Chapter 360: Chapter 360: Rheumatic Bone Pain

The wild boar was finally dead.

No one was in a hurry to move the massive beast.

The intense struggle had exhausted everyone. They collapsed onto the snow, gasping for breath.

A few of the hunting dogs sniffed around the boar’s carcass,

then plopped down as well, their tongues lolling out as they let out an occasional low whine.

Wang Baimu walked over to Li Xu and offered him a cigarette.

Li Xu waved his hand, declining.

Wang Baimu didn’t mind. He lit one for himself, took a deep drag, and exhaled a thick white cloud of smoke that quickly dissipated in the cold wind.

"Doctor Li, you said earlier you wanted to lease the land around Bailingyu Village?"

Wang Baimu asked curiously, leaning against a pine tree.

Li Xu nodded. "Yes."

Hearing this, Wang Baimu shook his head repeatedly. "What’s so good about that place? It’s all rocks, completely barren. If it were any good, the original villagers wouldn’t have all left."

Li Xu just smiled without offering a detailed explanation.

To villagers who had relied on farming grains for generations, the land in Bailingyu Village was indeed no good.

But only he knew...

...that the foxtail grass growing there had incredible effects and was far more valuable than any grain.

"It’s not suitable for crops, but the climate is good for growing certain medicinal herbs," Li Xu explained simply.

"Oh, is that so."

Wang Baimu nodded thoughtfully.

He knew Li Xu was a doctor, and that his knowledge surely surpassed that of mountain folk like them. If Li Xu said so, he must have his reasons.

"Our Qinling mountains are a natural treasure trove of medicinal ingredients, so it’s true they’re suitable for growing herbs. How about this? In a couple of days when the snow melts and the roads are clear, I’ll take you to town to handle the lease paperwork. I know everyone in the village and in town, so it’ll be easier with me there."

"Thank you so much!"

Li Xu said with sincere gratitude.

Wang Baimu’s help would undoubtedly save him a lot of trouble.

The group rested for a while, recovering some of their strength.

Li Xu remembered the cloth bag he had thrown away.

He went back to the spot where the wild boar had been chasing him.

Thankfully, the boar had only been focused on charging him and had shown no interest in the bag’s contents.

The bag lay quietly on the snow. The mushrooms, bee pupae, Solomon’s seal, and wild fruits inside were all unharmed.

He picked up the bag and brushed the snow off it.

"Let’s go, Doctor Li. Come rest at our Shangwang Village," Wang Baimu called out.

Li Xu didn’t refuse.

This place was also a long way from Bailingyu Village.

’It’d be a problem if I ran into another wild boar on my own,’ he worried.

Li Xu followed Wang Baimu and his group on the journey back to Shangwang Village.

They carried the enormous wild boar, proceeding cautiously through the snow.

The boar was heavier than they had expected. They had to take turns just to be able to move it.

Shangwang Village was situated at the foot of a mountain slope. It wasn’t large, with only a few dozen households.

Wisps of smoke from cooking fires curled into the air, creating a particularly peaceful and serene scene against the snowy landscape.

However, next to the village was a valley wedged between two mountains. Wind howled through it year-round, and in winter, the bone-chilling gales made it feel like an ice cellar.

There weren’t many people in the village, either. Besides the elderly and children, there were only seven or eight young people, including Xiao Yong; the rest had all gone out to make a living elsewhere. This was not an uncommon sight in today’s rural areas.

"Village Chief Wang, what are you going to do with this wild boar? You’re not planning to eat it, are you?"

Li Xu asked.

Although Li Xu had never eaten wild boar meat,

he had read a lot about it.

Wild boar wasn’t tasty. Its flavor was far inferior to that of domestic pork.

The meat had coarse fibers and a low fat content, making it very tough to chew. When cooked, it couldn’t render fat to create that fragrant, sizzling flavor, and it had a strong, gamy smell that was difficult to deal with.

Most importantly, wild boars often carried parasites, making it risky to eat.

He thought that if Wang Baimu and the others planned to eat the boar, he ought to try and talk them out of it.

"Of course not."

Wang Baimu shook his head. "We brought it back to turn it in and collect the bounty."

"Wild boars are running rampant these days, destroying crops and even hurting people, so the authorities have allowed us to hunt them. After a kill, we have to report it so the relevant departments can handle it, and our village gets a subsidy."

Li Xu nodded.

By now, the sky was growing dark. A bitter wind howled from the valley, and the temperature dropped sharply.

Wang Baimu had a few of the young men place the boar in a sheltered corner outside the village.

"The mountain is snowed in right now, so we can’t transport it out," Wang Baimu said. "But since it’s freezing, we don’t have to worry about it going bad. Once the snow melts, we’ll contact the people in town to come and pick it up."

When the group returned to the village, Wang Baimu’s wife had already prepared dinner.

Piping hot dishes covered the table. The fragrant aroma whetted Li Xu’s appetite.

"Doctor Li, have a seat," Wang Baimu said warmly, inviting Li Xu to sit down.

On the table were several authentic Qinling farmhouse dishes.

The most eye-catching of them all was a large, steaming platter of cured meat.

The meat was cut into thin, translucent slices with alternating layers of fat and lean. After being air-dried for years, it gave off a unique, aged aroma.

Li Xu picked up a slice. It had a rich, mellow flavor that was perfectly savory, and the fat wasn’t greasy. It was truly a rare delicacy.

"This is cured meat we smoke ourselves. We rely on it to get us through meals all year," Wang Baimu explained with a smile.

Besides the cured meat, there was also a pot of mushroom soup that had been stewed until tender.

It was made with matsutake and porcini mushrooms.

The fresh, umami flavor of the mushrooms blended perfectly with the rich mellowness of the cured meat. The broth was deep in color and incredibly delicious.

The other dishes were stir-fries made with local wild vegetables and chilies, all bright red and wonderfully aromatic.

Li Xu took a bite. It was indeed fiery hot, instantly igniting his mouth, yet it came with a satisfying kick that made him want more.

"It’s very humid here, and cold in the winter, so we need to eat spicy food to drive out the dampness and warm our bodies," Seeing Li Xu enjoying the food, Wang Baimu explained with a smile.

By the end of the meal, Li Xu had eaten his fill and felt warm all over.

However, after dinner, Wang Baimu suddenly cried out in pain. He pushed himself up, holding his lower back with a pained expression on his face.

"My old problem’s acting up again. This darn weather... it gets real bad every winter."

Wang Baimu rubbed his knee and said to Li Xu with a wry smile, "A lot of people in our village suffer from rheumatic joint pain. It’s from being exposed to the damp mountain air and doing heavy labor all year round."

Hearing this, an idea sparked in Li Xu’s mind.

He took a closer look at Wang Baimu’s complexion and posture as he walked. He did indeed show clear symptoms of rheumatism.

In the humid Qinling mountain region, this illness was very common, especially with the villagers’ long-term physical labor.

"Village Chief Wang, how long have you had this rheumatism?" Li Xu asked.

"More than ten years, I’d say. I didn’t pay it any mind when I was younger, but now that I’m older, my body’s worn out."

Wang Baimu sighed. "I’ve been to the town hospital before and taken a lot of medicine, but it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. The pain gets awful whenever it’s rainy or in the winter."