Chapter 497 - 408: Someone Died Again

"Oh my god!" Jin Xiaomei exclaimed with a heavy sigh. "He’s that old and still going after Black Bears!"

Zhao Jun sighed as well. "I heard that it was Elder Ghost Jiang himself who insisted on going."

At this, Zhao Jun was struck by the unpredictability of fate. ’An old man who should have lived to see the new millennium... The lifelong goose hunter gets his eye pecked out by a goose.’

An explosive bait, just as the name implies, involved wrapping explosives around bait attractive to a Black Bear, then hanging it about a meter off the ground for the bear to come and chew on.

A Black Bear’s habits are quite similar to a dog’s. Its first bite is always a tentative nibble with the tip of its snout.

This is where the skill of setting the bait comes in. If the trigger was too sensitive, it would explode right then.

However, that would only injure the bear’s mouth, not kill it.

Only when the Black Bear took the entire explosive and bait into its mouth would the already-triggered device detonate, damaging its brain and causing death.

Normally, with Jiang Hua’s skill, there shouldn’t have been any problem with the bait he prepared.

But for some reason, the bait he set last night failed to kill the Black Bear. It did, however, damage the bear’s mouth and give its brain enough of a shock to knock it unconscious.

According to the reliable information Li Ruhai had dug up, when Zhu Dashan and Jiang Hua arrived at the cornfield this morning, they saw that yesterday’s bait was gone.

Looking to the side, they saw a Black Bear lying motionless on the ground nearby.

The two old men thought the Black Bear was dead. Afraid the Bear Gall bladder would leak, they rushed over in a panic without firing a finishing shot, grabbed the bear, and started to roll it over.

But unexpectedly, just as they flipped it over, the Black Bear’s eyes shot open.

With both old men right there, the Black Bear didn’t hesitate. First, it sent Zhu Dashan tumbling with a single swipe. Then it grabbed Jiang Hua, shoved him underneath its rear, sat down, and bit.

The bear’s jaws clamped down right on the back of Jiang Hua’s head.

With a sickening crunch, it bit clean through.

Elder Ghost Jiang, who had blown out the brains of countless Black Bears with his explosive traps, now had his own skull crushed by one. His legs kicked out once, and he was dead.

"Mom, Brother Jun, you have no idea," Li Ruhai said, the words still pouring out of him. "Elder Jiang is dead, and Mrs. Elder Jiang has cried herself sick. She’s fainted several times already."

Hearing this, both Zhao Jun and Jin Xiaomei felt a pang of pity. Jin Xiaomei asked, "Who from the Jiang Family has come?"

"Jiang Zhou came over from the Forest Farm with the vehicle," Li Ruhai replied. You had to hand it to the boy; he found out every last detail.

Jiang Hua was childless, so his funeral arrangements could only be handled by his nephew, Jiang Zhou.

Just then, Zhao Jun remembered something and asked Li Ruhai, "Did they bring Elder Jiang’s body back to the village?"

"No." Li Ruhai shook his head. "Jiang Zhou went and begged the Village Chief, but it was no use. The Village Chief refused."

Those who die a violent death cannot be brought back to the village.

The mountain folk are superstitious about it.

Besides, it was a rule passed down for generations. That was the case for Hu Guangmin, and Jiang Hua couldn’t be an exception.

It wasn’t just that Zhao Guofeng wouldn’t agree; even if he had, no one else in the village would have stood for it.

After all, over the years, plenty of families had relatives who died violent deaths away from home, and they all handled it the same way.

"Mom!" Li Ruhai suddenly asked Jin Xiaomei, "How’s the construction on my brother’s new house coming along?"

Hearing this, Jin Xiaomei felt a wave of relief. ’My youngest son is a good boy after all. He still cares about his family.’

At that thought, her gaze toward Li Ruhai softened, and she said gently, "It’s already done."

"Huh?" Li Ruhai’s disappointment was instantly visible. He mumbled, "So all the people who were helping us are gone?"

"Not yet," Jin Xiaomei said with a smile. "The house is built, but there are still some odd jobs left."

Although the house itself was finished, there were still piles of timber, sand, gravel, and cement in the yard. The neighbors would help the Li Family sort and tidy everything, then store it in the shed.

The helpers were busy with these odd jobs at the site right now, and they were also waiting for the Li Family to treat them to dinner tonight.

Just then, Jin Xiaomei held out one of the cloth bags she was carrying to Li Ruhai. "Here, help your mom with one of these. It’s pretty heavy."

But to Jin Xiaomei’s surprise, the moment she held the bag out to him, Li Ruhai took a step back. "Ah, Mom, I’m not going home with you. I’m gonna go over there and see if there’s anything I can do to help them out."

With that, Li Ruhai turned and ran. ’Something this major must have been heard by most people in the village by now.’

Because of that, Li Ruhai felt restless, like he had pent-up energy with no release.

But the neighbors who had been working on his brother’s new house all day... even if they had heard, they wouldn’t know the juicy details.

This was Li Ruhai’s chance to get his fix!

Jin Xiaomei’s hand, holding the cloth bag, was frozen in mid-air. The expression on her face hardened as she stared blankly at Li Ruhai’s retreating figure.

A mother knows her son best. The moment she saw the excitement on Li Ruhai’s face, she knew exactly what that little rascal was up to.

"Auntie, let me take that," Zhao Jun said, holding a jug of liquor in one hand while reaching for the cloth bag Jin Xiaomei was holding.

"It’s fine, Jun." Jin Xiaomei snapped out of her daze, lowered her arm, and clutched both bags as she quickened her pace toward home.

After a few steps, Jin Xiaomei suddenly said to Zhao Jun, "Jun, Auntie regrets it. I should have just built a five-room house for Baoyu, too."