Chapter 317 Working Together to Capture a Wild Boar
The 25th day of the twelfth lunar month.
The patrol team gathered at the big locust tree.
Grandma Zhao and the village head's husband looked puzzled and their expressions were not good.
"In the dead of winter, with snow falling, they're actually going up the mountain to catch wild boars? Are they crazy, or are the wild boars crazy?"
"If you ask me, it's because we're too idle. Men are energetic, and they always have to stir up some trouble."
Winter is the off-season for farming, so workshops and other businesses shut down, and the village exits are blocked, making it impossible to even visit relatives.
When a large group of men are extremely bored, they will naturally come up with some new ideas.
When the village headman suggested catching wild boars, almost all the men nodded in agreement, especially Hunter Zhao, who was the most excited.
Hunter Zhao was quite familiar with the game in the mountains, so he was chosen as the commander-in-chief.
Standing next to the village head, he said with great enthusiasm, "There are a lot of wild boars on our mountain. I see a whole family of wild boars wandering around every few days. But I'm no match for them on my own. When I encounter such a situation, I'll find a tree to climb up and hide. Wild boars will attack a single person, but if they encounter a group of people, they will turn around and run away. They know they can't win against too many people... So, we use this characteristic of wild boars to catch them."
Zhao the hunter's strategy was to have several hundred people go up the mountain at the same time, form a semi-circle, and drive the wild boars into the traps that had been dug in advance.
This trap, which takes two hours to dig, has sharpened bamboo sticks inserted upside down inside, and is covered with branches and dead leaves on top. Wild boars that fall in will surely die.
Everything seemed perfect.
However, for three or four days in a row, until the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, no one in the village saw even a single wild boar hair.
Wu Huiniang couldn't help but say, "Dashan, you should persuade the village headman not to catch this wild boar."
Zhao Dashan, holding his little daughter, said, "Anyway, we're just idling at home. Going up the mountain is quite fun. Yesterday, someone caught a rabbit, and someone else caught a pheasant. It's not bad to have a good feast."
Cheng Wanwan tugged at the corner of her lips.
Every time wild boars are hunted, all the men in the village go up the mountain, from the oldest to the youngest, all of them running up to join in the fun.
Wild boars aren't stupid; with such a commotion, why would they walk into the trap?
It would be a miracle if they could catch any wild boars with this kind of encirclement method.
But making a fuss like this every day isn't a good thing.
Cheng Wanwan herself also wanted to eat fresh meat.
She asked, "When are we going up the mountain again today?"
Zhao Sanniu excitedly replied, "We'll be gathering soon. Hunter Zhao said we'll use grain to lure the wild boars today, and they'll definitely fall for it."
Cheng Wanwan: "..."
Silly child, pigs are actually smarter than many animals, they're not that stupid.
"I'll go up the mountain with them and join in the fun," she said with a smile. "If I'm lucky, I might find a couple of rabbits."
Wu Huiniang hurriedly said, "If Mother wants to eat rabbit meat, aren't there some we keep in the backyard? We can catch one and slaughter it."
Zhao Ergou frowned and said, "Mother, it's too cold up in the mountain. Be careful not to catch a cold."
“If I feel cold, I’ll come down the mountain without you having to tell me.” Cheng Wanwan got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and put on her warmest rabbit fur cloak. “Uncle Village Head is making a fuss outside. Let’s go, let’s get together.”
A large crowd has already gathered outside.
It's easy to imagine how much free time everyone has.
Hearing that Cheng Wanwan was also going up the mountain, everyone's enthusiasm soared even higher. Even Lady Sui agreed with their plan to hunt wild boars, which meant they hadn't done anything wrong.
Several hundred people marched up the mountain with great strides and high spirits.
Cheng Wanwan observed that there were four or five huge pits halfway up the mountain. If she hadn't known beforehand, she might have stepped into one.
When she reached the halfway point, she refused to go any further, panting, "I'll just watch the fun from here, I really can't climb any further."
The mountain road was full of snowmelt and mud, and I don't know how these people managed to keep going up the mountain every day.
The mountainside wasn't actually that dangerous. The group of men gave a few instructions and then went up the mountain, their lively sounds gradually fading into the distance.
Cheng Wanwan looked back, but there was no one in front of or behind her.
It's very convenient for her to operate.
She opened the shop and selected the wild boar.
Wild boar is really expensive, more than twice as expensive as domestic pigs, and the key point is that wild boar meat doesn't taste as good as domestic pig meat.
After much deliberation, she finally chose the wild boar.
With a village of 1,400 to 1,500 people, two wild boars should be barely enough to feed them, so she clicked to buy a live wild boar.
Suddenly, two black wild boars appeared at her feet, but fortunately they were tied up with ropes, so they wouldn't suddenly attack her.
She took out a knife, quickly cut the rope, and kicked it twice. The two wild boars tumbled into the trap, letting out a short scream before falling silent.
She was about to feign a gasp to draw people over.
Then they heard screams coming from the mountain.
"I saw a wild boar!"
"Three wild boars, one big and two small!"
"Block the southeast direction, don't let them escape!"
"Block it completely! Don't give them a single way out!"
"We can't let the two little ones go either; once they grow up, they'll wreak havoc on our village's crops!"
"..."
The sounds from the mountain grew closer.
It was obvious that the wild boar had been driven off.
Cheng Wanwan was so frightened that she hurried down the mountain; she didn't want to become a live target for the wild boar.
Although the road was difficult to walk on, she still quickly reached the foot of the mountain.
The men on the mountain were incredibly excited, holding tools and forming a semi-circle to surround the wild boar.
The large wild boar, with its two cubs, fled quickly down the mountain.
We had just reached the halfway point of the mountain.
One of the traps had collapsed, and a man rushed to check it, only to exclaim in alarm, "My God, there are two wild boars in the trap!"
Those two wild boars are so stupid, they actually jumped into the trap themselves.
He was crouching down to inspect the trap, completely oblivious to what was happening behind him, when a small wild boar suddenly charged at him.
Zhao Sanniu reacted the fastest, raising his hoe and smashing it down hard.
With a thud, the little wild boar collapsed and died.
"Aww—"
The wild boar immediately went mad.
It lowered its head, gathered its strength, let out a howl, and charged at Zhao Sanniu.
Zhao Sanniu was standing right next to the trap. If he were to be bumped like that, he would fall into the trap and have his body pierced by the bamboo tip.
This happens in an instant.
A wild boar roared in.
It was too late for Zhao Sanniu to react.
Just when he thought he was about to fall into a trap, someone grabbed him by the back of his collar.
It's He Xiao!
Cheng Wanwan went up the mountain, and he followed along to see what was going on.
He hadn't originally planned to make a move, but seeing Zhao Sanniu standing there like a fool, he had no choice but to tiptoe and leap over.
He pulled Zhao Sanniu away, thinking that the wild boar would rush into the trap.
Unexpectedly, the wild boar managed to stop in time.
Its front hooves were almost down, but it managed to pull them back, then turned around and stared fiercely at Zhao Sanniu.
The remaining wild boar pawed at the ground and growled.
Hunter Zhao whispered, "Don't be afraid, everyone, attack together!"
A few hundred people, how could they be afraid of two wild boars?
Indeed, many hands make light work. Wielding their hoes and shovels, the two wild boars died without much struggle, leaving the ground stained with blood.
There were five wild boars in total, three large and two small, weighing over 700 jin (350 kg) in total. However, after draining the blood and removing the bones, there wasn't much pure meat left.
The men carried the wild boars and happily descended the mountain.
Seven or eight skilled men were in charge of slaughtering the pig, while some meticulous women were in charge of cutting the meat. Pure meat, ribs, large bones, offal, pig's blood... all of these were separated and placed separately.
The village headman shouted, "Each household should send one person to collect the meat. Each person will receive three ounces of meat. One ounce of meat can be exchanged for one pound of bones or half a pound of offal and pig's blood..."
The villagers lined up with bowls, stretching from one end of the village to the other. The crowd chattered and laughed, talking about everyday matters, creating a lively atmosphere.
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