This is a mess. We need to quickly get out some dry food and water to tide us over, and then carry the wild boar back in one go. Otherwise, the more we rest, the more discouraged we'll become, and in the end, we might really be unable to carry it anymore.
After resting for about fifteen minutes, Zhao Guihua called to Zhou Laoda and the five Fu brothers to get up, "Hurry up, carry them quickly, don't rest any longer, just hold on, we'll be home soon."
That makes sense. When laziness sets in, you really don't want to do anything. Boss Zhou was the first to stand up and then shouted that it was time to get to work.
It still took most of the day to get back. Zhou Sanfu and Zhou Wufu took over from Zhou Sifu and were exhausted.
As soon as they entered the yard, the group threw the wild boar to the ground with a "bang" and sat down on the ground as well. It was too difficult; the whole family had gone through so much trouble just to eat a wild boar.
"My vine is still on the mountain, Mother. We need to bring the vine back, otherwise we won't have any melons to eat." Xingxing had been thinking about her big melon the whole way, and now she could finally say it.
The little girl was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet. Zhao Guihua was also anxious. "Well, husband, you take Sifu and Erfu up the mountain again and find the melon vine."
Old Zhou was an adult and had great strength, so he recovered quickly. Zhou Erfu was naturally strong and carried him back without any discomfort except for being a little out of breath.
Zhou Sifu had recovered by now, so Zhao Guihua let the three of them go up the mountain. As for Zhou Dafu, Zhou Sanfu, and Zhou Wufu, they were all lying on the ground, not wanting to move at all.
Actually, Zhou Laoda and his two companions would rather stay home and slaughter the pig, but their wife (mother) had spoken, and they dared not disobey. They also didn't want to see Xingxing cry. The three of them glanced at the wild boar with reluctance, and then set off together.
"Alright, Dad, your second and fourth brothers have gone to help you find the melon vines, Xingxing, don't worry," Zhao Guihua coaxed softly.
Xingxing rubbed her red eyes and smiled through her tears, "Guagua is very important. You'll know how important Guagua is later."
“Yes, the big news is very important. We’re all waiting to hear it,” Zhao Guihua wiped away Xingxing’s tears. Seeing that she had stopped crying, she turned and went to the kitchen. “I’ll go boil some water. Dafu, you guys have rested, so hurry up and slaughter the pig before it rots.”
Zhou Dafu looked utterly dejected. "Mother, don't rush me. The weather is still cool. Even if we kill it tomorrow morning, it won't necessarily rot."
The main problem was that they were too tired and couldn't exert any strength. Besides, not everyone knows how to slaughter a pig. In their family, only their father, second brother, and fourth brother had the ability to do it. He, his third brother, and fifth brother had never slaughtered a pig before.
When Zhao Guihua heard him say that, she knew that she could not rely on her three "weak" sons. After thinking for a moment, she raised her voice and said, "Dafu, go and call the village chief. Tell him that we have caught a wild boar and ask him to come and lend a hand. But keep your voice down so that no one can hear you."
After a moment, he added, "The village chief probably can't manage alone; let him find a few more people."
This wild boar was huge, and the family had a lot of money to spare. Zhao Guihua didn't intend to sell the wild boar meat to make money. Instead, she simply called over a few people in the village with whom she had a good relationship and gave them some to take back.
Zhou Laoda has a good relationship with the village chief, and several people who are close to the village chief also have a good relationship with Zhou Laoda. To be precise, they belong to a small group and they usually help each other out when something happens.
Zhou Dafu ran quickly to the village chief's house. The gate to the village chief's house was open, so he went straight in. The village chief was sitting in the yard watching Dongsheng read.
Seeing Zhou Dafu run in, he asked, "Dafu's here, what's up?"
“Village chief, my home…” Zhou Dafu paused, then quickly walked up to the village chief and beckoned him to bend down.
The village chief chuckled, then leaned closer and whispered to Zhou Dafu, "Today our family went up the mountain to hunt wild boar. Mother wants you to take a few people over to help slaughter the boar, so it doesn't rot."
Upon hearing that there was wild boar meat to eat, the village chief licked his lips and called out to the kitchen, "Xiu, I'm going to the eldest son's house. You can eat dinner yourselves."
As soon as they left the house, the village chief called out to his neighbor Zhou Fagen, Zhang Shugen, and two other villagers. He told them to go to Old Zhou's house to kill a wild boar. The men understood that killing a wild boar meant they could get some wild boar meat. They were overjoyed and walked quickly to Old Zhou's house with big grins on their faces.
"Good heavens, this must weigh at least 400 pounds! Boss, you're really something. How did you manage to bring this big guy back?" Zhou Fagen exclaimed in amazement.
“The five of us brothers and Dad carried it back together.” Zhou Wufu raised an eyebrow with a hint of pride.
"Well done, you five lads are getting more and more capable."
At this moment, Zhao Guihua came out of the kitchen, glanced at the water, and said, "You're all here. The water will be boiled soon. Have all the tools ready, and the water will be ready to be taken out in a moment."
"Where is your father?" the village chief asked Zhou Dafu.
Zhou Dafu: "Today we went to dig bamboo shoots, but we encountered a wild boar. After we killed the wild boar, we left the bamboo shoots on the mountain in order to bring them back. My father took my second and fourth brothers back up the mountain to get them."
Xingxing was playing a game of tag with Ah Hui and Ah Hei in the yard. They were having a blast. The two dogs would bark every now and then, and Xingxing would giggle. Her silvery laughter was clear and melodious, and it quickly attracted the attention of the village chief and his group.
"This little girl has grown quite a bit taller in the past year, but she's still as round and chubby as when we first found her, very adorable," Zhou Fagen said casually with a grin.
Zhang Shugen said thoughtfully, "I feel like ever since this girl came to live with the eldest son's family, they've all gotten quite fat, and their lives seem to be getting better and better."
Tall Zhang Jiacai immediately chimed in, "So it wasn't just me who thought that way. First, Zhou Laoda raised two litters of rabbits, then he bought an oxcart, and then raised chickens and ducks. Suddenly it seemed like he had everything. When they were clearing land, his family also dug up the most silver, three hundred taels! We might not be able to save that much money in our entire lives."
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