Song Zhiqing? Hunting a tiger?
The combination of these words was even more unbelievable than the last time Song Zhiqing took down a wild boar.
“Song Zhiqing?”
Everyone widened their eyes and stared at Song Wei.
Song Wei flashed an innocent, harmless smile.
Stay low-key, hehe…
But there was no way this could stay low-key.
Before Song Wei could even speak, several young men began vividly recounting the situation with animated gestures and expressions.
Their tone and looks made it seem as though Song Wei was the greatest hero of their time.
As for the fact that a group of grown men couldn’t compare to a single female educated youth—well, that was a bit embarrassing.
But honestly, did anyone ask for the tiger’s opinion?
If the tiger didn’t feel embarrassed, what right did these men—who were scared stiff by the tiger—have to feel ashamed?
Once again, Song Wei became the center of attention.
Song Wei smiled “bashfully” and said, “Oh, it wasn’t just me. Lin Zhen helped too.”
Regardless, everyone looked at her with renewed admiration.
Their gazes were even more exaggerated than when Song Wei had punched the wild boar.
“Song Zhiqing is truly amazing.”
The young men nodded. “Absolutely! It’s just a pity that the tiger was too fierce. Song Zhiqing’s punches, which had smashed the wild boar’s skull, seemed to have no effect on it. Even after being kicked away, it got up and ran off.”
Otherwise, their haul of game would have included a tiger—something to boast about for a lifetime.
After the lively discussion, the meat distribution began.
In recognition of Song Wei and Lin Zhen’s contributions, the brigade leader directly decided to give them a large deer leg and a hind leg of wild boar. Additionally, Song Wei could choose whatever else she wanted.
No one objected.
Not only were these game animals found and hunted under Lin Zhen’s leadership, but Song Wei herself had killed a wild boar and performed the heroic act of saving someone from the tiger’s mouth.
Even if anyone had objections, they didn’t dare voice them—they were afraid Song Wei’s fists might come their way.
Song Wei only took the meat given by the brigade leader and selected about five pounds of meat from the sika deer’s belly before leaving gracefully with Lin Zhen.
Time to go home and render lard.
The entire production team was exceptionally lively and happy that day.
Song Wei’s tiger-hunting feat was brought up repeatedly, and before long, the story of their production team having a tiger-hunting heroine spread far and wide.
But at that moment, the news hadn’t yet spread out so extensively.
The aroma of meat gradually wafted across Ping’an Production Team.
Song Wei and Lin Zhen set up a stove in the yard and began rendering lard.
The castrated wild boar was fattier than others, with more fatty meat and a richer fragrance.
At least it didn’t have the strong gamey smell typical of wild boars.
The scent of rendering lard was overwhelmingly enticing. Every wolf and fox in the household gathered around, wagging their tails.
“You sure know how to pick the good stuff.”
These animals usually ate raw meat and were only occasionally given cooked meat as a treat.
The cracklings were truly aromatic.
Once the rendering was done, the fire was put out, and the cracklings were scooped out to cool.
Before they could even cool down slightly, Hei Dan eagerly squatted in front of the basin of cracklings, his little hand itching to grab some.
“Don’t burn yourself.”
Hei Dan nodded obediently. “I know, Sis.”
Then he reached out, picked up a piece of crackling, and tossed it into his mouth, hissing from the heat.
“Ying ying ying~”
If there was anyone in the household who knew how to beg for food best, it certainly wasn’t the two wolves they had raised since they were pups!
That fox sure knows how to win people over. Hei Dan stole a glance at Song Wei, and while she wasn’t looking, he swiftly scooped up a piece of crackling, blew on it, and tossed it into the fox’s mouth.
The fox was so happy its eyes narrowed into joyful slits.
Seeing this success, the five little wolf pups just couldn’t sit still anymore.
One by one, they crowded around Hei Dan, rolling onto their backs to expose their little bellies, whining and whimpering.
Hei Dan: …………
Oh no, the wolf pups at home are starting to act foxy.
Song Wei glanced amusedly at Hei Dan’s conflicted expression.
As for the five little wolf pups, she thought it was fine if they were a bit more spoiled—as long as they didn’t end up as chubby as that fox.
The aroma of Song Wei’s rendered lard wafted through the air, reaching the noses of others in the production team who were cooking. They grumbled in frustration.
“Who’s rendering pork lard? It smells so good it’s to die for!”
The wild boar didn’t have much fat to begin with. Darn it, she hadn’t managed to get any fatty meat today. That lard sure smelled incredible.
The children were practically drooling over the smell, crying and fussing for meat.
“It’s coming, it’s coming! Are you all reincarnated starving ghosts? Hurry up and tend to the fire!”
Similar scenes played out in various households.
Lin Zhen was also cooking.
By the time Song Wei finished rendering the lard, he called out that the meal was ready.
Song Wei: “Coming~”
Being able to eat and drink to her heart’s content—this was the life she had always dreamed of.
After that hunting trip, the air over Ping’an Brigade carried the scent of meat for several days.
But few could afford to eat meat every day. Most people preserved their meat by curing or salting it, saving it for a hearty meal during the New Year.
A week later, Song Wei and Lin Zhen ventured into the mountains again.
They were searching for wild boar piglets.
Ideally, they hoped to find lone piglets that had strayed from the herd. If caught, they would castrate them and release them into the valley.
If they encountered a sow with piglets, they would hunt the adult boar as well.
This time, they came across a sow with six piglets. They killed the sow and castrated the piglets.
The two of them were practically wild boar exterminators.
“That should do it. With these six, there are now ten wild boars in the valley.”
They applied medicine to the boars’ wounds and released them into the valley.
Though small, the valley covered an area of about five or six mu, with enough food and water to keep the boars from going hungry.
Suddenly remembering something, Song Wei turned to Lin Zhen and said, “I know a place where we can gather walnuts. I once found a few wild boars there that grew exceptionally large. Eating walnuts—even the shells—is good for them. Should we go gather some?”
Normally, walnut trees aren’t common in the northeast, but the forest environment here is complex. If wild tea trees can thrive, a few walnut trees shouldn’t be a problem.
“Sure.”
They brought baskets and sacks with them.
Once decided, they set off for the cliff where the walnut trees grew. The trees were tall and large, still bearing plenty of fresh nuts from this year.
Old nuts had fallen to the ground. Song Wei collected the intact ones, while the rotten ones were gathered to feed the boars.
They had to wear gloves for this task—otherwise, their hands would be stained black.
They busily gathered walnuts until the afternoon before finally leaving.
After tossing the walnuts meant for the boars into the valley, Lin Zhen shouldered a large log to take home.
Song Wei said, “I’ll find one too.”
Both of them were strong. On their way out of the mountains, they ran into some villagers and greeted them with smiles.
The aunties and uncles watched them with envy.
“These two are sure to live a good life. They’re both so strong and fearless about going deep into the mountains. Why couldn’t they have been my children?”
This topic inevitably led to discussions about Old Lady Lin.
The Lin Zhen household was thriving, while Old Lady Lin’s family was struggling in comparison.
“That Old Lady Lin brought it on herself. She drove away such a fine grandson with her mistreatment.”
Leave a Reply