Chapter 6

As Li Baoyu threw the thick branches into the fire, the flames were initially suppressed, but as the branches burned, the fire gradually grew stronger.

When the wrist-thick branches burned to a charcoal-like state, with red flames rising, Li Baoyu began to skewer the meat that Zhao Jun had prepared, one by one, around the fire.

By the time Li Baoyu returned to Zhao Jun's side, he saw that Zhao Jun was already using a hunting knife to slowly skin the wild boar.

Li Baoyu asked, "Brother, are you going to start skinning now?"

"Start!" Zhao Jun replied without looking up, "We can't drag it, so let's just skin it and take it back."

Hearing this, Li Baoyu understood.

If it were winter, with snow on the mountain paths, they could tie two ropes to the boar, each of them pulling one end, and slowly drag it back.

But now it was autumn, and a boar weighing over 200 pounds was too heavy for them to move.

Actually, they could cut off two of the boar's legs and take one leg home each, which would be enough for their families to eat tonight.

They could then find someone with a sled the next day to help transport the rest of the boar back.

However, looking at the old crows perched on the distant trees, waiting for them to leave so they could feast, and knowing that after dark, weasels and other small animals would come to eat the meat, and if a black bear happened to pass by, the boar might be half gone by the time Zhao Jun returned in the morning.

Moreover, if they asked someone with a sled to help, they would have to give them a lot of pork. The key was that once the boar was dragged back to the village, everyone would know, and they would all come asking for meat. How much would be left then?

In his previous life, Zhao Jun was known for his generosity. Even before he became successful, whenever he hunted, every household in the village would send a representative to his home, ostensibly to help with the butchering, but really to get some meat.

A wild boar, no matter how big, could only provide so much meat. Did they really need the whole village to help?

But Zhao Jun never cared. He never let anyone leave empty-handed.

In the end, when he returned to the village in poverty, how many people still cared about him?

Even those who had called him brother would mock him when they met on the road.

After all, in the entire Yong'an Village, who hadn't eaten meat from Zhao Jun's hunts?

In this life, Zhao Jun didn't want to share the meat with those people anymore.

However, as neighbors, it was one thing to not see them, but if they saw and came asking for meat, it would be hard to refuse.

So, they decided to cut the boar into pieces, put them in burlap bags, and each take half home.

"Brother, I'll follow your lead," Li Baoyu said, nodding and squatting down to take the hunting knife from Zhao Jun, "Let me do it."

Without a word, Zhao Jun handed the hunting knife to Li Baoyu, thinking that the boy was probably just excited about his first hunt and eager to do the hard work.

Zhao Jun didn't point this out. Instead, he skewered the steamed buns and corn cakes they had brought with tree branches and placed them near the fire to slowly roast.

Gradually, the wild boar meat began to sizzle, and small oil bubbles appeared on the surface. Before the fat could drip, Zhao Jun would lift the skewers and rub the excess oil onto the buns and corn cakes.

By the time Li Baoyu had skinned half the boar, the smell of roasting meat filled the air. He and Zhao Jun had left home before seven in the morning, climbed over mountains, and then been hit hard by the boar. After all that, he was already very hungry.

Now, smelling the meat, he couldn't resist.

He threw the hunting knife aside and moved to the fire, his eyes fixed on the skewers that Zhao Jun had just flipped. He couldn't help but lick his lips.

Seeing this, Zhao Jun smiled, patted Li Baoyu on the shoulder, and said, "Watch the fire, don't let it burn."

"Okay, okay," Li Baoyu replied, his attention entirely on the meat, and he continued to lick his lips.

Zhao Jun then went back to help Li Baoyu skin the boar.

When he was almost done with the entire hide, he heard Li Baoyu shout, "Brother, come quick!"

"Coming, coming," Zhao Jun, who was also hungry, walked over and saw Li Baoyu holding three skewers of meat.

Zhao Jun took the skewers, blew on them to cool them, and took a bite. The meat was full of flavor, and the aroma was intoxicating.

He grabbed a roasted corn cake. The golden corn cake, slightly charred on the surface, was even more appealing with the oil from the wild boar meat rubbed on it.

He took a big bite, and the sweet aroma of the corn and the rich smell of the pork made him close his eyes in satisfaction.

"Comfortable!"

One bite of cake, one bite of meat, one bite of bun, one bite of meat.

The two young men quickly finished all the food and meat.

Li Baoyu wiped the oil from his mouth with the back of his hand, took a few big gulps of water from the water bottle, and feeling full and content, he became a bit lazy in the afternoon sun.

"Brother, why don't we take a nap before we go?"

After a morning of hard work and a satisfying meal, Zhao Jun was also a bit drowsy, but thinking about the hard-earned wild boar, he firmly rejected Li Baoyu's suggestion.

"No, we need to finish butchering and go home."

"Okay, okay," Li Baoyu, who had followed Zhao Jun since he was a child and always obeyed him, got up and helped Zhao Jun finish skinning the boar.

The boar's hide, with its fur, could be fed to dogs, but the dogs would die from constipation after eating it.

So, hunters usually left the hide behind after skinning the boar.

After skinning the boar, they threw the hide aside. Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu, one with a knife and one with an axe, began to butcher the boar.

One head, four hooves, four legs, two sides of ribs, the entire spine, the large and small loins...

The boar, originally 280 pounds, had been bled, and some of it had been fed to the dogs. Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu had also eaten about three pounds of meat.

After removing the skin, fur, and some waste, the boar, with bones and meat, weighed about 200 pounds.

"Pack it up!"

At Zhao Jun's command, Li Baoyu began to pack the meat into the large burlap bags. As he packed, he understood why Zhao Jun was eager to return home.

Dividing the meat, each bag would contain about 100 pounds. Even though they were strong, carrying 100 pounds for over 30 miles of mountain paths would take them until nightfall.

"We don't need the head," Zhao Jun cut off the ears and nose with the hunting knife, kicked the head aside, and threw away the clean spine.

Then, the two of them, with the meat on their backs, whistled to wake the two sleeping hunting dogs, and they all headed down the mountain path back home.