Chapter 243: The Foolish Roe Deer Walked Right into the Trap

The old Party Secretary asked, “Engineer Xu, have you had breakfast yet?”

“I already ate on the way here. I wonder, when does Comrade Yimin usually come by?” Xu Xiangbei asked.

The old Party Secretary smiled and replied, “As for when Yimin comes over, that’s hard to say.”

After all, Zhou Yimin also had a job and couldn’t come back to the village every day, so they couldn’t really expect him to come at any specific time.

Xu Xiangbei didn’t say much in response.

He changed the subject and asked, “Are there any problems with the construction?”

His biggest worry was that the villagers of Zhoujiazhuang hadn’t followed his construction plans. If he discovered an issue too late, they might have to tear everything down and start over—that would be a disaster.

The team leader replied, “We’ve been following your instructions to the letter. You can go take a look, and if there’s anything not done properly, please point it out so we can fix it.”

Yimin had reminded them many times: when it comes to professional matters, leave them to the professionals, and listen to what they say instead of making blind guesses.

Xu Xiangbei nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go have a look then.”

The old Party Secretary and the other two headed toward the back of the mountain. Just then, a sudden gunshot rang out.

In the otherwise peaceful setting, the sound startled all three of them.

The team leader immediately said, “Old Secretary, take Engineer Xu back to the village. I’ll go check it out.”

No one knew whether it was a wild animal attack or something more serious, like an enemy agent infiltration. Just in case, it was best to ensure Engineer Xu’s safety—after all, he was an invaluable talent and couldn’t be put at risk.

The old Secretary didn’t argue and nodded in agreement.

Xu Xiangbei was also quick to follow the team leader’s arrangement.

The team leader jogged toward the sound, while the old Secretary led Xu Xiangbei back to the village.

Less than ten minutes later, the team leader arrived at the construction site behind the mountain and found the villagers in unexpectedly high spirits.

He was a bit confused and immediately asked, “Zhou Xuan’an, tell me—what exactly happened here?”

Upon hearing the question, Zhou Xuan’an recounted the events: “While we were working just now, we heard a strange noise that gave us quite a scare. So I grabbed Zhou Daming and Zhou Xuming, and the three of us took our guns and went to check it out.”

They had no choice—only the three of them had guns. If anything dangerous happened, they had to be the first line of defense.

With weapons in hand, Zhou Xuan’an and the others carefully approached the source of the noise. Suddenly, a yellow animal burst out from the underbrush, startling everyone present.

At first, they thought it was a wild boar. To their surprise, it turned out to be a foolish roe deer.

The roe deer is a species from the deer family, with a long slender neck, large eyes, and big ears. They only develop territorial behavior during mating season, when the males become more aggressive and territorial. Males mark their territory by scraping trees with their antlers and leaving visual signs, as well as scent markers using secretions from glands on their heads or a mix of urine and oil from glands on their hind legs.

Most notably, these animals are intensely curious. Sometimes, they’re not even afraid of people—they’ll even come closer to watch the excitement.

Honestly, the fact that they haven’t gone extinct is a miracle.

When Zhou Xuan’an saw the roe deer charging toward the villagers, he immediately used the Type 53 cavalry rifle slung over his back. Holding it with both hands, he aimed and fired without hesitation.

After three shots rang out—bang, bang, bang—three foolish roe deer collapsed on the ground, motionless, though their heads were still bleeding heavily.

The Type 53 rifle had a long history in the country, dating back as far as the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. Later, wars with island nations and the “Big Brother” nation led to a large number of Mosin–Nagant rifles making their way into China. The Big Brother nation even provided aid by sending these rifles. As a result, the Type 53 cavalry rifle became one of the most common guns in the country and was even issued to local militia units.

Zhou Daming exclaimed in admiration, “Uncle An, your marksmanship is still incredible!”

Everyone in Zhoujiazhuang knew that Zhou Xuan’an’s shooting skills were among the best in the village. Of course, when he was in the army, his skills were considered average—still far from the level of elite sharpshooters.

The only person better than him was the team leader.

The team leader was also a retired soldier. To be given such an important post, he certainly hadn’t been just a regular grunt in the army.

Hearing Zhou Xuan’an’s explanation, the team leader finally breathed a sigh of relief. It had just been wild animals, not enemy agents. After all, with just a few old, outdated Type 53 rifles, they wouldn’t have stood a chance against a well-equipped enemy.

“In a bit, Zhou Xuming, Zhou Daming, and I will take these three roe deer back to the village. The rest of you keep working and stay alert. Zhou Xuan’an, stay here and keep watch.”

He wanted to make sure the villagers were safe in case more wild animals showed up. With Zhou Xuan’an on guard, he felt more at ease.

The villagers from Shuangtian Village who witnessed the scene couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. After all, that was meat! They were already wondering if they might get to eat some in the canteen later.

Roe deer—such foolish animals. They practically delivered themselves.

The team leader shouted, “Comrades, the danger’s over. Back to work!”

He still had to go back and report to the old Party Secretary, and Engineer Xu would need to come inspect the site for any construction errors.

Soon, the team leader and the other two carried the three dead roe deer back to the old Secretary’s house.

Seeing them return, the old Secretary immediately asked, “What happened back there?”

Building this reservoir was the village’s top priority. Any mishap could waste all their previous efforts.

“Don’t worry, Secretary. It’s nothing serious. Just three foolish roe deer that Xuan’an shot down. We’ve already brought them back,” the team leader said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the old Secretary finally relaxed. They hadn’t even seen a single roe deer during their past organized hunting trips. Who would’ve thought that building a reservoir would lure them in?

“Take those three roe deer to the canteen. Cook an extra meat dish for lunch today. But make sure one of them isn’t cooked—we’ll save that one,” the old Secretary instructed.

After all, everyone had been working hard on the reservoir. Since the meat had been found at the construction site, it was only right to reward the workers. The last one would be saved for Zhou Yimin and Xu Xiangbei.

“Got it. I’ll take them to the canteen now,” the team leader replied and left with Zhou Daming and the others.

Meanwhile, the old Secretary led Xu Xiangbei up the back mountain.

(End of Chapter)