fictionpage Chapter 41 Initial Taming
Chapter 41 Initial Taming
Song You's muscles tensed, and power flowed through his limbs. He was ready to rush forward and have another close encounter with this ungrateful wild boar.
However, the sow did not attack.
It stood in the shadows at the edge of the vegetable garden, its small eyes, reflecting the light in the night, staring intently at Song You.
It took two steps forward and then stopped.
They took two more steps forward and then stopped again.
That cautious, hesitant demeanor was completely different from the fierceness they displayed when confronting each other in the mountains and forests.
Song You remained vigilant, standing still to see what tricks this guy was up to.
Finally, the female wild boar slowly walked up to Song You.
It lowered its enormous head, sniffed the air with its long snout, and finally raised one of its front hooves, gently and tentatively stepping on Song You's instep.
The force was very light; it was less like stepping and more like wiping his shoes with a hoof.
Song You was completely astonished.
He swallowed back the whole set of punches he had prepared.
What kind of tactic is this? If you can't beat them, you act cute?
He conveyed a sense of inquiry through the whispers of nature.
The next second, a mix of grievances, anxiety, and deep resentment flooded his mind.
That emotion, translated, is roughly as follows:
"Why didn't you come?"
"I want to eat it!"
Song You realized that after all this time, this guy wasn't here for revenge, but to beg for food.
I didn't go to the earthen stove on the back mountain today because of various things. This guy waited on the mountain for a long time but didn't see me, so he actually came to my door to urge me.
Song You was both amused and exasperated.
He looked at the pig's hoof that was still gently scratching at his shoe, and his tense body completely relaxed.
"Wait."
He conveyed a reassuring thought, then turned and went back to the kitchen.
The sow was very obedient; she stood still, her small eyes following Song You closely.
Song You rummaged through the cellar and found a few sweet potatoes, then took two leftover cornbread buns from yesterday and stuffed them all into a burlap sack.
He carried the sack out of the yard and gestured with his chin toward the sow.
"Come on, lead the way."
The female wild boar immediately understood, letting out a cheerful grunt, turning around, and taking light, quick steps to lead the way.
The man and the pig disappeared into the night leading to the back mountain, one after the other.
It's still that same earthen stove.
Song You skillfully started a fire and placed the iron pot on it.
He threw the sweet potatoes into the embers of the stove to simmer, then broke the cornbread into pieces, poured them into a pot, added some water, and slowly cooked them.
Soon, a warm aroma, a mixture of grain scents and moisture, filled the forest.
The female wild boar lay on the grass not far away, watching quietly, occasionally letting out a satisfied gurgling sound from her throat.
When the corn porridge in the pot was almost cooked, Song You poured it onto a clean stone slab to cool.
He then used tongs to take a piping hot sweet potato from the stove, blew on it, and broke it open.
The golden-yellow potato flesh is steaming hot and sweet.
The sow looked at the sweet potato in his hand and couldn't help but stand up, her snout twitching incessantly.
Song You ate half of it first, and then threw the remaining half onto the grass in front of it.
The female wild boar cheered and swallowed the half sweet potato in a few bites.
Once the corn porridge on the stone slab had completely cooled, it went over, stuck out its long tongue, and began to lick it up with a slurping sound.
Just then, a rustling sound came from the nearby grassy hollow.
Seven or eight fluffy little heads peeked out from inside.
It was those little piglets.
They were clearly attracted by the aroma of the food, peeking out cautiously but not daring to get closer.
After finishing her portion, the mother boar cautiously watched for Song You's lack of reaction before turning back to look at her baby, letting out a few low calls.
The piglets then mustered their courage, lined up, and ran out of their straw nest, gathered around the stone slab, and licked the remaining corn porridge.
Under the moonlight, a large pig and seven or eight piglets were eating neatly.
Song You leaned against the tree trunk, watching this harmonious scene, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.
[Druid's Diary: You have gained more trust from the boar pack through food and patience. They now see you as a generous and powerful being who can be approached with limited respect.]
[Beastmaster Druid Advancement Quest: Trust of the Pack, progress increased. Current progress: 1/3 (Boar Pack Trust: 45%)]
Song You was in a good mood after seeing the note in his log.
The second group is mostly under control.
Although trust is still lacking, this is a good start.
Next, we just have to wait for the male wild boar to return and see if the other side is willing to back down.
"I'll see if I can learn some skills online."
After the wild boars finished eating, Song You packed his things and, with the mother boar watching him go with reluctance, went down the mountain.
......
Saturday, just as dawn was breaking.
In the courtyard, Song You was already practicing boxing by watching a video on his phone.
Relying on the instincts brought about by fitness, each move maximizes the body's strength.
The wind howled, and each punch carried a dull force.
He felt like his body was a fully inflated ball, brimming with energy that had nowhere to go.
After finishing his boxing, he walked to the old stone mill in the corner of the yard, which was used for decoration.
This stone mill was collected by his father from the village. It was quite heavy, with two millstones, one on top and one on the bottom, weighing at least two or three hundred pounds in total.
Song You took a deep breath, bent down, and gripped the edge of the millstone with both hands.
"rise!"
He gave a low shout and exerted force from his arms and back at the same time.
He lifted the heavy millstone off the ground and raised it above his head.
He wasn't red-faced or out of breath, and seemed completely at ease.
"The power of a single pig is indeed well-deserved."
He weighed the millstone in his hand, feeling that it could be made a little heavier.
"Now, we should have the strength of the two pigs."
He gently placed the millstone back in its original position with satisfaction, without making a sound.
He brought up his Druid panel.
[Farmhouse Druid: Song You]
[Rank: 0]
【Gourmet Druid】: Create comforting meals using natural ingredients. Progress is gained with each genuine compliment from a diner.
[Beastmaster Druid]: Forge bonds with living beings, listen to their voices, and guide them to follow the cycles of nature. Progress is accumulated for each deep bond formed with a race.
【Jungle Druid】: Cultivate plants, sense the pulse of the earth, and heal withered life. Progress is accumulated for each unique plant successfully cultivated or healed.
[Current Goal: Raise the entry progress of all three branches to 100% to advance to Tier 1 Druid and unlock more abilities.]
Branch Progress
[Gourmet Druid: 41% (Advanced Quest 87/100)]
Beastmaster Druid: 52% (Advanced Quest 1/3)
Jungle Druid: 21% (Advanced Quest 3/10)
[Abilities: Divine Arts, Hearth Control (Beginner), Whispers of Nature, Physical Fitness]
The Beastmaster Druid's progress has increased significantly after taming the boar pack.
The progress of the Gourmet Druid has also steadily increased due to the booming business these past few days.
The Jungle Druid is the slowest to progress.
Let's wait until Jiang Milu arrives and see what happens. Counting the days, it's today.
The agritainment business was still booming in the morning.
Song You was as busy as a spinning top. He had just seen off a group of fishing guests when his phone vibrated.
He wiped his hands, picked it up and saw that it was a WeChat message from Jiang Milu.
"I've reached the village entrance, where are you?"
"Coming right away."
Song You replied, then took off his apron, greeted the guests who were eating in the courtyard, and walked quickly toward the village entrance.
It was midday, and there weren't many people on the village road.
From afar, Song You could see a slender figure standing under the big locust tree at the village entrance.
The girl was wearing a simple white dress with a light blue denim jacket over it, and white sneakers on her feet.
She was carrying a backpack and a familiar brown earthenware jar in her hand.
Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the locust tree, casting dappled patterns of light on her.
Song You slowed his pace a little.
He approached, and Jiang Milu noticed him and turned around.
Eyes facing each other.
Jiang Milu's face flushed slightly the moment she saw Song You.
She never expected that she would feel nervous.
We were clearly arguing fiercely with this guy in a video call that day.
But when they actually met, even though they were three or four meters apart, she couldn't utter a single word.
Song You also felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange.
He scratched his head, his gaze falling on the pottery jar in her hand.
"Did you bring all the pickled vegetable jars from home?"
Jiang Milu's composure crumbled instantly at his words.
She shoved the jar in front of him, her face showing a hint of annoyance.
"I made sauerkraut at school, which was your favorite when you were little. I brought you some."
She paused, then added, "Are you not eating well while you're all alone out there?"
"Actually, I ate quite well."
"That's definitely not good, right?"
Seeing the other party's unfriendly expression, Song You stopped arguing, took the heavy pottery jar, and felt its coolness to the touch.
He looked down at the tightly sealed plastic film at the mouth of the can, and a warm feeling washed over him.
"Thanks."
"Hmph." Jiang Milu pouted, but her gaze drifted elsewhere, not daring to look at him.
Silence fell between them again.
Only the chirping of cicadas in summer could be heard, making a noisy racket.
They then realized that this was the first time since graduating from high school that they had truly stood face to face together.
All those jokes and banter that could be casually uttered in the video were now stuck in his throat.
"that......"
"you......"
They both spoke at the same time, and then stopped at the same time.
The atmosphere became even more awkward.
Finally, Song Youxian smiled, breaking the deadlock.
He lifted the earthenware jar in his hand and pointed in the direction of the village.
"Come on, I'll take you to a farmhouse inn, it's right near my house."