1983, Northeast China

Chapter 63 Pulling the Pig Down the Mountain

As soon as Li Cheng left, Lao Wei stood up and started pulling on the ropes on the frame.

Chen Shi was worried that Wei's legs wouldn't be able to support him, and was about to reach out when Old Wei turned around and glanced at him. "My leg is lame, not broken."

Chen Shi withdrew his hand; the stubborn old man was too proud to help her up.

If you really treat this old man like a cripple, he can really turn on you.

Chen Shi and his men had almost finished tidying up the area, and the woods suddenly became quiet. After all the squealing and gunfire that had been making a racket, the sudden silence was unsettling.

Old Wei found a piece of wood, sat on it, and stretched his injured leg forward.

Chen Shi thought it was because his leg hurt, so he reached out to massage it for him.

"I don't need that," Old Wei insisted. "The pain will subside after a while."

"That's something an old person would say."

"Hmph, I was an old man too."

Chen Shi touched his leg again, and could feel the tendon even through the cotton pants. It was very taut, even harder than when they went into the mountains.

"Don't squat," Old Wei said. "Stand up. If you stand, you can see up there."

Chen Shi strained his ears to listen for a while, but couldn't even hear the sound of a crow.

It's too quiet.

Old Wei placed the wooden stick across his knees. "It's not a wolf. Wolves wouldn't come this way at this hour; the gunshots scared them away long ago."

After a while, he asked again, "Did your father teach you how to listen to the mountains?"

Chen Shi shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe I was taught it, but I didn't pay attention. Or maybe I didn't have time to."

Old Wei was silent for a while. "When the wind blows from the ditch outwards, don't walk. When the wind blows inwards, you can walk. Don't walk when there's fog in the mountains. If a dog suddenly stops walking, don't force it to move. If there are no birds in the treetops, something's probably wrong down below. Your father knew all this, but he didn't teach you. I'll teach you a sentence for him."

"Uncle Wei, is that thing fussing around inside someone from the forest farm?"

Old Wei looked down at his legs. "When your father was alive, the forest farm wasn't this chaotic."

"Later, the people changed, the people in charge changed, and the mountains were no longer the same mountains. Some people took public property as if it were their own. When they took too much, someone had to keep an eye on them. When there were too many people keeping an eye on them, someone had to hide. Why do you think they didn't hang bells or turn on the lights in the dead of night? To keep people from finding out."

Chen Shi always felt that he had encountered a lot of things since his rebirth, so much so that he was not sure if he had experienced these things in his previous life.

Old Wei glanced at him and said, "Don't think about it. Getting a pig today is already a favor from the mountain god."

"I know."

"Good to know," Old Wei said. "Your dad was just too persistent. He thought that if he kept track of things in the mountains, he could figure them out. And what happened?"

He didn't finish speaking. Chen Shi didn't press him for details. The old man wouldn't say anything unless he was in a good mood or a bad mood.

After waiting a while, the wind died down.

Yellow Ear turned its ears in another direction.

Old Wei glanced over there too. "He's back. You'd better figure out how to get this pig back and how to settle the score yourself."

Chen Shi knew that once this pig was brought back to the village, it wouldn't just be a matter of his family killing a pig anymore.

A hundred or so pounds of meat—who in Kaoshantun wouldn't crave it at the end of the year? From the moment they descended the mountain to their own courtyard gate, someone was watching them every step of the way.

"We'll handle it however we need to. The pig was shot legitimately, the gun came from somewhere, and we'll have a legitimate explanation for anyone who asks."

Li Cheng's voice grew closer in the distance.

"Hurry up, it's just ahead! I always told you two that you run pretty fast when you get to the fields, but how come you're like an old ox when you go into the mountains?"

"Can you just shut up for a bit? This snowy road isn't flat."

"What's wrong with the snowy road? I also walked back via this road, and I even made an extra trip."

Greybeak emerged from the woods first and circled around Old Wei.

Li Cheng led Zhao Defa and two young men to the edge of the forest. His face was red from the cold, but steam was rising from his forehead.

"The people have arrived. The sled is at the crossroads, and I had them bring two extra ropes." Li Cheng walked over. "How's that? Pretty efficient, bro?"

Chen Shi said, "Okay."

"That same word again." Li Cheng turned to look at the wild boar, then called back to Zhao Defa, "Come quick, come and take a look."

Zhao Defa walked over and was stunned when he saw the wild boar lying on the snow.

These are local mountain products.

"My God." He squatted down, then stood up, then squatted down again.

After Chen Mancang and his men passed away, this was the first time they had ever seen such a large, live wild boar that had been hunted from the mountains.

"Who fired the shot?" Zhao Defa suddenly asked.

Old Wei said, "Me."

Zhao Defa nodded, as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. At least it wasn't Chen Shi who was hit by the gun.

Chen Shi's family is currently facing too many troubles, and many people are watching him. In a village full of gossips, anyone could easily be caught out by a careless remark.

"Was this pig really startled? I've lived this long and seen all sorts of wild boars, but this is the first time I've ever heard of someone driving a boar out of a deep ditch. What on earth are those people doing inside?"

Zhao Defa wanted to ask more, but Old Wei said, "Let's get the pigs back first. You're almost as old as me, why are you still acting like a child, curious about everything?"

Zhao Defa wasn't someone who didn't understand etiquette; he knew what to say at what time. He just mentioned that he hadn't seen Old Man Wei for a long time.

He stood up and glanced at the two young men beside him. One was his nephew, Zhao Dazhuang, who was burly and strong, and the other was Sun Xiaopao, the accountant's nephew, who was agile and nimble.

"Dazhuang, go with Xiaopao and check if the ropes on the trailer are tight enough, because the uphill road will be difficult to walk on later."

The two young men verbally agreed, but their eyes were fixed on the wild boar. Zhao Dazhuang swallowed hard. "Uncle Zhao, how much meat is that?"

"It's not yours anyway. Get to work."

Sun Xiaopao whispered, "My family has never bought this much meat even for Chinese New Year."

Zhao Defa was also helpless. Everyone is craving food at the end of the year, and he was craving it too. "Stop joking, let's talk about it when we get back."

Chen Shishi overheard this and took the rope. "Those whom Uncle Zhao called over to help are all relatives of mine. Go back and cut it up, then send the meat to your homes."

Then he turned to Li Cheng and said, "Brother, you and the other two lead the way. Uncle Wei and Uncle Zhao, you two keep an eye on the right, I'll bring up the left. Don't push too hard when going over slopes or bumps, listen to my commands."

Upon hearing that there would be meat to share, Zhao Dazhuang and Sun Xiaopao perked up, spitting on their hands and rubbing them together. "Come on!"

Li Cheng rolled up his sleeves. "Did you hear that? I'm still the main force at the front."

Zhao Dazhuang said, "You're in front to block the wind, aren't you?"

"How can you talk like that? I'm the leader."

After several people secured the ropes, Chen Shi shouted "Let's go!" and the trailer plowed two deep furrows in the snow.

After walking for a short while, Li Cheng was panting heavily ahead. "Did this pig get fatter after it died? Why does it feel heavier and heavier as I poop?"

"That's because you're out of energy," Zhao Dazhuang said.

"I'm not energetic? I just ran all the way back to the village from the mountains by myself, and then brought you all back with me. If I wasn't energetic, you'd still be drinking tea in the village right now."

"You took the wrong turn on your way back to the village. If Hui Zui hadn't been waiting for you, you would have circled around the pond a few more times."

"...Can we please not mention this anymore?"