A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 85 Casual Chat

Seeing it now, I realized this wild boar truly was a large one. No wonder people say no other wild boars dare to appear on the nearby mountains; just look at its gleaming white tusks and its weight, roughly estimated at 300 pounds, and you know it's not to be trifled with. Chairman Zhang wondered to himself how this wild boar could remain unharmed.

Xiao Zhang was also terrified by the wild boar lying on the ground. Good heavens, is this the wild boar that wreaks havoc on crops, the one they talk about on TV? He immediately remembered news reports from the past about wild boars causing trouble in certain areas, or wild boars being killed in certain places.

Although the wild boar lying in front of me is neither dead nor alive, I'll probably run far away once my injuries heal.

This trip was definitely worthwhile. And the veterinarian's knife skills really impressed Chairman Zhang. The saying "extraordinary people often emerge from the countryside" is indeed true; the saying "a minor hermit lives in the wilderness, a major hermit lives in the city" is quite accurate.

Chairman Zhang nodded as he looked at the document, occasionally expressing his amazement.

Zhang Niu's father quickly noticed Chairman Zhang at the front of the crowd. However, he didn't pay much attention, assuming he was just someone from another village passing by and had come in to take a look.

The veterinarian removed the last few steel balls. He let out a breath, his back drenched in sweat. Zhang Niu's father quickly brought over a bowl of water. "Here, quench your thirst."

He washed the handles in the bucket. The veterinarian picked up a large bowl and gulped down his food. "Retrieving the steel balls this time was really exhausting. They were all clustered together. This sharpshooter's skills are truly impressive."

The veterinarian, sitting in the chair, wore a satisfied smile, pleased to see his apprentice bandaging so skillfully. After all, such surgeries as removing steel balls were rare, and how much the apprentice learned was entirely up to him.

"Hey, Dr. Wang, how's this wild boar? Can it be saved?" Zhang Niu's father asked as soon as the veterinarian took a break.

"It's hard to say. After all, it was shot in multiple places. Although the steel pellets and rotten flesh have been removed, its survival still depends on itself. In my opinion, since it managed to run back from the mountains, it has about a 50% chance of survival," the veterinarian gave a rough estimate.

However, everyone knew that a 50% chance was high. If the dog had been shot five times, it would have been dead long ago and wouldn't have been alive when it ran back.

The wild boar was carried to the edge of the main hall of the house. The pigsty was dirty and prone to infection in the hot weather, so it was moved to the main hall for ventilation and cleaning.

The onlookers dispersed. The veterinarian invited Zhang Niu's father and Er Gou to stay for lunch, so they could observe any changes in the wild boar.

After everyone dispersed, Chairman Zhang came up and said, "We're from the photography team. We came here specifically to see the wild boars. May we come in and have a seat?"

Zhang Niu's father was surprised that the photography crew knew about it. Zhang Niu had mentioned it when he came home last time, so he had some doubts. "The photography crew, huh? Come in and have a seat." He was very welcoming and invited them in.

The veterinarian was a little surprised by the two people who came in; why would the film crew come down at this time? However, judging from the demeanor of the slightly gray-haired old man, he must hold a high position within the film crew. The veterinarian had traveled to many villages and seen all sorts of people, including many referred by others.

After they were seated, tea was served. Zhang Niu's father said, "I wonder if your photography crew really came to this remote place for photography?"

Having just taken a sip of coarse tea, Chairman Zhang replied, "You could say we're here for leisure. To be honest, I'm the head of the photography group, and this is my assistant. After being here for a while, we naturally wanted to find a small mountain village to rest." Chairman Zhang knew that if he wanted to blend into the village, he needed to be clear about his intentions to win the villagers' favor. Otherwise, people would think he had ulterior motives.

Wow, even the head of the photography group has come here! Everyone was surprised, wondering if they came down to rest, sightsee, or had other intentions.

"Are you really here to rest and sightsee?" Zhang Niu's father, still unsure, wanted to ask again to clarify things.

"Fellow villager, don't worry, I drove here, what could I possibly be thinking?" Chairman Zhang could tell from the sound of this fellow villager's words that he still had some doubts.

"That's good. It's not that I doubt you. It's just that things have been a bit chaotic in the village lately. People in the village are a little wary of people from other villages." Zhang Niu's father breathed a sigh of relief. It's all about sightseeing, especially since they drove all the way here.

Drinking coarse water, Xiao Zhang felt that these villagers were really too scheming. Did they think there was something valuable in the village for them to steal?

"Is poaching really rampant here lately?" Chairman Zhang immediately thought of the incident of injuring a wild boar.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Niu's father became furious. "Yes, I've heard rumors lately that there have been many poachers in the mountains, and many families' dogs that have wandered into the mountains have been shot."

"Yes, that's right. My apprentice and I have been to quite a few villages. Yesterday, at Happy Cottage, we shot a wild boar, but it wasn't as serious as this one—just a bullet in the leg. We have to go up there this afternoon to change its dressing." The veterinarian talked about the recent incident.

"In that case, shouldn't you call the police?"

"Call the police? There are mountains in the distance, mountains upon mountains, and even the older generation in our village has never been able to leave. Calling the police is useless here," Er Gou chimed in.

"My son caught three poachers last year, and then I heard from the village that he ran into them again outside. Do you think this is a good idea?" Speaking of poachers, I remembered the three guys he caught in the mountains last year.

"Every year, countless rare animals roam these mountains. They are all killed by poachers. In recent years, I've seen piles of bones every time I go into the mountains," Er Gou sighed, seemingly helpless against the poachers in the mountains.

"To be honest, most of the rare animals caught in the mountains end up in the mouths of city dwellers," Zhang Niu's father said, disregarding the presence of others.

"Yes, we bring back pangolins, deer, and anything that flies in the sky or runs on the ground from the mountains, calling it wild game."

Chairman Zhang frowned in thought. This phenomenon is common in the city, only now it's more covert. Occasionally, it's even reported in the newspapers. It seems a surprise inspection is necessary.

That was their intention. A few days later, a massive surprise inspection was conducted throughout the city. Many rare and endangered animals were discovered. Many well-known hotels were scheduled for rectification. Television stations also conducted a several-day follow-up investigation. Zhang Niu's father and his family were unaware of all this.

Zhang Niu's mother came out and said, "The food is ready, come in and eat!"

"Okay, come in and have something to eat! There's not much food, but don't mind," he said, standing up to greet them.

Zhang Niu's stomach rumbled. Looking down, he realized his belly was protesting the unfair treatment. He tightened his belt, determined to hold on a little longer and have a proper meal when he got back.

On his way back, Zhang Niu accidentally took the wrong turn. He was so frustrated. He had no choice but to go back the way he came. Zhang Niu looked a little pale, probably because he hadn't slept all night and his eyelids were drooping. He washed his face in a cold puddle to feel a little better.

Just as I felt better, my stomach started protesting again. At that moment, the wolves who had run off returned empty-handed. It seems that this is what happens when you have bad luck—looking at the birds flying in the sky, you wish a few would fall down right now to satisfy your craving.

Zhang Niu, lost in thought, looked up at the sky. He decided to get back to work and keep hacking away.

After the meal, Mr. Zhang, along with the veterinarian and Chairman Zhang, went to Happy Cottage to change the dressing. Along the way, Chairman Zhang asked many questions, mostly about Happy Cottage.

Stepping on the gravel path, Chairman Zhang looked around the area and could see the bamboo houses in the distance. Although he could only see the outlines of the bamboo houses, they looked very similar to those in the photos.

Upon seeing the fish skeleton by the roadside, Chairman Zhang hurriedly ran over, touching it and exclaiming, "What a pity, what a pity!"

Er Gou was shouting, "Isn't this the fish rack from the village? What's it doing here?"

"Isn't it because that kid is just messing around when he has nothing better to do? I've told him off several times, but he's still the same," Zhang Niu's father replied.

The fish rack, over 1.3 meters long, is still quite eye-catching. "Where did you get these fish bones? They're missing a head, though."

"Last week I found a 1.7-meter-long fish at the edge of the village. I bet none of you city folks have ever seen one like it. It looked really weird," Er Gou said, gesturing with his hands. "How big was it? This head, it was this big."

Judging from the gestures, Chairman Zhang roughly understood what was going on. What was most surprising was that the fish bones were snow-white and gleamed with a white light. A careful sniff revealed no fishy smell whatsoever. This village certainly has many traditional remedies.

Zhang Niu's father's reaction to them was normal. Many villagers had seen the fish skeleton displayed here before. They all marveled at how different kinds of fish had different kinds of bones.

After observing for a while, the two continued following behind. At the gate of the courtyard, the three wolves were baring their teeth and howling at Zhang Niu's father standing there.

Seeing the fierce look of the blue wolf in front of the door, Er Gou and the others couldn't help but back away. They immediately realized that the wolf had probably gone into the front yard.

Following behind Chairman Zhang, I could now truly see a robust blue wolf. Although I had seen similar wolves in the north before, seeing one in person now felt completely different.

Xiao Zhang knew about wolves, but he was still frightened by the blue wolf in front of the door. Looking at Xiao Zhang's expression, Chairman Zhang knew that the kid was probably just like he had been when he first saw one.

"I'm afraid we can't get in today. You've all seen that blue wolf, right? If we force our way in, it might attack," Zhang Niu's father said, looking at the blue wolf.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it. I'll come back tomorrow." He felt helpless towards the blue wolf veterinarian in front of him.

The blue wolf howled at the door. The large red wolves on the tree followed suit, looking at the group of people outside the courtyard.

"Let's sit in that little bamboo pavilion for a while!" he said, gesturing for them to go to the pavilion.

Chairman Zhang was very satisfied with the place. Especially the environment, and the many wild boar piglets running around inside. There was even an owl huddled behind a tree. He now felt this place was even more interesting than Old Wang had described.

After waiting a long time in the afternoon without seeing him return, the veterinarian went back first. Chairman Zhang said he wanted to look around and do some sightseeing. Naturally, he stayed at Zhang Niu's house that night.

As darkness fell, Zhang Niu emerged from the mountains, finding numerous traces of blood along the way, though they had already congealed.

Could King Kong have already come out? Judging from the bloodstains, they were probably left this morning. Zhang Niu couldn't help but wonder.

Zhang Niu was very happy to hear this news. At least he knew that Jin Gang had come out, and if he was lucky enough to be discovered by the villagers, nothing bad would happen.

Second update! I'm posting it early, I'm going out tonight. Please give me some votes!