Era: Seven money-losing girls? They're trying to trick me into having a daughter again!

"David!"

The night wind made the torch in Village Chief Zhou's hand crackle loudly. He grabbed Fang Wei's arm and said in a deep voice, "The village has suffered a great disaster!"

"Aunt Tian's plots of land are all gone! The plots near the foot of the mountain, the ones belonging to Uncle Li and Old Yang, have also been completely destroyed!"

"Aunt Tian sat in her field crying all afternoon, and her voice became hoarse!"

Fang Wei didn't say anything.

"You're the only one in the whole village who's ever led a group to hunt wild boar!"

Village Chief Zhou stared at Fang Wei and shouted, "Dawei, if you don't step up and take the lead, if you don't get rid of those beasts, people in Laotang Village will starve to death this winter!"

Fang Wei took a deep breath and said decisively, "Uncle, I'll take this!"

One or two people certainly couldn't handle that pack of wild boars, but now that so many people are willing to take the risk, he refuses to believe that they can't deal with those beasts!

Fang Wei took half a step forward and stood on the stone steps in front of the courtyard gate.

This position was a head taller than everyone in front of him, and the torchlight shone up from below, illuminating his face clearly.

"but!"

He raised his hand and shouted, "I think anyone who's been to Aunt Tian's fields can guess that this time it's not just one or two wild boars, but a whole herd!"

"Maybe there are boars, sows, and even piglets!"

Upon hearing this, whispers immediately broke out in the crowd, and some people's hands, gripping their machetes, trembled involuntarily.

"You need to think this through. Tonight, you're not going to pick up money; you're going to fight for your lives!"

Looking at the villagers with varying expressions, Fang Wei continued, "Anyone who disobeys orders and acts on their own in the mountains will not only die themselves, but will also kill others!"

The courtyard soon fell silent, with only the crackling of the burning torches remaining.

A drop of resin fell from the torch and landed on the ground with a soft "sizzle".

"Don't worry, David!"

Yang Qian's father slammed the stick down hard and roared, "Tonight, my old life is in your hands! If you say east, I'll never go west!"

"Yes! We'll listen to David!"

"I'd do anything to kill those beasts and keep my food supply, even jump off a cliff!"

Shovels, hoes, and machetes were raised high, the ironware shimmering in the firelight.

Village Chief Zhou turned to look at everyone, raised a finger, and said sternly, "Tonight, Fang Wei will be in full command of the hunting team in Laotang Village! Everyone must obey orders unconditionally!"

"Anyone who dares to act like a lone hero in the mountains..."

He paused for a moment, then threatened in a cold voice, "When you come back, kick me out of Laotang Village!"

"yes!!!"

Everyone who was called over shouted.

Fang Wei nodded, and seeing Fang Qiang, Yang Qian, and Da Cheng in the crowd, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

In situations like these, those with prior experience in collaboration are always better than those without.

"Shao Li!"

Wu Shaoli was already standing at the kitchen door.

Hearing Fang Wei call her, she carried the brazier in her hand to the middle of the yard, placed it on the ground, and then took a piece of red-hot charcoal from the stove and put it in.

The flames suddenly shot up, illuminating half of the yard.

Wu Shaoli straightened up, glanced at Fang Wei, turned and went into the house to retrieve the machete from the table, and whispered:

"Be careful and come back soon."

Fang Wei took the machete, nodded to her, and instructed her, "I'll remember that. You stay home and take good care of the girls."

Wu Shaoli hummed in agreement, turned around and went into the house, closing the door behind her.

"Everyone, gather around here!"

Without further ado, Fang Wei drew an arc on the ground with his machete and shouted, "This is Laotang Village."

Another long, winding line.

"This is the main ridge of Meishan Mountain."

The machete paused at a notch and then drew a circle.

"This is the field at the foot of the back mountain; Aunt Tian's land and Uncle Li's land are all in this area!"

Fang Wei looked up at the group of people surrounding him and spoke slowly.

"Wild boar herds don't have fixed dens, but they eat in a regular pattern, always heading towards areas where the crops are ripe."

"Those plots of land at the foot of the hill are the most densely planted in the whole village. They've already come once and tasted the benefits, so they'll definitely come back!"

He tapped the spot three times heavily with his machete, then said seriously, "Here, at the boundary of the fields, near the crooked-necked tree!"

Uncle Li squinted at the map on the ground and suddenly said, "That's right! That place is surrounded by dense forest on both sides, with only a narrow path in the middle. Wild boars have to cross that path to come down the mountain!"

"Uncle Li is right."

Fang Wei stood up and glanced around at everyone who was staring at him.

"Therefore, we cannot attack head-on; we must use traps to have any chance of wiping out that group of wild boars!"

"Next, I will start dividing the group into groups. The first group is the 'mountain-knocking' group."

He called Yang Qian's father and four other nimble men over, saying, "Your task is to make a commotion."

"Once you hear my whistle, start banging drums and gongs, the louder the better!"

"When a wild boar's rear end is in an uproar, it will run in a quiet direction."

Yang Qian's father nodded, patted his chest, and said loudly, "Don't worry, we'll definitely ring the whole mountain!"

"The second group is the trap group."

Fang Wei then selected Uncle Li and five other of the strongest men and used a machete to draw a few small crosses in the circle they had just drawn.

"Take shovels and machetes to the boundary between the fields and dig a hole on the narrowest path."

"It doesn't need to be too deep, half a meter is enough, but the bottom of the pit needs to be filled with sharpened bamboo skewers."

"Once the pit is dug, just lay branches and weeds on top, and then cover it with a layer of topsoil."

He drew another horizontal line and continued, "At the back of the pit, there's a tripping rope, and the rope is tied to the tree trunks on both sides. The height must be just above the wild boar's calves."

Uncle Li's lips moved a few times, and after a while he nodded heavily: "Okay, I'll remember!"

"Walk!"

He turned and waved at the men, shouting, "Let's take the shortcut!"

After they left, Fang Wei called Fang Qiang, Yang Qian, and Da Cheng over.

"We are in the third group, and our main task is to lie in ambush in the trees on both sides of the field ridge."

He raised his machete and said coldly, "Once the wild boar falls into the trap, that's when we strike!"

"Remember, always target the vital points!"

"The skin around the eyes, behind the ears, and the armpits at the base of the forelegs—these three areas have thin skin and many blood vessels! One cut might not be fatal, but two cuts will be enough to bring it down!"

"Try to avoid the back and shoulders; the skin there is too thick, even a blunt blade won't cut through it!"

Fang Qiang and the other two nodded silently, showing no fear of facing the wild boar; instead, their faces were filled with murderous intent.

"This is the whistle I used when I was the militia company commander."

Village Chief Zhou took a copper whistle out of his pocket and put it into Fang Wei's hand.

"One blast means the mountain-raiding team is to move out; two blasts mean everyone is to retreat; three blasts mean danger, retreat!"

"You all must be careful!"

Fang Wei hung the brass whistle around his neck, nodded to Village Chief Zhou, and said to Fang Qiang and the others, "Let's go!"