Chapter 35: A three‑hundred‑jin wild boar king as a thank‑you gift? You

The sky was just beginning to lighten faintly.

A thin layer of frost‑white covered the dry grass and firewood stacks in the courtyard.

The air was biting cold, and drawing it into the lungs brought a sharp, ice‑shard‑like stimulation.

Under the eaves, the stiff wild boar carcass lay still.

The faint bloody smell it gave off mixed with the morning chill, silently speaking of yesterday's heart‑pounding ordeal and the weighty harvest.

Lu Qingshan hardly slept all night.

His body's fatigue and soreness surged like a tide, but was firmly suppressed by the burning excitement in his heart and his clear plans for the future.

He rose with the utmost care, fearing to disturb Lin Yue'e and Xiao Xue, who were sleeping soundly on the heated brick bed nearby.

Lin Yue'e seemed to be sleeping uneasily, her brows slightly furrowed, her long lashes occasionally twitching nervously.

Gazing at his wife and daughter's peaceful sleeping faces, Lu Qingshan's resolve grew ever stronger.

He threw on the worn‑out cotton jacket that had been dried by the stove and carried a warmth, then walked to the window.

Outside was a gray‑blue dawn light; the quiet mountain village had not yet fully awakened.

He knew clearly that the three larger wild boars still in the mountains were the capital for three families to turn their fortunes, the confidence for the New Year, and must be retrieved as soon as possible.

If time dragged on, the bloody scent would attract other beasts, or someone might get there first—either way, it would be trouble.

Relying only on the three of them, trying to move those beasts, which together weighed at least seven or eight hundred catties, out of the deep mountains over ten li away, was utterly impossible.

The only solution was to seek help from the village.

He walked to the kitchen.

The pot held last night's leftover thin porridge, kept warm.

He scooped a bowl and gulped it down in a few mouthfuls against the freezing air.

The icy porridge slid down his throat, yet it did nothing to quench the fire burning in his chest.

"Yue'e, I'm going out for a bit," Lu Qingshan said, walking to the bedside and lowering his voice to a whisper.

Lin Yue'e awoke almost instantly, opened her eyes, a trace of sleep still lingered in her gaze, but it quickly cleared as she looked at him with a question.

"Those three big boars in the mountains need people to help carry them back," Lu Qingshan said concisely. "I'll go to the team captain's and the village head's houses."

Lin Yue'e sat up, pulled the blanket tighter around herself, gave a gentle nod, and asked no further questions.

But Lu Qingshan could catch the fleeting worry flashing in the depths of her eyes.

After all, his past "reputation" was there; dealing with village cadres always left people feeling uneasy.

"Don't worry," Lu Qingshan said, reaching out to grasp her slightly cool fingers, conveying strength. "I know what to do."

Having said that, he turned and pushed the door open.

In the early morning, Shanwan Village saw cooking smoke begin to curl upward, occasionally punctuated by a few dog barks.

The villagers had already begun their day's livelihood.

Some carried water, some swept courtyards, some fed pigs and chickens.

But almost everyone, upon seeing Lu Qingshan's upright figure, would instinctively stop what they were doing and cast him a complex, unfathomable look.

The impact of yesterday's three wild boars was too great.

After a night passed, the matter not only failed to subside, it was like throwing water into a hot pan of oil—it exploded even more violently.

"Hey, look, isn't that Lu Zhiqing? Where are you headed today? Why aren't you carrying a pig? Could it be you collapsed from exhaustion yesterday?"

A woman with a shrill voice shouted sarcastically, drawing a suppressed chuckle from those nearby.

"No kidding! Three wild boars! An old lady who's lived nearly sixty years has never seen such luck! How high must the blue smoke from their ancestral grave be?"

"Who knows if it was obtained the proper way, or if he took some crooked path…" Qian Guapu also mingled in the crowd, her voice sour; though she deliberately lowered it, the envy reeked from afar. She stared fixedly at Lu Qingshan's steady back, wishing she could bore two holes into it.

Lu Qingshan turned a deaf ear to all of this.

He calmly faced those gazes—curious, envious, scrutinizing—his steps steady as he headed straight for the western end of the village.

There lived the production team's captain Zhao Dazhi, and also the village head Zhao Yongnian.

Zhao Dazhi's courtyard gate stood open.

He was squatting in the courtyard, "huff‑huff" chopping firewood.

In his early forties, sturdy of build, his bronzed face was etched with the marks of wind and frost.

Seeing Lu Qingshan enter, his chopping motion visibly paused; he lifted his bloodshot eyelids, his eyes holding a measure of scrutiny and undisguised surprise.

"Uncle Dazhi, busy?" Lu Qingshan asked, his face showing no extra expression, his tone calm as if stating a mundane fact.

"It's you, Qing Shan." Zhao Dazhi set down his axe, rose, and brushed sawdust from his hands. "Last night the whole village was buzzing, saying you kids had made it big, leading people to hunt wild boars—and not just one."

His words carried a hint of teasing, but mostly probing; he clearly doubted the miraculous numbers being bandied about.

"Just luck, good fortune, I ran into them," Lu Qingshan replied, neither humble nor arrogant. "I was actually hoping to ask you and Uncle Daxia for a favor."

"Oh? How many? How big?" Zhao Dazhi showed a bit of interest, but the disbelief in his tone still showed. "Yesterday I saw the few you carried back—they were decent sized. But the village rumors… they sound a bit too supernatural, don't they?"

"Nothing supernatural, Uncle Dazhi," Lu Qingshan said, meeting his gaze with calm yet sharp eyes, speaking slowly but each word striking Zhao Dazhi's heart like a small pebble.

"Yesterday, we three brothers, over by the Dry Rice Basin Old Mountain House, altogether felled six wild boars."

"Six… six boars?!"

Zhao Dazhi's eyes instantly widened to round, his axe clanged "bang‑clang" to the ground, sending chips flying!

He almost instinctively raised his voice: "You brat, aren't you feeding me nonsense?! Six boars?!"

He even walked two circles around Lu Qingshan, that look as if he were meeting this young man for the first time.

"No nonsense," Lu Qingshan said, nodding firmly. "Last night it was late and we were out of strength, so we first brought back the three smaller ones—you also saw them."

"Up in the mountains, three big ones are still lying there."

"Those three together weigh at least seven or eight hundred catties, at a minimum."

"With just us three, we really can't haul them back. That place reeks of blood, we're afraid it won't keep, so we need to get them out fast. I'd like to ask the team to send some people to lend a hand, help lift them."

Zhao Dazhi inhaled a breath of cool air!

Looking at Lu Qingshan's oddly calm face, he knew the kid was probably not bragging!

Six Wild Boars!

Oops! We've disturbed the Wild Boar's den!

The three remaining big ones, seven to eight hundred jin… My heavens, how much meat! How much money!

His little mental abacus whirred instantly.

This is definitely a massive good thing! Yet the team needs people and labor…

"This… bringing it back is the right thing to do! It's mountain goods, after all; we common folk have relied on the mountain for generations. As the old saying goes, 'those who see it get a share' is nonsense; whoever has the skill to claim it gets it! We can't toss it back into the mountain and waste it."

Zhao Dazhi rubbed his rough large hand, a hint of hesitation on his face, "But the team needs people and labor… The team is busy now, year‑end tasks are many, the work points…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was crystal clear.

In the team, work is either counted as points or rewarded with tangible benefits.

Lu Qingshan's family's current situation is clear to them. This kid was once notorious for never being satisfied with a free ride and for slacking off whenever he worked.

"I understand the rules, Uncle Dazhi." Lu Qingshan seemed to have anticipated his remark; before he could finish, he spoke directly, his tone carrying unquestionable authority.

"Among the three big ones in the mountain, I'll decide, picking the largest one, which should be about three hundred jin at least."

"I'll keep the hide and fur for myself; the remaining meat and bones go entirely to the team."

"Even if I ask the villagers for help, it'll be a thank‑you gift to the team."

"What do you think?"