"Chapter 139: The Hunt"

"Everyone in the valley rose early, missing the crowing of roosters but guided by the chirping of the birds in the forest, which acted as natural alarms even before dawn."

"Breakfast was eight-treasure porridge. Although it wasn't made with eight different ingredients, it included kidney beans, black beans, red beans, peanuts, rice, and glutinous rice. These grains and peanuts had been stocked up as part of their food reserves. While the ingredients weren't expensive, Sang Luo prepared the dish with great care, roasting the beans before simmering them for over half an hour. The porridge's inviting color and sweet aroma in the air were testament to its deliciousness."

"Shen An and Shen Ning, having finished their morning chores, joined the Xu siblings under a tree in the far end of the valley for morning studies. They returned home for breakfast, quickening their pace as they smelled the delicious aroma from afar."

"Both siblings couldn't help but salivate at the sight of the eight-treasure porridge."

"'Big sister, did you make Laba porridge this morning?'"

"In the village, people usually didn't indulge in lavish meals, mostly eating simple, light fare. Beans were cheaper than rice, but making a tasty porridge with them still required careful preparation and ingredients, so it was usually a special dish prepared only during Laba Festival, leading to children commonly referring to it as Laba porridge."

"Sang Luo nodded, then inquired about the whereabouts of their older brother."

"Shen An replied, 'He's working near the water pond, said he'd be back soon as he finishes what he's working on.'"

"Hearing that Shen Lie hadn't returned from borrowing tools from the neighboring Chen family and was working near the pond, Sang Luo suspected he was multitasking, working while also covertly attending the children's study session nearby."

"She chuckled and served the porridge in the biggest soup bowl in the house, which was more like a small basin, capable of holding four or five regular bowls' worth of porridge – ample for her family including Shen Lie's hearty appetite."

"After filling the large bowl nearly to the brim, she noticed some porridge still left in the pot. Instead of adding more to the large bowl, she decided to fill two smaller bowls and asked Shen An and Shen Ning to deliver them to the Chen and Xu families."

"It wasn't much, just one small bowl for each family, but as the porridge was labor-intensive to make and not commonly prepared, it was a nice treat for the children to enjoy."

At Chen's family, Chen Ershan and Xiao Ya divided a bowl of food between them, while the Xu family had three children. Yet, Sang Luo knew the bowls provided by Xu Zhanggui were exquisitely small, hardly palm-sized. Thus, one big bowl was enough to be shared by a family of five.

The Shen and Chen families were close neighbors, often exchanging food. Whenever they prepared something nice and fresh, they would share it with each other, and the same went for the Xu family, who were under Xu Zhanggui's care and lived nearby.

The young siblings, tasked with delivering the food, left. Sang Luo removed the firewood and arranged some small stones nearby, scooping up some hot water she had prepared earlier to scrub the pottery pot. She then grabbed a handful of wild scallions she had washed the day before from a pottery basin on the wooden case and finely chopped them, and fetched a clean bowl to mix some flour from the second shelf of the grain bags.

After cracking an egg into the bowl and adding the chopped scallions with a bit of salt, she made a batter with water. Then she began to oil the bottom of the pot and carefully cook the egg pancakes over a low flame.

Shen Lian, Chen Dashan, and other young men from each family had to go out to fetch mud and shale, likely not returning until nightfall. To save time and avoid delays on the road, these pancakes were primarily for Shen Lian to take as dry food for the journey.

While cooking egg pancakes in a pottery pot, Sang Luo was very cautious about the heat. Pottery pots are not as durable as iron pans and must be handled carefully to avoid rapid heating or cooling, which could cause them to crack.

While she was starting to cook the pancakes, Xu Wenyin came over with a beaming smile, holding a shallow plate of pancakes.

"Sister-in-law Shen, my grandmother made some wild chive pancakes and asked me to bring some for you to try."

Sang Luo, slightly surprised, guessed that her offering of porridge might have made the elderly lady feel obliged to reciprocate and send over their breakfast, smiling and saying, “There’s no need to be so formal, we’re making pancakes here too. You keep yours to eat at home.”

She gestured for Xu Wenyin to look at the pot.

Xu Wenyin peered in and saw the pancakes being made. She laughed, "These are different from yours, sister-in-law. You're making egg pancakes, right? They taste different. Try ours."

"My grandmother guessed you wouldn't accept it easily, so she asked me to tell you. She had planned the amount early in the morning. Not just for your place, Chen Granny also got some. Our family has enough, and she also asked me to thank you for the porridge."

Xu Wenyin's tone was young but her words were wise, clearly advised by her grandmother. After saying her piece, she hastily placed the plate of pancakes on the wooden table, ready to leave.

"Sister-in-law, I'm going back for breakfast now. I'll leave the plate here and come back for it later."

Sang Luo, amused, didn't refuse the offer, understanding that Xu Granny was expressing gratitude for their help during this time. She smiled and asked the young girl to thank her grandmother.

Xu Wenyin cheerfully declined the thanks, waved at Shen An, and ran back home.

"At the Chen's place, when Shen Ning returned, she brought back a bowl of their homemade pickled radish cubes."

"Sang Luo laughed, 'Well, our breakfast is quite a feast today.'"

"The six egg pancakes were ready in no time. Seeing that Shen Lie hadn't come back yet, Sang Luo was about to ask Shen An and Shen Ning to call him, but as she looked outside, she saw him already returning, carrying tools and something else."

"It looked like a wooden basin but much smaller, only a bit larger than a soup bowl and more delicate than the largest bowl in the house."

"When Shen Lie returned and handed it to her, Sang Luo saw that it really was: 'Did you make this first thing in the morning?'"

"Shen Lie smiled, 'Yes, I was heading out and didn’t have much time, nor enough to make anything else. This is for you to use when picking vegetables. I only made this one today, but I’ll make a few more when I have the time.'"

"Using the large clay basin was too heavy."

"Sang Luo laughed, 'It’s smoother and nicer looking than the ones I carved.'"

"It was also very light in her hand, and the outer layer was crafted with a distinct style – smoothly planed, but not uniformly semi-circular, giving it an assorted, rustic charm."

"Shen Lie's aesthetic sense was impeccable."

"She examined the object in her hand from all sides, then placed it on the wooden counter, turning to Shen Lie, 'Have you washed your hands? Let’s have breakfast after you do.'"

"‘I washed them on my way back.’ He looked at the counter, surprised, 'Such a lavish breakfast?'"

"Sang Luo smiled, 'You’re in luck today. Both the elderly lady from the Xu family and Aunt Chen sent us some food.'"

"Shen Ning giggled, pointing to the porridge and pancakes, 'Sister-in-law made these. We usually don’t eat this well. She must have made these especially for you, thinking you weren’t eating well in the mountains.'"

"A warmth filled Shen Lie’s heart, and he instinctively looked at Sang Luo."

"Noticing his gaze, Sang Luo glanced at Shen Ning with a playful smirk, 'Am I usually skimping on you? But speaking of making good food, can you fetch me some wild onions to check?'"

"Shen Ning chuckled, 'Sister-in-law treats me well, how could she skimp on me? I just meant that she’s also very good to Big Brother.'"

"Noticing Shen Lie's ears turning slightly red, Sang Luo playfully tapped Shen Ning, 'Let’s eat. With such delicacies spread out and still so much talk, it shows we've been living well lately.'"

"Shen An and Shen Ning both laughed, and Shen Lie’s smile grew wider."

"Indeed, without further ado, they ladled out their porridge and started their breakfast amidst light-hearted laughter."

"The eight-treasure porridge didn’t have sugar added, but the natural sweetness of the beans made it exceptionally tasty, especially paired with the pancakes and side dishes."

"Indeed, living in the valley, such lavish meals were rare. Shen Lie reflected that every time he returned, Sang Luo seemed to make an effort to prepare something special for him. He realized his sister's words were true."

"Thus, even as he led the team out of the valley, Shen Lie's face was often adorned with a smile."

"Chen Dashan, walking alongside, glanced at him several times, eyeing the small packet in Shen Lie's basket, 'Did your sister-in-law make you something delicious again?'"

"Shen Lie gave him a look, joking for once, 'Is my happiness only attributed to food?'"

"Chen Dashan: '…Isn't it? That porridge this morning looked delicious.'"

"He hadn’t tasted it himself; even Dashan hadn't indulged, feeling too shy to eat, merely watching his grandmother and little sister enjoy it."

"Chen Dashan's eyes wandered back to Shen Lie's basket, which certainly didn’t seem to carry any porridge."

"He wondered, how could a porridge made of beans and rice, just like theirs, look so much more appetizing when cooked by Sang Luo?"

"Should he find a wife who's a good cook, or ask his mother to inquire about Sang Luo's porridge recipe?"

"Tch, the latter seemed the easier option at the moment."

"While Chen Dashan was preoccupied with thoughts of food, Shen Lie was carefully observing the terrain for any animal droppings or footprints."

"To avoid creating noticeable paths in the woods, they always chose different routes for their outings. The general direction remained the same, and even the tree house they had built for the elderly and children during their initial escape was dismantled on their second visit, its traces meticulously erased."

Once the last of the food supply was transported, they only needed to slightly modify the grassland near the valley entrance to make it difficult for anyone to notice any difference in the valley.

Therefore, the path they took today was one they hadn't trodden before. But even with changing paths, it was just a minor deviation from the usual route; the area remained the same. Having hunted wolf packs and even a bear on several occasions, their recent journeys were relatively peaceful.

Shen Lian kept vigilant throughout the journey, his mind on another matter. Upon finding the target spot, he began setting up traps, which made Chen Dashan finally realize the importance of pheasants over the Laba porridge.

Thus, it wasn't just his mother's cooking skills that couldn't match Sang Luo's, even in hunting, Chen Dashan couldn't match Shen Lian's dedication.

……

Hurrying along, Shen Lian and his group managed to return to Yun Valley by dusk, using torches for the last stretch. Everyone from the valley was waiting at the main cave with their baskets and tools, ready to greet them.

Knowing Shen Lian was also fetching shale in addition to yellow clay, Sang Luo had boarded up the cave entrance before dark and waited there with Shen An and Shen Ning.

Expecting to help with carrying the soil, they were surprised when Shen Lian handed them two wicker baskets. Sang Luo felt something flapping inside as she took them.

This sensation was somewhat familiar.

Shen Lian grinned, revealing, “Pheasants, four of them. Raise them and kill one when you want meat.”

Chen Dashan, equally pleased, handed a wicker basket to his mother and grandmother, “Mom, Grandma, we can raise them for meat too.”

Companions: "......"

Greedy.

"Yet, these men were no match for the teenagers back home who had already ventured into the mountains to transport grain. Their skills in archery and trapping were still rudimentary; in times of urgency, they found wielding a hoe more natural than a bow – it was instinct."

"They did try to emulate Chen Dashan, setting up grain traps like Shen Lie, but without grain, they ended up with no chickens…"

"Except for Lu Er, who managed to catch one, the rest returned empty-handed."

"Lu Sanlang, who had come to help his brother with carrying soil and saw the pheasants, lamented, 'I should have joined them today. I think my trapping and archery skills are quite decent.'"

"Capturing one shouldn’t be too hard to imagine, right?"

"Lu Sanlang was genuinely skilled in archery, prompting Lu Erlang to chuckle, 'There will be more opportunities in the future.'"

"Wang Chunniang, who came to fetch her husband, felt upset."

"Her distress stemmed not only from her husband's failure to catch a pheasant but also because Lu Erlang did, and their household had been separated, dividing everything from food to cooking spaces."

"With two kitchens set up in one cave, split for dining, the sight of the other family feasting on chicken while they had to settle for wild vegetables was disheartening."

"Watching Feng Liuniang, her sister-in-law, gleefully receiving the pheasant, Wang Chunniang's heart sank further."

"Wang Chunniang's sorrow went unnoticed as most were in high spirits. Those who didn’t catch any game were still pleased with the fresh wild vegetables. Besides, not all meat had to be hunted personally – there were ways to procure some."

"The Xu family, for instance, proposed a trade to Sang Luo, 'A Luo, could I exchange some grain for a chicken?'"

"Zhou Cunzheng’s family also approached the Chen family to trade grain for half a chicken."

"A whole chicken was too pricey, but grain was still valuable currency."

Shi Erliang, looking at his own kids drooling with desire, reluctantly holding back on food, coaxes: "Dad just lacks experience this time, with more practice it'll be better, perhaps we'll catch something next time."

Sanniu: "……There's a next time?"

Dad, you're really not cut out for this.

He pats his stomach: "Then, Dad, you keep trying."

Seeing his son so longing, Shi Er bites the bullet and consults with Chen Dashan to exchange a portion of food for half a chicken, cutting it into small pieces to stew, to give his kids a taste of meat.

Before Chen Dashan even responds, Erniu and Sanniu jump up in joy.

Look at that, it's like New Year's celebration here, lucky we remember we are just at the edge of the gorge, where loud noises are forbidden, so they just hop in place.

How could he not agree?

Chen Dashan laughed, "Swap them all, we'll swap them."

Shen Lian watched with amusement as everyone carried the necessary items into the valley. Once the entrance to the gorge was securely sealed, they headed back.

……

Out of the four wild chickens, one was given to the Xu family. Shen Lian gathered some reasonably thick branches, planning to make a single chicken coop to contain them. He was worried about their wild nature, fearing they might attack the smaller chickens and ducks, which would be a significant loss given their reliance on them for eggs.

While Shen Lian worked on the chicken coop, Sang Luo and others assisted. Sang Luo noted the evening's haul by each family, remembering that, until now, their diet had mainly been dry rations and the occasional hunted game. This was their first time actively setting traps for hunting.

And in this first attempt, apart from experienced hunters like Shen Lian and Chen Dashan, and the moderately skilled Lu Erlang, others faced failure.

Sang Luo thought of Shen Jin.

"Do you think little Jin, at such a young age, could catch wild chickens or rabbits on his own?"

Upon hearing this, Shen An and Shen Ning also looked towards Shen Lian.

As Shen Lian sharpened one end of a stick and drove it into the ground, he said, “Yes, trapping wild chickens doesn’t require strength or age. It's all about the right technique. Jin might not succeed on his first or second attempt, but after ten or so tries, he'll slowly get it. That's how I learned."

He paused, then added, "We've been in the mountains for over a month now. Even with limited talent, he should be getting the hang of it by now.”

"Besides, Shen Jin isn't dumb."