Chapter 44: Catching Wild Boars

Seeing Xiao Huai’an, the previously complaining villagers all fell silent.

The village chief pointed to the pit in front of them and said to Xiao Huai’an,
“Huai’an, you often come up the mountain and have a lot of experience. Come take a look, what’s the deal with this hole?”

Xiao Huai’an stepped forward, used the handle of his hoe to measure the depth of the pit, then walked about seventy or eighty meters along the direction where the pit extended. Stopping at a certain spot, he said, “Bring a few people over here and dig this area. Dig it deeper.”

“What’s the point of this? Is the pit not deep enough already?”

“Exactly! This work makes no sense.”

The women in the village murmured among themselves, but a few of the younger men quickly jumped in and began digging as Xiao Huai’an instructed.

After deepening the pit by five or six feet, Xiao Huai’an finally told them to stop. He then instructed them to cover the previously dug holes with stones, while he himself selected another spot to dig a fresh hole based on the terrain.

The crowd looked on, baffled, unsure of what Xiao Huai’an was up to.

Unperturbed by their questions, Xiao Huai’an gave specific instructions to the young men who had dug the pit.
“You guys stay here and keep watch. Whatever comes out, don’t panic, just handle it with whatever tools you have.”

“What could possibly come out, Brother Xiao?” Er Zhu asked.

Xiao Huai’an patted his shoulder.
“Something good.”

He then turned to the village chief.
“Uncle Village Chief, have everyone step back, farther away.”

Although the village chief was curious to see what might come out of the pit, he quickly called out to the villagers,
“Everyone step back, move further away!”

Xiao Huai’an gathered some dry firewood and a pile of leaves, tossing them into the new hole he had dug. Then, taking out his portable fire striker, he struck it open with a snap and, after blowing on it, threw it into the pit.

Flames sprang up instantly.

As the dry wood and leaves crackled and burned brighter, Ye Xin Ran thought he was preparing to burn something.

But then Xiao Huai’an threw in a bundle of leafy green branches, covering the flames. Thick smoke immediately began billowing out of the pit.

Working quickly, Xiao Huai’an sealed the hole with stones. Soon, the smoke began spreading through the pit.

The villagers, still confused, whispered among themselves.
“What is he doing?”

“Who knows? Let’s just watch!”

Everyone craned their necks to see. Suddenly, there was a faint tapping sound from underground.

At first, the noise was soft, but it gradually grew into a rumble.

People exchanged bewildered looks. Before they could react, an animal with stout legs and a short, mixed brown and white coat tumbled out of one of the openings.

Its flat nose and small eyes gave it a distinctive appearance, and it let out a guttural “grr grr grr” as it fell into the pit.

Er Zhu, remembering Xiao Huai’an’s instructions, didn’t hesitate. With one swift strike of his hoe, he dealt with the creature.

“A badger! A badger!”

Some of the villagers recognized it and shouted in excitement.

They hadn’t expected to find badgers while digging a canal.

Before they could get a closer look, a second, third, and then fourth badger followed, tumbling out one after another. In total, nine badgers were caught and swiftly handled by the young men.

“Brother Xiao, it really is good stuff!” Er Zhu shouted excitedly toward Xiao Huai’an, not watching his footing. Suddenly, he slipped and tumbled into the pit.

At that moment, a massive creature bolted out of the pit, charging straight toward Er Zhu.

“Er Zhu!”

Er Zhu’s mother let out a heart-wrenching scream.

Seeing Er Zhu unable to dodge in time, a large rock suddenly flew through the air, striking the beast squarely on the head.

With a loud “thud”, the animal crashed to the ground, landing right at Er Zhu’s feet. Er Zhu collapsed onto the ground, drenched in cold sweat.
“That scared me to death!”

Only then did everyone see that the creature was a wild boar.

The wild boar, with its thick hide and tough muscles, was momentarily stunned by the rock and flipped over. It quickly got back up, attempting to flee. Its sharp, menacing tusks aimed directly at Er Zhu’s head as it charged.

At that moment, the young men standing near Er Zhu snapped into action. Shi Tou was the quickest, leaping into the pit and grabbing the wild boar by its tail.

The wild boar squealed in pain, turning to face Shi Tou with its tusks. Before it could attack, Da Zhuang’s hoe struck its ear.

The wild boar, now enraged, lifted its head and let out a deafening roar.

Just as it prepared to charge blindly in any direction, a hoe suddenly shot out from the side, slashing at the boar’s neck.

To everyone’s surprise, the hoe managed to cut through the boar’s thick, tough skin, leaving a visible wound. With another forceful blow, the hoe dug deeper into the wound, causing hot blood to spray everywhere, splattering across Shi Tou’s face.

The boar, which had been struggling fiercely just moments ago, collapsed with a heavy thud right in front of the group.

Everything had happened so quickly!

The villagers’ attention was entirely on the wild boar, no one had noticed when Xiao Huai’an had arrived.

It wasn’t until after the dust settled that they realized Xiao Huai’an had covered the seventy or eighty meters between them in an instant.

“Climb up and stay away from the pit,” Xiao Huai’an instructed the young men.

After witnessing the recent events, the villagers unconsciously began treating Xiao Huai’an’s words as commands. As soon as he spoke, the young men immediately complied, moving to stand in front of him.

The smell of blood hung heavy in the air, and an eerie silence enveloped the scene. No one dared make a sound until Xiao Huai’an spoke.

After a short while, when it was clear that there was no more movement from the pit, Xiao Huai’an waved his hand.
“Everyone, bring up whatever is left in the pit.”

The crowd erupted into a buzz of excitement.

“A wild boar! This is the first time I’ve ever seen one this big!”

“Same here! I’ve always heard about wild boars, but I never thought I’d actually see one today.”

“Did any of you see how Xiao Huai’an got here just now?”

“No, but did you notice? He killed a wild boar with just a hoe!”

“With that kind of speed, who would dare say he’s not nimble anymore?”

The village chief, who had been terrified earlier, finally regained his composure. Wiping the sweat from his forehead discreetly, he calmly began giving instructions to the villagers.
“The show’s over! Don’t just stand around, start hauling up the rest of the animals from the pit.”

After finishing, the village chief turned to Xiao Huai’an.
“Huai’an, what do you think we should do about this…”

“Since we hunted it together, we should split it together,” Xiao Huai’an replied calmly.

“Alright, alright!” The village chief happily agreed. He hadn’t expected Xiao Huai’an, who had done the most work, to agree so readily to share the spoils with everyone.