The sound was very strange, like a pig's grunting, but not very loud, accompanied by a peculiar sloshing noise!
Qin Shuangshuang, relying on her own strength, thought that even if she really encountered some wild beast, that beast might not be as strong as her. So, she boldly followed the sound.
The sound was very close to Qin Shuangshuang. She only had to go around two big trees and climb a small hill to see, in a small hollow, a wild boar!
It had rained a few days ago, and the hollow was between two small hills on the mountain. It had accumulated a pool of rainwater, and the wild boar was rolling in it, turning the small pool into a muddy pit.
The wild boar was rolling in the muddy pit, grunting contentedly, occasionally using its snout to dig around, uncovering roots of unknown plants to eat!
Qin Shuangshuang estimated that this was a half-grown wild boar, weighing around two hundred pounds, which made her heart beat with excitement!
If it were one of those fully grown wild boars weighing three hundred pounds or more, up to even five or six hundred pounds, Qin Shuangshuang might not dare to provoke it. However, this solitary half-grown wild boar seemed like she could possibly take it down with her strength!
If it were a tiger, Qin Shuangshuang would definitely turn and run immediately. Tigers were agile in their attacks, and although Qin Shuangshuang was strong, she wasn't as agile as a tiger. But while wild boars weren't much less dangerous than tigers, their attacks were simple and rough.
Wild boar attacks relied on their tough skins and brute strength, charging straightforwardly without much technique. Qin Shuangshuang wasn't afraid to test her strength against a half-grown wild boar; her strength had been increasing with age.
At just a few months old, she could kick a grown man away. Now at five years old, she felt confident in her advantage of strength over this half-grown wild boar!
Despite her confidence, Qin Shuangshuang didn't rush in to confront it directly. Instead, she circled around, found a stone as big as an adult's head.
Silently, Qin Shuangshuang approached the wild boar still rolling in the mud pit, easily lifted the stone, and with all her strength, aimed it at the wild boar's head!
The stone made a sharp whistling sound as it flew towards the wild boar! But Qin Shuangshuang's aim wasn't great; it missed the head. Fortunately, the stone didn't fall short, hitting the wild boar on its back instead!
The wild boar, suddenly attacked, let out a distorted scream, and thrashed about, unable to stand. Even though Qin Shuangshuang missed the head, the blow broke the wild boar's spine!
Take advantage of the situation! Without hesitating, Qin Shuangshuang dashed forward, raining punches on the wild boar's head! The wild boar let out a few more heart-wrenching cries, then stretched its neck and slowly stopped moving.
Excited, Qin Shuangshuang dragged the wild boar out of the mud pit, ignoring its muddy body, carried it on her back and ran down the mountain. All she could think of was bringing this big wild boar home to nourish her mother, Mrs. Bai!
Mrs. Bai had always been frail, skinny, and it was too little meat to eat that caused it. In the past, Mrs. Bai couldn't even have meat for the New Year's celebrations.
Once Qin Shuangshuang could start hunting a bit, occasionally catching mountain chickens or wild rabbits, Old Chen would sell most of the catch, leaving only a little for the family.
Because of her bold nature and temper, Old Chen feared Qin Shuangshuang's rebellion and knew she cared about her mother Mrs. Bai. So begrudgingly, she would let Mrs. Bai have a few bites of meat!
But that wasn't nearly enough to nourish her. Now, Qin Shuangshuang planned to ensure that this wild boar wouldn't be entirely sold by Old Chen, leaving at least half for Mrs. Bai to nourish her body!
However, when Qin Shuangshuang was carrying the wild boar down the mountain and encountered a dumbfounded villager, she suddenly calmed down.
Qin Shuangshuang suddenly remembered the few families in the village who were particularly kind to her.
Everyone knew Old Chen was unfriendly to Qin Shuangshuang, and that Qin Shuangshuang ate a lot but never got enough food. Thus, the villagers assumed she wasn't getting enough to eat daily.
In the village, there were those who liked to watch the drama and gossip, but there were also several kind-hearted families who often secretly slipped Qin Shuangshuang some food behind the Qin Family's back. It wasn't much each time, but over time, it added up significantly.
The village chief and their neighbor Aunt Hao's family were especially caring towards Qin Shuangshuang. Every time Old Chen caused trouble for her and Mrs. Bai, Aunt Hao would come over, bringing her children to mediate, mostly to protect Qin Shuangshuang and her mother Mrs. Bai.
Also, the village chief's family was very kind, often giving Qin Shuangshuang some tasty things. Last year, when Mrs. Bai had typhus, it was the village chief who sent medicine over, helping Mrs. Bai recover quickly.
In the past, when she hadn't obtained anything good, it didn't matter. But now that she had, she felt she must thank those who had been kind to her. However, if she took the wild boar home, Old Chen would never let her distribute it as a gift.
Fortunately, the villager she encountered was a well-known pig slaughterer in the village, known for slaughtering pigs during festive seasons—Qin Sheng.
Since most villagers shared the surname Qin, they called each other by their given names. Qin Sheng was also kind to Qin Shuangshuang, whom she always referred to as Uncle Sheng.
Qin Shuangshuang greeted him warmly, smiling before she spoke. She was born beautiful and cute, with skin tanned to bronze from being outdoors all the time, and though her body was muddy, her appearance was so charming that it didn't detract from her cuteness, especially when she smiled, which warmed anyone's heart. As her mother Mrs. Bai would say, she was especially endearing!
Seeing Qin Shuangshuang's smiling face, Qin Sheng indeed felt cheerful. Although surprised that this little girl had captured a half-grown wild boar, thinking about her strength which exceeded that of grown men, it wasn't too shocking!
The shock came from seeing a small girl carrying a boar bigger than herself, which was overwhelming. Now, having collected his thoughts, he wasn't that surprised anymore.
As Qin Shuangshuang approached with her smile, Qin Sheng, too, smiled, taking the lead to speak: "Ah, it's you, little lady, quite the lucky day, huh? You found a wild boar! Normally, they stay on the other side of the mountain because our side is populated, so wild boars rarely come here."
Qin Shuangshuang, smiling, was just about to ask Qin Sheng to help slaughter the boar, when she noticed some familiar figures moving in the distance!
Qin Shuangshuang's smile froze, and her heart skipped a beat. As the figures came closer, allowing her to see their faces, her heart sank!