60s: I have a store

Chapter 482 Replenishment of Oil and Water
As the days passed, the villagers worked harder and harder in the process of building the road, working under the scorching sun and sweating every day.

The old branch secretary looked at everyone's tired but determined figures, and his heart was filled with heartache.

He knew very well that road construction was a physical job, and if the villagers did not have enough oil and water to replenish their energy, their bodies would sooner or later be unable to bear the high intensity of labor.

It seems that there is no way to solve it without thinking of a solution.

That evening, the old branch secretary called the team leader to his home.

The light in the room was dim, and the old branch secretary was sitting in front of the somewhat worn wooden table with a solemn expression.

As soon as the team leader entered the room, the old branch secretary stood up and said, "Team leader, you can see that the villagers have worked so hard to build the road. We have to find a way to give them some money, otherwise they won't be able to bear it."

After hearing this, the captain thought for a moment and said, "Old Party Secretary, do you mean... to go into the mountains to hunt?"

He knew that the conditions in the village were limited and he had already troubled Zhou Yimin a lot before, so he felt embarrassed to ask him for help in purchasing pork. After thinking it over, it seemed that the only solution was to go into the mountains to hunt.

The old branch secretary nodded and said helplessly: "This is the only way. We can't trouble Yimin too much. If we consume too much, it will be difficult to ask Yimin for help if something happens in the village later."

"So if the problem can be solved in the village, then solve it in the village. If it really can't be solved, then talk to Yimin!"

The team leader didn't say anything more, but just nodded firmly, indicating that he understood the old branch secretary's meaning and was willing to take on the responsibility of organizing the hunting trip.

Early the next morning, the captain began to gather members of the village security team.

The news quickly spread in the village. When Zhou Yimin heard about it, he was moved. He didn't want to miss this opportunity.

When Zhou Yimin found the captain, he was busy checking hunting tools.

Zhou Yimin stepped forward and said with a smile: "Captain, I heard that you are going to go hunting in the mountains. I also want to join in the fun and contribute."

The captain frowned when he heard this. He looked at Zhou Yimin and said seriously, "Yimin, this is not a joke. The mountains are dangerous and you don't have much hunting experience. What if something goes wrong?"

Moreover, many things in the village depend on Zhou Yimin, so he and the old branch secretary don't want Zhou Yimin to take any risks.

They were afraid that if Zhou Yimin encountered any danger, Zhoujiazhuang would "return to its original state."

Zhou Yimin was not willing to give in. He patted his chest and said, "Captain, I know hunting is dangerous, and I can definitely help a lot. And I promise that I will follow your instructions and never cause any trouble for you."

After saying that, he took out the pistol from his waist.

"Captain, don't worry! I still have this thing to protect myself."

The captain was still a little hesitant. He knew very well that the situation in the mountains was complicated and that one more person would mean one more risk.

But just as he was thinking, he suddenly thought, if Zhou Yimin sneaked into the mountain by himself, wouldn't it be even more dangerous? Thinking of this, the captain sighed helplessly and said, "Okay, since you insist so much, then let's go together, but you must remember that you must not act on your own, and everything must be under my command."

Seeing that the captain agreed, Zhou Yimin was so happy that he almost jumped up and said quickly: "Don't worry, captain, I will definitely abide by the rules!"

In this way, Zhou Yimin joined the hunting team. Before leaving, the old branch secretary came to see everyone off.

He looked at the villagers who were about to go into the mountains and said earnestly: "Everyone, be careful. Safety comes first. We hope that you will come back safely and bring prey to replenish the villagers' wealth."

Everyone nodded, with determination in their eyes.

When the hunting team stepped into the forest, a humid mist carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees blew in their faces. The ground under their feet was soft due to the rain the night before, and they could feel the soles of their shoes being tightly absorbed by the mud with every step.

The sunlight struggled to penetrate the dense and almost impenetrable branches and leaves, casting spots of mottled light and shadows on the ground. The surroundings were so quiet that it was a little depressing, and only the occasional calls of unknown birds broke the silence.

Zhou Yimin was excited but nervous at the same time. His eyes kept scanning the surroundings. He was full of curiosity about everything in the forest, yet vaguely uneasy.

The captain had a stern expression and sharp eyes as he walked at the front of the team. Every step he took was steady and cautious, always paying attention to even the slightest movement around him.

"Everyone, follow closely and don't get separated. The terrain in the mountains is complicated. If you get separated, not only will you not be able to find your prey, you may also get lost."

The captain lowered his voice and solemnly instructed the team members behind him.

Everyone tacitly kept quiet, moved forward cautiously, and tried to take light steps for fear of disturbing the animals in the forest.

After walking for a while, the sharp-eyed security guard Xiao Li suddenly pointed to the ground in front of him and whispered excitedly and nervously: "Captain, look, there are animal footprints here."

The captain quickly stepped forward to check. He squatted down and gently touched the soil around the footprints with his hand. After careful observation, he said, "Yes, this should be the footprints left by a hare. Judging from the freshness of the footprints, there may be hares nearby."

When everyone heard this, they immediately became excited and tightened their grip on the tools in their hands.

Zhou Yimin was not very interested in wild rabbits, but if he could hunt them, he would still like to do so. He followed the captain closely.

Under the leadership of the team leader, everyone slowly searched in the direction of the footprints.

From time to time, there was a rustling sound in the grass, and every sound made everyone nervous.

Suddenly, a hare jumped out from the dense grass like an arrow.

"Quick, catch it!" the captain shouted.

The team members acted quickly, some waving wooden sticks in their hands, trying to block the hare's way, and the sticks made whistling sounds in the air.

Some of them chased as fast as cheetahs, leaving deep footprints on the soft ground.

Zhou Da'an was not to be outdone. He gathered all his strength and ran as fast as he could. His legs seemed to be equipped with springs and each step he took was big and fast.

However, the hare was so fast that it dodged left and right in the woods flexibly, using trees and grass as cover, and soon disappeared from everyone's sight.

Not only that, because the ground was slippery, Zhou Daan was not careful while chasing, his foot slipped, and he fell forward, hitting his knee heavily on a stone, and blood immediately flowed out.

"Da'an, how are you?" Team member Xiao Wang was quick-witted and rushed over to help Zhou Da'an up, asking with concern on his face.

"It's okay, just a few scrapes, it's not a big deal. Chasing the rabbit is important!" Zhou Daan said, gritting his teeth and enduring the pain.

"Don't force yourself. Just bandage it first, otherwise it will get infected." Xiao Wang said as he took out a simple medical kit from his backpack and quickly cleaned and bandaged Zhou Daan's wound.

"Thanks, Xiao Wang. When we catch the rabbit, we'll have a good meal together!" Zhou Daan said gratefully.

"What are you talking about? We are from the same village, so we should take care of each other." Xiao Wang responded with a smile.

By the time Zhou Daan finished bandaging the wound, the hare had long disappeared.

"Oh, let it run away."

One team member said with some annoyance, his tone full of disappointment.

The captain consoled him, "It's okay. Let's keep looking. There are plenty of prey in this mountain. Although hares are clever, as long as we are patient, we will eventually get something."

So everyone continued to move forward.

As we went deeper into the forest, the surrounding environment became more complex. The trees became denser, and the thick trunks stood like giants, with branches and leaves intertwined, almost covering the sky.

The fallen leaves on the ground were so thick that they could not reach the ankles when stepped on. It was very difficult to walk, and every step required a lot of effort to pull them out. In addition, there were more and more mosquitoes in the forest, and they swarmed around everyone and bit them non-stop.

Everyone's faces, hands, and necks were soon covered with red and swollen lumps, which were itchy and uncomfortable, but everyone endured it and no one complained.

They went into the mountains with a mission, and they would not give up even if they couldn't catch any prey.

Suddenly, there was a slight noise coming from the front.

The captain immediately made a gesture, signaling everyone to stop.

He crouched down and approached quietly. Through the gaps between the branches and leaves, he saw a huge wild boar rooting for food on the ground. Its ears twitched from time to time as it listened alertly to the sounds around it.

"It's a wild boar, everyone be careful. This wild boar is quite large and has strong attack power. We must not be careless. If we are accidentally hit by its fangs, the consequences will be disastrous." The captain said in a low voice, his voice full of caution and seriousness.

The team members gripped their weapons tightly, some held spears tightly, and some tied ropes into circles in their hands, ready for battle.

Zhou Yimin didn't expect to encounter wild boars again. The last time he went into the mountains, he killed so many wild boars, but they were not yet "extinct".

It seems that the wild boar's reproductive ability is quite impressive.

To be on the safe side, he took out his pistol so that if anything happened, he could react immediately.

"Listen everyone, this wild boar is very strong, we have to cooperate well. I will attract its attention from the front first, and you will seize the opportunity to flank it from the sides and the back."

The captain lowered his voice and quickly explained the tactics to his team members.

"Understood!" The team members responded quietly but firmly.

The captain thought for a moment and decided to adopt an encirclement tactic.

He made a few gestures to the team members, and everyone understood and slowly approached the wild boar from different directions.

Their steps were as light as those of cats, trying not to make any sound, and their eyes were fixed on the wild boar, not missing any of its movements.

When they were close enough to the wild boar, the captain gave the order: "Go!"

The team members rushed forward like arrows. Some waved wooden sticks and hit the wild boar with whistling sounds, trying to disrupt its formation; others waited for the right moment and tried to tie its limbs with ropes.

The wild boar was enraged by the sudden attack. It let out a deafening roar, and the entire forest seemed to tremble.

Its eyes instantly turned red and it rushed towards the team members.

Zhou Xumin's heart tightened when he saw this. He subconsciously picked up a thick wooden stick, held it tightly with both hands, and swung it at the wild boar. The stick rubbed against the air, making a sharp whistling sound.

In the fierce fight, the wild boar relied on its huge body and powerful strength to continuously break through the encirclement of the team members.

One team member was accidentally knocked to the ground by a wild boar and cried out in pain.

I can only say that it is fortunate that he was not hit by the wild boar's tusks, otherwise he would have been pierced through and it would have been difficult to rescue him.

Seeing this, the captain rushed forward without hesitation. While shouting loudly, he hit the ground hard with a wooden stick to attract the wild boar's attention and buy time for his teammates.

However, the impact force of the wild boar was so great that the captain was knocked back repeatedly by the wild boar's brute force while resisting and almost fell down.

"Captain, hold on, we'll support you right away!" Team member Xiao Zhang shouted as he quickly ran towards the captain, the spear in his hand ready to stab the wild boar at any time.

With everyone's cooperation and support, Xiao Zhang took the opportunity to go around the wild boar. His eyes were firm and focused. He seized the opportunity and successfully put the rope in his hand around the wild boar's neck.

The team members worked together, held the rope tightly with both hands and pulled hard. The rope cut deeply into the wild boar's flesh, and the wild boar struggled desperately.

With angry roars, its limbs dug deep grooves in the ground, splashing up a cloud of dust.

Everyone gritted their teeth, pressed their feet hard on the ground, leaned back, and used all their strength to fight the wild boar.

But the wild boar's strength was amazing. It twisted its body wildly and almost broke free from the rope several times. The team members had to try their best to barely control it.

"Come on, everyone! Try harder and we'll conquer it soon!" The captain shouted slogans and encouraged everyone.

After an extremely arduous struggle, the wild boar finally ran out of strength and slowly fell to the ground.

"Great, we succeeded!" The team members cheered, their voices filled with the joy of victory.

Zhou Yimin also breathed a sigh of relief. He was almost unable to hold back and was ready to shoot the wild boar.

In fact, he just saw someone being knocked down and wanted to shoot him, but the captain stopped him, saying that pig blood is a good thing.

After hearing this, Zhou Yimin had no choice but to listen to the captain.

If the situation was not right, Zhou Yimin would not hesitate to shoot the wild boar. He did not want the villagers of Zhoujiazhuang to be injured or killed because of that little bit of pig blood.
Suddenly, dark clouds appeared in the sky again.

The captain looked up at the sky, his face suddenly changed, and he said, "Oh no, it's going to rain. We have to take the wild boar back quickly. Once it rains heavily, the mountain road will become even more muddy and difficult to walk on."

After hearing this, everyone lifted the wild boar without any hesitation and quickened their pace to walk back.

Along the way, the rain fell steadily, soaking everyone's clothes. The clothes stuck tightly to their bodies, making them feel cold and uncomfortable.

The mountain road under my feet became extremely slippery. I had to be careful with every step I took, otherwise I would slip if I wasn't careful.

The team members supported each other, reminded each other, and moved forward with difficulty.

The rain blurred everyone's vision, and carrying the weight of the wild boar made everyone's steps heavier. Every time they walked a distance, they had to stop and take a breath.

But no one complained. Everyone had only one thought in mind, which was to bring the prey back to the village as soon as possible so that the villagers who had worked hard to build the road could have a hearty meal.

It was already evening when the hunting party finally returned to the village.

When the villagers saw them coming back with the wild boar, they gathered around them with surprised smiles on their faces.

The children excitedly shuttled among the crowd, looking curiously at the huge wild boar.

The old branch secretary also came over. He looked at the team members who were covered in mud but smiling, his eyes full of satisfaction.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. You have made great contributions to the village!" said the old branch secretary, his voice full of gratitude and appreciation.

That night, the village dining hall was bustling with activity.

The villagers sat together and tasted the delicious wild boar meat.

The old branch secretary looked at everyone's satisfied smiles and felt very happy. It seemed that his decision this time was correct.

Fortunately, the captain caught the whole wild boar and killed it when he returned to the village, so there was still a lot of pig blood to eat.

It can also provide some food and water for the villagers, and that pig weighs at least three or four hundred kilograms, so it can sustain them for a while.

(End of this chapter)