1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

Chen Gaoshan even sawed off the tusks of the sow, the same one that had ripped open the swallow's belly.

He'll go back and tidy up to make two necklaces for his two unborn little bastards.

To ward off disasters and evil spirits.

Looking at the wild boar down the slope, the group gathered together, facing a dilemma: they had enjoyed hunting it, but now they couldn't easily bring it back.

Wang Si reached up and touched the stubble that had just sprouted on his chin, muttering to himself.

"Uncle Long Hair, there are so many! How are we going to get them all back? Look at that biggest sow, it looks like it weighs at least 270 or 280 pounds. With our manpower, it'll be a huge struggle to carry it!"

He couldn't help but add another comment.

"I was thinking of catching these live wild boar piglets and raising them in a pen. I could fatten them up and eat them again. I just don't know if the shed at home is sturdy enough to withstand these wild things bumping around like that."

Liu Chunlei immediately pursed his lips and waved his hand, dismissing his idea.

"Stop thinking nonsense! You can't possibly raise these wild animals! Even if you could, you couldn't afford to feed them! These creatures have enormous appetites; they need wild grass and vegetables for every meal. Right now, it's manageable—sweet potato vines can feed the pigs—but once it gets cold and the mountains are bare of green leaves, what will you feed them? The little bit of wheat bran and soybean cake you have at home isn't even enough to feed the cattle, donkeys, and horses; there's no way you'll have any for them!"

Wang Changfa stood there. The six adult sows and the twenty-three half-grown piglets with yellow fur were all quite large. Together, they weighed more than two thousand catties of meat. This harvest was quite substantial. With fifty-six households in Nangou Village, each person could get at least five catties of meat.

The decision was made immediately.

"Stop dawdling, carry them all back! For the adult pigs, the six of us men will each carry one and help each other out. As for the half-grown piglets, cut branches from the mountain, tie them together to make rafts, and have Xiao Kouzi and Wang Si tie the piglets to them and pull them back!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Da Kuaizi, who was standing next to him, immediately frowned.

"Uncle Long Hair, this is a difficult situation! There's no snow at all in the mountains right now. If we put the raft on the ground, it will rub against the ground badly, and we can't pull it at all. It takes more effort than carrying it!"

"Even if it's difficult to pull, we have to find a way to pull it back!"

"With such a strong smell of blood, in less than half an hour, the wild animals in the mountains—green-skinned animals, bears, and foxes—will come running. Then all the prey we've hunted will be taken by them, making it all easy for those beasts!"

These 23 half-grown wild boars were all born this spring. The largest weighed 70 or 80 pounds, and even the smallest weighed 30 or 40 pounds.

If people were to carry the prey in baskets on their backs, they would be exhausted going back and forth. What's more, they would have to carry a 200-pound wild boar down the mountain, along with half-grown piglets. The forest slopes were difficult to walk on, and if they lost their footing, they could be crushed by the boar's body and end up with bruises and swellings, which would be the least of their worries. In severe cases, they could break arms or legs. The risks were too great, but no matter how difficult it was, they couldn't afford to leave their prey in the mountains. So they had no choice but to use a raft to pull it back.

Once everyone had put in their best effort to tie the raft together, they immediately got to work.

The mountain people are skillful and strong; one person can carry two wild boar piglets and a large wild boar on their back and tie them to a wooden raft with rope.

Ma Wanzhong carried an injured four-clawed white dog in his basket, supporting the dog's body with one hand while looking down at his feet, and carrying a wild boar cub on his other shoulder.

Liu Chunlei quickly took two steps to get closer to Wang Si, reached out and helped him hoist the wild boar cub onto his shoulder, giving him a strong push.

"Watch your step, the mountain path is slippery. If you can't carry it, just say so. Don't try to carry it yourself!"

"Uncle Chunlei, you're carrying three piglets on your back, you're heavier than me. I'm young and strong, I can definitely manage!"

Liu Chunlei grinned and patted his leg.

"Uncle injured his leg from running around in the mountains these past two years, so he's not as strong as he used to be. A few years ago, carrying 200 pounds of mountain goods over mountains was a piece of cake. Today, all of these men, young and old, put in a lot of effort, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to take down this big wild boar in one go."

Chen Gaoshan didn't hesitate either; he stuffed one into his basket and carried another on his shoulder.

Don't let the skinny appearance of these men in the village fool you; they've all been toughened up through hard work and are very strong.

Even the elderly women in the village who are only 1.5 or 1.6 meters tall can easily carry 100 or 200 kilograms of grain every day.

The raft was incredibly heavy, and it had to be pulled by manpower alone. There was no room for skill; it was all about brute force.

The group took turns going forward, resting and pulling in turn. The rope dug into their shoulders, and everyone's face turned red and their necks bulged as they moved forward step by step, panting heavily.

Those who weren't pulling rafts all had guns in their hands, their eyes wide open, vigilantly scanning the surrounding dense forest, not daring to be careless.

Having just killed so many wild boars, the smell of blood will travel far and wide, surely attracting many wild animals that smell it.

Because they outnumbered the others and had weapons, those beasts dared not approach easily, only daring to secretly observe from deep within the forest.

Qi Da Kuaizi was a big, burly man. Right now, he was pulling on the rope with Xiao Kouzi, his back bent and his arms hunched over, panting heavily, with beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

Wang Si, holding his gun, kept a close eye on his surroundings while muttering to himself.

"It's all thanks to Uncle Wanzhong's many dogs, and they're all very capable. They've done a great job in helping to surround the wild boar. Otherwise, with just a few of us, chasing wild boars would have worn our legs out! Uncle Wanzhong's dogs are all top-notch hunting dogs. If I could raise two of them, it would save me a lot of trouble when I go into the mountains in the future."

Qi Da Kuaizi rolled his eyes when he heard this and retorted irritably.

"Give me a break! The little bit of stuff you have at home isn't even enough to fill your own ass, let alone keep a dog? Stop dreaming and get back to pulling the raft!"

Wang Si wasn't angry; he just chuckled.

"I agree with what you said. I was just saying it casually. I didn't say I wouldn't go!"

As he spoke, he reached out and rubbed the heads of the two hunting dogs beside him, then took the rope from Xiao Kouzi's shoulder, gripped it tightly, and pulled forward with his head down, showing no hesitation in his work.

The group walked slowly for a while, but they were still far from the village. It was deep in the mountains and forests, and traveling was already difficult.

Wang Changfa, who was walking at the very back, kept an eye on the movements behind him while glancing up at the sun.

The sun was about to sink below the mountain peak, only a small part of it showing, and it was about to get completely dark. The yin energy in the mountains and forests was rising.

"Keep pushing, everyone! Our shack is just ahead. It's getting dark, and it's not safe in the mountains at night. We'll make do in the shack tonight and head back to the village early tomorrow morning!"

Wild animals in the mountains only come out to forage at dawn, dusk, and midnight, especially carnivorous beasts, for the night is their domain.

Humans don't have their night vision. Once it gets dark and there's no light, they're practically blind. Wandering aimlessly in the mountains is just asking for death. Finding a shelter to stay in is the safest option.

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