Chapter Seventy-Seven: The First Night

Although Han Li claimed not to mind, he had already taken He Mi’s small hand in his own as a gesture of gratitude. Just as he was about to express his thanks further, Hao Hongmei, Yang Xiuying, and the Yun sisters entered the courtyard. Han Li had no choice but to stop what he was doing, while He Mi crouched down to pick up a short javelin from her basket, studying it intently.

Before Yun Yingying even crossed the threshold, her voice rang out, “Han Li, why don’t you tell the team leader you want to quit the autumn patrol? I’ve heard the wild boars here are vicious, and they come in packs. Sometimes there are even wolves!”

Han Li replied, “That’s not possible. I was specifically requested. How can I just refuse to go?”

At that moment, Hao Hongmei also walked in, adding, “If you really have to go, you must be careful. Those wild boars are ferocious.”

Soon after, Qi Zhaodi arrived as well, and everyone began speaking at once, offering reminders and words of concern. The house was lively, but the time for Han Li to report for duty had arrived.

As Han Li was about to leave, the male and female team leaders from the educated youth came in, one after the other.

“Both captains are here together,” someone said. “Come, have a seat on the kang.”

Sun Yong declined, “No need. I just came to see if Comrade Han has finished eating. Once you’re done, let’s go to the assembly together.”

Jiang Xiaoli added, “Don’t worry if you haven’t eaten yet. There’s still plenty of time. I’ll wait here and go with you.”

Han Li responded, “I’ve already finished. I was just about to head over. Shall we go together, then?”

As they walked, their intentions became clear—they both wanted Han Li to join their respective teams.

Han Li understood perfectly well why: both were vying for the elusive spot at the Workers’, Peasants’, and Soldiers’ University. In these kinds of situations, giving gifts isn’t everything; you have to stand out, so the village will be inclined to grant you the slot.

At present, neither Sun Yong nor Jiang Xiaoli had a decisive advantage over the other. The upcoming autumn patrol to protect the team’s property had thus become crucial—it might well be the turning point in their competition.

Han Li, after all, had once killed a wolf on his own, making him the undisputed champion of the educated youth when it came to physical prowess. Getting him on their team would be a great asset and might even become the trump card that set them apart from the competition.

Traditionally, none of the villagers wanted to be paired with the educated youth. Only Han Li was an exception. If a wild boar did appear, whoever had Han Li on their side would be much safer.

If Han Li managed to take down two wild boars, his teammates would receive better evaluations as well.

Han Li shrugged and said, “I imagine the team leader will arrange the groups. Let’s just follow the assignments. If there’s no arrangement, I don’t mind joining any team.”

The two captains knew this was the case—they were simply hoping to secure an extra bit of certainty. What annoyed them was realizing that their rival harbored the exact same plan.

Sun Yong and Jiang Xiaoli exchanged a few polite remarks, but their glances at each other were far from friendly.

Han Li rolled his eyes, unwilling to humor them. Had these two spent so much time working in the fields that they’d lost their wits? The autumn patrol had been planned for days, and only now, as they were about to set out, did they come to discuss teams? While others might cram at the last minute, these two were trying to rope him in at the eleventh hour—what had they been doing until now?

Their relationship was merely one of casual greetings—what made them think they were so close that they could come to him with such a request? Perhaps organizing group study sessions lately had given them a taste of authority, making them think they could command him at will.

No longer interested in their rousing speeches, Han Li quickened his pace.

When they reached the assembly point, quite a crowd had already gathered. Han Li took a look around—good heavens! There were all sorts of weapons: bows, homemade muskets, hunting rifles, and more. Only the village militiamen had military firearms.

[For context: Right after the founding of the country, China issued the Interim Firearms Management Regulations, establishing certain rules for civilian firearm ownership. Civilians were not allowed to possess military firearms, but could own civilian ones—homemade muskets, hunting rifles, etc.—with a limit of two per person, and all had to be registered. Section chiefs and above, messengers, communications workers, and security personnel at factories, stores, and schools, if approved, could lawfully carry military firearms. The head of the militia at each production brigade and the militiamen were allocated firearms, but not enough for everyone. Even then, they had guns without bullets, as the ammunition was stored at the county or commune armory and only distributed for target practice. In the mid- to late 1960s, due to numerous incidents, the government collected all militia firearms for centralized storage—issued only for training, and reclaimed immediately afterward. Even during the large-scale arming of the mid-1970s, firearms were distributed only to county-level units, which then organized militia training in the towns and villages, collecting the weapons again afterward. Though some military firearms remained unaccounted for, no one would be foolish enough to use them openly in such a setting.]

After the patrol began, the village chief and team leader had personally gone to the authorities to requisition a certain number of firearms and bullets. Strict rules applied—only militiamen with impeccable backgrounds qualified for them.

Once everyone had assembled, Village Chief Zhao and Team Leader Liang repeated the safety instructions:

“If you encounter a wild boar, do not attack recklessly. Only strike if you are certain you can kill it in one blow. If you injure the animal and it turns on us, the consequences could be disastrous. Don’t let your recklessness endanger the group—understood?”

They reviewed other precautions as well, then handed out two torches to each person before dividing everyone into groups.

Each group had five members. Han Li’s two teammates were both armed militiamen, and he recognized the other two as well: one was Team Leader Liang’s youngest son, the other, Village Chief Zhao’s nephew. Well, this was interesting.

All the other educated youth were grouped together and assigned to areas least likely to encounter wild boars. Whether they liked it or not, that was the arrangement. If they didn’t obey, they could return to the youth quarters—or try killing a wolf before speaking up.

Everyone checked the traps and alarms in their assigned hay-rick shelters, then sat inside chatting. If tired, they could sleep in the shelter; each of the five had an assigned shift to stay alert for danger.

Because wild boars have such a keen sense of smell, no one was allowed to go outside and investigate unless absolutely necessary.

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