Preoccupied with the matter of the wild boar, Song Wei decided to head into the mountains the very next day.
She certainly didn’t want it to get away.
Lin Zhen also brought his bow and arrows, deciding to go along.
The busy autumn harvest had just ended, and everyone was exhausted, resting at home. Very few people were out and about.
By the time Song Wei got up and left, everyone else in the educated youth courtyard was still asleep.
This time, she didn’t bring the five little wolves that would slow them down. Instead, she left them in the courtyard to play with the two border collies and set off with only Wolf One and Wolf Two.
When they reached the place where they had encountered the wild boar, Lin Zhen raised an eyebrow at the sight of the large, fat animal.
“See? Isn’t it bigger than the task pigs raised in our brigade? This guy has been living alone in this valley, feasting on wild fruits, radishes, and yams—quite the comfortable life.”
Unfortunately for this carefree creature, Song Wei had discovered it, and it was now destined to become their meal.
“Something’s off,” Lin Zhen observed after a moment. “Whether it’s a male or female, a boar this size would typically be in heat. It’s unlikely for a wild boar to live here alone. Judging by the traces, it really hasn’t left, and there are no signs of other wild boars coming here either. Unless…”
Unless the boar had no desire in that regard.
In other words, this wild boar was a eunuch!
Song Wei exclaimed, “This couldn’t be one of the little wild boars we castrated last year, could it?”
The previous year, Su Fang had suffered a miscarriage after being frightened by wild boars. The larger ones were slaughtered, while the smaller ones were castrated and released back into the forest.
If this was indeed one of them, it would explain why the boar was so fat.
“So, what should we do with this boar? Sell it or…?”
If they brought it back, they would have to share it with the entire brigade.
That would be such a loss.
“How about we sell it and keep some meat for ourselves to taste?”
Lin Zhen replied, “Whatever you say.”
“I’ll check if there are any traces of other wild animals nearby. Later, we can have the brigade leader bring people into the mountains for a hunt.”
After the busy autumn harvest, everyone was tired, exhausted, and craving meat.
Since the task pigs couldn’t be slaughtered, the only option was to target the wild animals in the mountains.
So, the brigade leader would organize a hunting trip into the mountains.
As for that fat boar, Song Wei and Lin Zhen planned to sell part of it and keep the rest for themselves.
He would scout the area first so the brigade leader could come directly later without wasting time.
As long as everyone hunted together and shared the spoils, Song Wei had no objections.
She wasn’t so presumptuous as to think all the wild animals in the mountains belonged to her. She simply disliked the idea of working hard to hunt prey only to have to share it with the entire brigade.
Once Lin Zhen arrived, the two of them worked together and finished off the wild boar in under ten minutes.
The boar was large and fat but not as fierce as an uncastrated one.
After slaughtering it, they took a closer look and confirmed their guess.
Among the little wild boars from back then, managing to catch even one of them now was quite a feat.
Song Wei stared thoughtfully at the small valley.
“We’re already deep in the mountains, and this place is remote and hidden. What do you think about catching a few little wild boars and keeping them in this valley? We could come back to slaughter them once they’ve grown up.”
Lin Zhen glanced around at the surroundings.
That idea might just work.
“Should we give it a try next year?”
Song Wei nodded. “Let’s try it. We’ll find some time to fix up this valley a bit. We can toss some sweet potato seedlings, potato chunks, and other things here to let them grow wild. We’ll also scatter some cabbage and radish seeds. Then, we’ll just leave the pigs in the valley to forage for themselves.”
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
After butchering and processing the large fat boar, they cleared away any traces of their presence. They even transplanted some thorny bushes to the valley entrance to conceal it.
Finally, carrying the pork, they made their way down the mountain via a small path. Dodging and weaving stealthily, they managed to avoid everyone and eventually arrived at Lin Zhen’s home.
They hid most of the items from the backpack, kept a portion for themselves, and planned to sell the rest later that night.
Lin Zhen went out in the middle of the night to sell the pork.
After resting until noon, he rode his bicycle to town and returned openly carrying a large piece of pork.
“Lin Zhen, you went to town? Where did you buy such a big piece of pork?”
“Is pork being sold in town today? Oh, why didn’t I go?”
Lin Zhen replied, “I asked my aunt to keep an eye out for me. I went to town today and just brought it back.”
Everyone knew who he meant by “aunt,” and no one doubted him, though they couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
“What was Old Lady Lin causing such a fuss for? Lin Zhen is such a good kid.”
“Meat! Will the brigade leader organize a hunt in the mountains this year? Our mouths have been deprived for so long.”
After the exhausting busy season, everyone’s bodies were craving meat so badly they could almost see green in their eyes.
Especially when they caught the scent of meat wafting from Lin Zhen’s house that day.
People’s sense of smell was particularly sharp at times like these. Even though Lin Zhen’s house was relatively remote, everyone could still catch the aroma of meat carried by the wind.
It made them even more eager.
This was precisely why Lin Zhen had brought back a piece of meat openly.
If people had come knocking after smelling the aroma, it would have been hard to explain.
Now, with the door closed, they could eat openly.
Of course, Lin Zhen’s family wasn’t the only one enjoying the meat. He had also given a portion to his grandfather’s household. After all, since the meat was brought back under his aunt’s name, it was only right to share some with them.
Pork stewed with vermicelli.
It was delicious and filling.
A large pot was placed directly on the table. The vermicelli, cabbage, and potatoes inside had absorbed the rich broth, making them just as flavorful as the pork itself.
Lin Zhen filled a large bowl and delivered it to the brigade leader’s house before returning to eat.
Three people sat at the table, while underneath, several wolves gnawed contentedly on bones.
“The castrated pork really does taste better.”
Not only was it larger and fattier than ordinary wild boar, but it also had much less gaminess.
Since it was wild, the meat was leaner, making it perfect for stewing or stir-frying.
Song Wei kept the fatty parts to render into lard.
However, they had to wait until after the brigade leader returned from the hunting trip. Once everyone had their share of pork and started rendering lard, their actions wouldn’t seem out of the ordinary.
“When are we going hunting?”
She stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth, her face full of contentment.
Lin Zhen replied, “We’re going tomorrow.”
Perhaps stimulated by the aroma of meat from Lin Zhen’s house, many people went to see the brigade leader that very night.
They wanted to hunt; they wanted to eat meat.
So, unsurprisingly, early the next morning, everyone prepared to set out.
Aside from Song Wei, there were two other female comrades in the group.
Both were strong and efficient workers.
Of course, the main reason was that their families had no men left, and they also wanted a larger share of the meat.
Only those who participated in the hunt would get a bigger portion.
The group marched into the mountains in a grand procession. Lin Zhen didn’t waste any time and led the brigade leader to the spots he had previously scouted.
It wasn’t wild boars this time—it was a herd of deer.
There were eight deer in total. They managed to hunt three bucks, sparing the pregnant does.
Mostly because the deer bolted the moment they heard the gunshots.
Lin Zhen shot one, while the brigade leader and another elder each took down one with their hunting rifles.
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