allonlinenovel Chapter 38 Encountering a Wild Boar on the Way Down the Mountain
Chapter 38 Encountering a Wild Boar on the Way Down the Mountain
The two of them were exhausted and covered in sweat, but they finally dug out all the remaining turmeric.
The remaining turmeric had grown for nearly half a month by the mountain stream, and was significantly larger than the ones dug up last time.
"If I had known this thing was so valuable, I would have come into the mountains to look for it sooner." Shen Qingchuan sighed, feeling like he had lost countless copper coins.
Shen Xiaotang said with a smile, "Dad, come earlier, you wouldn't recognize anyone."
"Tang'er is right. But since we're already here, why don't we go look elsewhere and see if there are any more? Maybe we can find even more?" The more we find, the larger the area we can plant in the future.
"Dad, finding such a large area on the mountain is incredibly lucky. We might not find anything even if we searched blindly elsewhere. No one can be this lucky every time. It's not safe on this mountain. Let's finish loading and get down here as soon as possible."
"That's true. When it gets light, everyone will be heading out to the fields. If someone sees that Dad's ribs aren't broken, he's definitely doomed."
"Yes, we need to hurry home with the turmeric before everyone goes out."
So the father and daughter put the turmeric they had picked into a sack, one carrying the sack and the other using a stick to probe the way, afraid that a snake might suddenly jump out from the road.
They were walking down the mountain when they suddenly heard a "roaring" sound from nearby, which startled the father and daughter.
"Father, that voice, could it be..."
"It's a wild boar!"
"The sound seems to be coming from the right. Let's hurry down the mountain and make sure we don't run into it. Wild boars on the mountain can attack people. A while ago, Shuanzhu was gored by a wild boar in the fields at the foot of the mountain at dusk. He was badly injured and it cost him a lot of money to see a doctor and treat his injuries."
If Shuanzhu hadn't run fast, he would have lost his life!
"Tang'er, hurry up, Daddy will carry you, let's run faster." He had a small sack of turmeric on one shoulder, just enough to carry his daughter on the other.
“Dad, this mountain is full of thorns. It will be hard for you to walk if you carry the sack and me on your back.”
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get on!"
Shen Qingchuan crouched down, carrying the sack, scooped up his daughter, and hoisted her onto his shoulder. In this emergency, he didn't care whether there were snakes in the thorn bushes ahead; he ran down the mountain by instinct.
Whether the wild boar heard the commotion or not, it charged wildly and suddenly started chasing after them in the direction they were going down the mountain.
"Tang'er, a wild boar is chasing us! Quickly find a place to hide, and Daddy will go lure the wild boar away!"
At this moment, Shen Xiaotang was filled with regret. She wished she hadn't gone up the mountain today; of all things to do, she had run into a wild boar.
What incredibly bad luck!
"Dad, we can't be separated. What if something happens to you? Don't panic, I'll think of something right away."
Shen Qingchuan carried the sack and his daughter, running very fast. The old, patched clothes worn by the father and daughter were torn in several places by the thorny branches.
"Tang'er, there's no time. Quickly find a big tree to hide behind."
He was panting heavily when he put his daughter down, just as the wild boar was about to charge at them.
Shen Xiaotang quickly glanced around and saw what looked like a steep slope leading to a cliff in the distance. She had a sudden inspiration and came up with a solution.
"Dad, look! There's a cliff below that steep slope. Let's run towards it quickly. Remember, when we get close to the slope, make a sharp turn and run to either side."
Shen Qingchuan understood his daughter's intention and immediately agreed.
"Okay, Tang'er, be careful."
"Hoohoho..."
The wild boar had shiny black eyes and wounds on its body, probably from being bitten by another animal. It also emitted a strong, fishy smell.
It stinks!
The father and daughter ran quickly toward the steep slope, gradually widening the distance between them. The unintelligent wild boar, not knowing which one to chase, moved toward the middle of the two, unwilling to give up on either.
Just as the wild boar was about to catch up with the two, at the critical moment, the two suddenly braked, turned around, and ran in opposite directions.
"Roar--"
The wild boar suddenly charged out and tumbled down the hillside, letting out a miserable scream, even more shrill than when a pig is slaughtered!
Shen Xiaotang looked at the steep slope, patted her chest, took a step forward, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
She was small and light, and almost lost her footing, ending up like the wild boar.
Shen Qingchuan carried the sack toward his daughter, completely terrified. He had almost been caught by a wild boar and hadn't even thought to drop the sack, just stubbornly carrying it on.
He asked with concern, "Tang'er, are you alright?"
"Dad, I'm fine. The wild boar didn't even touch me."
"Fortunately, Tang'er is clever and came up with this idea, otherwise we would have been hurt by this beast today."
"Dad, this wild boar must have been bitten by something, otherwise it would be resting so early in the morning and it would be going berserk. Luckily we dodged in time, otherwise neither of us would have survived if it had bitten us."
Wild boars naturally carry a lot of bacteria. She herself didn't even know what bit her. If there were toxins on her body, and they were transmitted to her and her father, in this era, there were only herbal medicines available. If the wounds got infected, they could only leave it to fate. Who would be lucky enough to survive?
Shen Qingchuan breathed a heavy sigh of relief and nodded hurriedly, "Yes, this wild boar looks quite big. If it catches up with us, it might tear us apart. Let's hurry down the mountain and never come here again."
Yes!
We can't go any further into this mountain!
It was almost dawn, and we could vaguely see ahead. The road ahead was also much easier to walk on.
After descending the mountain, the father and daughter hurried home, but did not encounter anyone along the way.
The father and daughter returned home and closed the door, only then did they feel a real weight lifted off their shoulders.
"Dad, what's wrong? Did you run into someone and they found out your ribs are okay?"
Liu got up early to cook. Hearing a knock at the door, she immediately went out to check and noticed that her husband and daughter looked unwell. She immediately became nervous.
Shen Qingchuan carried the sack and pulled his wife into the house, whispering to her about encountering a wild boar in the mountains.
“Fengniang, that wild boar went berserk today and almost mauled me and Tang’er. If it weren’t for Tang’er’s quick thinking and the solution she came up with at the crucial moment, we would probably both have been injured.”
"What?
"You encountered a wild boar. Are you injured? Where are you hurt? I'll go get a doctor."
Upon hearing this, Liu was terrified. Trembling, she tried to leave to fetch a doctor.
Shen Qingchuan put down the sack and quickly grabbed his wife.
"It was almost a close call, but you weren't injured. Why call a doctor? Were you scared?"
Liu's eyes reddened, and she suddenly pounded her fist on her husband's chest, sobbing, "You two are not allowed to go up the mountain anymore. It's so dangerous. What if something happens to you two? How are Yu'er and me supposed to live? We finally separated from the family and had a couple of peaceful days... Waaah..."
Shen Qingchuan grinned and awkwardly comforted his wife, pulling her into his arms.
"Okay, we won't go anymore. Neither of us will go again. Fengniang, don't cry. Aren't we doing fine?"
Shen Xiaotang immediately nodded and assured her mother, "Dad is right. We will never go into the mountains again. We've dug up all the remaining turmeric. Once the crops in the fields are harvested, we can start planting. Why would we need to go into the mountains again?"