The wild boar's massive body was broken down beneath Hunter Zhang's skilled blade, peeled apart as though drawn into threads.
The sharp hunting knife sliced through the tough hide with a soft "shhk," revealing the thick, distinctly grained dark-red muscle beneath.
Draining blood, skinning, gutting, deboning...
Every step was clean and efficient, carrying a sense of primal, precise strength.
The watching neighbors held their breaths, their eyes fixed on Hunter Zhang's movements as low murmurs of amazement rose from time to time.
The children squeezed through gaps in the crowd. They were frightened by the bloody sight, yet could not resist peeking. Their little noses sniffed hard at the increasingly heavy scent of blood in the air and... the faint aroma of meat.
Ning Dazhuang assisted at the side. Following Hunter Zhang's instructions, he placed the separated boar's head, its four enormous hocks, and a large pile of steaming offal into several prepared wooden basins.
Liu Lan also gathered her courage and brought out coarse salt from the house, helping rub it thoroughly over the larger chunks of meat for preliminary preservation.
The Ning Family Courtyard seemed to have become a temporary slaughterhouse, busy yet orderly.
Ning Chuan still sat by the doorway inside, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing, but every sound from the courtyard reached his ears without missing a thing.
Hunter Zhang's steady commands, his father's occasional rough replies, his mother's slightly nervous questions, and the villagers' increasingly animated discussions.
When Hunter Zhang peeled off the boar's nearly intact thick hide, still covered in black bristles, and spread it across a makeshift wooden rack, a chorus of impressed clicks filled the courtyard.
"What fine hide! This thick, this large—once it's tanned, it could make an excellent fur coat!"
"Look at those tusks. Sharp enough, all