1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

Chen Gaoshan carried the wild boar without stopping, not only because he was afraid of losing his strength and being unable to lift it, but also because he was afraid that if he delayed too long the wild boar would suffer from chest congestion. He rushed back to his own yard in one go.

Lotus was tending the stove, baking flatbread.

Thinking about delivering food to her parents and Xinghua who were working in the fields, she quickly placed the dough on the hot iron pan. When she looked up, she saw a dark figure standing at the door. It was Gaoshan carrying a large wild boar, standing at the kitchen door.

Lotus was startled, her heart skipped a beat, and the spatula in her hand paused for a moment before she instinctively cried out in surprise.

"Oh my god! Why are you going into the old forest again!"

As she spoke, she came out of the kitchen and reached out to lend a hand, wanting to help lift the wild boar.

Chen Gaoshan quickly dodged to the side and gently placed the wild boar on the ground in the yard.

"Don't reach out, this thing is incredibly heavy, it's not worth it to strain yourself."

He took a breath and asked casually.

"Father, Mother, and Xinghua, are they all busy in the fields?"

"They've all gone."

Seeing that he was covered in sweat and knew he couldn't help, Lianhua quickly turned around and ran into the kitchen. She scooped up a ladle of water from the water tank and quickly handed it to him.

"Have a drink of water and relax. You must be exhausted. I was worried when I saw you hadn't come back for so long. I figured you must have run into some trouble in the mountains."

Chen Gaoshan took the water ladle, tilted his head back, and gulped down half of it.

He casually poured the remaining half-ladle of water directly onto the muddy ground in the yard.

He wiped the water droplets from his chin.

"Lotus, your water is sweeter than anywhere else."

Lotus blushed at his words and felt too embarrassed to continue the conversation. She turned and went back to the kitchen, glancing at the pancakes in the pan while asking another question.

"Have you found any wild chives yet?"

Chen Gaoshan sat on the bluestone steps at the kitchen entrance, taking a breather.

"I found it! With my help, there's nothing I can't find. Not only did I find it, but I also brought you something good."

As he spoke, he immediately stood up, looked around at the outside of the yard, and quickly walked to the gate, locking it tightly.

He walked back to the basket, took out the layer of wild chives on top and put it aside. Then he went into his mother's room, rummaged through the chests and cabinets to find a clean piece of cloth, and returned to the yard.

Carefully, I took the ginseng root out of the basket and laid it flat on the coarse cloth. The complete human-shaped ginseng body was revealed, and it was in excellent condition.

Just as Lianhua finished baking the last pancake, she wiped the flour off her hands on her apron at her waist. Turning her head, she saw what Chen Gaoshan was holding, her eyes widened instantly, and she leaned closer.

The object looked strange; its root resembled a little person. Could it be the club that her father often talked about?

She was so startled that she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Chen Gaoshan looked at her in surprise, and lowered his voice.

"What a lucky day! I couldn't find any wild chives at the foot of the mountain, so I walked a bit further into the woods, and that's when I ran into this wild boar. It was digging in the ground, and thankfully I brought my Mauser pistol with me. I took it down in three shots. Guess what?"

Lotus's heart jumped, her eyes widened, and she whispered her reply.

"It's shaving this club!"

"That's it! This is the treasure!"

Chen Gaoshan nodded.

"Go wash your hands quickly, find a safe place to store this thing, and don't make a fuss, lest someone get jealous. We'll discuss it again when Mom and Dad come back from the fields, and see if we should keep it for ourselves or find a way to sell it."

I need to hurry up and deal with this wild boar; if I delay any longer, its entrails will start to rot and it'll be a waste.

Chen Gaoshan bent down and pulled the short knife from the straps on his calves. He walked to the whetstone in the corner of the yard, scooped up a ladle of cold water and poured it on the stone. He then gripped the handle with both hands and began to sharpen the knife back and forth.

I tested it on the blade with my thumb and confirmed it was working.

He then brought out a large basin of freshly boiled water from the kitchen and placed it next to the wild boar.

Lotus also came over with a water ladle and poured boiling water evenly onto the wild boar's thick fur, ladle by ladle.

Chen Gaoshan held the knife and scraped down the pigskin. This wild boar had been rubbing against pine resin and rolling in mud in the mountains, so the bristles on its back were hard and rough, like steel needles. The downy hair underneath was softer, but it was very difficult to remove. He had to pour boiling water over it again and again to scald it before he could start.

The two worked in perfect harmony, one pouring boiling water and the other scraping the pig's hair.

The dry pine resin and mud on the hair were scraped off layer by layer. After the dark dirt was removed, the wild boar's skin was scalded off with boiling water, revealing its clean white skin.

He shaved off all the hair, including the hair under the nails, and quickly removed it, but he didn't remove the hair on his head.

Next came the disembowelment.

Chen Gaoshan skillfully cut along the belly and took out the pig intestines, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys one by one, placing them in a wooden basin beside him.

The most valuable part of a wild boar is its belly, especially the belly with small boils on its surface, which can be used as a medicinal ingredient.

The older generation often says that wild boars eat and gnaw randomly in the mountains, and occasionally they will swallow venomous snakes. If they are bitten in the stomach by the venomous fangs, the wound will leave behind boils after it heals.

The wild boar's belly is constantly soaked in mountain herbs and dew, and it also has a strong healing ability. The more boils it develops, the higher its medicinal value, and it can fetch a good price in town.

After Chen Gaoshan removed the whole wild boar's stomach and poured out the contents, he took a closer look.

These tiny boils covering the surface are just parasites!

It looks rather unsettling, but those in the know understand that it's a valuable item.

Lianhua had already packed the baked pancakes, the teapot filled with water, and the pickled vegetable strips into the food delivery basket, slung it over her arm, and was ready to go out.

"Shanzi, I'm going to the fields to deliver food to Mom, Dad, and my sister. I left your food in the pot."

Chen Gaoshan straightened up, rinsed his hands clean in the basin of water, wiped them dry, and quickly stopped her.

"Don't bother going, I'll make the trip myself. I can hitch up the horse on the way and drive to town to sell the wild boar meat. It's getting hotter and hotter, and the meat won't keep for long; it'll spoil easily. I'll leave you a piece of land at home, just enough for the family to eat. We can exchange it for some grain and cloth, and you and Xinghua can make a couple of new outfits for spring."

As he spoke, he reached out and took the basket from Lianhua's arm.

The family's brown-red horse was tied up in the stable. It was gentle and strong. When it saw its owner coming, it flicked its tail and snorted.

He reached out and touched the horse's neck, then took out the saddle and harness and carefully put them on the old horse.

The entire carriage was secured in about ten minutes, and he led it out of the side gate of his house.

He went into the storeroom, took out a piece of coarse cloth, wrapped the wild boar meat he was going to sell, and loaded it onto the carriage.

Lotus came over with a cloth bag. "Here are two large flatbreads and some pickled vegetable strips. Keep them for the journey and come back soon, so you don't end up like last time."

"Don't worry, we'll be back once we've sold them all."

Chen Gaoshan got into the carriage, raised his hand and cracked the whip, shouted, and headed towards the field.

Before long, they arrived at their own land.

"Dad, Mom, Xinghua, take a break and it's time to eat!"

Chen Gaoshan pulled on the reins, shouted, and jumped off the carriage.

After explaining the situation to his parents, he immediately drove the carriage into town.

Why did he sell the pork in the town instead of in the village? He had his own reasons. If he didn't go out and make a trip, he wouldn't be able to take out all the good stuff from his spatial storage.

····