As the village meeting concluded, the old village head was about to discuss with the team leaders how to arrange manpower for the canal construction and distribute work points.
Suddenly, the previously silent gongs and drums rang out again!
"Disaster, disaster!"
"Old village head, wild boars have entered the village's sweet potato fields. They've already ruined several mu of sweet potato leaves and tubers."
"Second Grandpa, who was guarding the field, almost got gored by the wild boar while trying to drive it away. He's twisted his back and has already been carried back."
Second Grandpa was old and highly respected in Shenjiaba. To take care of him, the old village head had assigned him the easy job of guarding the sweet potato field for work points.
Who would have thought that these darn wild boars, after ravaging the cornfield last time, would now be destroying the sweet potatoes!
"Old village head, let us grab our weapons and take care of those wild boars!"
"Old village head, we'll join this time too. We'll go back to the village and get our muzzle-loading guns and red-tasseled spears. We were so envious last time Shenjiaba ate meat."
A group of burly men immediately became excited. Last time, the entire Shenjiaba village feasted on meat, making the other villages in the brigade extremely envious.
There was nothing they could do. They hadn't participated in hunting the wild boar, so they didn't get a share of the meat. This time, they couldn't miss out.
"You bunch of fools, those wild boars aren't something to play with. Last time..."
"Forget it, it's hard to explain to you. Only experienced shooters can handle muzzle-loaders. Don't get scared and let the boar gore you with its tusks, or you'll lose half your life."
"Don't just think about eating meat. Driving this beast back into the mountains and saving the sweet potato field is the greatest victory. Our lives are more precious than these beasts."
Shen Futang wanted to persuade everyone not to rush into hunting wild boars for meat, but seeing their excited faces, he couldn't stop them.
Last time Shenjiaba ate meat, Liu Jia Village, Xiong Jia Gang, and Zhao Jia Wan were all envious. They hadn't been present that time, and they couldn't say anything about the meat distribution to those who contributed.
This time, if he, as the village head, didn't allow them to hunt wild boars, the villagers from other villages would have opinions, saying he wasn't impartial.
As the village head, he couldn't always prioritize his own village. If he did, others wouldn't agree or respect him.
"Old village head, you can rest assured."
"Shenjiaba has Old Master Tu, and we have experienced hunters in several villages. With muzzle-loaders coordinating, we won't risk our lives."
"We want to keep our lives to take our wives and children to enjoy a good life!"
The men from several village teams were very excited. Now, in their eyes, the creatures digging up sweet potatoes in the field were not wild boars but walking slabs of fat meat.
Who wouldn't want to eat meat in this era!
"Go, go."
"Men, go home and get your spears and red-tasseled spears. Women, keep an eye on the children and don't let them watch. These beasts are fierce. Last time, even several shots didn't bring them down. Don't let the wild boars run around and injure the children."
Shen Futang could understand the villagers' desire for meat. Forget them, he was also craving that fat, glistening pork belly.
Moreover, it was already October, and there were fewer things to chew on in the mountains. If some wild boars weren't dealt with, they would inevitably continue to ravage the crops in the future.
Previously, he had always been afraid of wild boars injuring people. This time, the experienced hunters from the production team's villages would bring muzzle-loaders, and if Chen Yang could blind the wild boars' eyes like last time, the danger would be greatly reduced.
With Shen Fuguo's command, the men couldn't wait to grow extra legs and dashed home to get their weapons, fearing that the wild boars would escape if they were too slow.
"Youngster Yang, go home and get the bow from Old Master Tu. Use his good bow, just like last time."
"You don't need to do anything else. Your only mission is to aim for the wild boars' eyes and shoot."
Chen Yang was about to go back to get his homemade bow when the old village head suddenly pulled him aside.
Old Master Tu didn't refuse. Chen Yang followed the old man into the house and only then understood what professionalism was.
Traps, rat traps, animal traps, wooden stakes for making traps, fishing nets – Chen Yang could think of anything related to hunting, and the old man had it all, except for a hunting dog.
In fact, the old man used to have a wolfhound, but unfortunately, during those years of famine, there was no food at home, and people starved to death. How could there be food for the dog?
Many people also had their eyes on the dog meat. The old man took the dog into the mountains and came back with two wild rabbits. He drove the dog away into the mountains, not letting it follow him out.
From then on, the old man never kept a dog again.
What caught Chen Yang's eye the most were the bows and arrows hanging on the wall. The glinting arrows, even without touching them, exuded an aura of killing intent.
These bows and arrows had likely hunted a lot of game; the smell of blood was strong!
"Youngster Yang, don't disgrace my bow. This was passed down from my grandfather."
"This is my three-stone hard bow. It can kill a person at a hundred paces when fully drawn."
"When I was young, I could draw it full and kill a tiger."
The old man took down the bow and tightened the string.
This bow was usually unstrung when not in use, and it was only strung when needed. If it were always strung, the bow would be ruined.
Chen Yang took the bow from Old Master Tu and pulled it. He was almost using all his strength and still couldn't draw it fully.
This was so much better than his homemade bow. Even if he couldn't draw it completely, its destructive power was far superior to his own bow.
"Old master, just watch. With this bow, I'll surely show you something."
Chen Yang touched the bow's body, which had clearly endured the passage of time. Tracing the scratches, he could almost feel a murderous aura.
After getting the bow, the old man, along with his son Tu Erwa, rushed to the field with their muzzle-loading guns. Last time, he and Tu Erwa were the main force in hunting the wild boar, and this time would be no exception.
When Chen Yang and the others arrived, many villagers were already holding spears and red-tasseled spears, herding the wild boars into an area near the mountain.
Behind them was the mountain, to the east was the Willow River, and to the west and front, they had been surrounded.
These wild boars were not as bold as last time. Except for a few smaller ones that were surrounded and shamelessly digging for sweet potatoes, some of the larger wild boars were nervously pawing the ground.
The scene of Chen Yang and the others killing a large wild boar last time had probably been deeply imprinted in their minds.
Wild boars were vengeful creatures.
"Old Master Tu, we'll guard the front, and you and Erwa will guard the west, how about it?"
The hunters from other villages also held their muzzle-loading guns. Last time, the father and son duo got so much meat as the main force, and they were envious.
"Everyone be careful. These beasts are not easy to deal with."
"There are seventeen or eighteen wild boars here. If we can hunt two or three, it will be enough for us to eat. Don't just focus on grabbing prey. If anyone is careless and gets gored by a wild boar."
"You won't get any meat, and your wife will have to remain a widow. This is no joke."
Old Master Tu didn't argue with the youngsters. They only envied the meat they ate last time but didn't see the danger. If Chen Yang hadn't shot the wild boar in the eye, he and Erwa would have been in danger when the wild boar went berserk at the end.