Chapter 61: How Much Meat Can We Get?

Qi Si held a branch horizontally to shield Yan Lao’er.

Would Yan Lao’er be able to climb a tree? They grew up in the same village—how could they not know?

When they climbed trees to steal bird eggs, Yan Lao’er was busy studying.

If he hadn’t insisted on coming, they wouldn’t have wanted to bring him along for this hunting trip.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two arrows shot out almost simultaneously.

But Hu Er’s was clearly faster.

Oww! Oww oww!

A wild boar’s miserable cries echoed.

Hu Er was still stunned when Hu Jia’s eldest brother shouted, his voice even cracking a bit: “What are you standing there for? Don’t let that wild boar get away!”

Something in their blood seemed to stir at the sound of his voice.

Could it be… the situation was in their favor?

Lao San from the Luo family was the first to charge forward, followed by the always steady Luo Lao Da.

Qi Si couldn’t hold back and told Yan Lao’er, “Stick close to me, Brother Yan, don’t be scared. If the wild boar charges, I’ll club it to death.”

Yan Lao’er glared at him. “I’m not scared.”

He would have been more convincing if his voice hadn’t trembled.

Qi Si gave a perfunctory grunt and ran toward the boar’s cries.

Yan Lao’er followed closely, though he knew he was running awkwardly—his arms and legs seemed to move in sync—but his brain had lost connection with his limbs, so he couldn’t fix it for now…

Whoosh!

Hu Er shot a second arrow.

Yan Lao’er thought he heard something fall.

The piglets’ squeals were too loud, so he wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly.

“Hurry! Surround it!” Luo Lao San shouted excitedly.

The Hu brothers jumped down from the tree.

They actually jumped.

From such a height—weren’t they afraid of twisting an ankle?

Qi Si’s long legs pushed off, propelling him forward in an instant.

Yan Lao’er: …

Even though he was running awkwardly, he could still run fast!

When he caught up, he saw two large wild boars lying on the ground.

One had an arrow through its eye, shrieking madly and charging wildly, trying to escape.

No way they could let it get away!

Without hesitation, Qi Si swung his massive club.

The wild boar was sent tumbling.

Luo Lao San let out a guttural yell and pounced, throwing his entire body onto the boar.

He screamed with all his might, “Hurry! Pin it down! Don’t let it run!”

Luo Lao Da immediately pressed down on his younger brother.

Even with two grown men on top, the boar still struggled fiercely.

Qi Si raised his club to deliver the finishing blow—

But Hu Er took careful aim and loosed a third arrow.

The boar’s cries abruptly stopped.

Qi Si couldn’t halt his momentum in time and slammed his club into the ground instead.

A loud BANG!

The dead wood shattered into two pieces.

Qi Si casually tossed them aside.

Yan Lao’er, still calming his wildly beating heart, came closer.

He looked at the broken club. Then at Qi Si.

Whoa! So when Qi Si said he’d club the boar to death if it charged—

He meant it.

Yan Lao’er’s gaze toward Qi Si changed completely.

He had always known the Qi brothers were strong, but he hadn’t expected such sheer ferocity.

It was… incredibly reassuring!

All three boars had been brought down by Hu Er’s shots—

One hit the eye, another struck just above the front leg.

No, actually, it was four now—since they had also pinned down a third one.

Luo Lao Da got up and pulled his younger brother to his feet.

Luo Lao San circled the three wild boars, grinning so wide it almost reached his ears.

He tested their weight one by one.

Excitedly, he shouted, “This one must be close to 200 pounds!”

Compared to plump farm pigs, these wild boars were lean.

Probably due to the season—food in the mountains was harder to find this year.

The piglets had already scattered in fear.

But Yan Lao’er wasn’t about to let them go.

Who could resist the temptation of roast suckling pig?

That was a real delicacy!

They had to find them!

He roused the group: “Let’s track down those piglets too! Even one would be worth it—roast suckling pig is delicious!”

Whoa! If he hadn’t said that, they might have just given a half-hearted search.

After all, country folk weren’t in the habit of wiping out an entire litter—they usually left the young ones a way to survive.

But when he mentioned roast suckling pig, a dish full of mouthwatering potential, everyone suddenly felt they had to catch a few.

They had to find out just how tasty it was!

Could it be even better than roast rabbit?

The group split up while Yan Lao’er stayed behind to watch the boars.

Before long, they returned with four piglets.

Three were dead—one was still alive.

Qi Si grinned. “It didn’t even run. I just pounced on it and caught it.”

Luo Lao San started pulling out the arrows.

When he got to the big boars, he ran into a problem.

“Big Brother, give me a hand.”

Damn, that crossbow packed serious power—he couldn’t pull the arrow out.

The two brothers tugged together, and when the arrow finally came free, blood splattered all over them.

Luo Lao San wiped his face without care and examined the wound. “It was stuck in the bone—no wonder it was so hard to pull out.”

They cleaned up the blood a bit, covering it with dirt.

Then, grinning ear to ear, they hoisted the wild boars and started down the mountain.

Hu Er, meanwhile, was reluctant to part with the crossbow, practically glued to it.

“Brother Yan, your crossbow is incredible! It dropped that wild boar in one shot—I was shocked! Look how deep this arrow went! If we hadn’t had this crossbow today, we’d be lucky to bring back two boars, but that extra one? That’s all thanks to your crossbow!”

Yan Lao’er thought: Of course I know my crossbow is good—can you please let go of it now?

Hu Er finally released his grip, watching Yan Lao’er leave with a wistful look.

“Dad! Dad! Dad!”

Yan Yu was overjoyed. “My dearest, most amazing father!”

She scurried around Yan Lao’er, her little legs moving excitedly.

“Dad, you’re awesome! You brought back three wild boars! How are we splitting them? How much do we get?”

They had been worried about not having anything good to sell when the market opened tonight.

Now they had the perfect goods!

That was why Yan Lao’er had been so eager to join the hunt—he had hoped to at least snag a nest of rabbits.

He never expected such a lucky break.

Three wild boars and four piglets—

A true jackpot!

Enjoying the admiration in his daughter’s eyes, Yan Lao’er grinned. “Luo Lao San is fair—he wouldn’t shortchange us. I’m telling you, this crossbow was definitely worth it! Shooting wild boars? One shot, one kill—it’s fantastic!”

“Oh wow, that uncle was right after all.”

All three wild boars had fallen to that crossbow.

“Dad, are you hurt?” Yan Yu noticed the blood on him and asked worriedly.

Following her gaze, Yan Lao’er shook his head. “I’m fine—it’s just pig blood. Everything went smoothly this time. No big boars, just three sows with piglets. They were all pretty skinny—probably struggling to find food in the mountains.”

“I’ll talk to your uncle later. Let’s stay a bit longer and see if we can find water near where we hunted the boars.”

Yan Lao’er lifted his arm to sniff himself—then recoiled.

He hesitated, staring at his daughter.

Yan Yu asked warily, “Dad, why are you looking at me?”

“I want to see if you stink.”

Yan Yu stomped her foot and bolted.

What’s the point of asking? We’re all smelly! You didn’t have to say it out loud—you’re not a good dad!