13
Hunting
“Everyone, check if anyone is missing and notify each other.” The Village Chief looked at the twenty-odd strong men before him with satisfaction.
More people meant greater strength—exactly what was needed for this task.
Liu Qing Yang and Liu Qing Zhu were also in the lineup. If they could catch more game, each person would get a larger share, and they could even sell some. Their families needed silver, so they had no choice but to take the risk.
Nearby, several women watched their husbands standing in the hunting party, their faces full of worry.
“This trip might take three to five days. Have everyone brought enough dry rations?”
“Yes,” came the somewhat uneven chorus of replies.
Seeing the low morale, the Village Chief added, “Don’t worry, that mountain isn’t very dangerous. As long as we work together, we’ll get our prey. That fresh meat will be all yours! Does everyone have confidence?”
“Yes!” Instantly, everyone’s faces lit up with enthusiasm, and they shouted back with full confidence.
“Check who’s still missing,” the Village Chief said to a young boy beside him. The boy looked somewhat anemic, his frail frame swallowed by his loose clothing.
He was the Village Chief’s second son, Liu Yanan. Due to being born prematurely, he had always been weak and anemic. Rumor had it the Village Chief had found a skilled doctor, so he had improved this year and could move around more.
The Village Chief’s eldest son was still bedridden at home, having not recovered from a drowning incident.
Liu Yanan checked the roster in his hand and replied, “One person is missing—Lin Jiang.”
“Alright, has anyone seen Lin Jiang?” No sooner had the Village Chief spoken than a panting voice came from not far away. “I… I’m here.” Lin Jiang ran over as he spoke.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Lin Jiang hurried to the front of the group and nervously said to the Village Chief, “Sorry, Village Chief, my mother is sick, so I…”
The Village Chief cut him off impatiently, “Now that everyone’s here, let’s go.”
Lin Jiang didn’t dare say more and silently followed. He glanced back longingly at his house, worried about his mother being alone, though he had asked someone to check on her.
He was counting on this hunt to catch game, sell it for money, and use it to treat his mother’s illness. He hoped everything would go smoothly.
Mother, wait for me.
His family situation was difficult: his father had a severed arm, and his mother was often ill, requiring constant medication. He was the only pillar supporting the household. How could he be worthy of Yu’er? He couldn’t let her suffer with him.
He could only bury his feelings in his heart and leave it at that. They were destined to miss each other, but he couldn’t help feeling resentful.
Yu’er, I can only call your name silently in my heart.
May you live a peaceful and happy life!
When they arrived, no one from the other villages was there yet. The Village Chief first found a place to eat, then planned the hunting strategy.
After the meal and a rest, the Village Chief assigned experienced hunters to set traps based on animal habits or by examining animal droppings.
Once the hunters identified the spots, a few people began setting up the traps as instructed.
The others paired up and hid in the grass, staying alert.
After the traps were set, everyone found hiding spots and remained silent, as the hunters had said there were wild boar droppings in the area, making it likely that wild boars were around.
The small amount of droppings suggested there weren’t many wild boars.
They waited until evening but saw no wild boars. Instead, a pheasant fell into one of the traps.
Though they hadn’t spotted the wild boar yet, no one dared complain about the hunter. After all, it was the hunter who led them here every year, and they never returned empty-handed—always bringing back some small game.
Though they returned with injuries each time, these were merely superficial wounds that healed with rest. Because the hunter knew martial arts and always stepped in when anyone was in danger, his share of the prey was consistently larger than everyone else’s—a fact universally acknowledged.
Those with greater contributions took more game; those with lesser contributions took less. But even those who contributed little during the hunt would receive something, as this was the rule.
From night until day, they waited—it was already the second morning.
Everyone was drowsy except for the Village Chief, the hunter, and Lin Jiang, who remained vigilant.
Snort… Huff. Heavy footsteps accompanied the grunting.
The hunter quickly patted Wang Dawei and whispered, “Stay alert—the wild boar is coming. Get your weapons ready.” Wang Dawei immediately woke up and roused those beside him.
Each person carried different tools: bows and arrows, butcher knives, iron shovels, axes, and more.
Lin Jiang and the Village Chief promptly alerted everyone, and they all snapped to attention. Holding their breath, they slowly turned toward the source of the sound.
In their eyes, the wild boar meant meat—most villagers only ate meat during the New Year. The village organized hunting trips two or three times a year.
These activities were always scheduled during the agricultural off-season.
Huff~ The sound grew closer, and soon a black wild boar charged into view, followed by a small piglet.
Just as it seemed about to evade the trap, the hunter commanded, “Everyone, move out!”
They rushed forward with their weapons. The hunter shot an arrow into the boar’s body, while Lin Jiang leaped onto its back and drove his knife deep into its neck. The boar squealed in pain, thrashing wildly and slamming its back against trees.
It tried to throw Lin Jiang off. Watching the danger he was in, the others broke into a cold sweat. The hunter swiftly dashed over and slit the boar’s throat. As the boar collapsed, Lin Jiang jumped down.
The hunter walked over and patted Lin Jiang’s shoulder. “Your life matters most, understand? Don’t ever do that again.”
Lin Jiang nodded gravely, realizing how recklessly he had acted in the heat of the moment.
The Village Chief also came over and scolded him, “Do you know how dangerous that was? What would your parents do if you were gone?”
Ashamed, Lin Jiang replied, “I won’t do it again.” The Village Chief sighed—what more could he say? It was poverty that drove such risks.
The others comforted Lin Jiang, reminding him that while money was important, it wasn’t worth risking his life. After repeated assurances from Lin Jiang that he would never repeat such actions, everyone relaxed. Had anything happened to him, how could they ever face his parents?
They carried the boar to their hiding spot, rested for a while, and calmed their nerves.
On the third day, they only managed to catch small game—aside from the boar and piglet, no large animals were taken.
He Xunzhou knew the Liu Family village was hunting. On the second day, he arrived at their hunting grounds. If the men of the Liu Family were injured but not killed, would they still have the capacity to meddle in others’ affairs?
He Xunzhou could control weaker animals. He saw the Liu Family villagers resting by the river, eating dry rations, with their hunted prey nearby. Everyone looked cheerful, chatting and laughing together.
Suddenly, the hunter felt goosebumps rise instantly—danger. Was it a large beast? He hurriedly said to the crowd, “Stop eating, quickly find a place to hide.” After speaking, the hunter was the first to climb up a large tree.
Everyone followed suit, immediately finding nearby large trees to climb and wait.
Hunter Liu Tie’s intuition was never wrong—it really was a beast, though he didn’t know what kind it might be.
A snake? A wolf? A bear or a tiger? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten goosebumps. His instincts had always been very accurate.