Chapter 59

Chapter 59

At this moment, Shen Juanjuan could see the Black Wolf, which was carrying a Mutant and walking towards them. He quickly hid behind Chu Ya: "Don't come over here, just stay there. I really don't want to argue with you right now, I really don't."

The Black Wolf continued to walk forward, and Shen Juanjuan hurriedly tugged at the corner of Chu Ya's clothes: "Look at it, it's coming over. Do something about it."

"It's fine, it won't argue with you."

The Black Wolf dropped the fat hare Mutant under the eaves with a heavy thud. Shen Juanjuan turned his head to look and immediately hugged Chu Ya's waist: "Scold it quickly, it brought this to bite us."

Chu Ya, pulled off balance by Shen Juanjuan, tapped the Mutant with his cane: "This Mutant is already dead, it won't bite us."

Shen Juanjuan poked his head out to look, not entirely convinced: "It's really dead?"

"Yes, it's dead."

Shen Juanjuan let out a sigh of relief: "Oh, it's dead, you scared me." Then he looked at the Black Wolf with some dissatisfaction: "It deliberately brought a dead one to scare me."

Chu Ya looked at the lifeless Mutant, unable to identify what it was, but seeing the two long ears covered in soft scales, he guessed it was a hare.

A thought flashed through his mind, realizing that this was food the Black Wolf had hunted for them. Mutants lived in groups on Abyss Mountain, and hunting them posed great risks to ordinary people. Moreover, their meat was tough and less palatable than regular meat, so few people bothered with them. But now, the Black Wolf had brought a hare Mutant, undoubtedly solving their current biggest food problem.

"Thank you," Chu Ya said softly to the Black Wolf.

The Black Wolf seemed not to hear, looking coldly into the distance, but its ears were trembling slightly.

Shen Juanjuan grew bolder and leaned down to curiously examine the Mutant. The Black Wolf sauntered over to him nonchalantly, then suddenly shook its head and body vigorously, splashing rainwater all over Shen Juanjuan, who screamed in terror.

Shen Juanjuan rushed to Chu Ya's side: "It bit me, it bit me—"

"It didn't bite you, it was just playing with you."

Chu Ya steadied Shen Juanjuan and glanced at the Black Wolf, his eyes filled with a hint of helplessness.

The Black Wolf glanced at him and then looked around indifferently.

Shen Juanjuan, still shaken, said: "It splashed water, yes, it didn't bite me, it splashed water."

The Black Wolf walked back into the house as if nothing had happened. Shen Juanjuan, regaining his senses, began to complain angrily: "Aren't you going to do something? Look at it, acting so shameless. Aren't you going to do anything?"

"I will, right away." Chu Ya used his cane to prod the hare Mutant, tilting his head as if listening to something, then nodded frequently: "Hmm, is that so? Hmm, say sorry? Alright, I'll pass the message along."

Shen Juanjuan also perked up his ears, and Chu Ya turned to him: "It asked me to tell you it's sorry for splashing water on you. This hare is a gift for your dinner, as an apology."

The Black Wolf, inside the room, suddenly turned its head, eyes wide open, and growled discontentedly in its throat.

"Dinner?" Shen Juanjuan looked at the Mutant hesitantly, "Dinner... we're going to eat this?"

"Yes."

"...I don't want to eat this, can I go find something else to eat? I'll go right away."

"Not like this, it needs to be cooked. I can make it into the most delicious dish, like a big drumstick," Chu Ya said.

"A big drumstick?" Shen Juanjuan's eyes widened.

"Even better than a big drumstick."

Chu Ya glanced at the Black Wolf, which was still baring its teeth, and added: "It gave us this hare, what do you think we should say to it?"

"Say it's good."

"That's not right."

"Say it's a very good big drumstick."

"That's not right either, think again."

Shen Juanjuan fidgeted with his pants, whispering: "Say thank you."

"Do you want me to pass that along?"

Shen Juanjuan nodded lightly.

Chu Ya looked at the Black Wolf, which had already calmed down, as if nothing had happened, and jumped onto the sofa to lie down.

Chu Ya knew it had heard and still said loudly: "Shen Juanjuan asked me to tell you, he wants to say thank you."

Chu Ya sat on a small stool in the bathroom, preparing to clean the Mutant, while Shen Juanjuan watched from beside him. Although it was just a hare, after mutation, it was as large as a sheep. Chu Ya laid it out on the bathroom floor, washed it clean, and then used a dagger to peel off the skin covered in soft scales.

After peeling the hare, he prepared to clean the internal organs. Chu Ya looked at Shen Juanjuan, who was squatting beside him, and hesitated to make the first cut.

The scene that followed would be too bloody for a six-year-old child to bear. When he was young, he had seen soldiers gut a Mutant, and it had given him nightmares for several nights.

"Why don't you go practice writing now, and come back when I start cooking the rabbit."

"I'll write later," Shen Juanjuan said enthusiastically.

Chu Ya did not insist: "Alright, write later."

After saying this, he did not immediately start, only looking at Shen Juanjuan with confusion.

Shen Juanjuan noticed his gaze, met his eyes for two seconds, and then reached up to touch his face.

"Are you feeling unwell again?" Chu Ya asked.

Shen Juanjuan paused: "No, I'm not unwell."

"Come, hold your breath like me, come."

Chu Ya took a deep breath and held it, and Shen Juanjuan followed suit, not knowing why.

One second, two seconds, ten seconds...

Shen Juanjuan's face gradually turned red, and finally, he couldn't hold it any longer, starting to breathe heavily.

Chu Ya asked, "Is your heart beating fast? Here, feel here."

"So fast, it's thumping so hard, I can hear the pounding."

"Then you must go punch the punching bag right away." Chu Ya urged earnestly, "Quick, quick, you need to punch the bag immediately."

Shen Juanjuan also became anxious, no longer paying attention to the dissected mutant, and hurriedly walked towards the punching bag hanging from the eaves. After taking a few steps, he turned back, "Will I die?"

"Definitely not, but..." Chu Ya shook his head thoughtfully, with a serious expression, "You have to punch!"

"Alright, I'll do it." Shen Juanjuan quickly approached the punching bag and began to strike it vigorously.

Meanwhile, Chu Ya plunged his knife into the mutant's abdomen, slowly slicing it open.

He had never done such a task before. Although both hands were covered in plastic bags, when he reached into the cavity and pulled out the still warm organs, he almost let go.

With a pale face, he closed his eyes for a moment, threw the organs into a nearby plastic bag, took a deep breath to calm himself, and continued cleaning.

Chu Ya cut the cleaned mutant into several pieces and then used a hose to wash the bathroom floor clean, leaving no trace of blood.

Shen Juanjuan was still punching the bag on the other side, so Chu Ya called out, "That's enough, come over and let me check you."

Breathing heavily, Shen Juanjuan walked over, and Chu Ya examined his face, "You're fine, completely recovered."

"In that case, I want to watch you kill it," Shen Juanjuan made a slashing motion with a knife, "Cut it up, slice it into pieces." Then, he gripped his hands and pulled them apart, looking fierce, "Tear it apart, rip it into strips, with its blood flowing all over the floor."

Chu Ya: "...It's already dead."

Shen Juanjuan was quite disappointed, "I didn't get to see it."

On the opposite side of the bathroom was the kitchen, which Chu Ya had never used before. Despite this, the cleanliness-obsessed Chu Ya had also cleared out the small room. The other seasonings in the kitchen had long since spoiled and been thrown away, but he kept a few bags of salt, which now came in handy.

The gas stove in the kitchen was unusable, so Chu Ya brought over a heating stove, placed a thin sheet of iron on top, sliced the hind leg meat thinly, laid it out, and sprinkled a layer of salt over it.

The iron sheet heated up quickly, the meat slices began to curl, sizzling as oil dripped, and the aroma of meat filled the entire room.

Shen Juanjuan stood by the stove, swallowing saliva, his eyes watering from the smoke, but still staring at the meat slices.

Chu Ya pulled him to a spot where the smoke wouldn't blow in his face and asked, "Does it smell good?"

"It smells good." Shen Juanjuan swallowed again.

"How much do you want to eat?"

"A lot, a whole lot." Shen Juanjuan gulped, gesturing with his hands, "A whole lot, a whole lot."

"Stand back, you're almost touching the iron sheet, don't get burned."

"I'm not afraid, I won't get burned."

Chu Ya took his hand and lightly touched the edge of the iron sheet with his little finger, "Are you scared?"

Shen Juanjuan withdrew his hand and took two steps back on his own.

"How much longer until we can eat?"

Chu Ya flipped the meat slices with tongs, "Almost ready."

...

"How much longer?"

"Almost."

...

"What about now? Can we eat yet?"

"Almost."

Shen Juanjuan punched the ground twice in frustration, "How long is 'almost'?"

Chu Ya picked out a piece that was nearly cooked, held it near his mouth, and blew gently. Shen Juanjuan looked up, swallowing saliva, watching eagerly.

"Open your mouth." Seeing his anxious face, Chu Ya blew a couple more times and then extended his hand, "It's still a bit hot, be careful."

Shen Juanjuan opened his mouth wide, stomping his feet impatiently, "I know, hurry up, hurry up."

The meat slice went into his mouth. Though not scalding, it was still quite warm. Shen Juanjuan sucked in air while chewing quickly.

"Is it good?" Chu Ya asked.

"Hiss, ah, hiss, it's good, really good."

"Slow down, chew thoroughly before swallowing... Why are you swallowing so fast?"

Chu Ya picked up another piece of meat, but this time Shen Juanjuan didn't open his mouth; instead, he held Chu Ya's hand and guided it to his own mouth, excitedly saying, "You try one, it's so good, so good!! Better than anything else."

Chu Ya took a bite of the meat slice.

The meat had no seasoning, was quite gamey, and the texture was tough, but since Chu Ya hadn't tasted meat in a long time and was hungry, he found it quite fragrant.

"Is it good? Is it?" Shen Juanjuan pressed.

Chu Ya nodded: "Mm, it's delicious."

For the rest of the time, Shen Juanjuan stood by the stove with his mouth open. Seeing him eat so quickly, Chu Ya took care of him first, always feeding him two or three times before eating a piece himself. But even though he kept slicing and roasting meat, he still couldn't keep up with Shen Juanjuan's speed.

Shen Juanjuan was delighted, holding the bowl of meat and bouncing around the kitchen. He then went to the door of the main house and asked Black Wolf: "Do you want some? It's really good, do you want some? Should I go get some for you?"

Black Wolf lifted an eyelid to look at him, then closed his eyes again, uninterested, and continued to pretend to sleep.

"Kid, life is like this... rather than being unhappy..." Shen Juanjuan leaned against the door, eating while watching Black Wolf, mumbling indistinctly, and said to him: "The last time I asked you what your name was, have you thought of a name yet? Do you have a name you like?"

"Roar!" Black Wolf let out a low, angry growl.

Shen Juanjuan only stepped back half a step, seeing that it didn't move, he leaned back against the door: "I can think of a powerful name for you, like Chen Baolong? Or Wang Zhusheng's brother? But you don't look good. Every night at my brother's place, I see a big black dog, it looks very good, especially good. Why don't you try to look like it?"

"Roar!" Black Wolf's expression became complicated, his eyes showing neither anger nor pride.

When Shen Juanjuan's eating pace slowed down, Chu Ya finally put down the tongs and knife to take a breath. Looking at the hind leg meat that had been cut down significantly, he couldn't help but be startled.

That's too much.

"I'm done." Shen Juanjuan raised his empty bowl again.

"Wait." Chu Ya pulled him over, lifted his shirt to touch his round belly: "You can't eat any more."

"I'm not full yet."

"Eating any more will make you burst." Chu Ya took the empty bowl and set it aside, then used a handkerchief to wipe his greasy mouth, "We'll stop here today, we can eat more tomorrow."

Chu Ya prepared to hang the remaining hind leg meat under the eaves. Seeing Shen Juanjuan staring at the meat in a daze, he couldn't help but sigh: "You really can't eat any more."

"I know I can't eat today, but I can eat tomorrow." Shen Juanjuan licked his lips, looking somewhat disappointed: "This meat is so delicious, better than buns, but Lin Duozhi and the others don't know."

He lowered his head, his lashes casting shadows on his lower eyelids, looking somewhat dejected. Black Wolf was pacing under the eaves, peeking into the kitchen.

Chu Ya stared at him for a moment, then put the hind leg meat back on the cutting board and took out a knife to start slicing.

"Do you want more? Didn't you say you'd burst? Do you want more?" Shen Juanjuan looked up when he heard the noise.

Chu Ya's slicing had become more proficient, his hands moving steadily as he replied: "I'll roast all this meat, but you're not allowed to eat any more."

"Ah..."

Chu Ya laid the slices of meat on the metal sheet, saying amidst the sizzling sound of roasting meat: "There's too much meat, we can't finish it all, and it will go bad if left too long. I'll roast some for your friends, okay?"

"Sure! For Lin Duozhi, Tang Yuanyuan, Chen Hongliang, Wang Xiaoxi, Yu Datou, Liu Sijin..." Shen Juanjuan happily counted on his fingers.

Chu Ya tentatively asked: "There's still too much raw meat. We'll keep enough for three days, and send the rest to the orphanage, okay?"

Shen Juanjuan had been complaining about the orphanage all night, saying how bad it was, that he wanted to fly back and smash their windows, and never talk to Chief Administrator Chen and Director Liu again.

But Chu Ya understood that Director Liu had no choice; the orphanage must have been threatened. Besides, if not for Director Liu and Rong Chen, where would they have gotten food during this time? He felt grateful to Director Liu and, both emotionally and logically, should give the meat to them.

Chu Ya originally thought Shen Juanjuan wouldn't agree, but unexpectedly, he said: "Okay, we'll send the rest to the orphanage, for Chief Administrator Chen, Director Liu, and the staff to eat."

Chu Ya was slightly surprised: "Didn't you say you wouldn't talk to Chief Administrator Chen and Director Liu anymore? That you'd hit them if you saw them?"

Shen Juanjuan fell silent, his face darkening.

"You won't smash the orphanage's windows?"

"I will, and I'll hit them, I'll hit them if I see them." Shen Juanjuan gave Chu Ya a sinister look, "I'll smash their windows to pieces."

"Really? Then why give them meat to eat?"

Shen Juanjuan fell silent again, only lowering his head and lightly grinding his foot on the ground. Just as Chu Ya thought he wouldn't speak, he suddenly said: "We should give them something to eat, this meat is so good, they should eat it." Then he added softly: "If they let me back into the orphanage, I won't smash the windows or hit anyone."

Chu Ya smiled: "Okay." Then he squatted down, looking at Shen Juanjuan: "The director and Chief Administrator Chen didn't kick you out. They were threatened by bad people and had to send you home. They had no choice."

Shen Juanjuan lowered his head, silent for a moment before nodding.

Chu Ya tied the remaining raw meat with a rope and had Black Wolf deliver it to the orphanage. Black Wolf turned away without a glance, returned to the main house, and lay on the sofa.

Chu Ya followed inside and sat on the sofa: "Are you angry?"

Black Wolf kept his eyes drooping, unmoving.

Chu Ya thought for a moment: "Are you upset because the orphanage kicked Shen Juanjuan out?"

Black Wolf suddenly lifted his head, eyes wide with surprise, then slapped Chu Ya with his tail.

Upset for Shen Juanjuan? How could that be? What are you thinking?

Chu Ya rubbed its head and continued: "You heard earlier, the orphanage had no choice, they didn't kick Shen Juanjuan out, they just had to deal with those people temporarily. The child was scared, but you're a B+ quantum beast, you wouldn't take it seriously, right?"

Black Wolf glanced at him, finally slowly getting up, head held high, walking to the door, and picking up the bag of meat.

Chu Ya looked at the empty building on the left from the doorway: "Someone is watching us from up there. You need to find a way to shake off the surveillance, so no one discovers you're delivering the meat to the orphanage. If you can't shake them off, bring the meat back."

Black Wolf disdainfully flicked its tail, easily leaped over the wall, and ran in the opposite direction of the orphanage.

It wasn't bedtime yet, and the dormitory building of the orphanage was noisy. However, Room 16 was unusually quiet, with a few children sitting on their beds, playing listlessly with colored glass paper, chatting intermittently.

"What is Shen Juanjuan doing now?" Wang Xiaoxi asked.

Yu Datou grumbled: "Playing."

"But he can't come back to the orphanage, and he didn't eat today."

Chen Hongliang thought for a moment: "Maybe he's dead already."

The dormitory fell silent for a moment, then Lin Duozhi's sobbing broke the quiet.

"What are you crying for? Why are you crying, Lin Duozhi?" Tang Yuanyuan sat up.

"Shen Juanjuan is dead." Lin Duozhi looked at the empty bed opposite him, sniffling.

"Chen Hongliang was just making it up; Shen Juanjuan isn't dead."

"But he didn't have any food. Today he left without getting his bean cake."

Wang Xiaoxi also started to cry: "He must be hungry now, surely he's starved to death."

"If I could go to Cloud Peak, I would take Shen Juanjuan with me, let him come along with me." Lin Duozhi choked out.

This time even Tang Yuanyuan had nothing to say. Everyone sat silently on their beds, wiping away tears.

In the silence, the window suddenly opened, and a cold wind rushed in. They all turned instinctively and saw a bag floating into the room, landing with a thud on the only table, followed by the window slamming shut again.

The children looked at each other, then got up as one and walked toward the table.

"What is this?"

"I don't know."

Amidst the chatter, the bag was opened by several hands, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.

Several heads leaned in, sniffing, staring at the pile of golden, oily meat slices inside the bag.

"It's meat!"

"It smells so good."

"Don't eat it! What if it's ghost meat? We should call the manager."

But the next second, several small hands reached into the bag, each grabbing a piece and stuffing it into their mouths.

"So delicious."

"It really is meat, so delicious."

"Don't fight over it, there's plenty, no need to fight."

"Don't hit each other, eat what's in the bag first."

...

After checking the canteen and confirming that the beans needed for tomorrow morning were soaked and the radishes washed and placed in basins, Rong Chen fetched some water to wash his hands nearby.

He rubbed soap on his hands, sighing inwardly, his mind heavy with thoughts.

Today, when delivering food to Mixin Town, Chu Ya's quantum beast tore the bag and refused to accept their food. It seemed those two kids harbored resentment towards the orphanage, refusing even the food sent to them.

Fortunately, the quantum beast had been carrying prey, so they wouldn't go hungry.

Rong Chen was pondering whether to go again tomorrow when he almost bumped into something white. He quickly stepped back, seeing a large piece of raw meat appear, nearly shouting in fright.

But he immediately regained his composure, swallowing his scream and staring uncertainly ahead.

It was clearly processed raw meat, looking like half a sheep, very fresh, with blood dripping onto the floor.

Rong Chen tentatively asked, "Chu Ya's quantum beast? Is this...?"

The half-piece of meat moved toward the cutting board and landed with a thud.

Rong Chen instantly understood its meaning, feeling warmth in his chest and eyes. He had had various speculations, but Chu Ya not only hadn't blamed them but had even sent meat to the orphanage through the quantum beast.

The orphanage rarely received meat from the Cloud Peak farm, and the children hardly tasted meat more than twice a year. Although there were mutants on Keke Mountain, ordinary people dared not go up, and only when the mutants frequently attacked the town did the army clear them out. On such days, the managers would wait at the foot of the mountain early in the morning, and if they managed to drag back even a part of a mutant, the whole orphanage would be elated.

"Thank you, the children at the orphanage haven't had meat for a long time, thank you..." Rong Chen's voice choked up, and after a few seconds, he continued: "I'll make them meat buns and meat soup tomorrow morning."

Fearing the quantum beast would leave, Rong Chen hurriedly called it back, grabbed an empty jute bag, filled it with sweet potatoes and beans, and added a few packets of seasonings from the cabinet.

"They are growing, eating only meat won't do. Take this to them; they need to eat with staple foods. Tell Shen Juanjuan to stay calm, once we get through this, the orphanage will come to bring him back."

Rong Chen tied the bag, watching the bulging jute bag float off the ground, then quickly fly out the door and disappear into the night.