"Old village chief, Grandpa Tu, we, we really killed this big wild boar!"
It wasn't until the wild boar stopped moving that everyone finally cheered.
Many were so happy they threw their hoes and red-tasseled spears aside. This wild boar, which had plagued their crops for so many years, had finally been killed.
The entire cornfield seemed to erupt with a deafening roar of cheers, a testament to how deeply the entire village of Shenjiaba hated these beasts.
As for the other wild boars, already scared away, upon hearing the wild boar's tragic cries and then seeing it completely killed, they were instantly terrified and fled into the woods.
Judging by this, these beasts probably knew the power of humans.
Everyone's gaze turned intently towards Tu Tianzong. This old hunter's shot had blinded the big wild boar, laying the foundation for its death.
"What are you cowards looking at this old man for? It was Yang Kid who shot and blinded the other eye of this hairy beast, otherwise it would have escaped."
Old Master Tu pouted. Killing a wild boar was nothing. He hadn't done it when he was young? These country bumpkins had never seen the world.
Chen Yang's arrow, however, made him see a shadow of his younger self.
He wasn't sure he could hit the eye of a raging wild boar with an arrow. Chen Yang's shot was fast, accurate, and fierce. When did this kid develop such superb archery skills?
"Yes, I saw it. Chen Yang drew his bow, whoosh, and the wild boar's eye was shot blind."
"That gave everyone a chance to butcher this beast together!"
With Old Master Tu's reminder, everyone looked at Chen Yang, and even Erwazi nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, Yang Zi's arrow shocked me."
"If not for his arrow, this beast would have definitely escaped. I really couldn't have stopped it."
Erwazi, recalling the raging wild boar just now, was almost scared out of his wits. If it weren't for Chen Yang, he wouldn't have been able to hit the wild boar's forehead squarely at such close range with his musket.
If he had been butted by the crazed wild boar, his stomach would have probably been pierced through.
"Chen Yang is simply our village's great hero. He saved the grain, led everyone to catch fish to earn money, and now he has killed a wild boar. It's truly our village's good fortune to have him come here to work and live in the past."
"Fu Tang, you old fellow are so lucky to have such an excellent son-in-law fall into your lap."
With Old Master Tu and his son both praising Chen Yang, everyone in the village also felt grateful to Chen Yang.
They had long wished to slaughter these wild boars, but had no way to do so. Now, they had finally vented their anger and avenged the destruction of their crops by these beasts over the years!
"What are you envious of? If you have the ability, let your daughter find a man as excellent as my son-in-law."
"My Xue Yatou's looks would be first-class even in the city. If Chen Yang wasn't capable, he wouldn't be worthy of my daughter."
Shen Futang was so happy he could almost pluck his beard off. If others flattered him, he might not be so happy, but when they praised Chen Yang, his heart bloomed with joy.
Several old men his age, seeing Shen Futang's outwardly humble but inwardly beaming face, felt a pang of jealousy.
But looking at his son-in-law, they had to admit he was impressive.
The things Chen Yang had done, saving the grain, collecting fish, killing wild boars – honestly, how many young people could do as well as him?
It was truly a case of 'comparing people leads to anger, comparing goods leads to being thrown away.' Back then, everyone had laughed at Shen Futang for only having two daughters and no son to carry on the family name.
But now, several old men of the same age as Shen Futang, looking at their own disappointing sons, and then at the dashing Chen Yang beside Shen Futang.
If not for their age, they would have really wanted to slap and beat these useless brats. Sudan Novel Network
"Alright, the wild boar has been killed today."
"Everyone, go get ropes, before it gets dark, and carry it back to be butchered."
"Today, every household will get a share of the meat!"
The old village chief and Old Master Tu discussed it. Killing the wild boar was an unexpected joy. While everyone was happy, they decided not to sell the meat and instead distribute it to the whole village.
Slaughtering a pig and distributing the meat was a joyous occasion that only happened once a year. As the old village chief finished speaking, everyone's faces were beaming with happiness.
When everyone went back to get ropes and poles to carry the pig, they realized they had underestimated the weight of the big wild boar. It was estimated to be seven to eight hundred jin.
At the entrance of the village, a group of strong men heated water in the production team's large iron pot, then used a ladder to hang the big wild boar up to bleed it.
This wild boar often rolled in the mud pits and was incredibly stinky. If the blood wasn't drained clean, the meat would be very gamey.
Several old butchers drained the blood clean, then scalded the pig with hot water to remove the bristles. The scrapers were sharpened to a gleam, and the steel-needle-like bristles were easily scraped off.
Unexpectedly, after the dark, rough exterior of the wild boar was de-bristled, the skin underneath was snow-white.
The master butcher held a boning knife and stood on a stool, making an incision along the windpipe, cutting all the way from head to tail.
Chen Yang was mesmerized. Butchering a pig could be so smooth.
Then came the removal of internal organs, the partitioning of ribs, the separation of legs, the cutting of trotters, the carving of pork belly, the rendering of lard...
With each step, Chen Yang marveled. Butchering a pig was like an art.
Not only him, but the entire village, young and old, gathered to watch the old butchers portion the pork. Under their hands, pieces of pork were perfectly cut into perfect strips.
"Old village chief, after removing the internal organs, the net weight of bone and meat is five hundred jin."
"This is a big, fat pig!"
After the division and weighing, when the weight was announced, everyone grinned.
With over a hundred households in Shenjiaba Village, each household could get an average of three to four jin of meat!
In previous years, the meat they received in a year was less than this single distribution, because the pigs they slaughtered for the New Year were not as fat as this big wild boar.
"It is indeed a big, fat pig."
"Let's do this, Grandpa Tu and Chen Yang will each get ten jin, Erwazi eight jin, and those who helped stab it will get four jin, then each household gets three jin."
"Does anyone have any objections? If not, this old widow will start cutting and weighing the meat to distribute it."
Looking at the glistening fat of the big wild boar, Shen Fuguo was also delighted. Today, the entire village would be drinking and eating meat. The aroma of the stewed meat would likely drift for miles.
The surrounding brigades, smelling the meat, would probably curse them from their homes.
"Old village chief, you distribute it as you see fit. We have meat to eat and are still not satisfied, we would invite divine retribution."
"It is only right for Grandpa Tu and Chen Yang and Erwazi to get as much as they do. Without the three of them, we wouldn't have a single bite to eat. We men used red-tasseled spears to kill the wild boar, so getting a little more meat is only right."
"We should be overjoyed just to have meat to eat!"
A group of men were laughing heartily. No one had any complaints. Everyone knew that if it weren't for the contributions of Grandpa Tu and his son, and Chen Yang, this wild boar would not have died.
It was fortunate that this was still the era of the commune and production teams. When it transitioned to household responsibility in later years, whoever killed it would own it. Most villagers now were simple and honest, and they used the team's firearms, so they distributed the meat collectively.
...