1983, Northeast China

Chapter 62 One Pig Before the New Year

Chen Shi watched as the yellow-eared pheasant hopped over, wagging its tail. He took the pheasant out of its mouth and tied it up by its wings.

Old Wei looked at Li Cheng's simple-minded face and explained, "Those hiding in the snow can't fly very well. Dogs have a good nose, so they can find them."

"You're really capable." Chen Shi patted its head and praised it.

Yellow Ears immediately wagged its tail like a broom.

Li Cheng immediately squatted down to pet it, but Huang Er turned its head away. "Wait, why is your dog so picky about who gets praised?"

"What's so good about being praised by you?" Old Wei said.

Chen Shi discovered that Lao Wei was actually very talkative and enjoyed chatting with people, but he just didn't want to go back to the village. The more he got to know him, the more he felt that Lao Wei was like a serious elder.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Old Wei asked, noticing Chen Shi staring at him blankly.

Chen Shi said, "I feel like you're becoming more and more popular."

"Tch..." Old Wei laughed in anger at these words, "So I was dead all along?"

"Uncle, you have no idea how scary you used to be," Li Cheng said. "You had such a cold face. If you had another scar on your face, you could have played a mafia boss."

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll give you a whack with my pestle."

As Chen Shi listened to their nonsense, he stroked the yellow-eared dog that was rubbing against him. He had known before that a good dog was useful, but after going with them for a while, he truly understood.

It's really easy to use.

When a person goes into the snow, they're practically crippled, but dogs are different; they can smell everything.

No wonder experienced mountain hunters always keep good dogs. Having a dog that truly understands the mountains can save you half the effort and prevent you from taking many unnecessary detours.

With the pheasant on his back, Li Cheng felt more confident about the trip. "The three of us together are invincible, I'm not bragging."

Before Old Wei could retort, he quickly asked again, "Uncle Wei, we have pheasants, but where are those roe deer? They're not dangerous, are they? They're big enough, and the meat tastes good. If we could get one, we wouldn't have to worry about food for the New Year."

Old Wei looked at him and said, "You picked a silly roe deer, and you've got a pretty good eye for it. You're finding one of your own kind."

"Of course." Li Cheng was quite smug at first, but then he realized something was wrong. "What do you mean by 'the same kind'? Uncle Wei, you're swearing."

"Go talk to them and see if they can carry you back, and maybe jump into your pot while they're at it," Old Wei said.

Li Cheng retorted, "I'm smarter than them. If my mother were chasing me, I would never turn back."

"Before you could run, she had already hit you," Chen Shi added sarcastically.

The group talked as they walked around inside.

They continued to circle around along the leeward slope.

Ahead were several snow-scraping pits, revealing withered grass and low branches underneath. There were thin hoof prints along the edges of the pits, not very deep. After walking a few steps, we stopped and turned back towards the edge of the woods.

"A roe deer," Old Wei said.

Li Cheng immediately craned his neck and searched into the woods, "Where is it?"

"The mark is here, but the item may not be here," Chen Shi said.

The two dogs ran ahead a bit faster, keeping their bodies low to the ground. Yellow Ears was in a hurry, but Gray Mouth walked very slowly, its nose pressed against the snow, pausing every now and then.

They followed the roe deer tracks and circled around, but after only a dozen or so steps, Greybeak suddenly stopped.

Yellow Ear also stopped, letting out a warning growl.

Upon seeing this, Old Wei's expression changed.

The roe deer's markings are all messed up here.

A series of deeper hoof prints appeared nearby, the hoof tips separated, pressed heavily, and the edges of the snow crust turned up. Further ahead, there were several snow pits arched open near the hazel roots, with mud and grass roots turned up.

Li Cheng looked at the mark. "This isn't from a roe deer, is it?"

"Pig," Old Wei said.

Li Cheng swallowed hard. "Domestic pig?"

Old Wei ignored him and followed the tracks. "A half-grown pig. About a hundred pounds, probably not testicles."

Li Cheng didn't understand. "Cannon? What?"

"A boar," Chen Shi said from the side.

Old Wei took the gun off his shoulder. "If it really is a boar, we'll have to retreat today. This thing is not easy to deal with if we really want to fight it."

Chen Shi looked around.

Wild boar tracks emerged from the leeward side of the gully, passing over roe deer tracks, and disappeared into a grove of fallen trees. There was more than one set of tracks, but the largest one was deep and sharp, with heavy snow tracks at the bend.

"I was shocked," Chen Shi said.

Old Wei nodded.

"Are pigs difficult to handle?" Li Cheng asked, noticing the expressions on the two men's faces.

As Chen Shi looked at it, he explained to him, "First a pig, second a bear, third a tiger, even a green-skinned dog doesn't rank high, what do you think?"

"That's amazing?" Li Cheng immediately turned around. "Let's go."

?

Chen Shi tugged at him, "It's not a boar. We have guns, what are you afraid of?"

"Oh, I was so scared I forgot about Uncle Wei."

"You scared me to death, not because I was gored by a pig. You have no guts to run into the mountains." Old Wei rolled his eyes at him. "If you had aimed correctly, Duzi would have been taken down with one shot. His vitals are only a small area. If you missed a little, it would have been over."

Upon hearing this, Li Cheng chickened out again. "Uncle, can you hit a vital spot?"

Yellow Ears let out another low growl and pressed its body towards the fallen trees.

Old Wei pulled out a single bullet and loaded it into the gun. "Chen Shi, you keep an eye on the dog. If the dog explodes first, and the pig charges, there won't be anywhere the gun will land."

Chen Shi called out to Huang Er in a low voice.

The yellow-eared bird stopped, but its claws remained digging in the snow.

Greybeak didn't move forward, but instead took a half-step around from the side, staring at the fallen trees.

A gust of wind blew in from the right rear, carrying the scents of the woods. Chen Shi smelled a fishy, ​​musty odor, along with the damp smell of rotten leaves under the snow.

Li Cheng, clutching the short fork, his face already pale, asked, "Is it too late for me to go back to the dugout?"

Old Wei didn't even look at him. "There's still time."

"I really have to go, Chen Shi. Don't say I'm not loyal to my brother, Uncle, let's go together." Li Cheng was genuinely scared.

"The pig will chase you first," Old Wei said slowly.

"Then...then I'll...go with you. There are more of us, so it might not chase anyone first."

"Brother, stand behind that crooked pine tree," Chen Shi whispered. "If you really rush out, don't run in a straight line, go around behind the tree."

"I know, I know," Li Cheng said. "I'm not a stupid deer."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a heavy groan suddenly came from the fallen trees.

Upon hearing the wild boar's cry for the first time, Li Cheng immediately shut up and hid in the spot Chen Shi had indicated.

Old Wei crouched down, his gun barrel lowered, his eyes fixed on the gap between the fallen logs.

Xuezhi swayed slightly.

A dark figure emerged from behind the hazelnut bushes. It wasn't particularly tall, but its mane was bristling and its mouth was covered in snow and mud.

This thing isn't like those scoundrels who circle around people, watching them and waiting for an opportunity.

It pawed at the snow with its front hooves, exhaled a puff of white breath from its nostrils, and tensed up its entire body.

Old Wei was squatting there with his gun in his hand, and Chen Shi knew he was waiting for an opportunity.

The wild boar hadn't fully turned around, and the fallen log blocked half of it, so the shot missed, making the boar's pain even more troublesome.

Huang Er was lying half-prone on the ground beside him, making warning noises, ready to pounce at any moment.

"Suppress it," Chen Shi said.

"It's a female." Old Wei spat, his mouth splitting into a wide grin. "Good stuff."

"Bang!"

The moment the wild boar turned around, Lao Wei pulled the trigger.

Then they heard a scream. The sow squealed and charged at them.

Li Cheng cried out in alarm from behind the tree, "It's been shot! Why is it still running away?!"

"Don't shout!" Chen Shi grabbed him by the back of the neck and pushed him backward.

The sow charged forward, hugging the fallen log.

It didn't have the long tusks of a boar, but its hard snout and shoulder were still frightening when it rammed into something. A frozen, brittle stump in front of it snapped in two and flew into the snow with a crack.

Chen Shi gripped the short fork, pushed the tip into the snow, and swayed to the side along the sloping tree.

The gray-beaked creature suddenly darted out from the other side, took a bite, and then retreated.

Yellow Ear followed and pressed down, squealing towards the sow's side and rear.

The sow was swayed to one side by the two dogs and her shoulder hit a fallen log.

Old Wei had already retreated behind another tree and loaded his second shot.

"Get out of the way!"

Chen Shi grabbed Li Cheng and held him down.

The second gunshot was closer.

The sow staggered forward two steps, her head hitting the snowdrift, and her four legs twitched a few times.

Chen Shi and Lao Wei didn't move, and Li Cheng didn't dare to make any rash moves either. "I used to see pigs in the basin during the New Year. This is the first time I've seen one rush over to wish me a Happy New Year."

After waiting a while, seeing that the sow didn't stand up, Old Wei breathed a sigh of relief, "You can still joke around, which means you weren't scared to death."

"Almost," Li Cheng said. "Any closer and I would have passed away a day earlier than expected."

Only when the thing stopped moving completely did Old Wei slowly walk around to the side and touch the pig's ear with a stick.

Li Cheng peeked out from behind the tree, his heart still pounding. He mustered his courage and leaned closer. "He's dead this time, isn't he?"

"Don't rush to touch me." Chen Shi quickly stopped him when he saw him about to reach out and touch her.

Yellow Ear and Gray Mouth circled the wild boar a few times, and after confirming that there was no danger, they squatted down next to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi patted Huang Er's head. "Good buddy, you've really opened my eyes today."

Only then did Li Cheng dare to approach.

The sow lay across the snow, her black bristles stiff and prickly, her belly heavy, and her shoulders and back firmer than those of a domestic pig.

Li Cheng reached out and touched it, then quickly withdrew his hand. "How much meat is that?"

"That'll shut you up for days," Old Wei said.

Li Cheng immediately perked up, "That won't do, I can talk even after eating meat."

As Chen Shi looked at the sow's footprints, that uneasy feeling welled up in his heart again.

This pig didn't slowly dig its way through the snow to find them. It rushed forward, creating messy snowdrifts, with broken branches at the other end of the leeward ditch. It was as if it had been driven out from deeper within by something.

Old Wei is watching too.

"Let's bleed it out first," Old Wei said, "then we'll figure out how to get it back. It's such a big head, the three of us can't drag it."

Chen Shi nodded and helped turn the pig over.

Old Wei made a cut, and pig's blood gushed out. Li Cheng watched, swallowing hard, yet also feeling a little apprehensive.

"Is this pig's blood safe to collect?"

"If there's no basin, are you going to catch it with your mouth?" Old Wei said.

"That's true, bring a basin next time." Li Cheng said with a hint of regret.

"Next time, you should move your whole family here."

"Uncle Wei, what did you mean when you said the pig wasn't startled by itself?"

Old Wei didn't look at him. He first opened the gun barrel, glanced inside, and then closed it again.

"It's because someone inside is causing trouble that the wild animals are running out."

Li Cheng immediately perked up, "Who's causing all this trouble? Night sledding? The forest farm? Or that other place...?"

"Shut up," Old Wei interrupted him. "If you're lucky enough to get in, go after them yourself."

Li Cheng glanced at the deep ditch, then at the wild boar on the snow, swallowed hard, and said, "Then I'll just eat pork."

Old Wei snorted.

Chen Shi didn't ask any further questions.

He knew Old Wei was right. Forget all that other stuff; what mattered more was that a pig lay on the snow. Meat, fat, skin, offal.

Chen Shi squatted down and looked at the sow's body.

Weighing around 100 pounds, it doesn't seem that big, but when it lay across the snow, it was much heavier than anyone expected. Three people trying to drag it back to the village untouched was going to be a tough nut to crack.

Old Wei had already cut open a wound with his knife, and the blood had mostly drained. He was a steady worker, but he was also quite sharp-tongued.

"Don't just look. If you want meat, reach out."

Li Cheng immediately stuck the short fork into the snow and squatted down to help.

"I'm just waiting for you to give me the order. I've only ever seen this thing in a basin before, how am I supposed to know where to start?"

"Then you've learned something new today."

Old Wei asked Chen Shi to cut down some straight hazel trees, and then asked Li Cheng to cut some vines.

Chen Shi quickly understood what he meant.

First, make a trailer.

The pig's body is too heavy; dragging it directly would plow through the snow and easily smear blood everywhere. Using two hazel logs to hold it in place and tying a cross branch to it would save some effort.

As Li Cheng cut the rattan, he kept glancing back at the pig and asked, "Shizi, how much meat do you think this will yield?"

"have no idea."

"That should be enough for the New Year, right?"

Old Wei said coldly, "Divide it up, endure it, and you won't have as much left as you think."

Li Cheng protested, "Isn't such a big head enough?"

"The moment your mother opens her mouth, she'll give away 30% of it."

Li Cheng thought about Aunt Wang's way of doing things and found that he couldn't refute her.

Huang Er kept circling around.

It still had a few pig bristles stuck in its mouth, but its eyes kept looking into the depths of the leeward ditch. Gray Mouth was more steady; it only sniffed around the way the pigs had come from twice before lying down at Old Wei's feet.

After draining the pig's blood, Old Wei covered the bloodstains on the ground with snow.

"The smell of blood will get out, and the weasels will find it troublesome. Get rid of it quickly."

After the trailer was secured, the three men tried to pull it, but the pig's body only moved forward a tiny bit.

Li Cheng's face turned red.

"This isn't a pig, it's a heated brick bed!"

Chen Shi also knew that this wouldn't work.

Old Wei's legs aren't good; he can't keep dragging it like this. If he keeps dragging it, the pigs won't even reach the village before Old Wei collapses halfway there.

"Brother, go back and call for help," Chen Shi said.

Li Cheng was stunned. "Go back by myself?"

"Follow the path we came from, don't turn into the ditch. Have Uncle Zhao bring two young men with ropes, and it would be best if they could also bring the brigade's sled."

Li Cheng glanced at the woods. "What if I run into wolves if I walk alone?"

Old Wei called Graybeak over, "Graybeak will take you to the timber crossing. Once we get there, you can go back on your own."

Li Cheng immediately laughed, "Uncle Wei, you're all talk and no action."

"If you say another word, you can leave."

Li Cheng shoved the cloth bag into Chen Shi's hand; it contained pheasant, birch mushrooms, and a few hazelnuts.

"I'll be right back. You two, don't hide from me, start grilling the meat first."

Chen Shi glanced at him and said, "Yes, we'll both finish eating."

Li Cheng chuckled and followed Graybeak back the way they came.

Old Wei sat down on a fallen log, legs outstretched, his face a little pale.

Chen Shi went over to check his leg. "Does it hurt again?"

"It won't hurt to death."

Chen Shi ignored him and touched the tendon below his knee.

Old Wei cursed, "You're really meddling now."

"If you collapse here, I'll have to drag you along."

Old Wei laughed in exasperation, "Dragging me is easier than dragging a pig."