Chapter 18: Becoming a Production Team Hero

“Team Leader, what do you need?” Wang Jianguo saw the Team Leader in a fluster, like an ant on a hot pot, and knew it must be something urgent.

The Team Leader grabbed Wang Jianguo’s hand, “Jianguo comrade, it’s… it’s terrible! Quickly, quickly, a wild boar has entered the team, you must catch it!”

Because he had been running, the Team Leader was out of breath and spoke incoherently, but Wang Jianguo caught the key words and understood.

A wild boar had entered the team, and he had to catch it.

He had lived in the mountains for years, a renowned hunter in the surrounding ten miles. Catching these mountain beasts was his specialty, far easier than farm work.

“A wild boar in the team? Alright, Team Leader, I’ll catch it!” Wang Jianguo knew the danger. Adult men could climb walls and trees or run fast, but the village had many elderly people and children, less agile and quick to react. Injury from a wild boar would be serious.

Without time to get tools, Wang Jianguo looked around the yard, grabbing a sturdy carrying pole and a rope, then ran towards the village.

The Team Leader saw a gust of wind pass before him; in a blink, Wang Jianguo was gone.

What kind of creature was this man? He was so fast!

Seeing Wang Jianguo leave, the Team Leader breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that with Wang Jianguo, the wild boar wouldn’t escape!

The Team Leader followed, unable to catch the boar himself, but he could handle things afterward.

The wild boar was ferocious, attacking anyone it saw, old or young, ramming its tusks into people’s stomachs. Its sharp tusks could pierce the belly, ripping out intestines, likely killing the victim.

The wild boar ran and destroyed, ruining the production team’s fields, and even damaging several walls. Villagers wielded farming tools, defensively keeping their distance, unable to attack.

Seeing Wang Jianguo with his pole and rope, they saw a savior.

“Hunter Wang is here!”

“Everyone make way, Jianguo is here!”

No one called Wang Jianguo a wild man anymore; they looked to him for help.

Wang Jianguo told the villagers to stand back, saying he could subdue the boar alone.

“Everyone stand back, keep children far away.” Wang Jianguo said, looping the rope into a circle, throwing it at the boar like a lasso, perfectly ensnaring its head. The harder the boar struggled, the tighter the rope became.

Then, Wang Jianguo manipulated the rope, tripping the boar onto its back. He quickly tied its four legs.

“Wow, so cool!”

“Amazing! The boar was running wild, and now it’s down.”

“Exactly! Hunter Wang subdued it in a few moves, using only a simple rope! I can’t believe my eyes.”

…

The villagers were deeply impressed by Wang Jianguo’s skill, admiring him like a hero.

The Team Leader arrived, seeing Wang Jianguo had subdued and tied up the wild boar.

What a hunter! He caught the boar so easily.

Seeing the captured boar and unharmed villagers, only a few damaged walls and ruined fields, the Team Leader was relieved.

These were minor issues; walls could be rebuilt, as long as no one was hurt.

The Team Leader was also grateful it wasn’t harvest season; otherwise, the boar would have destroyed a lot of crops.

“The boar is caught?” The Team Leader asked, still shaken.

Wang Jianguo nodded, “Caught, Team Leader, don’t worry, it won’t escape.”

“Stun it to prevent it from breaking free,” The Team Leader added, for safety.

The villagers, having witnessed the boar’s ferocity, grabbed their tools and struck the boar’s head.

With a few “oinks,” the boar was stunned.

With the boar caught and stunned, the next step was processing it.

The Team Leader considered; it had been almost two months since the harvest, but everyone had been busy, working hard.

The village had poor food; they rarely ate pork. Only when relatives visited would they have a small amount.

Now, a wild boar had delivered itself. This boar was estimated to weigh over 200 kilograms, enough to share among the whole village.

Everyone was short on food, especially pork. The village pigs were poorly fed, barely enough to meet quotas, leaving little to share.

This boar wouldn’t need to be sent as a quota, and everyone could share it.

Team Leader Fan Ming discussed with the villagers, deciding to slaughter and share the boar. Everyone agreed.

“Team Leader is wise!”

“Great decision, Team Leader! I agree!”

“Wild boars don’t grow very big; a 200-jin boar is rare, and we can’t raise it much bigger. Better to slaughter it and share the meat.”

“Right, it doesn’t matter if it’s not fat, just don’t let it get thinner. We don’t have much food, and the boar might live better in the mountains.”

Fan Ming agreed, finding the villagers’ reasoning sound. They would likely make it thinner if they kept it; slaughtering it now was best, allowing more meat for everyone.

The villagers, previously terrified, were overjoyed at the prospect of pork. They wished for wild boars to visit daily, knowing they had Hunter Wang to handle them.

Wang Jianguo became a production team hero, protecting villagers and their property, and providing a delicious feast.

The slaughtering and sharing took place in the village center, a flat area used for meetings, movies, and grain distribution.

Their village, the smallest and poorest in the Red Flag(Hongqi) Commune, had less than a hundred households. After slaughtering the boar, every household received several pound of meat.

Besides meat, they also got bones and offal.

The wild boar meat, lean and firm, had little fat.

For his significant contribution, Wang Jianguo received extra meat.

No one objected; without him, they wouldn’t have had the delicious pork, and might have been injured.

After the distribution, everyone was happy, cooking the meat. The scent of pork filled the entire production team, even reaching neighboring villages, evoking envy.

That morning, news spread of the wild boar’s havoc. By afternoon, not only were there no injuries, but the boar was slaughtered, and the aroma of pork filled every home.

Wang Jianguo returned home with a large piece of pork and some bones.

Huang Yuelan asked curiously, “It’s not a holiday; why so much pork?”

“It’s not bought, it’s from the production team. A wild boar entered, and I subdued it. The Team Leader gave me extra meat and bones,” Wang Jianguo said proudly, as if saying, “See how capable your husband is?”

Huang Yuelan was naturally proud. Hundreds of people couldn’t stop the boar, but her husband did. She felt very proud.

“Amazing! Jianguo is the best!” Huang Yuelan praised him, taking some of the pork.

She had eaten plenty of pork, but never wild boar meat. It was darker than domestic pork and almost entirely lean.

“Yuelan, I’ll cook the pork for you. I’ll remove the gamey smell and make it delicious,” Wang Jianguo knew wild boar could be strong-smelling, but if properly prepared, it would be fragrant and tender.