Chapter 60: Hunting Wild Boars

After entering the mountains, everyone immediately noticed how different the environment was compared to the outside.

The temperature was lower, and towering trees seemed to block everything out. However, their foliage wasn’t dense enough to completely shield them, allowing the blazing sun to pierce through, casting harsh, glaring light.

Except for the initial short stretch of relatively flat land, the further they went, the harder the terrain became.

Thankfully, they couldn’t bear to part with a rare bamboo grove they found and had cut down quite a bit. Carrying it was cumbersome, so Second Brother Yan volunteered to tie the bamboo to the back of his ox cart.

Thus, Sanbao dragged the cart along, with bundled bamboo branches trailing behind.

It had the air of an ox clearing a path through the mountains.

The bamboo left a trail on the ground, conveniently forming a narrow path for those behind to walk on.

It was also quite noisy—more effective than rustling bushes to scare off snakes. So far, no serpents or insects had come to bother them.

As usual, they took a midday break.

The women, having gathered wild vegetables along the way, finally had a chance to put them to use.

A large pot was set up, with no oil or water added. The wild greens from the mountain forest, combined with just a pinch of coarse salt, became an exquisite delicacy.

Second Brother Yan pretended to lead Sanbao off to graze.

In reality, he was making the ox regurgitate—not food, but water.

They, too, were eating wild greens for lunch today—some dried vegetables they had bought from the platform last time. With careful rationing, they still had some left.

The reason they had kept so well was that they had been dried for preservation.

But now that they were deep in the mountains, wild greens were no longer scarce. There was no need to save them, so they decided to finish them off and rely on fresh mountain greens from now on.

Yan Xiangheng skillfully dug a pit, leaving an air vent.

This was a trick passed down by his father, and now the entire village was using it.

No need to gather stones to build a stove, no fear of open flames spreading—just leave the right-sized opening for the pot to sit securely. When finished, the pit could be refilled with soil and packed down, eliminating the risk of wildfire.

Just as Da Ya lit the fire, she saw her second uncle returning.

She naturally handed him the pot, which he set in place before pouring water from a bamboo tube. As the water heated, he grabbed a handful of dried greens and tossed them in. The dried wild vegetables slowly unfurled in the water, returning to their fresh, youthful state.

Once the water boiled, he took out his stash of seasonings.

A simple pot of wild vegetable soup, thanks to Second Brother Yan’s seasonings, turned into a delicious treat.

The Yan family still maintained the habit of eating steamed buns, but most other families in the village could no longer afford them. Buns were more cost-effective and tastier than flatbreads, but the dwindling water supply prevented them from following the Yan family’s example.

Fortunately, their stir-fried wild vegetables still retained a hint of moisture, making the coarse flatbreads less dry and difficult to swallow.

The three aunts responsible for steaming buns now had much lighter workloads, needing to steam only once every few days.

Aside from the Yan family, only a few other households in the village could still afford steamed buns.

The difference in meals made everyone consciously avoid walking around during mealtimes, especially staying away from the Yan family.

It wasn’t out of resentment—it was simply too tempting…

Even a tiny bit of the seasonings Second Brother Yan used was enough to make the aroma irresistible.

After everyone finished eating, the men sprang into action.

A heated argument nearly broke out over who would stay behind to guard the camp and who would go out hunting.

In the end, they drew lots using blades of grass—some long, some short. Those who picked the long ones got to go, while those who drew the short ones had to stay behind.

Second Brother Yan drew a long one and couldn’t stop grinning, chuckling nonstop.

The ones left behind were dejected but had no choice but to start untying the bundled bamboo.

They needed to use this time to make the bamboo bed that Second Brother Yan had mentioned.

—

“Look over here,” Second Brother Hu whispered, signaling everyone over.

Upon seeing the familiar droppings, the group became excited.

Only Second Brother Yan foolishly asked, “What animal is this from?”

Big Brother Luo, unimpressed, replied, “Wild boar.”

Wild boar?

Oh, dear heavens!

Second Brother Yan immediately tensed up.

He clutched his bamboo crossbow tightly, glancing around nervously, afraid that the king of the forest would suddenly charge out at them.

“No wonder we haven’t seen any pheasants or hares nearby—it’s because of the wild boars,” Qi Si suddenly realized.

Third Brother Luo got excited. “If we really manage to hunt a wild boar, just leave the butchering to me—I’ll handle it perfectly.”

Big Brother Hu spoke up, “Let’s be clear first. If we run into those big beasts, my brother and I will go first. If we fail to hit its eyes and the wild boar goes berserk, everyone should run. If you can’t run, climb a tree.”

Second Brother Yan looked at the trees around them and swallowed nervously.

Run or climb?

Better to run—boohoo, he wasn’t confident in climbing trees.

“Brother Yan, switch to your iron crossbow. Aim for its forehead,” Big Brother Hu suggested. Then, reconsidering how precise that shot would need to be, he added, “Or just aim for its legs or body—wherever you like.”

No matter where it hit, it would hurt. That iron crossbow had some serious power.

Second Brother Yan thought for a moment and said, “Big Brother Hu, you take the iron crossbow. If you hit, it’ll save us all some effort.”

Big Brother Hu wasn’t the type to be polite—he took it without hesitation.

If they really ran into a wild boar, they had to work together.

“Second Brother, you take it. Your aim is better than mine,” said Second Brother Hu, rubbing his hands in excitement. “Alright, I’ll do it. Don’t worry, if we find one, it’s as good as meat in our pot—it won’t escape!”

Soon, they discovered even more droppings.

Their excitement was dampened by a cold realization.

Clearly, this wasn’t just one wild boar—it was a whole group.

“What now? There’s definitely more than one,” Qi Si replaced his bamboo crossbow with a piece of deadwood he had just picked up, stripping off the excess branches to use it as a club.

“Move in and see if we can find their water source,” Big Brother Luo suggested.

Everyone nodded.

After walking a little further, they heard the grunting of wild boars.

The group was thrilled.

Even though they knew a pack of wild boars was dangerous, the thought of pot after pot of meat filled them with energy.

Big Brother Hu gestured, and Second Brother Hu nodded.

The two of them quietly found large trees and swiftly climbed up.

The moment Second Brother Hu got into position, he started making gestures at the people below.

Big Brother Luo whispered, “Three big ones, plus some little ones.”

The Hu brothers hadn’t expected to be this lucky.

Although there were three adult wild boars, they were all sows. The more dangerous boars weren’t present, and the rest were just piglets—not a threat.

Their thoughts got a little greedy—they wanted to take two.

The brothers exchanged glances and gestures, each locking onto a target.

The others held onto trees, ready to climb up if things went south.

Running? No way.

They had already forgotten Big Brother Hu’s earlier warning about running if the boars went berserk.

If they hadn’t seen them, it’d be different. But now that the boars were right in front of them, with so many people on their side, they refused to believe they couldn’t take them down.

Only three boars? If the Hu brothers could take down two, they could gang up on the last one and finish it off!