1983, Northeast China

Chapter 64 Old Wei's Backing

The group of young people initially thought that pulling a pig wouldn't be difficult, but when they actually started pulling it, the weight of about 200 pounds in the snow became a nightmare.

Li Cheng was in front, his face flushed a deep purplish-red, panting heavily from exhaustion. Although he complained, he gripped the rope tightly with both hands.

As the dark, smoky wild boar was slowly pulled closer to the village entrance amidst the grunting of the men, Li Cheng gestured for a pause, took a breath, and said, "Here it comes, get ready, there's a sea of ​​people ahead."

"Do you think this is a market?"

"Pretty much. Bringing back a pig is more exciting than going to a market."

Unexpectedly, Li Cheng's prediction came true.

Just as we arrived at the entrance of the village, an old woman drawing water by the well almost dropped her bucket into it.

"Oh my god! What is this thing?"

"Wild boar! It's a wild boar!"

She placed the bucket on the edge of the well, and her hand slipped, causing the bucket to tilt and spill half of the water. She didn't care; she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Come quick! The Chen boy has dragged a big wild boar back!"

Before long, the people who had been hiding inside heard the commotion and rushed outside without even bothering to get dressed properly, wearing coats and scarves.

Soon, a crowd of people, men, women, and children, surrounded the trailer, their eyes gleaming with an almost greedy light.

At the end of the year, everyone is short of oil and food, so bringing home a wild boar is more eye-catching than getting a new wife.

A head of wild boar meat is the highest form of currency.

Several grown men crowded around, touching the wild boar repeatedly, then looked at Chen Shi with amazement and envy.

"Shizi, how capable do you have to bring something that big down like that?"

"I can't believe my eyes! How much meat is that? It must weigh over a hundred pounds!"

"Not only that, look at that belly, it's so heavy the trailer is almost buried in the snow."

Old Scarface pushed his way through the crowd to the front, staring at the animal from left to right for a long time. "Wild boar. Hey, it's a real wild boar. Look at that black bristles... look at that... look at that back and shoulders... oh my, I'm not kidding, this isn't domesticated. It's been so many years since we've seen such a big wild animal in our village."

"You've really brought back your father's skills, kid."

Several older people nearby nodded in agreement.

"When Mancang was alive, you could smell stewed meat in our village in winter. After he passed away, which young man dared to go deep into Laonangou these days? Let alone hunting pigs, it's difficult to even catch a rabbit."

"That's right, the young men in my family don't even dare to go near the mountains, saying they're afraid of the old noises."

"This child is just like his father, bold and upright."

"He's even better at getting things done than his father. Look at him, he killed such a big pig, and instead of secretly taking it home himself, he had Zhao Defa bring people to pick it up. He's doing it openly, not afraid of being seen."

Chen Shi held onto the tow rope, a polite smile on his face. These words drifted over, but his heart remained largely unmoved.

In his heart, his father has been dead for most of his life, including his past life. Now, when people say he looks like his father, the feeling is subtle and a little unfamiliar. He doesn't know how to respond.

"How about that? I told you it would cause an uproar, right?" Li Cheng puffed out his chest, "You guys didn't see what happened when that pig charged at us. I'm telling you, I was standing behind a tree..."

"You're hiding behind a tree and you still have the nerve to say that?" someone laughed.

"So what? I'm not stupid. If it charged at me, wouldn't I dodge? Besides, when we were pulling the pigs later, I was one of the main force at the front. If you don't believe me, ask them, Uncle Zhao, Uncle Wei, you tell me the truth."

Old Wei, leaning on his cane, glanced at him. "He's had an accident. He hasn't stopped talking, and he hasn't let go."

The people around laughed.

"Did you hear that? Uncle Wei said it himself. I call this using both my mouth and hands, multitasking, which most people can't do."

Zhao Dazhuang, panting, said from behind, "Is that multitasking? You're doing the work of two people with just one mouth."

Li Cheng turned around and glared at him, "You go ahead and do your thing, don't sabotage me."

Aunt Wang had heard the commotion long ago. She ran out of the yard, and everyone knew she was Chen's godmother, so the crowd automatically made way for her. It wouldn't be right not to make way at this time.

She walked up to him, and before even looking at the pig, she touched Li Cheng from head to toe.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm not hurt, Mom, I'm really not hurt. I hid behind a tree, and when they pulled the rope, I was in front."

Aunt Wang looked at Chen Shi again.

Chen Shi said, "Godmother, I'm fine too."

"You can't just say it's nothing, I have to take a look..." Aunt Wang looked at both of them to make sure there was no blood on them before looking down at the pig.

After looking at it for a while, she finally said, "There will be meat for the New Year."

"Second Aunt, you're going to be very busy this time," someone said with a smile.

"Busy but happy!" Aunt Wang's voice brightened again. "In previous years, even cutting some pork cracklings for the New Year was a good thing. This year, our family can render a whole jar of oil."

Old Wei, standing nearby, leaned close to Chen Shi's ear and said, "This thing is attracting attention. Get it away quickly. If it stays like this, just look at the way people are looking at it..."

Looking at the longing eyes around him, Chen Shi knew very well that if he said, "I killed this pig, so I have the final say," his life in the village would be very difficult from now on.

In this environment, hoarding is the biggest taboo, while being "generous" is the best protection.

"Uncle Zhao, this pig was hunted by Uncle Wei, and everyone helped drag it back. Uncle Wei has a bad leg, and he did the most work this time, so we should give him a portion of this pig to help him recover."

Chen Shi deliberately brought this up first, giving Lao Wei plenty of face.

Old Wei snorted coldly from the side, but there was a hint of joy in his eyes.

"The rest," Chen Shi said sincerely, looking at Zhao Defa. "Uncle Zhao, you're the head of the brigade, so you have the most say. I'm thinking that those who helped pull the pigs should be given a good cut of meat; we can't let them get away with their hard work."

Zhao Defa sighed inwardly; this kid was no simpleton. He knew Chen Shi was using the pig to curry favor with him, and doing so very cleverly.

Zhao Dazhuang and Sun Xiaopao, the two young men, were stunned.

In the village, helping someone a lot usually only gets you a "thank you" or a drink. It's the first time I've ever seen someone specifically asked to cut a piece of meat right there during the meat-sharing process.

The two men's expressions changed instantly. In their gazes toward Chen Shi, there was something deeper than just admiration.

But the people around them didn't think so.

At the end of the year, seeing this enormous wild boar, many people's mouths were practically watering.

"Shizi, this pig is way too big. Your family can't finish it all by themselves," a middle-aged man said tentatively, rubbing his hands together. "Could you sell it to us a little cheaper? If we can get just two pounds of meat, our kids will be happy for days."

"That's right, that's right! We're all from the same village. You can sell it cheaper, we'll cover the cost, all we need is some meat!"

Several villagers nearby joined in the commotion, and the noise gradually grew louder.

In this winter when meat is scarce, this pig is incredibly tempting.

Old Wei, who had been standing silently at the back with a gun on his back, suddenly snorted coldly.

The group of troublemakers immediately fell silent. Old Wei didn't live in the village, but everyone in the village knew his temper; it wasn't just eccentric, it was as stubborn as a donkey.

More importantly, Lao Wei is of extremely high seniority.

"Buying meat?" He sneered, his tone laced with malice. "I slaughtered this pig to give to the Mancang family's child. The meat hasn't even entered the house yet, and you're already talking business here? What, are you taking advantage of this child's honesty? His soft heart? His easy manipulation?"