bookrandom Chapter 435 This is feasible
Chapter 435 This is feasible
On the way back to the village, Li Daqiang was still excitedly reminiscing: "Their expressions were so satisfying!"
Wang Ergou chimed in with a laugh, "That's right, they brought it on themselves. Who told them to start this dirty trick?"
Only Chen Chen's smile carried a hint of worry: "Brother Xiangyang, do you think they might get angry and shoot us in the back if we encounter them again?"
The question immediately silenced the group. Hunting is inherently risky, and the addition of human-caused dangers makes it even more crucial to be cautious.
"Possibly." Li Xiangyang didn't hide his concerns. "They've lost so much face today; they probably won't let this go easily."
Wang Ergou gripped his hunting rifle tightly: "Then let's go head-to-head!"
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "This was just to vent our anger; there's no need to escalate the conflict. From now on, we won't go to the mountains near Yangjia Village; we'll just hunt around our own village."
“But all our traps have been destroyed,” Li Daqiang reminded him.
"Then let's reset it, and find a more discreet way," Li Xiangyang thought to himself, his steps never faltering.
Back in the village, the men divided the game among themselves and went home.
After dinner, Li Xiangyang sat in the yard, sharpening his knife while thinking about how to set up new traps.
Li Xiaoyun, her belly already showing, walked out of the house carrying a cup of hot tea.
"What are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed." She handed the tea to Li Xiangyang.
Li Xiangyang took the teacup, took a small sip, patted the small stool beside him, and gestured for Li Xiaoyun to sit down: "I was thinking about the trap."
Li Xiaoyun sat down next to Li Xiangyang, gently stroking her swollen belly, lost in thought.
"Is it for the wild boar? Or for the people of Yangjia Village?" she asked sharply.
Li Xiangyang gave a wry smile: "Both. If we don't hunt the wild boars, the crops will be destroyed; as for Yangjia Village, although I don't want to provoke them, I can't guarantee they won't come looking for trouble again."
He paused for a moment, then said, "The fence-style traps we made last time were too easily destroyed. We need to design a trap specifically for wild boars; people can step on it without any problem, but boars will fall in."
Li Xiaoyun looked at her husband curiously: "Is this possible? How could you do it?"
A sudden inspiration struck Li Xiangyang, and his eyes lit up: "It can work! Think about it, what's the biggest difference between a human and a pig?"
Li Xiaoyun was taken aback by his sudden question. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "Weight? Intelligence?"
"No, it's about how we walk," Li Xiangyang explained with a smile. "Humans walk on two feet, with wide feet, while pig trotters are much smaller. For the same weight, a pig trotter experiences much more force per unit area."
Li Xiaoyun suddenly realized: "So you mean, design a device that can support the weight of a person but not the weight of a pig?"
“Yes, I’ll go talk to Wang Ergou and the others tomorrow to discuss making this trap,” Li Xiangyang said. “As for those people in Yangjia Village, they’ll give up once they can’t find the trap and destroy it. They’d be better off hunting more game than wasting their time wasting on me.”
Li Xiaoyun nodded, finally feeling relieved.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang found Wang Ergou and Li Daqiang and explained his thoughts to them.
"That's a great idea!" Wang Ergou slapped his thigh. "This way we can specifically target wild boars, and it won't matter if people step on them."
Li Daqiang nodded repeatedly: "When shall we start?"
"Go prepare the materials now," Li Xiangyang said.
The three split up and quickly gathered the necessary materials, then began constructing a new type of trap in an open area at the edge of the village.
After lunch, the group carried the prepared traps and headed towards the farmland surrounding the village.
Li Xiangyang carefully selected the locations, placing a trap at regular intervals and cleverly camouflaging it with fallen leaves and soil.
After setting up the last trap, Li Xiangyang stood up and patted the dirt off his hands.
"Let's leave it at that for today, and come back to check on the results in a few days." He looked around to make sure everything was in order.
As night fell, Li Xiangyang returned home, where Li Xiaoyun had already prepared dinner.
"How's it going? Are all the traps set?" she asked while serving rice.
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Everything is set up, now we just wait for the results. This design is even more ingenious; it doesn't need anyone to watch over it at all. Once the wild boar's hooves get stuck, it can't escape."
……
Three days later, just as dawn was breaking, Li Xiangyang heard a knock on the door.
He got up and opened the door, only to see Wang Ergou standing outside with an excited expression.
"Xiangyang, it's done!" Wang Ergou exclaimed excitedly. "The trap you set caught two wild boars last night!"
Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up: "Where is it?"
"Those two traps next to the cornfield on the east side," Wang Ergou said. "I found them when I went to check this morning!"
Li Xiangyang quickly dressed, grabbed his hunting rifle, and headed outside: "Let's go take a look."
Upon reaching the traps, we indeed saw two wild boars in each trap, pacing anxiously, trying to climb out but unable to. Both boars were quite large, so their meat must have been of excellent quality.
Li Daqiang arrived as well, and seeing the scene before him, he couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Xiangyang, your move was brilliant! But the survivors are still a problem; firing a gun is a waste of bullets..."
Li Xiangyang smiled and said, "Don't kill him. We finally caught him alive; we have to bring him back alive."
After saying that, the group decided to lasso them with ropes and bring them back to the village.
After some effort, the two wild boars were successfully tied up and transported back to the village.
Seeing such a large harvest, the villagers gathered around to watch, marveling at the sight.
"How did you catch it? It's not injured at all!" an old farmer asked in surprise.
Li Xiangyang gave a brief explanation of the principle behind the new trap, which drew a chorus of praise.
"The method is good, but Xiangyang, what's the use of capturing it alive? Wouldn't it be easier to carry it back if you just killed it with one blow? Why bother with all that trouble?" someone asked, puzzled.
“I was thinking, since we can capture them alive, why not try raising them? Wild boars reproduce quickly, have a large appetite, and are easy to raise,” Li Xiangyang said with a smile.
"But this thing is very fierce, how can we raise it?" an old farmer asked worriedly.
Li Xiangyang looked around and noticed that the villagers' eyes held both doubt and expectation.
He cleared his throat and said, "We can start by fenced off a piece of land and build a sturdy pigsty. Wild boars are fierce, but as long as they're contained, we can raise them. Let's start small and gain experience."
The villagers started discussing it animatedly, and most of them were drawn to the idea.
After all, in this era of scarcity, any method that can increase income is worth trying.
Old Party Secretary Zhang, leaning on his cane, walked over and pushed through the crowd: "What are you all shouting about?"
Zheng Dehou quickly stepped forward and relayed Li Xiangyang's idea to the old Party Secretary.
After listening, the old Party Secretary pondered for a moment, then nodded: "This is feasible. Let's settle on this for now. We'll start building the pigsty tomorrow. All the strong young men in the village should come and help, and get this done as soon as possible."