Chapter 694: Pigherd
"Oh la la la!"
The pigherd who was driving the pigs was carrying a bag on his back and holding a thin bamboo pole in his hand. A thin yellow whip was tied to the pole. He whipped the pigs in front of him, urging them to move faster.
The pigs walked very slowly. Even when they were urged, their hooves were weak, their legs were trembling, and they grunted miserably, as if they had already met their own end.
The pigherd frowned, picked up a slow-moving green pig and whipped it hard. The whip didn't seem to be used with much force, but the green pig let out a violent scream and crawled to run faster.
"He only remembers to eat and not to be beaten."
His eyes were like those of a hawk, scanning left and right. If he saw any pigs that stopped or tried to leave the herd, he would stretch out his whip and whip them hard.
He stood behind the herd of pigs, and the whip could be extended very long, keeping the dozen or so pigs under control.
As night fell, the swineherd finally arrived at an inn not far from the official road.
When the swineherd arrived at the inn with his pigs, the waiter immediately approached him and asked, "Where are you going with your pigs?"
The swineherd laughed and said, "I'm the pig farmer from Liujiazhuang. The old man from the county bought sixteen pigs from me for his birthday, and I was just about to send them over."
The waiter looked at the pigs, calculated, and said, "You can only keep these pigs in the backyard, but you have to pay extra, and we will have to go to great lengths to clean them up tomorrow."
The swineherd bowed and said amiably, "As I should, as I should."
The waiter asked for a pass and after checking it, he took him to see the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper nodded, and the waiter led the pigherd into the yard through the back door.
Looking at the fat and strong pigs, the waiter sighed, "You are an expert in raising pigs. People these days can't even get enough to eat, yet you can still raise pigs so fat."
The swineherd chuckled and said, "This is a family tradition. Otherwise, how could I make a living? I am just a pig farmer, but the one who eats the pigs is the real boss."
The waiter enviously said, "Whose old man is this? I wonder if I can go and ask for a bite of meat?"
The swineherd said, "Don't even think about it. The old man in the county magistrate's house is too old for us to marry."
The waiter had no choice but to give up the idea and asked curiously, "Why do you have pigs with yellow hair, green hair, gray hair, and black hair?"
The swineherd said, "There are different breeds of pigs. The meat of yellow-haired pigs is tender, the meat of green-haired pigs is fat and greasy, the meat of gray-haired pigs is firm, and the meat of black-haired pigs is fragrant. My family's pig-raising method, by crossbreeding pig breeds, can produce different pigs."
The waiter was envious and greedy. He reached out and patted a green-haired pig on the head and said, "Then we must eat green-haired pig. The fat is more delicious."
The green-haired pig grunted twice and tears came to its eyes.
The waiter was startled and asked, "Why is a pig crying?"
The swineherd said, "After raising them for a long time, they will inevitably become more human. When they know they are going to die, they will naturally cry."
The waiter rubbed his hands and said, "Alas, it's pitiful."
The swineherd drove the pigs into the backyard, saying, "Who doesn't feel pity? You or I?"
The waiter nodded and said, "People are supposed to be treated like slaves, so it's better to die early and be reborn soon."
After settling the pigs, the swineherd cracked his whip and said, "Be quiet tonight."
The waiter laughed and said, "Can a pig understand?"
The swineherd's face wrinkled up, and he grinned with a strange smile and said, "Perhaps you can understand it?"
The waiter thought he was joking and took him into the inn.
The swineherd was very generous and served a lot of wine and food, which made the shopkeeper very happy.
Before going to bed, the swineherd took another look at the pigs and counted them before falling asleep. Soon, the old shopkeeper could not bear it anymore and went to rest first. Only the waiter was still guarding the inn.
In the middle of the night, he heard scratching noises at the door. It was the sound of nails scraping against the door, which scared the waiter so much that his heart started pounding.
The waiter opened the door and saw a green pig standing in front of the door, looking at him with tearful eyes. The other pigs were already sleeping peacefully, only this green pig was still standing in front of him.
The waiter said "Hey", "Even pigs can scratch the door?" and was about to close the door, but as soon as the door was closed, the green pig started scratching the door again.
The waiter opened the door and stretched out his hand to drive him away, saying, "Go away, stay here, everything will be fine tomorrow."
The green pig retreated two steps under his spur, but as soon as he closed the door, it started scratching at it again. The waiter was furious and opened the door, saying, "What are you doing? Don't scratch the door! I'll kill you first and eat your meat tomorrow."
The green pig just shed tears silently, and a spot on the ground was wet.
The waiter was genuinely surprised and asked, "You can't really understand what people are saying, can you?"
The green pig lowered its head, knelt down on its front hooves, and bowed to him.
The waiter felt his scalp tingle and said, "Do you really understand? Don't be like this. I can't help you. A pig is missing. If they investigate tomorrow, I might even be killed."
The green pig had no choice but to stand up, lowering his head and shedding tears.
It is even more frightening if it has a spirit, and the fact that it has to be killed and eaten makes people feel uncomfortable from the bottom of their hearts.
"Poor thing." The waiter clasped his hands together and bowed, saying, "May you die soon and be reborn soon."
The green pig nudged his legs and opened its mouth wide at him.
The waiter took two steps back in fright. The green pig did not chase him, but just pretended to drink water with its empty mouth.
The waiter asked, "Are you hungry or thirsty?"
The green pig was still doing the same thing. The waiter felt sorry for it and said, "I told you to eat something and die a full ghost."
He ran to the cupboard and took out a dry steamed bun, then poured a bowl of water and handed it to the green-skinned pig.
"I'm giving you the steamed buns I saved." The waiter placed the steamed buns in front of the green-skinned pig and put the bowl on the ground.
The green pig ignored the dry bun and went to drink water first. After drinking the bowl of water, the pig's stomach gurgled and it suddenly fell to the ground, its whole body twitching.
The waiter was terrified and said, "What's wrong with you? Don't die. How will I explain it to you if you die?"
But the green-skinned pig wasn't dead; it just twisted and began to deform. Its plump, succulent body shrank rapidly, and the flesh beneath it shrank even faster. Its swaying green skin folded over, suddenly transforming into a green garment.
The pig's trotters continued to shrink and turned into a pair of white hands, and the pig's head also turned into the appearance of a young boy.
The waiter was so frightened that his face turned pale. The child who had turned into a pig whispered, "I am not a pig. I am a human. I was kidnapped by that pig herder and turned into a pig through evil magic. Don't tell anyone, take me to the police quickly."
The waiter's face immediately changed. He was half believing and half doubting, and he pulled the child past the inn to report to the police.
But as soon as he turned around, he bumped into a tall middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man, dressed in swineherd's clothes, said, "Leave? Where to?"
The boy's face suddenly turned pale, he shook off his hand and turned to run away.
The waiter wanted to argue with him, but the middle-aged man just blew on him and he fell to the ground dizzy.
The middle-aged man took out the whip from behind his back and whipped it out violently. The whip suddenly extended and whipped the child to the ground.
The middle-aged man walked slowly to the child and asked curiously, "Everyone else has been infected, why are you still awake?"
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