Chapter 823: Figure It Out Yourself

After Sun Dafu finished speaking, the crowd dispersed.

Aside from the village head Sun Dafu and the accountant Li Youcai, those remaining at the venue were the 16 hunters and militia members, and Niu Qi.

At this moment, Niu Qi was filled with regret; he was practically kicking himself to death.

Being selfish was one thing, but he had insisted on acting arrogant and showing off. Now, things had turned sour; if he failed to kill a brown bear, there was a very high possibility he would be sent to a farm for labor reform.

It perfectly illustrated the old saying

"Heaven's crimes are forgivable, but self-inflicted crimes are fatal."

After the others left, Sun Dafu ignored Niu Qi and spoke to Wang An and the others

"Our village has a fair amount of cropland. Fortunately, there are only a few directions where livestock are likely to enter. We'll do as we have in previous years and split into two shifts. One shift covers a day and a night, and within that, two people form a pair to watch one edge of the woods. It would be even better if we could wipe out the nearby wild boars and such."

Pausing for a moment, Sun Dafu suddenly spoke through gritted teeth

"While ensuring safety, eliminate as many wild boars as possible. Those damn boars have far too much destructive power."

It had to be admitted that among all animals capable of destroying crops, wild boars were absolutely ranked number one.

Mainly because these things usually appeared in herds, and when they ate, they didn't just eat—they trashed everything.

They would either root the crops over or, while scratching an itch, press the crops beneath them and roll around.

Sometimes, in just a single night, an entire field of crops would be ruined, even if they hadn't actually eaten much.

Most crucially, their combat capability was formidable. Aside from hunters with guns, ordinary farmers truly had no good way to deal with them.

Thus, after Sun Dafu finished speaking, everyone nodded heavily.

Sun Dafu continued

"This protection of the young seedlings is expected to last about ten to fifteen days. Let's not delay; the crops in the fields can't afford any delays. In a moment, divide yourselves into groups and start staking out the fields today. How does that sound?"

As soon as Sun Dafu finished, the crowd began to speak up

"Grandpa Sun, that works for me."

"Yeah, I've got nothing going on either."

"I'll start tomorrow; I still have some chores at home to finish today."

"Me too, tomorrow for me as well."

And so, everyone chattered away about when they could start their watch.

Accountant Li Youcai recorded everything in a small notebook.

Soon, Li Youcai finished recording and asked

"Who is paired with whom? I'll record that as well."

When it came to grouping, even the village head couldn't just call names randomly. Protecting seedlings was like hunting; it required "the right person for the right heart, the right horse for the right saddle."

Otherwise, if people who distrusted each other carried guns and staked out the fields together, any dispute or unfair distribution of spoils could easily lead to major problems.

Lv Deshu spoke up

"Tiegang and I have hunted together for years; we'll stay together."

Wang An also said

"I'll be in a group with my younger brother, Lao Wu, so we can look out for each other."

Following that, the others all named their partners.

Once Li Youcai finished recording again, Sun Dafu scanned the crowd and said

"The 5 mu of wasteland for each person will be allocated based on the names Youcai recorded. During this period of protecting the seedlings, if anyone has something coming up, say it in advance. Try not to spring surprises on us at the last minute, alright?"

After speaking, Sun Dafu looked at them one by one, clearly asking for confirmation.

There was nothing wrong with Sun Dafu doing this. After all, the tasks were assigned; if someone suddenly asked for leave, what would happen to the seedling protection?

Under Sun Dafu's gaze, everyone agreed

"Yeah, sounds good."

"No problem here."

"I'll definitely say something in advance if I have business."

"I'm fine too, I'll let you know if anything comes up."

Once everyone had agreed, Sun Dafu waved his hand and said

"Alright then, let's go collect the guns and ammunition. Let's strive for some kills today, hahahaha..."

With that, the group followed Sun Dafu toward the warehouse in the courtyard.

After everyone collected their guns and bullets and coordinated their watch positions, they all headed home happily.

Clearly, they were happy because they had received 5 mu of wasteland.

Of course, this included Wang An and Wang Li.

Not only did they get wasteland, but each person also got 30 rounds of ammunition for free. More importantly, once they started their watch, there would inevitably be a decent harvest of game. Such a multi-benefit deal truly left one with no choice but to be happy.

However, when the group hadn't walked very far, Comrade Niu Qi finally broke down.

Perhaps thinking of the dangers of the field watch, Niu Qi said to Sun Dafu with a face full of terror

"Uncle Sun, Accountant Li, I was wrong! I won't dare do it again, please forgive me this once!"

Hearing Niu Qi's voice, the others instinctively slowed their pace; some even stopped completely, wanting to hear how Sun Dafu and Li Youcai would respond.

After all, this kind of drama was quite interesting.

It had to be said that Niu Qi was not only selfish, but he also lacked the ability to read the room.

Facing something like protecting the seedlings, which benefited the entire village, he couldn't stand to see others' efforts rewarded, believing that others' contributions were simply their duty.

Of course, if he had just thought that, it would have been fine, but was it not a bit moronic to shout it publicly?

By shouting like that, he had essentially offended every hunter and militia member.

Consequently, he had been subjected to rounds of reprimands and warnings from three village leaders.

Yet, he hadn't bowed his head to admit his mistake immediately; he waited until the crowd had left.

Perhaps it was a matter of pride, or perhaps he had only just realized the crux of the problem.

But now that he was finally opening his mouth to apologize, what were Sun Dafu and Li Youcai supposed to do?

One must remember that the militia captain, Sun Xiangfeng, had already left.

Were they just supposed to forgive him quietly?

If they did that, how could Sun Dafu and Li Youcai continue to act as leaders in the future?

What would the hunters and militia think?

And what would the villagers of Kaoshan Village think?

Thus, Sun Dafu and Li Youcai looked at each other, their expressions unpredictable.

Sun Dafu's face slumped, and he said angrily

"It's already this late, and you damn well only just remembered to apologize? What the hell were you doing when there were plenty of people around? Don't look to me; I've got no way to help you."

Li Youcai added

"The child is already dead, and you're just now bringing the milk. Figure it out yourself."

(End of Chapter)