boyutpedia Chapter 33 Intervening
Chapter 33 Intervening
The origin of Chen Tuoti Yakut knives does not refer to the hunting knife itself.
Instead, he saw the gunstocks on the sleds carried by several people.
Several hunters had guns wrapped in deerskin on their reindeer sleds.
Almost every man has a fondness for guns and the urge to shoot things.
The maroon gunstock on the sled had long piqued Chen Tuo's interest.
After the food transaction was completed, what he really wanted to ask was how to exchange the gun.
Chen Tuo now thinks the same way Wu Laowai did when he was in Hetao.
That means when you're catching fish, kill them on the spot and then attack whatever attracts them.
"Young man, you have a good eye. This is a Yakut knife from the Russians, made from artillery shell casings. It's very sharp! You hardly need to sharpen it..."
When they met Chen Tuo and Su Dao, they talked about things they shouldn't have talked about or said.
Wu Laowai kicked each of them again before changing the subject.
"Sudo, make a taraha, I'm hungry..."
After saying that, Wu Laowai got up, grabbed a handful of chili peppers from his sled, and threw them directly into the campfire.
"Hey Lao Wai, what are you doing? It's stinging my eyes..."
The chili peppers that Wu Laowai had thrown into the campfire were covered in snowflakes. As the fire ignited, smoke billowed out, and the people gathered around the fire rubbed their eyes.
"Just let the smell sting your eyes, get on with your fish..."
Wu Laowai glared at Chen Tuo with annoyance, then glanced at Chu Maolin a few more times.
When Chu Xiaoxiazi came over, his eyes were fixed on the guns on Su Dao and the others' sleds.
But Chu Maolin was wrapped up so tightly that Chen Tuo scanned him several times but still couldn't recognize him.
Su Dao used the campfire to cook the fish that had been killed, and the group drank two more bowls of wine.
Seeing that Chen Tuo still wanted to ask about the gun, Wu Laowai could only change the subject once again.
"Su Dao, that's all the wine we have. You can't drink any more before you go back. It's been cold these past few days! Don't freeze to death..."
"Bring out your good knives and let Chen Zhiqing see them. His big knife looks awkward and is cumbersome to use."
Upon hearing this, Su Dao and the others each took a leather scroll from the sled, which contained knives of various lengths.
Several of the knives caught Chen Tuo's eye.
"Uncle Su Dao, is this a case of taking advantage of someone?"
After recognizing the Yakut knife, Chen Tuo also recognized the Shun Dao, and Su Dao gave him a thumbs up.
"Young man, you have a good eye. It's a Shun Dao (a type of leather pelt). Back in 1958, when the Oroqen Banner was established in Hulunbuir, it was traded for with leather. It's not very good for hunting!"
As he spoke, Su Dao first measured the length of the straight knife, then measured it at his waist, and then stretched out his hand to measure the length of a hand span.
This means that if a straight knife is too long to be used as a hunting knife, a shorter Yakut knife, although off-center, is the right length.
Besides the straight knife and hunting knife, the leather scroll also contained bayonets and daggers.
Looking at the foreign characters above, they're also something from Russia.
"Uncle Su, how much are the knife and dagger?"
"It's still just a lump of fish..."
Su Dao offered a very reasonable price, but Wu Laowai, standing to the side, chimed in:
"Su Dao, tell me how many chilies you want. I'll trade the chilies for Chen Zhiqing's small fish, and he'll trade the chilies for your broken knife."
With Wu Laowai in the middle, Su Dao, who wanted a big fish, traded it for chili peppers.
Chen Tuo also traded a sack of miscellaneous fish for two straight knives, two daggers, and a small sword-shaped hunting knife.
After estimating the value of the barter, Chen Tuo felt that what he had should be enough to exchange for a gun.
Chen Tuo took Wu Laowai's repeated reminders and warnings to heart, but the gun was related to his basic needs.
In the Songling Forest Area of the Xing'an Mountains, food, clothing, shelter, and transportation determine his life and death.
No matter what taboos there were, he would always ask them.
"Uncle Su, do you sell the gun on your sled?"
Su Dao went down the mountain for two reasons: first, to scout the way, and second, to sell guns.
Reindeer meat was just food carried on the road.
When Chen Tuo inquired about legitimate business, Su Dao's smile became much brighter than before.
"Of course we'll sell them! The best Beret is 200 dollars, with 100 original rounds; the next best is 150 dollars, with 50 original rounds."
After introducing the main products, Su Dao pulled open the deerskin on the sled and pointed to a pile of gunstocks that were now just raw wood, saying:
"Old Buick, fifty yuan a pack, only comes with twenty shell casings."
The abbreviation of Su Dao immediately brought Chen Tuo back to his days as a beast of burden, when "Old Buick" was such a familiar name!
"An old Buick?"
"Yes! It's the old Belgrade rifle, the one without rifling..."
After saying the abbreviation for "Old Buick," Su Dao cautiously scanned his surroundings before lifting the deerskin.
"And water droplets..."
"Uncle Su Dao, can I trade you a wolf pelt?"
How many do you have?
Two!
"Two bills! I can only give you an old Buick, and at most ten original rounds of ammunition..."
Just as Chen Tuo and Su Dao were about to reach a deal, Wu Laowai wanted to remind them, but Chu Maolin, who was slyly watching from the side, beat him to it.
"Chen Tuo, are you qualified to carry a gun?"
Chu Maolin couldn't say anything to Su Dao, nor could he control him.
But he has a lot more authority over Chen Tuo.
"Do you also need to be licensed to carry a gun?"
"Are you fucking old enough?"
Early in the morning, Chu Maolin, who was injured, reluctantly got up to meet the hunters who came down from the mountain.
The Berek and Water Bead rifles that Su Dao and his men got are standard-issue rifles, so they're definitely fine for hunting.
The problem is that these standard-issue rifles have a long range and great power, making them easy to cause friendly fire incidents.
The Forestry Bureau can't control Su Dao and others; it can only handle the purchase or replacement of guns.
The old Buick that Chen Tuo wants to replace is the one he's focusing on.
Beredan is a transliteration of the Russian Berdan II rifle, a gun that is over a hundred years old and has many drawbacks.
An old Buick with worn-out rifling is the most dangerous hunting rifle in the forest area.
With a self-loading machine gun and an old gun with an unstable trajectory, if you don't control the amount of propellant, who knows how the bullet will fly?
The old-fashioned water beads that Su Dao and others obtained had similar problems.
The gun is long and has a straight trajectory; its full-power bullets have a long range and are heavy.
Besides easily piercing tree trunks and causing injuries or fatalities.
Even if a bullet launched from beyond the firing range falls and hits someone, it will result in their brains being splattered.
Am I not old enough?
Including this time when he interfered, this is the third time that Chu Maolin has made things difficult for him.
Even a clay Buddha has some earthy qualities.
The first time he was asked to put his fingerprint and sign the document, Chen Tuo was speechless.
The second time, he said the fish in the river belonged to the public, and he couldn't say anything about it.
This is the third time he's interfered and blocked his livelihood, so Chen Tuo is going to stand up to him.
"Whether you're old enough or not, whether you're qualified to carry a gun is up to the Forestry Bureau's security department. With me around, you're not qualified to carry a gun!"
Because of Chen Tuo, he got a good beating from his father, Chu Mingshan, who beat him so badly he passed out on the spot. Chu Maolin was also feeling resentful.
Chen Tuo was determined to stand his ground, but Chu Maolin, who was in the right, refused to back down.
This matter, even if it were to escalate to Jagdaqi, would still be in Chu Maolin's right, let alone in Songling Forestry Bureau.
Chu Maolin's words were infuriating, and Chen Tuo immediately stood up.
If he doesn't make a scene, how will he survive?
"You're here? Who the hell do you think you are! If there are rules, then bring them out; if there aren't, then go somewhere cool and stay there..."