Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 6

“Wow, that wild boar can fly!” Zhen Baoli’s exclamation breaks the stunned silence first.

The still-shaken children give him a helpless look. Is that boar really flying? Obviously, his little sister sent it flying.

Some children just witnessed Zhen Baobao breaking a jujube tree with one strike, so they can handle this. But for those unprepared for such a sight, their perception of the world completely flips.

Especially Zhao Chenghu, who keeps rubbing his eyes, convinced he might still be dreaming.

He thinks, This can’t be real. I must still be asleep.

The wild boar, though knocked to the ground and coughing up blood, is still alive, struggling to get back on its feet. Wild animals like this have a remarkable will to survive, and even near death, they can still unleash devastating force.

It seems to realize it got knocked aside by a child smaller than itself. With bloodshot eyes, it roars and charges at Baobao in fury.

The children hadn’t expected the wild boar to attack despite its injuries. A few scream in terror, and the more timid ones cover their eyes.

Earlier, when Baobao sent the boar flying, it was partly a lucky shot—the boar charged at another child, and she rammed into its side, sending it flying.

Now, the boar charges at her head-on, its sharp tusk gleaming. Such force—even a strong adult might not withstand it.

Zhen Baoli snaps back to reality and rushes toward the wild boar in a panic, trying to grab its tail and stop it from attacking his sister.

Unfortunately, he’s just an ordinary child. No matter how fast he runs, he’s too far away to catch up with the wild boar.

Bang—

The tragedy everyone fears doesn’t happen.

Baobao, who was rubbing her sore bottom and crying moments before, punches the wild boar charging toward her.

In an instant, blood splatters. The wild boar’s nose caves in, and its remaining fang flies into the air, landing with a “plop” on the grass.

“Waaah—” Baobao clutches her red, swollen little fist and cries her heart out.

The wild boar, which just took that punch, loses its last bit of support and collapses heavily to the ground. Its face completely distorts.

What a pitiful wild boar!

The children stand stunned and terrified. Looking at the crying Baobao, they swallow hard, unable to imagine the pain they’d feel if such a punch landed on them.

“They’re just up ahead! Zhao Chenghu and the others are still at the riverbank looking for snails, I don’t know if they made it out!”

“Lin Rui saw the wild boar’s tracks. I saw the wild boar jump out too! It was huge! Wuwuwu, uncle, hurry up! They’re gonna get bitten by the wild boar!”

…

The children who fled earlier now return with the adults. A group of elders carrying hoes, sickles, and sticks hurry toward the riverbank.

Children are the lifeblood of adults. When news spreads that the wild boar appeared by the riverbank where children search for snails, the adults are terrified. Without thinking, they rush to the riverbank, tools in hand.

They expect to find a wild boar rampaging and children injured, but when they arrive, they see a group of children standing in a circle, laughing and chatting, all unharmed.

As they draw closer, they see the wild boar lying in the center of the circle, its face twisted in pain. Baobao is in the middle, crying while clutching her hands to her chest. Her hands are covered in the wild boar’s blood.

She wipes her tears with her brother’s clothes without hesitation. She promises never to punch a wild boar directly again. Although the boar is in worse shape, her fists still hurt.

“What… what happened? Why is the wild boar like this?” The adults stammer, unable to speak clearly.

“Baobao did it! She’s super strong!”

“She went boom and the wild boar went piu, flying into the sky! That high!”

“Yeah, yeah! Baobao punched the boar and bent its whole face!”

Now that the adults have arrived, the kids finally feel safe. No matter how brave Baobao seems, in their hearts, only their parents and elders can give them a true sense of security.

A few kids who spot their parents or grandparents immediately break down crying, clinging to their legs. Clearly, they’ve been frightened out of their wits earlier.

“My little sister is amazing! She cried louder than any of them just now!” Zhen Baoli proudly points at the crying kids, head held high, looking expectantly at the adults, waiting for them to praise his sister.

Baobao’s little fist itches to punch her big brother to clear the blockage in his brain.

“You’re saying the wild boar was killed by the Zhen family girl?” The adults don’t believe it.

How could this crying little girl, who isn’t even as tall as their thighs, knock the wild boar’s head crooked with a single punch?

But the reality is hard to deny. The children who witnessed it all testify, and the scene clearly shows the wild boar and Zhen Baobao both covered in pig’s blood.

The wild boar’s face is sunken on one side, as if struck by a blunt object. The dent perfectly fits a child’s fist.

The adults swallow hard, their eyes wide with a mixture of horror and admiration as they look at Baobao.

But why is the girl crying? The wild boar doesn’t even have time to cry.

“Xiaomei, you were right. Baobao really did break the jujube tree. I should be called Zhao Chengpig, not Zhao Chenghu.” Zhao Chenghu walks over to his stunned sister and mutters.

It turns out his sister has been telling the truth all along. Based on the strength of Baobao’s punch to the wild boar, there’s no doubt Baobao is responsible for breaking the jujube tree. Unfortunately, at the time, he didn’t believe his sister Zhao Xiaomei, thinking she just made up a story about a three-year-old girl being capable of such feats.

Sure enough, some things you can only truly believe once you see them with your own eyes.

“I didn’t! That wasn’t me! You’re making things up!” Zhao Xiaomei shudders, wanting to shake herself into a sieve. She almost feels herself turning pale at her brother’s words.

She isn’t as strong as the wild boar. If she provokes Baobao, just one finger from Baobao could flatten her nose, making it look ugly.

Zhao Xiaomei knows the situation well and has already decided to be the best and most caring sister to Baobao. Now her brother tries to create a rift between her and Baobao, and that’s unforgivable.

The little girl glares at her brother fiercely, then turns away, distancing herself from him.

It’s really difficult to deal with a younger sister. Zhao Chenghu scratches his head in confusion and then looks at his good brother Zhen Baoli with envy. He really wishes he could trade sisters with him.

When Xu Panhao and Liu Sanmei hear the news, the children and the dead wild boar have already been taken to the brigade headquarters. The female cadre washes Baobao’s hands, wipes her face, and applies clam oil—something she’s reluctant to use—making the little girl clean and fragrant again.

The messenger is in too much of a hurry to explain the details of the incident, so all they know is that the child encountered a wild boar and was frightened. But when they see the two children standing in front of the brigade headquarters on the threshing ground, their hearts finally ease.

“Why is there blood on your clothes, baby? Are you hurt? Did the wild boar injure you?”

From a distance, they haven’t noticed, but as they get closer, they see Baobao’s clothes stained with dark blood.

Panicked, they think the child was injured by the wild boar. Where else could the blood come from?

“Bao’s mother, Shankun’s wife, don’t worry. This blood isn’t from the child. It’s from the wild boar,” the female cadre quickly reassures them. But when it comes to the wild boar, her expression becomes odd. “Did you see it? It was that wild boar. Baobao punched half of its face crooked, and that’s when the blood splattered.”

If it weren’t for all the children testifying, and the undeniable evidence on the boar’s body, she never would believe a three-year-old girl could kill a nearly fully grown wild boar.

“You’re telling me this wild boar was killed by my Baobao?” Xu Panhao and Liu Sanmei exclaim in unison, turning to look at the two children in shock.

Baobao looks a little guilty… but also a little proud. Meanwhile, her big brother beams with pride, practically itching to tell a thousand stories about what just happened.

“Grandma, Mama… my hand hurts.” Baobao blinks, quickly changing the subject with a guilty look.

These two elders are not as easily fooled as the silly brother, especially the mother, who gets so distressed and nervous whenever the original body loses even a single hair. Doesn’t the mother know whether she has strength or not, and just how much strength she has?

“It must hurt a lot. The wild boar’s skin is so thick; how could it not hurt when you hit it with your little fist?”

Sure enough, Xu Panhao and Liu Sanmei have their attention diverted. They look at the red, swollen patch on their daughter’s hand and feel overwhelmed with heartache.

“Bad pig! Bad pig! Bad pig!” The old lady walks over to the wild boar’s lifeless body and kicks it on the head with her foot.

The boar’s eyes bulge out like it dies with unfinished business.

“Look, baby, grandma beats the bad pig for you. Let’s not be upset anymore, okay?”

This is the old lady’s usual way of coaxing children. Whether it is right or wrong, it always comes from a place of love.

At this moment, Zhen Shanfeng and the old hunter from the village return with the soldiers who go into the mountains to hunt the wild boars.

The wild boars leave many tracks when coming down the mountain. The experienced hunters lead the soldiers to follow these traces and find a nest of wild boars. These wild boars have been coming down the mountain, feasting on the delicious crops at the foot of the mountain, posing a great threat to the people living there. Therefore, the army is notified to eliminate the group of wild boars.

They are armed and very efficient. Soon, all the wild boars are captured, leaving only a few very small ones still up on the mountain.

In total, the troops killed thirteen wild boars. Since the Third Brigade provides clues about the boar group and because the wild boars already destroy some crops when coming down the mountain, the troops plan to keep two of the nearly 100-jin wild boars.

Zhen Shanfeng is so happy that he is about to take the soldiers to the brigade headquarters for some water, but then he notices members who haven’t gone to work and are gathered around the brigade headquarters, being noisy.

“Why aren’t you at work? What are you all doing here?” Zhen Shanfeng feels embarrassed. It looks like the villagers slack off the moment he turns his back—how disgraceful, especially in front of the soldiers.

“Captain! A wild boar comes into our village!” The nearest villager turns and sees Zhen Shanfeng and the soldiers carrying wild boars, then eagerly explains.

“What!”

Not only is Zhen Shanfeng shocked, but the soldiers’ faces also change.

Wild boars are tough and dangerous; they don’t want anyone getting hurt.

“Captain, don’t worry. The little girl from the Zhen family kills the wild boar with one punch. Look, the wild boar’s body is right there, and its head is flattened.”

After the group hastily explains, Zhen Shanfeng and the others finally understand the whole situation.

But when they see the three-year-old child in Xu Panhao’s arms, being coaxed gently by her while the old lady teases her, they still can’t believe that such a tiny child could kill a wild boar with a single punch.

Squad leader Xu hands the wild boar he is carrying to his comrade and walks toward Baobao.

“Little girl, are you very strong? Can you bend this iron rod for me?”

He pulls out his retractable baton, extends it, and places it in Baobao’s hands.

Baobao looks up at his green military uniform and smiles shyly.

In this era, soldiers hold a transcendent status. Having a good relationship with the soldiers stationed nearby benefits both the family and the village.

She thinks for a moment, then pretends to be timid as she accepts the baton. The thickest part of the rod is only two or three centimeters across, and being hollow as a collapsible baton, it isn’t solid through. The thinnest section is just around a centimeter thick. But since it is made of metal, even an adult man needs considerable effort to bend it.

Her hands are small, soft, and tender, a stark contrast to the dark retractable baton.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Baobao uses a little strength, and the retractable baton bends directly in the middle, folding in half, then in half again, and again.

The longer the process goes on, the more stunned the onlookers become. Their mouths hang open as if an egg could be stuffed inside.

Such a hard iron tool is like clay in Baobao’s hands, constantly folding until it becomes a small, palm-sized ball that can’t be folded any further.

Baobao pushes the “iron ball” into the young soldier’s hand, then shyly hides in her mother’s arms, burying her face in her chest and daring not to look at anyone else.

The strength she just displays is completely beyond what any normal person can do. Squad leader Xu immediately thinks of an ancient figure—Li Yuanba.

According to legend, Li Yuanba is a frail man, but his arms are as strong as four elephants. He wields two iron hammers, four hundred jin each, totaling eight hundred jin, and swings them with unmatched ferocity.

Most of those stories are just folklore. Before meeting this little girl, Squad Leader Xu is half skeptical. But now, after witnessing Baobao’s feat, he suddenly feels—maybe that legendary Li Yuanba really is a man born with divine strength.

“When the child is older, send her to the military. I’ll personally recommend her!” Squad Leader Xu takes a deep breath and says. This child is born to be a soldier.

As soon as he says that, every villager present fills with envy.

Becoming a soldier brings great honor to a family. It is not easy to pass the conscription screening. For example, in their commune, the number of recruits each year is limited. To become a soldier, you have to meet certain personal standards and your family has to have some connections. It isn’t as simple as just wanting to serve.

For the big soldier leader to say such a thing, it is clear that he has confidence in his ability to get Zhen Baobao into the army.

Xu Panhao and Liu Sanmei are momentarily tempted, but they soon calm down.

Becoming a soldier is a good thing, but it comes with a lot of hardship, especially now with the tensions on the border. Going to the battlefield could be fatal.

Xu Panhao and Liu Sanmei are ordinary people. They admire other people’s children who become soldiers, but when it comes to their own child, they just hope she can live a peaceful life as an ordinary person.

Especially Liu Sanmei—her husband once was a hero, and his sacrifice has shielded the family for many years. But if given the choice, she’d rather have that infuriating, quarrelsome man alive—even if they argue every few days.

The soldiers have important tasks. After leaving two wild boars behind, they reluctantly depart with the rest. But before they leave, Squad Leader Xu mentions that he will bring their leaders over soon to conduct a more thorough test of Baobao’s abilities.

Xu Panhao doesn’t object to this. She, too, worries that this sudden power might harm her daughter. Now, if the military is willing to help investigate, all the better.

With the wild boar threat eliminated, the brigade can distribute pork again. Everyone’s face lights up with joy.

“Aunt Shankun, what are you doing?”

While everyone’s attention is on Baobao, Liu Sanhao already sets her sights on the boar her granddaughter punches to death—the same one she also kicks several times. She drags it by the hoof, trying to haul the entire animal back home.

She thinks that since her granddaughter killed the boar and saved so many children, it isn’t too much to drag the wild boar away.

Unfortunately, the wild boar is far too heavy for the old lady to drag by herself. After a while, she manages to move it only a dozen meters before getting stuck.

“Ohhh, my dearly departed husband!” The old lady’s eyes wander, and then she sits down on the ground, preparing to throw a tantrum.

The villagers, used to this behavior, can only watch helplessly.

“Auntie, you can’t take the whole boar. Our brigade has rules. But since Baobao helps a lot and saves many kids, I’ll make the call—we’ll definitely give your family an extra share of the pork.” Zhen Shanfeng steps up. This time, he gives more, not just the usual amount according to the rules.

Some stingy villagers aren’t happy to hear this, but when they remember that the children who almost get harmed by the wild boar include their own or their relatives’ children, they can’t say anything against it.

So, when the pork is distributed, other families carry home as little as two or three pounds, and as much as more than ten pounds.

Liu Sanmei proudly walks away with a whole wild boar leg, most of the buttocks meat, and a pig’s head still attached, carrying it with the style of someone who just takes home a whole pig.