?"

"Yeah." Li Xiangyang carefully placed the marten skin and the roe deer hide on the counter.

Old Zhou put on his reading glasses and began examining them closely. His fingers brushed lightly over the marten fur, nodding from time to time.

"This marten pelt is processed quite well; you can tell it's done by someone who knows what they're doing. Eight yuan, how's that?"

Li Xiangyang sneered inwardly. This marten pelt was worth at least fifteen yuan, and the man had tried to slash the price by nearly half right off the bat.

"Shopkeeper Zhou," he said unhurriedly, "we're both sensible people. If I took this pelt to the provincial capital, it wouldn't go for a cent less than twenty."

"Hah, you mentioned the provincial capital yourself. Going there and back, isn't travel money money? Besides, we're old acquaintances. Ten yuan." Old Zhou laughed heartily, trying to bargain him down.

The two of them haggled back and forth, finally settling on thirteen yuan. Combined with the roe deer hide, the total came to eighteen yuan. This amount already exceeded Li Xiangyang's expectations.

After pocketing the money, Li Xiangyang headed to the state-run restaurant. It was only seven in the morning, and the back kitchen was already preparing ingredients for the morning market. Director Zhang was counting the inventory when he saw Li Xiangyang walk in. He was momentarily stunned before smiling broadly. "Little brother Li, what brings you out in this freezing weather?"

"I brought a few things." Li Xiangyang took the roe deer meat, wrapped in oiled paper, out of his bag.

Director Zhang lifted the oiled paper for a glance, and his eyes instantly lit up. "You can still hunt roe deer in this weather?"

Li Xiangyang modestly replied, "I got lucky and caught two, one big and one small."

Director Zhang carefully inspected the quality of the meat and nodded repeatedly. "Fresh, and butchered cleanly, too. How much per catty for this roe deer meat?"

"Eighty cents," Li Xiangyang quoted. This price was already quite high; ordinary meat went for only thirty or forty cents a catty.

"This..." Director Zhang hesitated. "A bit expensive."

"Director Zhang," Li Xiangyang smiled, "you know your stuff. In this freezing cold, who dares to venture into the mountains anymore? You must be experiencing a shortage of meat yourself. As the old saying goes, scarcity commands a high price."

Director Zhang pondered for a moment. "You're quite the talker, kid. Make it sixty cents a catty, and I'll take both of them."

This price was within Li Xiangyang's expectations. The two roe deer together weighed over forty catties, which would fetch more than twenty yuan.

"Deal."

Director Zhang had the back kitchen weigh the meat and settle the bill, and even thoughtfully added an extra twenty cents. "You've got skills, little brother. Come by often."

Li Xiangyang nodded, calculating his earnings for this trip. The roe deer meat sold for twenty-four yuan and sixty cents, which, combined with the money for the pelts, came to a total of forty-two yuan and sixty cents. This sum should be enough to cover the medical expenses demanded by that hoodlum.

When he left the restaurant, the day had fully brightened. The streets were gradually becoming lively, but Li Xiangyang's heart felt heavy. Although he had made the money, he still had to guard against that hoodlum's family making trouble in the future.

Upon returning home, Li Xiangyang saw several people standing in the courtyard from a distance. As he drew closer, he realized it was Captain Xu accompanied by two law enforcement officers, along with a middle-aged couple.

The couple looked precisely like people seeking accountability. The man wore the blue uniform typical of an accountant, while the woman wore a plain cotton padded jacket. When they saw Li Xiangyang, their eyes were filled with bitter hatred.

Mother Li was standing nearby at a complete loss. Seeing her son return, she hurried forward.

"Son..."

"Mother, don't worry," Li Xiangyang comforted his mother before turning to face Captain Xu. "Captain Xu, this is..."

"Little Li, this is Accountant Yang and his wife," Captain Xu introduced. "Their son is out of the danger zone, and they want to talk to you."

"Talk?" Accountant Yang let out a cold snort. "My son was almost killed by him. How do you propose we talk?"

"Comrade Yang," Captain Xu said in a serious tone, "we've investigated the whole sequence of events. Your son initiated the attack with a knife, and Li Xiangyang acted in self-defense."

"Self-defense?" Accountant Yang's wife suddenly shrieked. "Then tell me, my son is lying in the hospital, and so much money was spent—how is that accounted for? Even if it was self-defense, wouldn't disarming him have been enough?"

"That's easy enough to say," Li Xiangyang sneered coldly, his sharp gaze shifting to Accountant Yang and his wife. "How about this? I'll go get a knife right now, and the two of you can come together and demonstrate how to disarm someone. Let everyone broaden their horizons."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the couple shifted drastically.

"Wait." Captain Xu shouted a stern reprimand. "Li Xiangyang, what are you playing at?"

"I'm just hoping to learn from Accountant Yang and his wife how to disarm a knife-wielding attacker," Li Xiangyang said with a cold smile. "Since they make it sound so simple."

"Comrade Li Xiangyang!" Captain Xu's voice grew severe. "This is official business, not a game. Acting like this will only complicate matters further."

Only then did Li Xiangyang halt his steps, though his gaze remained icy as he stared at Accountant Yang and his wife. "Fine, I'll listen to you and handle it properly. Then you tell me: his son came at me with a knife first. If I hadn't stabbed him back to incapacitate him, how was I supposed to know whether he intended to take my life?"

Under Li Xiangyang's piercing gaze, Accountant Yang and his wife involuntarily took a step backward. The chill in those eyes reminded them of wolves in the deep mountains.