Chapter 65: Fighting for Benefits
“Xiyue, are you alright? Nothing happened, right?”
From a distance, Aunt Yangliu shouted to Ning Xiyue. Behind her were the team leader, Uncle Anguo, and three young, strong men from the team pushing a grain cart toward them.
“I’m fine, Auntie. Nothing happened, don’t worry.” Ning Xiyue patted the dust off her clothes and stood up, then greeted the approaching group, “Captain, Uncle Anguo.”
“Quick, get those wild boars onto the cart so we can bring them back, slaughter them, and distribute the meat!” The captain’s mood was excellent when he saw the two wild boars lying on the ground. He looked at Ning Xiyue with a cheerful smile. “Good job, Yuewa. I’ll record this as a merit for you.”
Ning Xiyue waved her hand with a friendly smile still on her face — but what she said next was a serious attempt to negotiate for her own benefit.
“Captain, I heard from the aunties in the team that any large game caught in the mountains can be split half-and-half — the hunter keeps half, and the other half goes to the team. I took a look at the two wild boars. The big one is probably around 250 to 260 jin, and the smaller one about 200 jin. I’m willing to take a loss and just keep the smaller one. The big one can go to the team so that everyone can have some meat.”
They thought they could erase her share of the meat with just a few words? Nice try. Ning Xiyue could accept a lot of things — but not getting taken advantage of.
The smile on the captain’s face faded slightly. That was an entire pig’s worth of meat she was talking about!
The three young men: Who was the big mouth who told her that rule?
The others pricked up their ears to hear the captain’s response. This was directly related to how much meat they’d get. If the team only kept one boar, there would be less to go around.
Aunt Yangliu nudged her husband with her elbow as a reminder.
She didn’t care what these men were thinking. None of them knew how terrified and hopeless she’d felt when the wild boar charged at her — when she could feel its hot breath on her face. If it hadn’t been for Xiyue, she would already be dead. Today, she was sure she would have died here.
Having survived, she swore to treat Xiyue like her own daughter — this was a life-saving debt, and she could never repay it.
“Of course, Xiyue, don’t you worry. You can even keep the big boar if you want — after all, you’re the one who brought it down. Without you, I’d be dead, and the boars would’ve run away. Nobody here would even get a bite.”
The more Aunt Yangliu spoke, the more justified she felt. And she was right.
“That’s right. Let’s do it that way. You keep the big one, and the small one goes to the team. If anyone’s unhappy about getting free meat without lifting a finger or spending a dime, then no one gets any meat. We’ll toss the pigs back into the mountains and let them return to nature — then everyone will be satisfied. That way, we’re not undercutting the collective and there’s nothing to argue about.”
She swept her gaze over the group and raised her voice: “And anyone who tries to bully our Xiyue is basically going against the county public security bureau. She’s a commended comrade — they even sent her a letter of praise!”
Ning Xiyue absolutely loved Aunt Yangliu at that moment. After that speech, nobody dared voice their greedy thoughts about the boar, especially the young men — their covetous glances quickly disappeared.
“Auntie, how about this — I’ll still take the smaller boar. But the extra portion from the bigger one should go to you. You’re one of the heroes who helped take them down, so you deserve some meat too,” Ning Xiyue said with a smile.
“Alright, that works too.”
Aunt Yangliu nodded. If she got an extra share, she could always pass some of it back to Xiyue without anyone knowing — she wouldn’t let the girl suffer any loss.
Zhang Dawei, the captain, gave a somewhat helpless smile. With his wife saying all that, if he disagreed, it’d be like slapping her in the face first, then slapping the Public Security Bureau in the face, and finally discouraging Ning Xiyue.
The team’s “Advanced Collective Award” also depended on Ning Xiyue’s commendation certificate to help their reputation.
After Aunt Yangliu shot him another meaningful look, Zhang Dawei cleared his throat.
“Ahem, then on behalf of the team members, thank you, Yuewa. Once we bring the boars back and the butcher processes them, you can take your share. What you do with it afterward is entirely up to you — the team won’t interfere.”
“Old Zhao, make sure to record this in the books.”
“Got it.”
Zhao Anguo agreed readily. His respect for the newly arrived educated youth deepened — not only was she bold enough to stand up and fight for her own interests, but she was also excellent at winning people over.
Hearing this, Aunt Yangliu gave the captain a satisfied smile and shot Ning Xiyue a triumphant look.
Ning Xiyue silently mouthed a “thank you” back to her.
The three young men who had come with them were a little disappointed that they wouldn’t get more meat, but none of them dared voice any objections — they could only silently carry the boars.
Those with a better attitude shrugged it off. At least they’d get a taste of the meat. Better than nothing.
Once the matter was settled, the captain’s smile returned. He clapped his hands and started giving orders.
“Alright, that’s settled. Let’s get these boars properly secured — tie them tightly with rope so they don’t fall off the cart on the way back. Move quickly, so we can bring them back, butcher them, and enjoy a good meal tonight.”
Seeing the boars loaded up, everyone’s faces lit up again, full of joy as they headed back toward the village.
The road was rough, so two people pulled the cart from the front, two pushed from the back, and one walked alongside to steady it.
Ning Xiyue and Aunt Yangliu carried their own baskets and walked ahead.
By the time they reached the big willow tree at the entrance of the village, most of the team members were already there, waiting eagerly. When they saw the cart returning with the boars, smiles spread across their faces.
Voices erupted all around:
“They’re back, they’re back!”
One auntie exclaimed with shock and delight, “They’re really wild boars! Oh my, two of them! That little educated youth Ning and Yang Liu are so strong — they even killed wild boars and don’t have a single scratch!”
“Exactly. A few years back, someone from the neighboring team ran into a wild boar. He barely escaped with his life — but his arm was ruined. And he was a grown man, too.”
Aunt Yangliu puffed herself up proudly, as if they were praising her: “You don’t understand — our Xiyue is an educated person. She’s got a sharp mind. She used her brain to take down those wild boars, not just brute strength. Only fools rely on brute strength.”
Ning Xiyue, who had in fact relied purely on brute force: Auntie… I really appreciate that.
“Impressive! Yang Liu, Comrade Ning, can you tell us how you hunted them? It must have been an amazing experience.”
“Exactly! Just look at these two — they’re huge. It must’ve taken so much effort. And it’s all meat!”
Ning Xiyue pointed at the two boars. “Auntie, what’s more important right now is slaughtering them and dividing the meat.”
Aunt Liu from the drying team, their local “intelligence chief,” quickly agreed: “Yes, yes, dividing the meat is the priority. Let’s go watch the butchering at the main team office while you tell us all about the hunt.”
A lively crowd surrounded Ning Xiyue, Aunt Yangliu, and the two wild boars, escorting them toward the open yard outside the team office.
