Chapter 35: Hunting the Wild Boar

The situation with the Xiang family eventually became a topic of casual conversation in Daliushu Village, and Mrs. Xiong felt a sense of relief, as if she had survived a close call.

With the help of two women, Mrs. Xiong managed to recall the memory of making clothes. By the end of the afternoon, she had finished making a small garment. This garment was for Pear Blossom. First, because she was the family’s great contributor, and second, because she had now grown into a young woman who would soon be out and about all the time.

In the past, it was hard to make her presentable, but now that there were conditions, it was only natural to prioritize her. Pear Blossom didn’t hesitate to accept it.

After all, the fabric had already been bought, and whether her younger siblings wore their new clothes sooner or later was just a matter of timing. Moreover, her mother hadn’t sewn clothes in many years.

When she first picked up the needle, her stitches were frankly not up to par, and the first piece of clothing ended up being quite ugly. As the eldest sister, if she didn’t wear it, who would? Mrs. Xiong, of course, was unaware of Pear Blossom’s thoughts. Had she known, she would certainly have scolded her.

For dinner, they had the mountain chickens caught two days ago. These chickens were raised in the mountains, wild and difficult to tame, and not easy to raise, but in the end, they were destined to serve as food.

The workers helping out enjoyed the sweet chicken soup, their faces full of contentment. At home, they ate pickled vegetables and flatbreads, but here they could have a proper meal to fill their stomachs.

Who would have expected this? The Qin and Zhang families couldn’t help but secretly feel that coming to help was the right decision. Zhang Laowu, holding his son, patted his belly and staggered home, while the three generations of the Qin family carried their baskets and walked towards their home.

The day’s work ended just like that. By the afternoon, the two brothers from the Xiong family had set up a shelter by the foundation. The two strong men complained that the spring water at the foot of the mountain was too shallow, and after a whole day’s labor, they were drenched in sweat.

So, they grabbed towels and headed toward the riverbank, planning to take a good bath and wash away the day’s fatigue. Pear Blossom, on the other hand, asked Dagen how to make traps. Over the years, Dagen had served in the army. In addition to farm drills, he also spent a significant amount of time carrying out missions, setting traps to ambush enemies or hunting for supplies.

They, the foot soldiers, usually handled the physical work like digging traps. When Pear Blossom asked Dagen how to make traps, she had asked the right person. Dagen no longer underestimated his daughter and was more than willing to teach her, carefully explaining the precautions. He even dug a small pit nearby to demonstrate.

Pear Blossom wasn’t very clever, but her father had taught her step by step, so there was nothing left for her to not understand. She nodded repeatedly, indicating that she understood.

Dagen said, “Daughter, there are many wild animals deep in the mountains. It’s fine to catch some mountain chickens or rabbits outside, but if you go further in, you’ll need to wait for me to go with you.”Pear Blossom agreed verbally, but in her mind, she was deciding whether to go to the Wuyin Mountain or the deeper mountains behind.

The deeper mountains were far, and if she caught a wild boar, she’d have to carry it a long way back. The Wuyin Mountain was closer, but there were wolves there, and if she wasn’t careful…Thinking about how hot it was now, she realized that if she caught a boar in the deep mountains, it would take most of the day to bring it back, and by the time she processed it, the meat would likely spoil.

In the end, Pear Blossom decided on the Wuyin Mountain, where she had become somewhat familiar with the route after rescuing Qin Xiaobao….The next day, when the Xiong family woke up, it was still dim outside, but the place where their eldest daughter should have been lying was empty.

Pear Blossom never woke up in the middle of the night and always slept until dawn. With no sign of her before the rooster crowed, where could she have gone? Mrs. Xiong broke into a cold sweat and quickly woke up her husband. Dagen, upon hearing that his daughter was missing, felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, instantly waking up.

He remembered the conversation with his daughter from last night and quickly got up, heading to the tool storage. Sure enough, a hatchet and a shovel were missing. Seeing Dagen’s serious expression, Mrs. Xiong anxiously asked, “Did she go hunting by herself?”

Dagen nodded, “Looks like she went to dig traps.”

Mrs. Xiong said in a hurry, “Then what are you waiting for? Go find her! This child, why is she so careless, sneaking off without saying a word to anyone.”

Dagen replied, “The area around here is all mountains. I don’t know which one she went to. Where should I start looking?” “Don’t you know which mountain she went to, then don’t look? You blockhead…” Mrs. Xiong stomped her foot and quickly went to call the two brothers.

When Xiong Laoda and Xiong Laoer heard that Pear Blossom was missing, they quickly got up.After some discussion, they decided to split up into several groups to search for her.

Meanwhile, Pear Blossom stood in the Wuyin Mountain, with the morning sunlight filtering through the thin mist, casting on her flushed face. In the ravine behind her, she had already dug a pile of yellow earth as high as her waist.

She exhaled into her hands, tightened her grip on the shovel, and continued digging. Following her father’s instructions from last night, Pear Blossom chose a spot rich in grass and vegetation with a faint animal trail to begin digging.

She dug carefully, mimicking the steps her father had shown her.As time passed quietly, the sun rose higher, and the mist gradually cleared, revealing the true face of Wuyin Mountain—deep and mysterious, filled with unknown dangers.

Pear Blossom’s back was drenched in sweat, but she didn’t plan to rest. She wanted to finish the trap in one go. While digging, she suddenly felt a chill. Looking up, she saw that the once-bright sky was covered by dark clouds, and a strong mountain wind began to howl. Pear Blossom’s heart tightened—this was a sign that a mountain storm was coming. Without hesitation, she sped up her digging.

Just when she was about to exhaust the last of her strength, she finally reached the desired depth. Without resting, she quickly set the trap according to her father’s teachings, placing sharpened wooden stakes at the bottom of the pit, then laying branches on top and covering it with a thick layer of leaves, disguising the ground.

Then, she sat under a nearby tree, breathing heavily and trying to recover her strength. Soon, the dark clouds could no longer hold the weight of the rain, and heavy raindrops began to fall with a loud noise.

Pear Blossom took shelter under the tree, watching the rain hit the trap, causing a spray of water.The rain didn’t last long, and within half an hour, it gradually stopped. The mountain rain and wind slowly washed away all traces of human presence. Pear Blossom didn’t approach the trap again. Instead, following the system’s instructions, she headed toward the wild boar’s cave.

According to the system’s prompt, Pear Blossom knew that there were two large, fat wild boars inside the cave.

Her task now was to lead the boars to the trap.Standing at the entrance of the cave, Pear Blossom picked up a stone the size of a fist and threw it into the cave.

The wild boars, being lazy and still in the middle of their nap, were hit by the stone, but it didn’t hurt much. They grunted but were too lazy to get up. However, when more stones kept coming in, they became irritated and finally couldn’t stand it any longer. With a loud grunt, they jumped up and charged out of the cave.

Seeing the two giant creatures emerge, Pear Blossom quickly ran toward the trap. She didn’t need to look back because the system would inform her if the wild boars were following. If the system didn’t indicate that they were, she would stop and continue throwing stones.

This time, the two wild boars were completely enraged. With loud roars, they charged after her without stopping.

Pear Blossom dared not stop for even a moment, running desperately forward. The two wild boars were closing in, chasing harder and harder.

Just as one was about to catch up, Pear Blossom took a leap using a large rock placed ahead of her, grabbed the rope above her head, and swung herself across.

The two boars, following her fading shadow, lunged but missed, crashing to the ground with a thundering impact. Their heavy bodies fell with a mighty thud, causing the earth to collapse.

Before the boars could react, they were trapped. One was pierced by a sharp wooden spike at the bottom of the pit, letting out a deafening howl, while the other used the momentum of its falling companion to leap up and escape.

Pear Blossom’s heart raced, as if she could hear the beat echoing in the gentle rain. She emerged from beneath the tree, carefully walking toward the trap. The rain-soaked ground was slippery, forcing her to slow down.

When she finally reached the trap, the boar inside was left only with weak grunts.“System, check if there are any wolves around?” The system replied, “It’s still early in the morning. Wolves are still sleeping, and their den is quite a distance away.

They haven’t been disturbed.”Pear Blossom let out a sigh of relief, but now the real problem loomed: how to get the 400-plus-pound boar out of the pit. At that moment, the system spoke again, “Host, your father is at the foot of the mountain, coming up to find you.”Pear Blossom’s heart lifted with joy.

Without hesitation, she ran down the mountain. At this time, Dagen was frantic, having just endured another rainstorm. If Pear Blossom was really up on the mountain, what if she encountered wild beasts? He had sent his two brothers-in-law toward the safer back mountain and made his way straight to Wuyin Mountain.

When he reached the halfway point of the mountain and called out his daughter’s name, he heard a familiar voice from above.“Dad—” Dagen looked up to see, at a distance, a figure covered in mud and drenched, looking like a little madwoman.

It was none other than his daughter, Pear Blossom. His anxious heart finally settled, but he couldn’t help but scold her, “You little girl, I told you not to go up the mountain alone last night, and here you are again.”

Pear Blossom, however, didn’t mind his scolding and said excitedly, “Dad, I caught a big wild boar! Hurry, call someone to carry it back!” Dagen was stunned. “You hunted a wild boar?”

“Yes, the trap you taught me to make last night. It’s a huge one, bigger than the boar at Grandma Qin’s place!” Dagen gasped. A boar bigger than Grandma Qin’s? That must be over 400 pounds.

“Girl, you’re not just messing with me, are you?” Pear Blossom retorted, “Why would I lie to you? Hurry up and call people. I need to go up and watch, so other wild animals don’t eat it.” Dagen had to believe her.

He shouted for her to be careful and headed back down the mountain. Just as he did, he ran into Qin’s family. The Qin family had heard that Pear Blossom was missing, so they came along too.Upon hearing that Pear Blossom had caught a wild boar with a trap, they weren’t sure whether to believe it.

Dashan said, “You all go back and grab a carrying pole. I’ll call my two brothers-in-law and Zhang Laowu, and we’ll go up together.” With that, everyone followed his instructions and returned to get the tools.

Pear Blossom had been guarding the mountain for about half an hour. When she heard her father’s voice calling her, she hurried down and led the group to the trap. Standing by the trap, the group looked at the nearly-dead boar, amazed.

Zhang Laowu remarked, “Pear Blossom, if I hadn’t seen this with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed you could do something like this.” Pear Blossom grinned. “Last night, Dad taught me how to make the trap.

I couldn’t wait to come up today.” Dagen shot her a stern look and said, “I told you not to go up the mountain alone, but you didn’t listen. Do you know how dangerous it is up there?” Xiong Laoda quickly interrupted, “Alright, since the wolf pack hasn’t been disturbed, let’s get the boar down the mountain first.”

Dagen shut his mouth, giving Pear Blossom another glare, as if to say, “I’ll deal with you later.” Pear Blossom stuck out her tongue.If she had told her parents beforehand, there’s no way they would have agreed, so she had to act first and explain later.

The men jumped into the trap to pull the boar out, while Pear Blossom went up to stand guard. In case a wild animal appeared, she would be ready to draw it away.

The six men each grabbed a leg and tugged on the boar’s ears, struggling to get it out of the pit. Eventually, they managed to pull it up and, using makeshift stretchers, carried the boar down the mountain.

The sun had just risen, and the villagers were slowly starting their work. When they saw the group carrying the enormous wild boar, they gathered around, their eyes full of curiosity and surprise.

“Who managed to hunt such a large boar?” Zhang Laowu, who had been waiting for this question, responded while carrying the boar, “Who else could hunt in Wuyin Mountain? Of course, it’s Pear Blossom’s boar.”

“You’re joking, right? Pear Blossom, that little girl, caught a wild boar? She was off playing somewhere early this morning, and Dagen had to go find her.” Zhang Laowu scoffed, “You don’t believe it, huh? Tsk.” He stopped paying attention to them.

Even though some didn’t believe it, they couldn’t deny the evidence. The boar, heavy as it was, lay on the shoulders of a few men. Dagen’s group had just gone up, and Pear Blossom was the only one up there.

If she didn’t catch it, who else could have?Did the boar just crash into a tree and die? Are there really that stupid a boar?

The crowd started gossiping, their eyes filled with both envy and jealousy. “Who knows where she got this lucky break from. How did she manage to catch a big wild boar? Maybe she found a dead one lying around.”

“Like I said, there are no wolves on that mountain. Some people are just trying to monopolize the wild game up there and don’t want anyone else going up to hunt. That’s why rumors are spreading about wolves being on Wuyin Mountain.” “Exactly. Wuyin Mountain isn’t even their private land.

There’s so much game up there, let my husband go take a look. Maybe he can hunt a pheasant or a wild deer or something.” Hearing this, Dagen hurriedly said, “There really are wolves on that mountain. It’s better not to take any risks.” As soon as he said this, he was immediately rebutted, “Have you ever been to Wuyin Mountain?

Have you seen wolves there with your own eyes?”The whole story about wolves on Wuyin Mountain, Dagen had only heard from the elders. The incident with Pear Blossom attracting wolves, he had also heard from the Qin family and Daniu, but he had never seen it himself. When they asked, he truly didn’t have an answer.

Seeing his hesitation, someone sneered, “See? You haven’t seen anything but are stopping everyone from going up, while you hunted this big wild boar. You don’t want others to share in the spoils, do you?”

“Dagen, you usually seem so honest, but it turns out you’re like this. I really misjudged you, ugh.”

Dagen wanted to speak but was interrupted by Boss Xiong (Xiong Laoda) , who pulled him aside and said, “Alright, Wuyin Mountain belongs to the village. Anyone who wants to go can go. Even if something happens, what does it have to do with you?” Dagen sighed and said no more, adjusting his shoulder and continuing to carry the boar.

By the time they reached the foot of the Dongshan, Mrs. Xiong had already heard the news and had boiled water in a big iron pot. They wouldn’t be able to build a house today, so the men were busy processing the wild boar. Mrs. Xiong grabbed a thin willow branch and went after Pear Blossom.

Pear Blossom screamed and ran around in panic. “Mother, I won’t do it again—next time I won’t!” “You won’t? You dare do anything! You have the nerve of a bear, not afraid of anything. Last time you left without saying anything, and Mrs. Xiang almost sold you to the city.

You sneaked up Wuyin Mountain that night, and now you want to go again? Do you even know how many lives you have? Wuyin Mountain is not a place for you!”

“Mother, I’m fine, see, nothing happened…”

“Nothing happened because you’re lucky! It’s because the wolves didn’t come out. What if they had? How many lives do you think you’d have left to squander?”

“Mother, I know I was wrong. I won’t do it again, please don’t hit me anymore…”

Mrs. Xiong really wasn’t holding back. She was truly angry—this girl had run off without a word, and if something had happened, what then? Just thinking about it made her even angrier. She hit Pear Blossom a few more times, and only when Pear Blossom cried out in pain did she feel a little relieved.

Meanwhile, the men were quick with their work, skinning the pig and gutting it. Boss Xiong looked at the massive wild boar in front of him and said, “It’s too hot to make cured meat, and we won’t finish it all at once. Dagen, what do you think we should do?” Dagen thought for a moment and said, “I’ll ask the eldest daughter.

This boar was hunted by her.”In other families, no one would ask a young girl for advice, but Dagen knew that their good fortune today was all thanks to Pear Blossom. He didn’t dare make a decision without consulting her.

Hearing her father ask how to handle the pig, Pear Blossom looked at her mother and thought for a moment. “This big boar, we can’t eat it all at once, and the weather is hot, so we can’t keep it for long. How about we sell half, keep half at home, and give some to others to take home?

What do you think, Father and Mother?” Dagen thought it was a good idea, and Xiong said, “Take some back to your maternal grandparents, and give some to the Qin family and Zhang Laowu’s family. Fubao’s family should get some too.

Should we give some to others in the village? It’s a big boar, and we can’t just keep it for ourselves.

When Pear Blossom was taken by that group, the villagers all came forward to stop them. I think each family should get a couple of pounds, as a way of returning the favor.”Father and daughter both agreed with Mrs. Xiong, seeing her suggestion as more thoughtful.

So Dagen went to tell the others roughly what they were going to do. When people heard that they would also get some meat, everyone smiled happily.

Hearing that the other villagers would be getting some, Zhang Laowu seemed a little reluctant but still patted Dagen on the shoulder and praised him for being generous. Qin Laohan instructed Dashan to go home and fetch the ox cart. “Let the two of them take the meat to the city to sell it. It’ll go bad if it gets too late.”

Boss Xiong said, “I’ll go. We’ve been selling baskets in the city for years. The shop owner knows people from the tavern. Once I get there, I’ll give him two pounds of meat and ask him to help us out.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They didn’t go to the city often and didn’t know where to sell the meat. Qin Laohan said, “Let Daniu and Dabao go with you. These two can carry and lift, so they’ll be useful. “Boss Xiong was happy to have helpers and gladly accepted the task.The three of them loaded half the boar onto the ox cart and set off.

Dagen cut off another half of the hind legs, about twenty pounds of meat, along with half the lard and a slab of pig liver, which he placed in a back basket. “Sorry to trouble you, second brother-in-law. Please take these back to Sheep Village, so Pear Blossom’s grandparents can have a taste of something fresh.” Second Bear didn’t expect his brother-in-law to be so generous.

Thinking about how his family had been eating pickled vegetables lately, he accepted graciously, put the basket on his back, and said, “Alright, I’ll head back now and come by again tomorrow morning.”After he left, Dagen cut two big chunks, about ten pounds each.

He added a slightly bigger piece with two kidneys for the Qin family, and the smaller one for Zhang Laowu, with a link of sausage.Both families accepted the meat with smiling faces.Pear Blossom watched her father’s knife carefully and said, “Father, give the leaner meat to Fubao’s family.

Sister Dong doesn’t like fatty meat.” Everyone laughed. In the whole village, only Fubao’s mother didn’t like fatty meat. Every other family, from young to old, loved it.

Dagen grinned and, with a big slice of tender pork, added a piece of belly, totaling about seven or eight pounds. “Fubao’s mother has helped our family a lot. Daughter, you take this to her later.”

Pear Blossom smiled and agreed to take on the pleasant task. The remaining meat was divided into one to two pounds per household, and they were strung together with bamboo strips.

Afterward, it would be delivered to each household in the village. The rest, including half the pig fat, bones, and other offal, along with ten pounds of pork and a large pig’s head, were what remained at Pear Blossom’s home. “It’s too hot to keep this meat, so everyone take their share and salt it to preserve.

Tonight, bring your families over to my place for dinner, and we’ll stew all the bones and offal together.”Zhang Laowu smiled and said, “Good, good, good! Thanks to Pear Blossom, our family will finally get to eat meat.

I’ll take the meat home now, and when your aunt sees this wild pig meat, she’ll probably be over the moon.” Without waiting for the Qin family, he grabbed the meat and dashed off. Qin Dashan helped process the pig offal, and once it was almost done, he said,

“Alright, Dagen, my father and I will head back first and come over later tonight.” Mrs. Xiong, seeing that the father and son were about to leave, added a bunch of pig intestines, a large piece of pig liver, and two sets of bones to their baskets.

Qin Laohan quickly said, “Enough, enough. Keep some for yourselves. We’ll need some for the house construction these next few days, don’t pack it all for us.” Xiong laughed, “Don’t worry, there’s plenty more.”

After the Qin family left, Dagen hung his own ten-plus pounds of meat under the kitchen shelter and looked at the large basin of pig offal. “It’s too hot to keep these, we’ll have to eat them tonight. It’s hard to salt them, they’ll just go bad.”

Mrs. Xiong said, “In all my years, I’ve never seen meat go bad in the house. Even if it spoils, I’d still eat it happily.” Mrs. Xiong put the remaining bones into a large iron pot, started a fire, and said to Xinghua and Erniu, “You two stay here, watch the house and the fire. Your father, sister, and I will go deliver the meat, we’ll be back soon.”

The two little ones nodded repeatedly as they looked at the meat hanging in the shelter.“Mum, hurry back and cook the meat,” Erniu said.At that moment, the adults realized their stomachs were empty.

They had woken up early to find Pear Blossom, and later slaughtered the pig, forgetting to eat. Mrs. Xiong said, “Alright, Mum will be quick. You two cook the bones, and when I get back, we’ll cook noodles in the meat broth.” Pear Blossom’s eyes brightened at the mention of noodles, and she urged, “Mum, go quickly. After delivering the meat, I want to eat noodles too.”

She had been up early digging traps and used up all her energy. If anyone was hungry, it was her.

Mrs. Xiong shot her a glare, wanting to scold her but ultimately keeping silent. She and her husband each carried a basket and left the house.