"Listen to me, everyone," the village head said, and all eyes turned to him.

"Tonight, wild boars on the mountain suddenly attacked Tiejian Village. According to what we know now, several men in the village were injured. They have been taken to the county clinic overnight by oxcart. The injured men are Li Mazi, Chen Youfa, Chen Jiagui, and Chen Wangcai."

Chen Youfa was Chen Yourun's third younger brother.

Chen Wangcai was the eldest son of the village head.

The three people behind were all injured while putting in a lot of effort to drive away the wild boars and were at the forefront.

As for Sun the Rascal and Li the Pockmarked, they were unlucky. They were the first to spot the wild boar, and in their panic, they were knocked down and trampled by it. Fortunately, they at least survived.

The claim that people died earlier was clearly a rumor.

However, the bloodstains on the ground still looked shocking.

As for the others, some were also out to drive away wild boars. Those with minor injuries didn't need to go to the county town. There was also a small group of people who led the refusal to go up the mountain to hunt wild boars during the meeting today, such as Li Mazi and Chen Dafu and his brothers.

In Tiejian Village, the surname Chen is a common one. If you go back a few generations, you'll probably find that they're all relatives. Most of the other surnames are people who have settled here in the last ten or twenty years or recently, as people fled famine.

"As for their medical expenses, I shouldn't say anything because my son is among them. But there are other people involved who were injured while protecting everyone's food and homes. Regarding the medical expenses, I suggest that each household chip in. Does anyone have any objections?"

These days, even surviving is difficult enough, let alone seeing a doctor. If the injury hadn't been so severe, the patient wouldn't have been rushed to the county town.

If each household has to bear the cost themselves, that household will probably go bankrupt, and who would dare to contribute to the village's affairs in the future?

If every household only cares about itself, then this village is doomed.

Fortunately, no one spoke at first. After the first person stood up and said, "I agree!" many others followed suit.

Widow Ye and Sun the Scoundrel exchanged a glance, clearly unwilling.

Chen Dafu and his brothers exchanged glances but remained silent.

The matter has been settled for now. "A lot of the vegetables in the village have been ruined. Each household should tally up the losses in their fields and come to register them tomorrow. I will go and talk to the county magistrate."

Not only grain is taxed, but all crops must be harvested. Vegetables suffer heavy losses, and every household is already struggling. If taxes are added on top of that, they might not be able to survive.

As the crowd dispersed to leave, someone suddenly shouted, "What if wild boars come down again?"

Many people have already seen that as many as fifteen wild boars came down, which confirms what Yin Lan said earlier. There are at least twenty wild boars on the mountain, and this is just one herd; there may be more.

The village head's expression also turned serious.

His voice was stern and serious. "As you can see, there are definitely more wild boars on the mountain now. They've ravaged our vegetable garden."

“If there are even more wild boars next time, if they come in the spring, or after the summer harvest, we can barely survive without vegetables, but without grain, it will drive the whole village to its death.”

"Besides, as everyone has seen, wild boars can hurt people. This time it didn't go into the house, but if it had, which of the wives and children inside could withstand a wild boar's charge and bite? In that case, we would face the destruction of our family!"

The crowd below also became enraged, shouting, "Kill the wild boar!"

"These beasts must be dealt with!"

"Protect our food!"

"Protect our wives, children, and homes!"

The village head waved his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.

"Everyone, go back and think it over. Those who want to join the pig slaughtering team, come to me tomorrow to register!"

A buzz of discussion filled the room.

It took a long time for the crowd to disperse from the small square.

Yin Lan also returned home. By then, it was already getting light.

I was planning to go into town today to sell wild fruit jelly and calligraphy brush stones, but now I definitely can't go.

The child didn't sleep all night.

When they got back and saw Yin Lan, the two children's eyes widened, and there was some fear in their pupils.

Yin Lan explained the matter simply.

The eldest child immediately raised his hand, "Mom, I want to join the pig slaughtering team!"

Yin Lan pushed his little head away, "You're still so young, you're like a pig slaughtering. Let's talk about it when you're twice as tall."

The eldest child pursed his lips.

Erwa: "Mom, is wild boar meat delicious?"

Yin Lan: ......

The third child babbled beside him, "Pig, pig, pig, kill, kill, kill..."

"Huh, Sanwa can talk now?"

When Sanwa heard his mother praise him, his little mouth pouted, his whole face wrinkled with laughter, and his legs kept kicking.

When he grows up, he'll probably be a troublesome guy too.

The next day at noon, the sound of gongs rang out again in the village. After the villagers gathered, the village head also reported on the victims who had been actively registering their cases since early that morning.

The village headman took the paper and reported to everyone one by one that the entire Tiejian Village had a total of 278 mu of land.

The remaining 208 mu of land, including 189 mu, is used to grow winter vegetables such as Chinese cabbage.

The area affected by wild boars reached as much as 123 acres.

In other words, the land of the vast majority of people has been ruined.

The crowd was making a lot of noise.

"Wild boars are so hateful!"

The village head continued to explain the registration situation for the pig slaughtering team: "A total of 34 men signed up, but not everyone can be selected."

What?

There are so many wild boars that it takes five or six adult men to subdue one. Even 34 people are far from enough. Besides, the people who signed up were all risking their lives. Why do we still need to select them?

"Families with only one male member are not eligible. Families that cannot climb trees are not eligible. Families with hoes, shovels, or spears are given priority."

This made the villagers even more confused.

Chen Dafu chuckled inwardly, "They let these people do this thankless task. Do they think wild boars are so easy to deal with? They won't even know how they died."

Widow Ye was also gloating. Her own husband was gone, but most of the other men who had left the village were still alive. Why was she the only one left?

So, she also wanted others to experience the hardship of having no man in the house.

Sun the Rascal would definitely not participate. Anyway, once those people went to kill the wild boar, his own home would be safe, so he wouldn't be stupid enough to sign up to go into the mountains.

Among those who signed up, several were canceled, leaving them somewhat disappointed and discouraged. However, they also knew that the village head was doing this for their own good; if something happened to them, their families would be left without any breadwinners.

The remaining selected individuals wore serious, fearless expressions.

The other villagers felt a mix of shame, admiration, and a sense of relief, much like Chen Dafu and the others.

"Chen Lao's wife, come here." The village head suddenly beckoned to Yin Lan.