Zhang Hongmei stood behind the wild boar, tightened the frame on her back, and kicked it once but the boar didn't move. She kicked it again but it still didn't move.
She overestimated herself. After thinking for a moment, she found a piece of wood as thick as an arm, stuck it under the wild boar, and pried it off. Finally, the wild boar, as Zhang Hongmei wished, rolled down.
It's quite comical to see them chasing after each other from a distance.
Even when a wild boar rolls downhill, it will veer off course. Once it stops, you have to pull it back onto the path. Eventually, the wild boar reaches the bottom of the mountain. Luckily, wild boars have thick skin and tough flesh, but it would still be covered in blood by the time it gets down.
Zhang Hongmei sat panting beside the wild boar, completely exhausted. Before she could catch her breath, a group of people from the village arrived.
Liu Erya was the first to notice Zhang Hongmei. She ran over, hugged her tightly, and cried, "Hongmei, why did you just come back? You scared me to death!"
Liu Maocai came over and was startled to see Zhang Hongmei sitting on the ground and the wild boar beside her. "Hongmei, what's going on with this wild boar?"
"Sister Er Ya, let me go! You've made things worse for me even though I'm fine."
Liu Erya let go of Zhang Hongmei's hand, feeling embarrassed.
Zhang Hongmei patted her hand reassuringly. "Third Uncle, I killed a wild boar on the mountain. It took me most of the day to bring it back. Tomorrow, the whole village will eat pork."
Come here, five or six men stared speechlessly at Zhang Hongmei. This girl must be drooling with envy.
Upon hearing this, Liu Erya yelled, "Hongmei, you can kill wild boars? Are you alright? Let me see."
"Sister Er Ya, I'm fine, I'm just too tired to move."
Liu Maocai stood to the side without saying a word, but looked at Zhang Hongmei angrily.
"Uncle, I was wrong. I didn't mean to provoke the wild boar. It was chasing me." Zhang Hongmei could tell that Liu Maocai was really angry, so she didn't dare to act rashly and obediently apologized.
Liu Maocai gritted his teeth. "Then what's the deal with the pheasants in your basket?"
"Well, I found a chicken coop, caught two chickens in a basket, and took one," Zhang Hongmei confessed.
"You're really brave to go into the mountains alone. Don't you know how dangerous it is there?" Liu Maocai roared.
"Uncle, I was wrong. I didn't mean to go into the mountains; I just wandered in." Zhang Hongmei didn't promise that she would never go into the mountains again.
Liu Maocai waved his hand. "It's good that you're back safely. Hongxi, go home and hitch up the cart. It's too much trouble to carry it like this. Just take it back. Tomorrow morning, we'll find Er Lengzi to skin it, and the whole village will have a meat feast at the brigade headquarters at noon."
The men stared at Zhang Hongmei in surprise. How did this girl kill the wild boar?
Someone left a question.
"The wild boar chased me, and I couldn't outrun it. In a panic, I took out the knife my dad left me, closed my eyes, and stabbed it. It fell down."
Everyone was speechless. That was truly an incredible feat. "So how did you get it back?"
"I was afraid there might be other fierce animals, so I grabbed the wild boar by its hind legs and ran. When I couldn't run anymore, I would rest. I pulled it back little by little like that. I couldn't bear to throw it away. We all work so hard in the fields, and finally we have meat. How could we throw it away? So I kept pulling. It was better on the way down the mountain. I just let it roll down."
Several men stared at her as if she were a monster. This wild boar must have weighed at least 400 pounds; how could a little girl have managed to drag it back? She must really want to eat meat.
"Village chief, after the pig is slaughtered, please save ten jin for this girl. It's too much trouble for her."
"Yes. Third Brother, leave her some more. Look how tempted she is, she'd rather die than part with her money."
Zhang Hongmei glared at the person who had just called her greedy, thinking to herself, "You're not greedy? Then don't eat it." But Liu Maocai was in a bad mood right now, so she really didn't dare to act rashly.
"Yes, leave some for her. We'll talk about it after we finish killing them tomorrow. Er Ya, help Hong Mei back first. Then tell your mother."
"Okay, Dad, we're off now." He said, taking the basket Zhang Hongmei was carrying and helping her home.
"Sister Er Ya, let's go to your house first."
"Okay, my mom is about to explode with worry, you're going to get a scolding."
"I'll go and give you a chicken to shut you up, so you'll be less scolded later."
"Sister Er Ya, how about we go to Grandma's house first?"
"Let's go to my place first."
The two saw Li Cuihua wandering around the door. "Third Aunt, I'm back. I'm not hurt, really, I'm just exhausted."
"You little brat, have you gotten so fat? You almost scared me to death coming home so late."
It seems they don't know about the wild boar yet. Let's leave it at that for now and talk about it tomorrow. Er Ya is currently conflicted. If she tells her mother about Hong Mei, she'll get scolded; if she doesn't, she might not get scolded. Maybe she should just keep quiet.
"Third Aunt, these are the three pheasants I caught. I'll give one to my Third Uncle to stew, and I also need to give one to my Great-Grandma. Take them back quickly." As she spoke, she untied one and handed it to Li Cuihua.
"You've won! Thank you so much for your kindness, Auntie. Go deliver it quickly and go home to rest."
"Alright, Auntie, I'm off now."
"Mom, Hongmei is tired, I'll go see her off."
"Okay, go ahead."
Arriving at Liu Changhe's house, I said, "Grandma, I'm here."
"Oh, it's Hongmei! Come in and sit down."
"Auntie, I'm not going. I'm too dirty. I caught a pheasant for Grandma to stew."
"They can even catch pheasants? That's impressive."
"Hongmei's here? Why don't you come in?" The old lady waited inside for a while, but when she didn't come in, she had to come out herself.
"Grandma, look, a pheasant. I'll stew it for you."
"I'm really craving it. It would be nice to have pheasant, but it would be even better if it were wild boar."
Zhang Hongmei didn't know if the old lady knew about the wild boar, so she didn't dare to answer.
"Second wife, I'll take Hongmei home first."
"Go on. Go to bed early."
When Zhang Hongmei got home, she first boiled water. The sheep hadn't been fed all day, so she added a basin of warm water and some bean stalks before going into her space to tidy herself up. She had been so busy all day that she hadn't eaten, and perhaps she was too hungry to eat anything now. She ate half a watermelon and felt full.
She had a good night's sleep, and upon waking, she didn't even bother to check the treasures she had collected. It wasn't that she was procrastinating, but rather that she simply wasn't in the mood to look at them. Even if it were a mountain of gold and silver, she couldn't possibly consume it all right now; it was far less valuable than the food in her own storage space.
I'm going to slaughter the pigs tomorrow and check on them myself. There are still four wild boars left. They won't spoil, but I can't eat them whole. It would be perfect if I could sell them.
But I'm timid and afraid that someone is watching me and will expose my secret. If that happens, I might lose my freedom, or even worse. So keeping a low profile is the best policy.
I thought I could finally enjoy a simple, peaceful life, like a farmer enjoying a sweet spring, but it turned into a terrifying survival movie. Life is truly tough. I never dreamed of living a life of luxury; I just wanted a comfortable, modest existence. Why is it so difficult? I really have no ambition.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com