After a sumptuous dinner, everyone held their stomachs and looked contentedly at the roasted chicken remains on the ground, with even the bones bitten into pieces.
Jiang Tang collected all the food scraps, dug a hole under a nearby tree, and buried them.
"The smell of these foods can easily attract other carnivores. When staying overnight in the mountains, once the food is eaten, it must be buried in time."
After Jiang Tang finished speaking, he started to reach into his treasure bag again, took out a small black cloth bag, and smiled mysteriously, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
He took out two black things from the black bag and threw them into the fire. Suddenly, a pungent smell filled the air. Everyone couldn't help but cover their noses. Jiang Yilu buried his face in his knees, somewhat curious about what the old man had just thrown into the fire.
"Uncle Tang, what did you lose? It stinks." Mo Dashuan asked first.
Jiang Tang looked at everyone's expressions, a hint of pride flashed across his face, and he used a branch to poke the fire, making the flames rise higher: "This is the feces of black bears and tigers. If we light it, those weak carnivores will not dare to approach. Even black bears and tigers will think twice before coming. This way, we can be safer at night."
Jiang Tang looked at the black cloth bag which was half empty after two pieces of feces were missing, and said with a melancholy expression: "I have been accumulating for so many years, and only found these. These are all treasures."
Those who didn't know the truth would think he was looking at his lover and would feel a chill in their hearts.
With Jiang Tang's words, everyone's spirits were lifted, and they felt that the dark environment around them was not so scary anymore.
Jiangtang was not done yet. Do you remember the earthen stove that was specially built with stones for cooking soup and barbecuing meat? Jiangtang extinguished the fire in the earthen stove and removed the stones one by one.
"Everyone take a stone and wrap it tightly with cloth. This will be the best thermos for everyone tonight." After Jiang Tang said this, he picked up a thin piece of clothing from the cloth bag, carefully wrapped the stone tightly, hugged it tightly in his arms, and let out a comfortable sigh.
"It's so warm. With this tonight, I don't have to worry about freezing." Mo Dashuan smiled and did as Jiang Tang said. He held the rough but hot warm stone and gave Jiang Tang a thumbs up.
Because they were hunting wild boars in the mountains, they could not bring too many things with them, and two or three people shared a quilt. It was warmer when more people were crowded together, but it was definitely not as comfortable as the kang at home. With this simple warm stone, everyone could get through the cold night better.
Everyone thanked Jiang Tang one after another. Jiang Tang squinted his eyes, enjoying everyone's praise, and was obviously in a good mood.
That night, the person who took turns to keep watch held a warm stone in his arms and warmed his feet with a warm stone. When the heat subsided a little, he put the stone back into the fire and replaced it with a heated stone. He was not frozen at all by the cold mountain wind.
The people who were sleeping were lying in a simple tent that was windproof. Several people shared a blanket and there were warm stones for warmth, so they were not cold at all. They spent their first night in the mountains comfortably.
Jiang Yilu slept between Jiang Dahai and Huo Wu. They were both in their prime, and their tempers were at their hottest. In addition, the two men placed their warm stone in Jiang Yilu's arms. The next morning, Jiang Yilu woke up from the heat in their arms.
I touched the stone on my stomach and it was still slightly warm.
This is the wisdom of life. An ordinary old man at the foot of the mountain, turned out to be like a fish in water in the deep mountains, surpassing all of them.
Jiang Yilu looked at the old man who had woken up a long time ago and was sitting not far away, and couldn't help but sigh.
For the next two days, the group seemed to be in heaven, with meat for every meal. Jiang Tang was a master in the mountains, and he could cook the same wild animals in different flavors. Everyone was feasting on their appetites. Jiang Yilu even ate a bowl of snake soup without knowing it, and still felt unsatisfied. When he knew what he was eating, he was covered in goose bumps.
Everyone was eating and drinking, and the backpacks behind them were already filled with pheasants and rabbits, but the main purpose of this trip - wild boar, was still nowhere to be seen.
"Uncle Tang, where do you think this wild boar has gone? We have been on the mountain for so many days, but we haven't found any trace of it." Mo Dashuan was a little anxious. The temperature on the mountain had been getting lower and lower these days, and no one knew when it would snow. Once it snowed, it would be dangerous on the mountain.
In the deep mountains, we cannot stay in the same place forever. Now everyone is carrying all their belongings, looking for the wild boars and looking for a place to stay tonight.
Jiang Yilu also had a small package on his back, his belly slightly protruding. He was savoring the taste of the pot of pheasant porridge he had had in the morning, and he followed everyone obediently.
During the three days on the mountain, his face became white and plump at a visible speed. Not only him, but the mental outlook of everyone present has changed. In the past, when they were in the village, they ate corn porridge and multi-grain steamed buns every day, and they were all pale and thin, with a pale face. Now, everyone is full of energy. If they were not worried about their wives and children in the mountains, they would wish to stay in the mountains for the rest of their lives.
It was really disappointing to think that after this hunt, they would not be able to catch game in the mountains at will.
Jiang Yilu is now very obedient and walks honestly among the crowd according to the instructions of the rules. Beside him are Jiang Dahai holding a machete, and Huo Wu with a dagger on his waist and a shotgun in his hand. He is very safe.
He was self-aware when it came to hunting. After all, wild boars were not as smart as humans. With his small body, he would be eaten by any wild boar. Everyone had taught him that when he encountered a wild beast, he only had to climb up the tree. Not holding everyone back was his greatest contribution.
"Don't move—"
As soon as Mo Dashuan finished speaking, Jiang Tang squatted down and raised his hand to signal the team behind him to stop.
"Uncle Tang, what's wrong?" Mo Dashuan lowered his voice and asked nervously.
"This is wild boar feces, and it's still wet, which means a wild boar just passed by here. And looking at the footprints, quite a few wild boars passed by here." Jiang Tang squatted down and said while using a branch to move a pile of feces in front of him.
Feces, feces again. Uncle Tang is competing with feces.
The faces of the people behind him were a little green. Obviously, those piles of pungent beast feces these days left a deep shadow on them.
"Ah-ah-ah--" a low roar was heard, the bushes rustled and shook, and faintly the sound of animals running could be heard, bang, bang, bang, there were quite a lot of them, even the big ones could feel the ground shaking.
"Xiaobao, climb up the tree quickly."
Huo Wu raised his gun, picked up Jiang Yilu with one hand, and carried him to the thickest tree nearby. Jiang Yilu did not stand there in a daze, but hugged the tree trunk tightly and climbed up. He carefully straddled his legs on the thickest branch, pressed his body tightly against the tree trunk, and looked at the scene below through the branches.
Two wild boars, the size of calves, squeezed out from the bushes, their bodies were pitch black, and their thick manes were covered with mud and dead leaves. After these two wild boars appeared, more than a dozen wild boars came out along the bushes that were flattened by them.
A dozen wild boars, with red eyes, looked at the uninvited guests in front of them and roared threateningly. Their pair of sharp fangs emitted bursts of cold light.
Wild boars are different from domestic pigs. They like to bathe in muddy water and rub their bodies against rough tree bark and rocks every day, grinding their skin into a hard protective layer. It is difficult for ordinary weapons to pierce their thick and hard skin. This is why Mo Dashuan went to the Public Security Bureau to apply for a gun.
The wild boars have very sharp tusks, and they rely on their tusks to dig up the soil and eat the food buried underground. Even crops such as peanuts and sweet potatoes that are well buried cannot escape the destruction of wild boars. This is why farmers hate wild boars so much.
"Bang--"
Before Jiang Tang could say anything, Mo Dashuan took the lead in firing, but his shooting was inaccurate and he shot the first wild boar in the hind leg. Not only did he fail to kill the wild boar, but it also aroused its ferocity. With a loud roar, he rushed towards the crowd. The two sides that were originally in a stalemate were instantly intertwined.
The men in the village worked in the fields all year round, and they had plenty of strength. The twenty men selected this time were the strongest in the village, and they chopped at the wild boars with machetes in their hands. However, the wild boars had thick skin, and the wounds they inflicted only made them more crazy.
"Don't chop their backs. Find a chance to chop their stomachs and heads." Jiang Tang took the time to remind them. He also had a hunting rifle in his hand, but now a group of people and wild boars were crowded together. He didn't have such a good shooting skill. In order to ensure that he didn't hit anyone, he could only use the machete in his hand.
Jiang Yilu hid in a tree, watching the wild boars getting more and more crazy, and worried about the people below. But he soon couldn't pay attention to others, because he himself was spotted by a little wild boar.
That wild boar was the smallest in the herd, but even the smallest one was still much bigger than Jiang Yilu. She noticed Jiang Yilu hiding in the tree, circled around the tree, and began to hit the tree repeatedly with her sideways body, trying to knock the person down from the tree.
Jiang Yilu nearly fell down, and he wrapped his limbs tightly around the tree trunk, not daring to let go.
This was not a solution. If the tree was really broken, he would be killed even if he was not bitten by the wild boar. Jiang Yilu calmed down, picked up the package on his back, and stuffed a few dumbbells from the fitness equipment section of the supermarket into it while no one was paying attention. He hugged the package tightly, stared at the tree, and watched the wild boar hit the tree trunk again, and threw the package down.
"Bang--" The wild boar's head was smashed to pieces by the weight of several dozen kilograms. Its body twitched a few times and stopped moving. The crisis at hand was finally resolved.
"Bang-bang-bang-" Before Jiang Yilu could breathe a sigh of relief, he was shocked by the continuous gunshots. He turned his head to look at the place where the adults were fighting with the wild boars.
Huo Wu half-crouched on the ground, holding a hunting rifle, and shot without hesitation in the direction where the crowd and the wild boars were stalemate, with a determined look in his eyes. As the gunshots went off, the wild boars fell to the ground one by one, without a single movement.
With slightly wrinkled brows and tightly closed lips, Jiang Yiliu was lying on the tree, and only his sharp jaw that was not covered by the brim of his hat could be seen. Looking at his decisive actions, he took a breath of cold air. He was simply a sharpshooter.
Jiang Tang's eyes lit up, and he snatched Mo Dashuan's hunting rifle and threw his own rifle in Huo Wu's direction. Huo Wu used up all his bullets, picked up the hunting rifle Jiang Tang threw to him, and continued to shoot at the wild boars.
Almost every time a gunshot was fired, a wild boar fell down. When the gunshots stopped, there was no wild boar breathing around.
Everyone looked at each other, looked at the useless machetes in their hands, and then looked at the wild boar carcasses lying on the ground. They had agreed to hunt wild boars. What on earth were they here for?
"Good job, boy. You are worthy of being a soldier. Your shooting skills are different from ours." Jiang Tang was the first to break the silence. He walked towards Huo Wu with a smile, patted him on the shoulder and said.
Everyone woke up as if from a dream, and looked at Huo Wu who stood up, their eyes were no longer fanatical. They had never thought that this man who had been working in the fields and was taciturn after going up the mountain would give them such a big surprise.
They harvested an entire herd of wild boars without any harm, which was like a dream.
Among these people, Jiang Dahai was the happiest. He used to feel a little distressed when his son got up early every day to exercise, but now seeing Huo Wu's ability, he wanted to put his son in his arms. If Xiaobao could learn some skills from Huo Wu, it would be easy for him to join the army in the future.
Jiang Dahai laughed, as if he had already seen the scene of his precious son, rising from a small soldier to a battalion commander, on his way to the peak of his life. The look in his eyes as he looked at Huo Wu was filled with blazing fire.
Hey, why did we ask them to move back to the barn a few days ago? Jiang Dahai was so upset that he thought to himself that he had to take good care of Xiaobao after going down the mountain. He had to let him stick to this good morning exercise.
The threat on the ground was no longer there, so Jiang Yilu hugged the trunk and climbed down from the tree.
The first thing he did was to take back the dumbbells in the package that was pressing on the wild boar's head, and then he picked up a few stones from his side and stuffed them into the package.
"This is--"
Everyone looked at Jiang Yilu dragging a wild boar that was bigger than him with difficulty and asked in surprise.
"I was hiding in a tree just now and was discovered by this wild boar. Fortunately, I secretly hid a few stones in my package before climbing up the tree, and I smashed the wild boar to death." Jiang Yilu said calmly.
Jiang Dahai broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't know that his son was almost attacked by a wild boar. He wanted to pick up his son and check his whole body carefully, but was surprised by his unusual weight. Is Xiaobao that heavy?
Jiang Yilu smiled and threw the package on his back to the ground. With a bang, a small hole was made in the soft ground, and the stones in the package were also exposed.
"The package is stained with blood, and the things inside are probably soaked in wild boar blood." Jiang Yilu looked regretful, but he was very calm in his heart. He had just deliberately stained the stone with wild boar's blood and then stuffed it into the package, so everything was seamless.
No one doubted it and they all admired his calmness and wit.
"Uncle Tang, I'm convinced. You're right. We adults are not as smart as a five-year-old like Xiaobao."
When they were five years old, they would have been so frightened that their legs would have gone limp. How could they have remembered to pack some stones before climbing the tree? Now, apart from Huo Wu, Xiao Bao was the only one in their group who had killed a wild boar with his own hands.
As an adult, I suddenly feel a little ashamed.
Jiang Dahai looked at the admiration of the crowd and was happier than Jiang Yilu himself, grinning with a proud look on his face. Such a smart son is his own, and others can't envy him.
Jiang Yiliu was a little embarrassed. He was just cheating. He was not as smart as everyone said. But at this time, he could only smile shyly, looking embarrassed by everyone's praise, and hid behind Jiang Dahai.
"Okay, stop teasing Xiaobao. We have to drag the wild boar back down the mountain quickly. The longer we take, the more beasts will be attracted by the smell of blood."
Jiang Tang straightened his expression, pointed at the wild boars lying on the ground and said, "Everyone just eat some dry food to fill their stomachs. We must get back to the foot of the mountain before dark."
"Uncle Tang is right. The wild boar has been killed. Now we have to go back quickly." Mo Dashuan responded.
Everyone knew the seriousness of the matter and started to take action.
When everyone moved the wild boar's body together, they discovered that Huo Wu's shooting was very accurate. Almost every bullet passed through the wild boar's eyes, and its head was blown into a pile of paste, but the skin of the wild boar's body was still intact.
Wild boar skin is warm, thick and wear-resistant, making it the best choice for making protective gear or warm items such as knee pads. There are nearly twenty wild boars here, so how many knee pads can be made from them?
The only failure might be the wounds they made on the wild boar at the beginning. Not only did they fail to hurt the wild boar, but they also destroyed the integrity of the wild boar's skin.
Everyone gathered the wild boars together with a wry smile and counted them.
"There were eighteen adult wild boars and six young wild boars, plus the ones killed by Xiaobao, a total of twenty-five, which is more than our rough estimate just now."
Looking at the pile of wild boars, everyone was grinning from ear to ear. With so much wild boar meat, everyone could get a share. But with so many wild boars, how to take them back was still a problem.
You know, an adult wild boar weighs about 120-150 kilograms, and each of the seven little wild boars weighs sixty to seventy kilograms. There are only twenty people in total plus a child. How can they carry the wild boars back?
Everyone turned their attention to Jiang Tang. He was still the most capable person in the mountains.
Jiang Tang looked around and saw the withered yellow vines in the bushes, and an idea came to him.
"Everyone, hurry up and weave a blanket, put the wild boars on the blanket, and drag them back. Each person can drag a large wild boar, and if it's a small wild boar, each person can drag two. Those who are stronger can drag more, because we have other wild animals as well."
Jiang Tang’s method was very good, and everyone started to take action.
Huo Wu is a good hunter, but he is completely clueless about the rope-weaving technique that only mountain people know.
If you don't improve your favorability at this time, when will you do so?
The others moved quickly, twisting the straw ropes and starting to weave, and soon the outline of the blanket appeared under their hands. Huo Wu watched Jiang Dahai's movements in silence, and his two big hands moved in panic. But his hands, which were the most flexible in the past, were not obedient at all at this time. Others wove smooth straw mats, but he wove a mess of tangled hemp.
Huo Wu looked at the pile of straw mats of unknown shape in his hand, his face full of black lines.
Just when he was about to shamelessly ask Jiang Dahai for advice or help him weave a mat, Jiang Yilu handed him a mat he had woven himself.
Because it is used to drag wild boars, the mesh of the mat does not need to be very dense, as long as it is strong and large enough to accommodate the wild boar.
As a woman who was used to doing housework in her previous life and had excellent hands-on skills, Jiang Yilu could not only make the shape of the Eiffel Tower with the catkins by herself, but her skill in weaving straw mats was also far better than that of these clumsy men.
The straw mats woven by Jiang Dahai and others were just barely pleasing to the eye. The straw mat that Jiang Yilu handed to Huo Wu had meshes of the same size, neatly arranged on the mat. It was strong and complete, and not easy to deform. When the same mats were put together, there was immediately a huge gap between them, like haute couture and Taobao.
"Master, this is my disciple's gift to you." Jiang Yilu handed over the mat respectfully. Huo Wu coughed lightly, threw the pile of mess in his hand aside, and a smile flashed across his face.
Jiang Dahai was weaving a half-finished mat with a hint of jealousy in his eyes. He felt so heartbroken that the mat his own son wove was not given to him but to another man.
Jiang Yiliu ignored Jiang Dahai's expression, and then cut a bunch of dead vines and twisted them into tough hemp ropes. There were many sharp stones on the mountain paths, and the straw mats would easily slip and break. Making a few more mats could be a precaution.
Everyone worked very quickly. It only took them half an hour, and each person had woven two or three mats. They stopped only when they could no longer find any dead vines nearby.
"Okay, everyone, quickly put the wild boar on the mat and drag it down the mountain." Jiang Tang pounded his aching back and directed everyone's actions.
Jiang Yilu was not idle either. While the adults were busy moving the wild boar, he took some lightweight pheasants and rabbits and put them on the mat, preparing to drag them down the mountain.
Dragging a wild boar is much easier than carrying it on one's back, but it's not much easier. When it was time for lunch, everyone just took out the steamed buns that had long been frozen hard and ate them while walking. No matter how tired they were, they didn't dare to stop.
It was getting dark, and the longer we stayed on the mountain, the more dangerous it would become.
"They are back. The people who went up the mountain are back."
It was already getting dark. Jiang Yilu and his companions had just arrived at the foot of the mountain when they saw several villagers who had just finished work and were walking home from the fields. Seeing that they were all intact and dragging dead wild boars behind them, they cheered and ran towards the village.
Mo Dashuan was just about to stop the people and help them transport the wild boar back when they disappeared.
He swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his throat. The group was already exhausted, so how could they have the strength to drag the wild boar back to the village? Mo Dashuan cursed those people who had just escaped in his heart, and planned to make things difficult for them in the next few days. They were so willful.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to worry for long, as the entire village received the news and ran from their homes to the foot of the mountain.
Those are all wild boars, all meat.
The Jiang family was running in the front. Jiang Yilu saw his grandfather who was limping but walking faster than everyone else, and his grandmother who was running closely behind him. He couldn't tell what he felt.
"Little treasure, grandma's little treasure." Old lady Miao hugged her grandson to her chest, calling him "my dearest sweetheart" and "my precious baby". Jiang Yilu was held so tightly in her arms that he could hardly breathe.
"Hmph, I'll teach you a lesson when I get back." Jiang Cheng snorted coldly, but his face showed an uncontrollable joy.
Jiang Yilu was like a gift, passed around by the family. Several sisters carefully examined him and finally came to a conclusion - not only did he not lose weight, but he gained weight. They all laughed happily, and finally put down the worries that had been hanging in their hearts for so many days.
"There are so many wild boars. This must be the destruction of an entire herd of wild boars."
"Captain, when will we distribute the wild boars?"
The people who came later either greeted their relatives who went up the mountain, or crowded around Mo Dashuan to ask about the wild boars. Soon, the wild boars and Mo Dashuan were surrounded by villagers.
"Don't push, don't push. Carry the wild boar back to the brigade headquarters, and we will divide the meat tonight." Mo Dashuan barely stood up, waved his hands and shouted loudly.
"Long live the Chairman——"
A cheer broke out in the crowd, and everyone had a smile on their face. Without Mo Dashuan's order, they spontaneously picked up the wild boar and rushed to the brigade headquarters in a hurry.
"It's time to eat meat, it's time to eat meat--" Although the children could not carry the wild boar, they knew how happy it was to share the meat, and they cheered around the adults who were carrying the wild boar.
The previously quiet little mountain village suddenly became lively. Everyone came out of their houses and rushed towards the brigade headquarters laughing and talking.
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