The July sky was sweltering, and for the first time since his rebirth, Chen Yang witnessed the incredible hard work of the farmers of this era.
Under the blazing sun, with temperatures reaching thirty-seven or thirty-eight degrees Celsius, they only took a break during the two hottest hours of the day, then donned straw hats and used carrying poles to haul stones for the foundation.
Before even an hour of work, Chen Yang was already drenched in sweat.
The crucial point was that he couldn't take off his shirt at this time. The sun was fierce; if he spent an hour bare-chested under it, he'd definitely get sunburned, with blisters and peeling skin being the least of it.
Chen Yang could only endure the hot and sticky feeling all over his body. There was no other way; this was his own house being built. It was only for today, and laying the foundation required brute strength, not skill.
Later, for bricklaying, roof hoisting, and tiling, it wouldn't be his concern. These were skilled jobs that only Cui Jianguo and a few elder uncles knew how to do; others could only assist.
Passing bricks, mixing lime, and such would be much easier.
With over a dozen people carrying stones, it was fast. Within a few hours, before the sun set, the foundation was basically laid.
Chen Yang had initially thought that simply placing the stones into the dug trenches would suffice. He hadn't expected Cui Jianguo to direct the placement of large stones here and small stones there.
Remarkably, without using any cement or lime, the stone foundation was perfectly fitted, and the surface was even smooth. Once lime was poured, it was almost ready for bricklaying.
The skills of the older generation of craftsmen were truly time-tested. After all, in those days, there weren't many building materials available. They had to rely on their experience to find ways to achieve the desired results with the simplest materials.
Just as Chen Yang was about to fetch a few buckets of water to wash off the sweat from his body, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly erupted from the village.
"Wild boars have entered the fields!"
"Wild boars have entered the fields!"
"Everyone grab your tools! These beasts are heading for the cornfields, they're definitely going to ravage the crops!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Yang knew it was Old Man Tu's voice. Hearing the gongs and drums, Chen Yang could no longer bother about washing off his sweat.
The uncles and brothers helping to lay the foundation also stopped their work. In those years, wild boars were not like the protected animals of later generations.
These beasts were considered complete nuisances by the farmers. Once the mountains ran out of food, wild boars would come down to damage the crops.
After a year of hard work, with the harvest in sight, who wouldn't be furious if the crops were ruined by wild boars?
Led by Old Man Tu's gongs and drums, most of the men in the village, armed with their tools, followed him towards the fields.
"I'll go home to get a spear. You, kid, grab the dirt bow and follow Old Man Tu to drive away the wild boars. These beasts, as soon as the harvest comes, they descend the mountain, truly like bandits of old."
Shen Futang's eyebrows shot up upon hearing about wild boars, clearly showing his deep-seated hatred for these creatures.
"We'll go home and get our hoes too. We'll beat these beasts to death."
The uncles immediately responded, throwing down their tools and rushing home. However, none of them intended to actually kill the wild boars.
A single wild boar weighed at least two to three hundred jin, with some weighing five to six hundred jin. Their tusks were as long as a child's arm. If a person were to be gored, they would certainly be impaled with a gaping wound.
Didn't Shen Yougen, the village hunter, disappear without a trace after encountering a wild boar in the mountains all those years ago?
It was precisely because these wild boars were so difficult to deal with. Without firearms, even ordinary arrows shot at them would only scratch the skin, not kill them.
On the contrary, if these beasts charged at someone, they would be half-dead if not killed. Therefore, whenever wild boars entered the fields, everyone would beat gongs and drums, bring their tools, and drive them away.
As long as the crops could be saved, it would be a stroke of luck!
Chen Yang was not careless either. If he had encountered a wild boar in the mountains before, he might have feared the beast's brute strength. But now, with so many people from the village, even if they couldn't kill them, they wouldn't be seriously injured by the wild boars.
Moreover, Old Man Tu was not only an experienced hunter but also the captain of the Shenjiaba Village militia!
In those days, the commune's militia units still had rifles, and the county militia companies even underwent regular combat training. Their armories stored Type 56 semi-automatic rifles and submachine guns.
Although the Shenjiaba Brigade's militia was not equipped with rifles, they did have a few muzzle-loading guns.
However, these were all old relics, probably older than Chen Yang himself. Whether they could fire a few shots, and with what power, was a mystery. Therefore, the village didn't truly use the muzzle-loading guns to hunt wild boars.
What if they misfired or lacked power, and were charged by an enraged wild boar? That would be fatal. But they could be used to scare and drive away wild boars, which was fine.
By the time Chen Yang rushed into the fields with the others, he finally understood why everyone hated these beasts so much.
As soon as they entered the cornfield, rows of intact corn stalks were all knocked askew. The corn cobs attached to the stalks were eaten and scattered everywhere.
Looking at the ravaged crops, the eyes of all the young and old men in the village were practically spitting fire.
Everyone had worked tirelessly for the entire year. Not long ago, so much of the grain had been washed away by heavy rain, and now wild boars were coming to ravage the cornfields. How could everyone not be enraged?
"You all feel bad, and I feel bad too. But these beasts have thick skin and flesh. Even our team's few muzzle-loading guns can't penetrate their hides from dozens of paces away. If we get too close, we're afraid of getting injured by the wild boars."
"The crops are ruined, so be it. Just drive these beasts away. But absolutely do not get anyone hurt. If anyone is injured, I won't be able to explain it to their wives and mothers."
Old Village Secretary Shen Fuguo's heart was bleeding as he looked at the scattered and devastated cornfield. This was all food that everyone had cultivated with great effort!
These damned beasts!
Not only him, but all the men in the village had fire in their eyes, wishing they could rush forward and fight these beasts to the death.
What was even more infuriating was that these beasts didn't leave even when people arrived. They continued to grunt and root around the fallen corn stalks right in front of them.
This was too much!
The wild boars of this era were truly not that afraid of humans. In the mountains, they would even charge at wolves and jackals. Even a wolf or jackal, after being charged once, would likely be killed.
Therefore, these wild boars had become overlords of the mountains. Especially in recent years, Shenjiaba Village had been unable to deal with this group of beasts. Every year, at this season, they would descend the mountain in groups to gnaw on the crops.
"Old Village Secretary, how about I take Erwa and get a bit closer to fire the gun and try."
"These beasts only learn from pain, not punishment. If we don't teach them a lesson, they'll come back to ravage our crops next year."
Tu Tianzong held his muzzle-loading gun, gritting his teeth in hatred.
If he were younger, with his two-stone strong bow, this beast would be severely injured, if not killed, and wouldn't be able to be so brazen in the cornfields.
"If it doesn't kill them, and they charge at you and Erwa, how will I face the villagers?"
"Let's do it the old way. Beat gongs and drums, drive them back to the mountains. If they really get aggressive, I'll go to the commune and ask the militia to bring rifles to shoot all these beasts."
Shen Fuguo was also furious with these crop-destroying beasts, but he had no way to deal with them.
He couldn't risk the lives of the villagers. But these beasts were elusive. Once they returned to the mountains, they were not easy to find.
On previous occasions, he had resolutely gone to the commune to ask for the militia. They had searched the mountains several times but couldn't find a single wild boar hair, so the matter was dropped.
However, as the village secretary, he felt frustrated.
The entire village could only watch helplessly as a group of beasts destroyed their crops every time. How could everyone not feel aggrieved!