Sister-in-law Cheng knew that Song Yan was too weak to do anything and wanted these people to help her. So, Sister-in-law Cheng inquired every day about where Cheng Yousuo was. She and her husband had a very good relationship. She then told her husband what had happened.

Cheng was furious. That widow Wang couldn't stand not causing trouble all day! Luckily, he had a good relationship with his wife. If he believed her and they made a scene, he wouldn't be able to see Wei Aiguo again.

This saved Song Yan a lot of trouble; she no longer needed to keep track of Cheng Yousuo's whereabouts every day. Now, Sister-in-law Cheng would tell her on her own initiative. Moreover, Sister-in-law Chen knew that she wanted corn husks, so she encouraged Cheng Yousuo to wander around the cornfield more often.

Song Yan didn't intend to hide his corn husks from anyone, and the three daughters-in-law of the Cheng family also started husking corn. Everyone had already asked what he needed them for. They didn't keep it from any of them. Those who felt they had a decent relationship with Song Yan also husked corn whenever they had free time.

Widow Wang was furious. Not only did Cheng Yousuo's wife not believe her, but she also followed Song Yan around, eating corn chips. How could she accept this? So she would occasionally blurt out that Song Yan was following Captain Cheng.

Actually, the matter was quite obvious; many people saw it, but no one considered other possibilities. Some said that Widow Wang was making things up, and that she was definitely trying to get revenge on Song Zhiqing because of the cooking incident. Others said that with people everywhere in broad daylight, Widow Wang's lie was far from convincing. Still others were spreading rumors that Song Zhiqing's husband wasn't home and she wanted someone to rely on… Some even went so far as to directly ask Cheng Yousuo's wife. Cheng Yousuo's wife was a feisty woman; she didn't name names, but she gave the rumor-mongers a thorough dressing-down. Finally, she explained that Song Zhiqing simply had too much stuff to carry back and was hoping they could help her. Besides, she herself always told where her husband went each day. Otherwise, how would Song Zhiqing know which plot of land Cheng Yousuo was at?

For days, Song Yan only needed to see where Cheng Yousuo and the others were on their land to be sure of their whereabouts. This morning, as soon as she woke up, she felt uneasy. This feeling became even stronger when she arrived at the field.

Sometimes the militiamen would also join in the work for a while. Unable to suppress her anxiety, Song Yan followed the militia squad.

"Sister, is something wrong?" Cheng Youfu saw Song Yan following behind.

Song Yan: "You guys carry at least two guns every day, how come you only have one gun left today?"

Cheng Youfu: "These past few days, wild boars have been coming down the mountain and robbing our crops. The day before yesterday, they borrowed guns from our brigade to hunt them down. Today, my brother gave the guns to another patrol team."

Song Yan felt his palms sweating. What a coincidence! As Song Yan was pondering this, several gunshots rang out from the west. Their location was separated from the Hexi Brigade only by a grove of trees. The trees were tall and dense, making it impossible to see anything from the other side.

"There are wild boar footprints here," Hu Youguang shouted, and several people gathered around to look.

“Wild boars come down from the mountains every year and wreak havoc on our crops. We don’t even have enough to eat!” Cheng Yousuo picked at a corncob that had been gnawed halfway by a wild boar.

The militiamen were completely focused on the corn being ravaged. Song Yan, however, was constantly observing her surroundings. She wanted to call them away, but had no reason to. The group continued their patrol. Seeing what appeared to be someone in the field from afar, they quickly ran towards that direction.

"Look, a wild boar!" Song Yan screamed.

Two wild boars burst out of the woods of the Hexi Brigade and charged towards them.

"Good luck, quickly take Song Zhiqing away!" Cheng Yousuo ordered his younger brother while raising his gun and aiming it at the wild boar.

To be elected as the militia captain, one must possess certain abilities. Cheng Yousuo shot down a wild boar with his very first shot.

Cheng Youfu had always followed his brother's orders; he grabbed Song Yan's arm and dragged her away. Only when the gunshot rang out did they turn back.

“I can run by myself. You don’t need to worry about me.” Song Yan had already decided that if Cheng Youfu tried to pull her away without saying anything, she would knock him down.

Cheng Youfu was also anxious. It was already a fierce creature, and now it had two heads. He was worried about his older brother's safety. Now that one of them had fallen, he was overjoyed. "Sister, run quickly, don't look back. I'm going to help my brother."

"I know."

Cheng Youfu turned and ran back. But how could Song Yan leave? Perhaps Cheng Yousuo's chance of survival lay within him.

The two wild boars, surrounded by hunters with guns in Hexi Brigade, were already extremely agitated. Cheng Yousuo shot down another boar with one shot. The remaining boar's frenzy was fully unleashed. It charged forward, and Cheng Yousuo missed with two more shots.

Animals also have the instinct to avoid danger. Cheng Yousuo had a gun, and the wild boar charged directly at Chen Xiaodong beside him. Cheng Yousuo fired another shot. The wild boar turned and charged at Cheng Yousuo, knocking him several meters away. The ferocity of wild boars is unimaginable unless you witness it firsthand. The wild boar bared its tusks; like leopards and wolves, wild boars attack their prey's throat first.

"elder brother!"

"team leader!"

Quiet, quiet. The scene fell completely silent! Only the whistling wind could be heard.

People in the fields some distance away had already spotted wild boars. They were too far to see clearly. Someone had already run to find other patrol teams for help. Cheng Yousuo's wife ran towards them frantically; her husband was there.

Cheng Yousuo was sprayed with hot pig's blood all over his face. The whole pig was on top of him. He tried to push it away but couldn't. He wiped his face to make sure he was alright and still alive.

Hu Youguang, Cheng Youfu, and Chen Xiaodong all looked in the direction from which the cleaver had flown. It was Song Zhiqing; only Song Zhiqing could be seen from that direction.

Cheng Youfu was the first to react. He ran to his older brother, "Brother, brother!" His brother's face was covered in blood. He tried to pull his brother but couldn't budge him. He then tried to pry open the wild boar, but still couldn't move it.

The others rushed to help. The wild boar was indeed dead, motionless. However, its entire body was pressing down on Cheng Yousuo. They lifted the boar off the ground and helped Cheng Yousuo up. Cheng Youfu checked where his elder brother was injured.

Having finally escaped from under the wild boar, Cheng Yousuo was able to catch his breath. He hastily wiped the pig's blood from his face. "I think I've injured my leg." Indeed, his leg had been cut quite badly by corn stubble. Song Yan went over, took a piece of cloth from the basket, tore it open, and gave him a simple bandage to stop the bleeding.

The ordeal has made everyone want to settle down and catch their breath...