Chapter 42: The Hero Who Hunted the Wild Boar

Gazing at the mangled wild boar, Tang Banxia said, "We can't just leave it here." Night was falling, and the scent of blood would attract other predators. Though this wasn't deep in the mountains, the village was far off, and who knew what else might come.

Wen Mubai agreed, "Here's what we'll do: you go down and get help, and I'll cover up the scent of blood here." He added calmly, "We can't keep this wild boar." There was no way to explain Wang Zhiqing's injuries, never mind what Song Qing would say.

"Right, Wang Zhiqing," Wen Mubai suddenly remembered. "Wang Zhiqing's still down there." Tang Banxia also recalled that Wang Siyun was lying somewhere unconscious. The two hurried down the slope and carried Wang Siyun back up.

After checking her over, Tang Banxia said, "Her leg is broken." Wen Mubai merely nodded, unconcerned. "Banxia, you go to the village and call for people." Tang Banxia nodded, handed the animal medicine to Wen Mubai, and said, "Scatter this around; no wild animals will come near." Wen Mubai took it and found her a sturdy branch. "Be careful on your way down."

Tang Banxia took the branch, smiled at him, and then ran toward the foot of the mountain.

She had just reached the base when she ran into villagers coming up to look for them.

"Comrade Tang, what are you doing here?" Hu Jiajun shone his flashlight at her, then quickly added, "Have you seen Song Qing and Wang Siyun?" In an instant, Tang Banxia understood the situation. "Song Qing hasn't come back either?"

Before Hu Jiaguo could reply, Song Qing's father, Song Laosan, latched onto her words. "Also? Comrade Tang, have you seen my daughter?"

Tang Banxia saw no need to hide anything and told them the whole story, pointing behind her. "Xiaobai and Wang Zhiqing are still up there."

"A wild boar!" The villagers' attention snapped to the most important point—Comrade Wen had killed a wild boar!

Hu Dashan hurried over from another trail, and after hearing the story, pondered a moment. "Second, you go with Comrade Tang, take a few people, and bring down the wild boar and Wang Zhiqing. The rest of you, keep searching with me."

Hu Jiaguo agreed. When Tang Banxia led the group back, Wen Mubai was warming himself by the fire. Wang Siyun was laid out next to the wild boar.

Seeing the girl and the boar lying side by side, Tang Banxia paused, chose to ignore it, and walked over to Wen Mubai. "So? Nothing happened?"

Wen Mubai smiled. "Everything's fine. Your animal medicine works wonders."

The boar, with its blue-tinged, ferocious tusks, lay there, and beside it, a girl. Hu Jiajun, seeing this sight, felt his legs go weak. He checked Wang Siyun's breathing with trembling hands, and, reassured by the faint rise and fall of her chest, called for help to carry both the girl and the boar down the mountain.

On the way down, Hu Jiajun gave Wen Mubai a thumbs-up. "Comrade Wen, you're amazing!" A man who killed a wild boar with his bare hands! Wen Mubai kept his gentle smile. "I was just lucky. The boar got stuck between two trees, and I happened to take advantage of it."

Hu Jiajun had seen those two trees himself, but was still impressed. "Even so, you kept your wits about you." Most people, chased by a wild boar, would have been scared witless, never mind clever enough to use the terrain to kill it.

This time, Wen Mubai didn't argue. Not only Hu Jiajun, but the others helping to carry the boar also looked at him differently. Before, they'd thought of him as a smooth-talking pretty boy, good at charming women, but who knew he was so quick-witted? Such a huge wild boar, and he'd managed to kill it alive!

For some reason, they suddenly felt a prickling on their backs. Had they ever offended this pretty boy? Of all of them, Hu Wei—who had once tattled on Tang Banxia—was the most anxious. As they carried the boar down, he kept stealing glances at Wen Mubai, terrified he would be remembered and end up like the wild boar.

By the time they entered the village, word had already spread.

"Bai-ge! Bai-ge!" Sun Wenming and Hu Qixin rushed out from the crowd, grinning broadly as they stood before Wen Mubai.

Sun Wenming exclaimed, "Bai-ge, you're incredible!" Hu Qixin, a bit more reserved, was still smiling so hard his eyes disappeared. "Bai-ge, you're really something."

The villagers all gave Wen Mubai a thumbs-up. "Well done, Comrade Wen!"

Wang Haijun struggled through the crowd to stand in front of Wen Mubai, his expression complicated as he saw Wen Mubai lauded by all. Wen Mubai noticed the jealousy in his eyes, shot him a cool glance, and Wang Haijun quickly composed himself. "Comrade Wen, how is Comrade Wang Siyun?"

"Her leg's broken and she fainted from fright," Tang Banxia explained. "Best to take her to the county hospital."

"Aren't you a barefoot doctor?" Xu Guiming challenged. "Why don't you treat her yourself?"

Tang Banxia couldn't be bothered with such stupidity. "I'm not your mother; I won't be indulging your idiocy."

Wang Haijun had wanted to ask the same, but after Tang Banxia's retort, he swallowed his words. "Comrade Liu, Comrade Wu, you two take Comrade Wang back first." With Wang Siyun in this state, he needed to demand an explanation from the village.

After the commotion died down, Accountant Hu arrived, abacus in hand. "Comrade Wen, what do you plan to do with this wild boar?"

This was something Wen Mubai and Tang Banxia had already discussed. "We’ll hand it over to the village."

Tang Banxia chimed in, "I trust you and the team leader, Uncle Accountant. You won't treat us unfairly."

There was no way they could keep the boar for themselves; far better to gain some goodwill with the village.

Accountant Hu saw through her little calculation, but was happy to go along. "Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll give you two fifty work points for this wild boar, and it’ll belong to the village. Plus, you’ll get five pounds of meat."

"Great, thank you, Uncle Accountant," Tang Banxia agreed cheerfully.

Once the ownership of the wild boar was settled, Accountant Hu finally asked how it all happened. "Comrade Wen, what exactly happened out there?"

"I’m not sure. When I heard the commotion and got there, Comrade Wang was already thrown aside. As for Song Qing, I only caught a glimpse of her back."

Wang Haijun anxiously asked, "So who provoked the wild boar?"

"I already said, I don’t know," Wen Mubai replied coldly, never one to put on a pleasant face for Wang Haijun or his ilk.

Wang Haijun stiffened.

Accountant Hu pretended not to notice and laughed. "Well, it's late already. Comrade Wen, Comrade Tang, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Go home and get something to eat. We can talk more tomorrow."

At that, Wen Mubai turned and left without another word.

"Uncle Accountant, you all go ahead. Xiaobai and I will go home now. If anything comes up, just find us there," Tang Banxia said, smoothing things over.

Accountant Hu had long grown used to Wen Mubai’s ways and wasn’t the least bit offended. In fact, he admired the young man more and more. He might not seem to do much, but he never caused trouble and always managed to surprise you. The more he saw of him, the more he liked him.

On the way home, Tang Banxia held Wen Mubai’s hand and suddenly burst out laughing.

Wen Mubai, puzzled, turned to look at her.

Tang Banxia’s eyes crinkled with joy, her happiness almost overflowing. "Tell me, haven’t we just made a name for ourselves in the village?"

Wen Mubai didn’t see what was so funny, but he agreed. "I suppose so."

"From now on, you’ll be the wild boar-slaying hero, and I’ll be the hero’s wife!" The title set Tang Banxia off, and she clung to Wen Mubai’s hand, laughing so hard she doubled over.

Wen Mubai: ...

Suddenly, he felt a wave of embarrassment.

But he couldn’t help smiling too, his eyes curving softly.