Chapter 882
Making Trouble
"A dozen or twenty?" Upon hearing Yue Feng's answer, the companions beside Uncle Er immediately let out a series of exclamations.
A single wild boar is a huge fortune. Now that the villagers have organized a collective hunt, they've caught a dozen or twenty boars in one go. They've struck it rich!
Yue Feng replied, "It seems to be 19 pigs, including four or five larger ones, as well as young pigs and small piglets!"
The cannons fired down the mountain, and the pigs that hadn't yet gathered would definitely turn around and run back. We, who were lying in ambush here, dared not wait any longer!
This large group was the first to return, so we attacked them!
With the equipment we six have, if we wait until the pigs have all gathered and drive them back according to our plan, we can at least increase our catch by another 50%!
The second uncle also noticed the slight dissatisfaction in Yue Feng's tone.
When hunting as a group, the worst thing is when someone disobeys orders and causes trouble. This is a perfect example right here, and unexpected situations can directly affect everyone's final harvest.
"That makes sense, but the two brothers, San Dan and San Dan, are a bit timid. When they encountered a wild boar that got close, and they didn't have any other weapons, they had no choice but to fire a cannon!"
"We can't risk our lives for a little prey!" Uncle Er advised.
Yue Feng sighed: "You're right! Let's do it this way! Everyone get to work, cut down some small trees for tools, and carry the pigs and offal down the mountain!"
It's too hot now. The wild boar meat, once gutted, needs to be processed immediately when we get back, otherwise it'll spoil by midnight!
Upon hearing that the precious wild boar meat would spoil, the villagers who had come up the mountain to help immediately got to work.
They chopped down some wood, tied the wild boar's four hooves together, and two people carried the boar, which weighed over 200 pounds, down the mountain with relatively steady steps.
Yue Feng and the other main attackers also chopped sticks to help carry the pigs. With many hands making light work, they carried all ten or so wild boars, big and small, down the river in one trip, leaving only two pig offal pieces on a tree branch not far away to "pay homage to the mountain god".
From the bottom of the mountain, the strong laborers carrying pigs down the mountain, each with a flashlight in hand, formed a long line.
As soon as everyone carried their evening's harvest down to the foot of the mountain, the other villagers who had already gathered at the pass rushed up to them.
"Secretary Yue, did you hear gunshots coming from the mountain? Did they shoot down a few pigs?"
"Yes, there was a lot of gunfire, they must have fired quite a few shots, right?"
"Wow, this old sow is quite big, it must weigh close to 300 pounds!"
……
The villagers had all sorts of opinions, and some busybodies were shining flashlights around, trying to see exactly how much stock they had received.
Yue Feng was panting heavily as he carried the pig down the road. Seeing these villagers who were more trouble than they were worth, he suddenly became a little angry.
"Stop asking questions and wandering around! Come and lend a hand, let's switch roles and carry the pig back to the village office! Those who just watch and don't do any work will have no harvest when we get back to the village!"
At this call, everyone immediately realized that San Dan had messed things up. Now everyone knew why the firecrackers had been set off so early, and no one dared to cross Yue Feng, the village secretary.
If this wasn't a joke, and I was used as a negative example when we got back to the village and the meat was distributed, I'd have nowhere to complain.
The group of people took over from the people who carried the meat down the mountain, and then went down the mountain in a lively manner, heading straight for the village office.
By the time everyone who had harvested the produce and those who had gone into the mountains returned to the village office, it was already 2:30 a.m.
Nineteen wild boars of various sizes were lined up in the village square, and the strong smell of blood permeated the surrounding area. Many women, children, and the elderly who were left at home heard the commotion and, forgetting their sleep, came out of their homes, carrying flashlights, to join the excitement at the village square.
Before long, the small square was packed with people who had gotten up in the middle of the night to watch the excitement.
Yue Feng invited Xiao Tao and Xiao Wen into his father-in-law's yard. A short while later, a large incandescent bulb socket and wire were brought out from the inner room.
By using a long pole to raise the light bulb and its power cord to a higher position, the lighting situation in the small square was immediately greatly improved.
"Xiaofeng, it's past midnight now, what should we do with the wild boar we hunted?"
When his father-in-law, Wang Jianguo, heard the commotion, he put on his coat and got up from his house. After understanding the situation, he asked Yue Feng about the follow-up arrangements.
Yue Feng glanced at his father-in-law: "It's already past midnight. Using a loudspeaker to shout about distributing meat at this hour is a bit dim, even with the light bulbs on!"
Or, how about we hang the wild boar on a pole, clean it up a bit, and then butcher it when it's light? The pork's already been bled and gutted; it shouldn't spoil in a few hours!
Wang Jianguo shook his head when he heard his son-in-law's idea: "That's not reliable! Even if the meat doesn't rot by midnight, if it's just left like this, it definitely won't be fresh by the time everyone gets up tomorrow!"
To solve the problem, we need to continuously flush and cool it down with well water!
"Then we'll do as you say! We'll organize people to first skin, debone, and remove the meat from the pig, then rinse it with well water to cool it down!"
Everyone, please be quiet. Are all the team leaders for the temporary hunting groups on the mountain? Come and gather here!
At a shout, everyone immediately moved toward Yue Feng's location.
Next, Yue Feng made some simple work arrangements.
Which people are responsible for burying the hanging pole, which people are responsible for helping to debone, skin, and butcher the meat, and which people are responsible for going home to get large iron basins and other water-holding tools.
The rest went to the nearest well and took turns pumping water to continuously cool the pork.
With many people, there is great strength; in team activities and when the tasks are clearly defined, efficiency is quite high.
Soon, the meat-removing rack was set up, and villagers with meat-removing experience lent a hand to begin the thorough processing of the game.
These trivial tasks were all done by others, so Yue Feng didn't get involved himself. Instead, he strolled over to Sandan.
"San Dan, I heard you got gored by that old sow. Where are you hurt? What happened?" Yue Feng asked with concern.
San Dan was a few years older than Yue Feng, but he hadn't seen much of the world. When Yue Feng asked him a question, he was quite timid and didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lowered his head somewhat guiltily.
Although Yue Feng wasn't exactly a shrewd person, he certainly possessed the ability to read people's expressions and demeanor, and in this situation, it was obvious that he was acting out of guilt.
Could it be that what happened to this guy wasn't as simple as the accident Uncle said?
"I'm asking you a question, stop pretending!" Yue Feng urged.
"Secretary Yue, I...I'm fine!" Sandan mumbled.
"What happened at the time? Tell me about it!" Yue Feng continued to ask.
San Dan rubbed his head: "I don't know what happened either. My brother and I are dozens of meters apart, keeping an eye on things as you asked!"
Suddenly, several large wild boars charged at me! Before I could even react, they knocked me down!
Then I got scared and ran away as fast as I could, yelling for help!
The old sow that bumped into me didn't run away when it heard my shouts. Instead, it chased after me and slapped me several times across the face!
My head is still spinning from the fall!
After saying the words "still dizzy," San Dan swallowed hard.
His earlier statements were logically consistent, but that small gesture of swallowing at the end gave him away. Yue Feng remained calm, his eyes fixed on San Dan, and deliberately asked in a serious tone, "Oh? Is that what happened? Are you sure it's true?"
"It's...it's true! I...I didn't...I wasn't lying!"
San Dan was visibly nervous, and even started to stutter a little when he spoke.
Yue Feng nodded slightly: "Alright, I gave you a chance but you didn't take it! Then don't blame me for handling it according to the rules!"
I'll ask you one last question: were you lying just now?
There are more than just a few of you at the foot of the mountain. Think carefully before you answer me!
"I……"
Upon hearing that Yue Feng already knew, San Dan froze on the spot, only managing to utter "I" before falling silent.
"3! 2~~~" Yue Feng counted down from three, deliberately drawing out the second syllable.
"I said! I was wrong, Secretary Yue! I shouldn't have lied!"
San Dan couldn't withstand Yue Feng's mental pressure and admitted his mistake.
"What exactly happened?" Yue Feng's tone became more serious, almost a accusatory shout.
"I made a bet with Daqiang. He said that you can't set off a firecracker fuse by hitting it with a stone, and I said you can! So I picked up a stone and tried it! As a result, I set off the firecracker! I was afraid of being criticized, so I lied and even rolled it around in the field many times on purpose!!" San Dan told the truth with a stiff upper lip.
Daqiang's real name is Zhou Xueqiang. He is Zhou Yuansen's eldest son. He just got married this year and is two years older than Yue Feng.
Zhou Yuansen is a member of the Zhou family and is a cousin of Zhou Jianjun, within the fifth degree of kinship.
Upon hearing this, Yue Feng immediately realized what was going on.
When Yue Feng first started to make his fortune, Zhou Jianjun came to Yue Feng's house to buy an eagle. Later, a conflict arose, which escalated to the point of fighting. It was only because the village secretary intervened that the matter was resolved.
Later, Yue Feng's hunting team became more and more successful, and Zhou Jianjun became much quieter. Zhou Xiaobao was tricked by the little fox into gambling and lost a lot of his family fortune. Zhou Jianjun's branch of the family obviously declined and became more low-key in the village, with their presence becoming increasingly less noticeable.
Once Yue Feng became the village secretary of Xing'an Village with the support of his father-in-law, the conflict between the Zhou family and Yue Feng completely disappeared.
These people were all very polite to Yue Feng and showed the village secretary a great deal of respect.
However, Yue Feng knew that these guys were not good people at heart. Zhou Xueqiang was using reverse psychology to tease the somewhat simple-minded San Dan by setting off firecrackers with stones. This was not just a joke; it was a malicious act by nature, an attempt to disrupt Yue Feng's organization of the villagers to carry out the autumn harvest.
"Alright, it's good that you know you were wrong!" Yue Feng took a deep breath and shouted, "Zhou Xueqiang, come here!"
Everyone was busy with their own work when suddenly a loud shout rang out, and they all turned to look in Yue Feng's direction.
Zhou Xueqiang wasn't working; he was hiding in the crowd watching the commotion, observing how things were developing. When he heard Yue Feng call his name, his heart skipped a beat.
He also contributed his efforts by standing guard on the mountain.
If you want the spoils, you can't stay hidden forever. You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever. If Yue Feng wants to find you, he'll have plenty of opportunities.
Realizing he had been exposed, Zhou Xueqiang braced himself and stepped out from the crowd.
"You've arrived, Secretary Yue. You wanted to see me?"
Yue Feng and Zhou Xueqiang were kindergarten classmates. They were a year apart, but Zhou Xueqiang started first grade first, so strictly speaking, they were the same age. However, they lost contact after dropping out of school.
"Was the thunderclap made by San Dan a bet you made with him?" Yue Feng didn't bother beating around the bush and asked directly.
"Hehe, I was just joking with him. Who would have thought that this guy would be so naive as to actually throw a rock at a firecracker fuse!" Zhou Xueqiang chuckled, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Fine! If you admit it, then it's fine! You openly disrupted Xing'an Village's autumn protection campaign, causing the autumn hunting to fall far short of expectations. A hundred or so able-bodied men worked hard all night, and you almost completely ruined it!"
I'll report the situation to the commune tomorrow and see what their decision is!
Yue Feng immediately slapped a huge label on the other party.
When Zhou Xueqiang heard that Yue Feng was serious, he was instantly terrified.
In the eyes of ordinary villagers, the commune was the largest unit! If this situation were reported and he were arrested, it would be incredibly embarrassing.
On his way back, Zhou Xueqiang had prepared himself mentally. At most, he could accept not receiving the hunting spoils as punishment. But he didn't expect Yue Feng to not waste any time with him and go straight to increasing the intensity.
"No! I didn't do that! I was just joking, I didn't mean it!"
Zhou Xueqiang shook his head repeatedly, his face contorted in pain.
Just as Yue Feng and Zhou Xueqiang were facing off, Xiao Tao, who had heard the commotion, put down the bone-dissecting knife and came over.
"Brother, what's going on? What are you guys yelling about? Daqiangzi, you dare to yell at my brother? You want a beating?"
When Yue Feng saw Xiao Tao coming over, he knew that his chance to deal with Zhou Xueqiang had come.
As the village secretary, it's definitely inappropriate for him to physically assault someone, but giving this dirty work to Xiao Tao is much more of a professional choice.
Yue Feng stated truthfully, "Zhou Xueqiang instigated San Dan to set off the firecrackers! That bastard did it, but he still doesn't dare to admit it!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Tao didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second. He rushed forward and kicked Zhou Xueqiang to the ground.
"You son of a bitch! You dare to cause trouble?! All the men in our village have worked so hard for so long, and you've ruined it all! I'll fucking kill you, you bastard!"
Xiao Tao knew the extent of the damage caused by this disruption; it directly reduced the pig herd by half.
Therefore, he didn't hold back at all when he hit people, kicking them all over fleshy parts like the shoulders, back, buttocks, and thighs!
Even if Zhou Xueqiang had been prepared, he would have been no match for Xiao Tao. He struggled a few times, but Xiao Tao kicked him down again. Zhou Xueqiang covered his head, shrank his neck, and howled on the ground.
The sudden conflict quickly attracted the attention of a crowd of onlookers nearby.
At first, some people tried to break up the fight, but after understanding the specific situation, no one said a word.
He disrupted the autumn hunting season and harmed the entire village. Zhou Xueqiang deserves a beating this week!
Seeing that the beating was almost over, Yue Feng belatedly stepped forward and pulled Xiao Tao back.
"Let's talk this out, don't fight! Xiao Tao, stop hitting him!" (End of Chapter)