amaotonovel Chapter 429 The Nature of Wild Boars
Chapter 429 The Nature of Wild Boars
Just as Li Xiangyang had heard, the group had unknowingly reached the stream, where the clear water flowed merrily.
Li Xiangyang squatted down by the stream, examining the tracks in the mud: "It seems the wild boar crossed the stream from here to the other side."
“Then let’s continue…” Chen Chen was about to ask when Li Xiangyang interrupted him.
“No, that’s Yangjia Village’s territory now.” Li Xiangyang stood up, brushing the dirt off his hands. “Our tracking ends here.”
"Huh?" Li Dabao said, somewhat disappointed. "Just like that, you give up?"
Li Xiangyang's expression was serious: "We can't just not give up. Without Old Master Zheng organizing the hunt, things are quite unpleasant in the villages right now. Crossing the border now would only cause more trouble and be a loss."
Although everyone felt some regret, they all understood Li Xiangyang's intention.
After all, when hunting wild boar, everyone has a gun, and if a dispute arises, the consequences could be disastrous.
"Now that we've found their activity routes, let's go back and figure out a solution here on our own."
On his way back, Li Xiangyang kept thinking about how to protect the crops without getting into conflict with the neighboring villages.
If you don't cross the line, you can only hold your ground, create traps, and wait passively.
The effects of the trap were not viewed favorably by most.
"I've got it! I've come up with a plan."
As they walked, Li Xiangyang suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"What method?" Wang Ergou asked expectantly.
Li Xiangyang slowed his pace, drawing everyone together: "We can set traps on this side of the village, along the path the wild boars are bound to take. These traps are different from ordinary pits; they're designed to take advantage of the wild boars' natural instincts."
"The wild boar's nature?" Li Daqiang asked curiously.
Li Xiangyang nodded: "That's right. Wild boars have a characteristic: when they encounter obstacles, they'd rather go around them than retreat. We can use this to our advantage. We can build a long fence along their path into the village, leaving a few openings in the middle. Behind these openings, we can dig pits and cover them with twigs and grass to create traps."
"Isn't this just an ordinary trap?" Li Dabao scratched his head in confusion.
Li Xiangyang smiled and shook his head: "It's different. Ordinary traps are random; the prey may step on them or not. But this design is guiding; the fence acts like a funnel for wild boars, leading them to our pre-designed trap points."
Zhang Weiping's eyes lit up: "I understand! It's like designing an inevitable path for them."
Li Xiangyang patted Zhang Weiping on the shoulder: "That's right, the key is that we don't have to cross the border or have any conflicts with the neighboring villages. The wild boars will come to us, and we'll just wait for them on our own territory."
Wang Ergou rubbed his hands excitedly: "This is a great idea! When do we start?"
Li Xiangyang looked around; sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. "Go back and prepare the materials now. We'll start work this afternoon and try to finish before dark. Tonight, we'll split up and keep watch around the various trap sites, waiting for the wild boars to take the bait."
The crowd responded in unison and headed towards the village with great enthusiasm.
Upon returning to the village, Li Xiangyang first went to see Captain Zheng Dehou and explained his plan.
"That's a great idea!" Zheng Dehou clapped his hands in approval. "I'll organize people right away to help cut branches and weave a fence."
With the support of the production team, the work progressed more smoothly.
The able-bodied men in the village all joined in, some cutting branches in the woods, some digging holes in the fields, and others weaving fences.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou were responsible for selecting the trap locations and overall planning.
“The wild boars enter the village from here, then follow this road, eventually reaching the wheat field,” Li Xiangyang drew a diagram on the ground with a twig. “We’ll set up three traps here, here, and here, with the fence extending from this side all the way to the foot of the mountain.”
Wang Ergou nodded as he looked around: "This way, the wild boars will only be able to enter the village through these few entrances, and they'll just walk right into our trap."
Li Xiangyang added, "The pit needs to be dug deep, at least two meters, so that if a wild boar falls in, it won't be able to jump out for a while. We can put some sharp wooden stakes at the bottom of the pit to increase the damage."
And so, the whole village worked together and busied themselves for an entire afternoon.
By evening, the three large traps and the long fence connecting them were finally completed.
The fence is about 1.2 meters high and is made of closely arranged branches that are firmly inserted into the ground.
The three traps were set right on the path that the wild boars were sure to take. Each trap was two meters deep and had several sharp wooden stakes driven into the bottom.
The trap was covered with twigs and grass, making it almost indistinguishable from the ground from a distance.
Li Xiangyang looked at the project with satisfaction: "Good. Tonight, divide into three groups and guard the traps. Remember, wait quietly and don't disturb the wild boars. Only move in after they've fallen into the traps."
As darkness fell, the villagers went home to eat and rest, preparing for their night watch.
At dinner, Li Xiaoyun prepared a bowl of hot multigrain porridge and several pancakes for Li Xiangyang.
"You have to stay up tonight, so eat more." Li Xiaoyun looked at her husband with concern.
Li Xiangyang smiled and took the bowl: "Don't worry, with so many people here, there won't be any danger."
After dinner, Li Xiangyang put on a thick cotton coat, fastened his hunting knife, slung his hunting rifle over his shoulder, and prepared to go out.
Li Xiaoyun straightened his collar: "It's cold, put on another layer."
Li Xiangyang patted her hand: "Okay, you should get some rest, don't wait up for me."
As night fell, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou each led two members of their hunting teams to guard the three traps separately.
Li Xiangyang and Li Daqiang were in charge of the first trap, Wang Ergou and Zhang Weiping guarded the second, and Li Dabao, Zhang Erhu and Chen Chen lay in ambush near the third trap.
Li Xiangyang chose a large tree and climbed it with Li Daqiang, observing the area around the trap from above.
The night wind was biting, making the branches creak. The moonlight, like water, spilled across the fields, bathing everything in a silvery glow.
Time passed by, and the surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of each other's breathing could be heard.
“Xiangyang,” Li Daqiang asked in a low voice, “Are you really sure the wild boars will come?”
Li Xiangyang nodded: "They will come. They tasted success last night, and they'll definitely come again tonight."
About an hour later, Li Xiangyang suddenly pricked up his ears: "Shh, listen."
A faint rustling sound came from afar, like something moving in the bushes.
The two held their breath, staring intently in the direction from which the sound came.
A moment later, several dark figures appeared in the moonlight.
It was a group of wild boars, the largest weighing over 200 jin (approximately 100 kg) and the smallest weighing 70 or 80 jin (approximately 35 or 40 kg).
They twitched their noses warily as they slowly moved toward the village.
“They’re here,” Li Xiangyang said softly. “Don’t make a sound, wait for them to get close to the trap.”