Chapter 153: Catching the Young Wild Boars

Li Long rode his bicycle to Shankou, then turned onto a goat path leading toward the area where he had set his traps.

Several hundred meters from that area, Li Long heard the piercing squeal of a wild boar—it was a young one!

It seemed the trap had worked!

Li Long felt excited; he pedaled faster. Near the mountain peak, he tossed the bike aside, grabbed his rifle and a sack, and charged downhill.

He saw over a dozen large wild boars and twenty or thirty young ones gathered in that area. Some of the adult boars paid little attention to the young ones' piercing cries, continuing to root up and eat grass roots; for them, eating was most important.

The mother sows circled the young boars, grunting constantly, even attempting to root through the wire.

Leading the group was a large boar weighing around two hundred kilograms, its tusks slightly exposed. Sensing something wrong, it grunted first, then began to roar loudly. It did not sit down but stood upright, turned, and charged uphill!

Li Long found this strange; he was still some distance away, and with the wind at his side, they shouldn't have been able to detect him.

Then, he heard someone shout in alarm:

"Wild boars!"

Li Long was so angry he wanted to curse—but at that moment, he had no time for that. He crouched halfway, raised his rifle, and fired at the half-grown boar charging uphill.

Li Long now had experience: for those running sideways along the ridge, he aimed ahead of their front half; for those charging uphill, he aimed higher. That split-second judgment was crucial.

"Pop, pop, pop, pop"—four crisp shots from the small-caliber rifle rang out. At a distance of less than eighty meters, Li Long clearly saw several spurts of blood erupt from the half-grown boar's body. It collapsed, rolled down the slope, and stopped when a bush blocked its path, its body still twitching.

The other large boars and many young ones had already dashed into the bushes or scrambled to the opposite mountainside, disappearing from sight.

Only then did Li Long have time to look at the man who had shouted—Xu Jianjun.

Xu Jianjun showed no awareness that he had disturbed Li Long's hunt. Seeing the boars flee, he ran from the eastern ravine and charged straight toward the young boar caught in the trap.

"Don't move!" Li Long raised his rifle. He was already angry; this man had scattered the boars, and now he intended to touch the young ones!

Xu Jianjun paused, then said carelessly:

"Xiao Long, you wouldn't be so petty, would you? I'm just looking; I won't take them away! Do you know how unpleasant those young boars' cries are? I came out early to check the surroundings, looking for good spots for traps, but I didn't expect..."

"Don't move!" Li Long shouted again. "Don't you know you've startled the herd? If you hadn't, I could have shot at least two or three boars! Also, be more careful next time you see a herd. If those large boars charge in your direction, you'll be seriously injured or even killed!"

"Xiao Long, don't be so dramatic. These creatures run at the slightest sound; how could they charge at a person?" Xu Jianjun still looked carefree, but seeing the gun in Li Long's hand, he held back and stopped moving forward, though his eyes remained fixed on the young boars with curiosity.

Li Long engaged the safety, slung the rifle over his shoulder, and strode down to the bush where the traps were set. He began untying the traps one by one and stuffing the boars into the sack.

Just like in the short videos from his previous life, these wild boars had black-gray striped patterns and were fierce; a light touch made them squeal wildly. But Li Long didn't indulge them; he grabbed them by the neck, untied the traps, tossed them into the sack, tied it shut, and moved to the next one.

"Xiao Long, these young boars are great; give me one!" Xu Jianjun approached familiarly, watching Li Long untie the young boars one by one. He looked envious and said.

"No. If you want one, catch it yourself." Li Long was in a bad mood. How could this man be so shameless? He had only heard rumors about his poor character before and hadn't dealt with him much, but now he saw it was true!

"Don't be so stingy!" Xu Jianjun thought catching one himself would be difficult; since there was one right here, why not just take it? Even if the young boar couldn't be raised, the meat would surely taste good now!

Of the twenty-plus traps, five young boars were caught. One had a leg bleeding from the wire. Li Long didn't care much; he put all five young boars into the sack and began collecting the traps.

Seeing Li Long unmoved, Xu Jianjun grew angry. However, Li Long held a gun and was younger, so Xu Jianjun dared not say much. Spotting an empty trap nearby, he quietly untied it while Li Long wasn't looking.

After untangling three traps, Li Long turned around, and Xu Jianjun finally stopped.

Li Long finished untying the traps, twisted them together, and carried the sack toward the half-grown boar. Although carrying the sack was inconvenient and the young boars inside were thrashing about, he trusted Xu Jianjun even less. If this man tried something malicious while Li Long wasn't paying attention, it would be hard to say what would happen.

The boar was already dead. Li Long drew the knife from his waist and began to drain its blood.

"Draining all that blood is such a waste!" Xu Jianjun, seeing Li Long stepping on the boar as blood flowed from its body, interjected.

Li Long turned and glanced at him. With just that look, Xu Jianjun fell silent.

The eyes of the Li family's second son were truly terrifying!

After draining the boar's blood, Li Long was about to eviscerate it when he heard someone shouting from a distance:

"Is that Brother Long?"

It was Tao Daqiang's voice.

Li Long guessed the sound of his gunfire had drawn him over.

"Daqiang, come help," Li Long called out. With Tao Daqiang's assistance, he could finish the job faster.

Although the weather wasn't very hot yet, it was different from winter. The boar meat needed to be processed as soon as possible, or it would spoil and go to waste.

Xu Jianjun had originally intended to follow Li Long and snatch some scraps, but with Tao Daqiang arriving, he knew his chances were gone. He turned and left.

Tao Daqiang hurried to Li Long's side and began helping him process the boar.

"Take these entrails back later and help Uncle Gu process them. Consider it an extra meal for your lunch," Li Long said while eviscerating the boar. "Later, help me load the boar onto the bicycle. I still need to deal with these young boars; it's not easy."

After removing the internal organs, the boar weighed over fifty kilograms. It was quite lean, but Li Long didn't mind; he kept even the head and hooves. Although they had eaten various meats throughout the winter, in 1982, most families might not eat meat more than a few times all year.

Although a few households in the brigade raised pigs, those pigs were likely sold in winter to raise money, so debts could be settled at the year-end accounting.

Tao Daqiang glanced at Xu Jianjun and asked in a low voice:

"Brother Xiao Long, what was he doing here?"

"I set the traps. The young boar's squealing caught his attention, so he came to look. As a result, he startled the herd. Otherwise, I could have shot another one or two boars. It was hard to find a herd, and he almost ruined it."

Li Long cut open the boar's belly with his knife, emptied the contents, wiped the blade on fresh grass, and stuffed the stomach back inside. It was a valuable item; even if not sold, it should be saved. Seeing Li Long nearly finish cleaning the boar, Tao Daqiang didn't mind the dirt and hoisted the boar onto his shoulder, heading toward the ridge.

Li Long followed with the sack. When they reached the bicycle, he handed the entrails (except for the stomach) to Tao Daqiang and said:

"Carry this back. I'll take the pork back first and come again this afternoon or tomorrow."

"Okay."

Li Long tied the boar to the rear rack of the bicycle, then tightened the sack containing the young boars and laid it on top of the boar. This ensured the young boars had limited movement space without disturbing the bicycle's balance. Li Long pedaled quickly downhill.

Watching Li Long leave, Tao Daqiang returned to the hillside, organized the boar's entrails, and carried them toward Xiaobaiyang Gou.

Inside Baiyang Gou, Xu Jianjun was speaking ill of Li Long to others:

"...If I hadn't blocked the eastern ravine entrance, could he have shot anything? And now, he killed the boar but didn't offer to share a bit. Instead, he treated me with disdain, not even letting me look at the young boars he trapped!

This second son of the Li family has really become arrogant this winter. He's looking down his nose at everyone. He won't be a trouble-free person in the future!"

He was about to continue when he noticed everyone's gaze turned toward his arrival path.

Tao Daqiang, panting and carrying a large bundle of boar entrails, hurried over. Seeing Gu Boyuan and the others, he shouted:

"Everyone, come help! This stuff is too heavy to carry alone! With this, we can enjoy a few good meals for the rest of the days!"

Hearing Tao Daqiang say this, everyone understood that Li Long's younger brother had not only shared the wild boar he caught with everyone but had given out quite a lot!

These people rushed over to help carry things. Old Gu, who was stoking the fire at the stove, said cheerfully:

"I was just worrying about how to improve everyone's meals. Now it's perfect. Although these wild boar offal have a bit of a smell, they're still better than having you all gnaw on steamed buns and eating red tofu every day!"

!.

Xu Jianjun muttered there: This meat probably isn't as tasty as red tofu.

"Jianjun, what are you saying? Come over and help turn the intestines!" Xie Yundong saw everyone was busy, but Xu Jianjun was standing in front of the dugout and not coming over, so he called out to him.

Although Xu Jianjun was disobedient, he was after all the captain's cousin. Having only been there for one day, Xie Yundong didn't want Xu Jianjun to become isolated.

However, everyone else knew the truth. Xu Jianjun had just slandered Li Long for not giving him meat, and then Li Long had immediately asked Tao Daqiang to bring over the offal. The slap in the face was too fast; Xu Jianjun hadn't even reacted, and he was too embarrassed to come over.

But no one mentioned it. Some things are better just known. Everyone was no longer a child; it was enough to have the right and wrong clear in their minds.

Li Long rode into the county town, already covered in sweat. Although the wild boar wasn't large, unlike grain, it was tied to the back of his bicycle and would slide. Plus, the five small wild boar piglets were restless, making it quite laborious.

He unloaded the small wild boars into the large courtyard, then took down the big wild boar, spread a plastic sheet on the ground, and began to butcher it.

He cut off a front leg, split a rack of ribs in half, placed them on the bicycle, and pushed it out.

After locking the gate of the large courtyard, Li Long first went to the police station. The officer at the door asked who he was looking for, and he said he was looking for Officer Guo.

A short while later, Guo Tiebing walked out from inside. Seeing Li Long, he was somewhat surprised.

"Officer Guo, I went into the mountains and shot a wild boar. You patrol and perform your duties with great hardship. Here is half a rack of ribs for you, as a small token of my gratitude."

"No, no, no, we cannot accept this." Guo Tiebing looked at the ribs with longing, but still refused verbally, "Not taking even a needle or a thread from the masses is our tradition..."

"This isn't a needle or a thread." Li Long said while unloading the ribs, "I am sincerely grateful to you. This isn't even anything good..."

After speaking, he threw the ribs at Guo Tiebing's feet and said:

"I still have business at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, so I won't say more. Goodbye!"

After speaking, he pedaled his bike and ran off.

Half a rack of ribs weighed about ten kilograms. Guo Tiebing looked at it, troubled. Just then, the station chief inside heard the commotion and came out. Seeing the ribs, he was somewhat surprised and asked what was going on.

Guo Tiebing explained Li Long's situation and mentioned the ribs. The station chief smiled and said:

"Since it was given by the masses, let's accept it. We can add it to our lunch, cook it all at once, and when we return this afternoon, everyone can take some home. We'll just strengthen our security patrols in the future."

Li Long rode his bike to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. He told the guard he was looking for Section Chief Li Xiangqian. Since Uncle Li wasn't there, the young guard recognized Li Long and let him go straight in.

Li Long entered and found Li Xiangqian's office. Seeing him smoking inside, he knocked and went in, placing the wild boar leg on the floor and saying:

"Section Chief Li, this was shot this morning. Have a taste of the fresh meat."

"Little Li, you're amazing!" Li Xiangqian looked at that pig leg with great surprise. He didn't lack meat, but the fact that Li Long could catch something so early indicated what? It indicated that the small-caliber rifle in his hands was truly not wasted.

Li Long wasn't exactly currying favor with Li Xiangqian; he simply wanted to sincerely thank the other party. Three hundred carrying poles could earn him three hundred yuan, which in this era equaled a worker's annual wage!

Who else would Li Xiangqian give it to? According to Li Xiangqian, it was for that sheep head, but Li Long felt he had still gained an advantage, so he should return the favor.

Coming out from Li Xiangqian, Li Long went to the Procurement Station. Chen Hongjun was collecting licorice roots; recently, with plowing and reclaiming wasteland, there were many licorice roots.

"Comrade Chen, I went up the mountain and shot a wild boar. I'm bringing you some wild boar meat to eat."

"Thank you, thank you!" Chen Hongjun was truly happy. That Li Long thought of him after catching a wild boar was quite unexpected. "I'll give you money..."

"What money? I'm leaving, I have other things to do." Li Long put down the wild boar meat and left. He was truly in a hurry; those small wild boars needed to be sent back immediately, or they would suffocate.

"Old Chen, do you know this person?" Another employee at the Procurement Station asked Chen Hongjun, his eyes full of envy.

"Yes, he's an external purchaser for the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and often goes into the mountains." Chen Hongjun wouldn't say he often came to sell things, as that would make people think he was engaging in corruption. In fact, every time he gave Li Long an evaluation, it was fair.

Li Long returned to the large courtyard, tied up the remaining wild boar meat, secured the sack containing the small wild boar piglets, pushed his cart out the door, locked it, and rode his bike towards the brigade.

(End of this chapter)