A Mountain Hunter's Life, Starting in 1982

Having read over 170 chapters, it seems the author portrays being a mountain herder in Northeast China as a life of unbridled freedom and rule-following. They'll fight anyone they see, anything that can make money. Rules like not fighting mother animals with cubs or not herding during breeding season are completely ignored by the protagonist, who often takes them all. The protagonist is nothing but a hypocrite, a complete imposter!

Don't bother reading this, everyone! It gets angrier the more you read. This is the worst kind of trash novel ever. The protagonist is some guy from a Los Angeles Buddhist temple who gets abused a thousand times over, yet he treats everyone like his first love. He's practically offering his wife to everyone else to play with.

In my past life, I was always on the go, never spending time with my family, and I felt guilty about it. Now, I'm still rarely home. I've given up my old trade of collecting mountain goods and started selling them instead. I worked tirelessly hunting and carrying ginseng to earn money, but when I came across a gold mine, I turned it down, saying the money was too easy and too dangerous.

The writing is good, but it feels a bit lacking. I would have loved reading it in the past, but compared to others, even though it's set in Northeast China and involves hunting, it lacks realism and immersion. It doesn't capture the animal's habits, hunting methods, even the way they speak, and the local customs—I, a person from Southwest China, could really appreciate those. It's a pity you came along a little too late.

I finished this book last year, my first time reading a hunting novel. The reviews were mixed, but I read it all. Later, I read three or four more books on the same theme, especially "The Whole Mountain...", And the difference in quality became clear.

This book is better than "The Whole Mountain" (a popular Chinese novel). "The Whole Mountain" has hundreds of chapters, but it's already half-filled. It's just constant rambling about the protagonist's mom cooking, the protagonist's dad being difficult, or buying things and showing off. It's like a sponge, so puffy it's disgusting.

To those who call this novel "toxic" after reading only a few chapters, please move on to light and easy reads. This novel feels very realistic for older readers like us. There are indeed many disgusting people in reality; you can't simply condemn them all, can you? The hunting and ginseng gathering scenes later in the novel are particularly exciting. Watching the protagonist gradually improve his life feels like seeing your own life reflected in his.

I admire this author. This is the first time I've read a hunting novel that's so convoluted and melodramatic. The first 100 chapters have some flaws but are still readable. From the beginning of the second year, when the protagonist gets entangled with his mother-in-law's family, I can still read it even if I have to hold my nose. But when the brother-in-law becomes disabled, it becomes completely unreadable! It started strong but ended weak!

The subject matter is good, with no major flaws. It's just that the writing is too sloppy. I noticed that when they went into the mountains, the protagonist had almost run out of money, sold some goods worth about 30 yuan, and bought some other things. It didn't mention where the protagonist got the remaining 50 yuan.

Now I know why the book didn't do well. The author isn't from Northeast China, yet they wrote about Northeast China; the dialogue is completely out of touch with reality and lacks relatability. If the author were willing to spend some money to hire a native Northeasterner to help revise the manuscript, this book could probably be a success.