Chapter 24: It Is Hard to Lead a Team

"Yangzi! Yangzi!" Zhao Dong screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice raw with desperation. He knew that Zhang Yang was the only one who could save them both now.

Zhao Dong’s heart raced, and his shouts grew louder. Beneath the tree, the wild boar became increasingly agitated, slamming its forehead violently against the spear held by Shen Yiming. Just as Shen Yiming tried to brace himself, the spear suddenly snapped. Deprived of the weapon that kept it at bay, the boar grew even more vicious. It opened its jaws, exhaling a hot, foul-smelling breath. Shen Yiming retreated slowly, and the boar began to lean its body forward, ready to charge.

Oh no!

"Run, Shen Yiming!" Zhao Dong bellowed.

But the boar had no intention of letting its prey escape. With a sudden lunge, it slammed directly into Shen Yiming’s left leg.

"Ah!!!" Shen Yiming’s agonizing scream pierced through the forest.

The boar continued to rampage wildly. Zhao Dong, holding his crossbow, tried to aim, but he couldn't get a clear shot. Fearing he might hit Shen Yiming by mistake, he gasped for air, his heart pounding in panic.

Bang!

At that moment, the thunderous sound of a hunting rifle echoed through the mountains.

"Dongzi! Shen Yiming! Are you alright?" Zhang Yang arrived in a hurry, leading the makeshift militia squad.

Seeing so many people, the boar finally showed signs of wanting to flee. However, Zhang Yang seized the moment, firing two shots that killed the boar on the spot, ending its attempt to kill Shen Yiming.

"Shen Yiming!"

Zhang Yang hurried over, only to find Shen Yiming lying motionless on the ground. He rushed forward and felt the man's leg, his heart sinking. The left leg was dislocated, and the injury was severe. Shen Yiming had already fainted from the pain and was completely unconscious.

"Everyone, lend a hand! Let’s get Shen Yiming to the clinic immediately!"

***

In the dead of night, the clinic doctor hurried to dress and examine Shen Yiming’s injuries. The others, too worried to rest, followed along, dragging the rabbits and the wild boar they had hunted that evening.

After finishing the examination, the clinic staff glanced at the plump game and couldn't help but joke, "Weren't you just notified about reorganizing the militia squad? How did you manage to catch something so quickly?"

Zhang Yang asked anxiously, "Doctor, how is his leg?"

"It’s fractured. We need to set it with wooden splints, and he'll need at least half a year to recover." At this, the doctor’s smile faded; he no longer seemed as tempted by the meat. "Although you’ve had quite a haul, the cost is heavy. It’s no wonder nobody had strong objections when the squad was disbanded before... this work is truly dangerous."

The members of the makeshift squad looked at one another, still shaken by the incident. Who could have imagined that in such a short time, that boar would have nearly taken Shen Yiming's life?

Zhang Yang remained silent. He used the clinic’s small kitchen to process the boar, then divided the meat among the group. The boar was not large, weighing only about sixty pounds in total. After removing the useless tusks, bristles, and the innards—which few people in this era cared to eat—there was only thirty pounds of meat and bone left. He set aside one pound for the clinic doctor as a gesture of gratitude for working overtime to save a life. The rest he cut into nine equal portions and distributed to the team members who had gone up the mountain that night.

"You’ve all worked hard tonight. Go home and get some rest. I’ll stay behind to look after Shen Yiming."

It was nearly dawn by the time they finished patrolling. Everyone was exhausted and headed home with their portions of meat. Being able to bring home wild boar meat on their first night up the mountain made everyone happy. On the way back, they whispered among themselves, "I’m taking this home now. If my family wakes up and sees this meat tomorrow morning, they might think they’re still dreaming!"

Zhao Dong refused to leave. "Wherever Yangzi is, I’m staying!"

Zhang Yang nudged him. "Take some meat home to share with the neighbor, Auntie, and tell my family I’m safe. Shen Yiming needs someone here, and the clinic is short-staffed. I have to stay until morning to hand over the watch to the educated youth team."

Zhao Dong took Zhang Yang’s share of the meat, but after walking a few steps, he remembered something important. "Yangzi! Shen Yiming still had three rabbits in his coat! Let’s see if they’re still alive!"

Zhang Yang slapped his forehead. The boar’s attack had been so sudden that he’d been focused entirely on saving lives, then rushing Shen Yiming to the clinic—he had completely forgotten about the bunnies.

Together, they carefully unbuttoned Shen Yiming’s jacket. One of the three baby rabbits had been crushed to death, and the other two were gasping for air, in poor condition. Zhang Yang frowned, picking one up. "This one seems to have a broken bone; its hind leg is twisted."

"It’s a miracle they’re still alive at all," Zhao Dong sighed. "Since I’m heading out anyway, why don’t you give the rabbits to me? I’ll take them to the youth team and deliver the news so they can send someone over."

***

Zhang Yang nodded. "It’s not light yet, and the road is rough, so be careful. Sigh, Shen Yiming was so happy about those three rabbits. Who knew this would happen?"

If they had been able to raise them, there would have been some hope. Now, it was likely that no one had the heart to keep them. Zhang Yang thought for a moment and called out to Zhao Dong, who was already at the door.

"Give half of my share of the boar meat to the educated youth team. We still have roe deer meat at home, and with that extra pound of boar meat, it’s plenty." He stared at the rabbit with the broken leg in Zhao Dong’s hands. "My mother used to raise ducks and knows a bit about livestock. It’s better if she takes care of the injured one than leaving it in the hands of the educated youths."

***

When the sun was fully up, the people from the educated youth dormitory heard the news and swarmed to the clinic to see Shen Yiming.

"Did he fall or something? How did he get so badly hurt?" the female youths exclaimed. The male youths also looked grim.

"Will this leave him with a permanent disability?"

"The mountains are just too dangerous..."

"To risk becoming a cripple for a bit of meat—it’s not worth it!"

Some who had signed up for the militia squad immediately felt a wave of regret. They turned to Zhang Yang. "Captain, is it too late for us to quit?"

"Exactly. Shen Yiming is one of the most capable among us... if he can be hurt like this by a boar, wouldn't we just be walking to our deaths?"

"Captain, joining the militia should be voluntary, right? You... you wouldn't force us to go, would you?"

"If we get injured, our youth team will have even less labor for next year! We won’t be able to meet the commune’s production quotas, and we’ll all go hungry!"

"Zhang Yang, you worked so hard to get this position as captain, but if your team members keep getting hurt, it won't do you any good..."

They spoke over one another, all clamoring to back out. Zhang Yang couldn't be bothered to argue with them. He said coldly, "Anyone who wants to quit, just hand me your names."

Relieved, the youths thanked him profusely. Then, they began to discuss taking turns looking after Shen Yiming.

"There are thirteen of us. We'll split into pairs, and each pair will watch for four hours," the youth leader directed. "You all go back; we’ll handle things here."

"Everyone just needs to keep track of their shifts and come to relieve the previous pair."

The others had no objections. Once they confirmed that Shen Yiming’s life was no longer in danger, they prepared to leave. Just then, another female youth arrived.

"I’m sorry, I’m late!"