Yun Yiyi felt the clothes she had washed earlier were almost dry, so she changed and left the space. She walked quietly to the mat and lay down, just as she was about to fall asleep. Suddenly, Zhang's voice came from the side, startling Yun Yiyi.

"Yiyi, why did you get up? Did you go to the toilet? It's so dark in the woods, why didn't you ask me to go with you?" Zhang said reproachfully.

"Mom, you've been tired all day. I didn't call you because I felt sorry for you. Don't worry, I'm in the woods, not far away, and I'm not afraid. Go to sleep." Yun Yiyi said in a low voice.

"Okay, then I'll go to sleep. If you go again, remember to ask me to go with you." As Zhang spoke, her voice gradually became softer.

Yun Yiyi turned her head and looked. Zhang was completely asleep. She secretly patted her stomach. Oh, how scary. Just now, she almost thought Zhang had discovered her entering the space. Fortunately, it wasn't. It was really a big scare. Yun Yiyi took a while to relax before slowly falling asleep.

At this time, everyone in the forest, except for the two people on night watch, had fallen asleep. The forest gradually became quiet. After a day of hard work, the people finally had a good rest.

Yun the Butcher got up three more times, restocking the fire and turning the meat and fish over to continue smoking. The last time Yun the Butcher got up, it was already light. He restocked the fire, then felt the pig's entrails, the pig's feet, and the fish. They were already very dry from smoking. This would keep them for a while longer, and if he had the chance, he could smoke them a few more times, which would make them last even longer.

Butcher Yun pulled a burning stick from the fire and placed it inside the stove. He then continued adding more wood. Black smoke billowed out of the stove, and after he blew hard a few times, a fire started to ignite.

He lifted the lid of the pot and filled it halfway with water. He let the wood burn in the stove while he washed half a head of cabbage, chopped it up, and placed it in a basin for later use. Then he unloaded the basket containing the hen from the donkey cart, lifted the hen out, set it on the ground, and fed it a few old cabbage leaves he had saved for her.

Butcher Yun walked to the official road and threw away the half-empty basket of grass from the basket that held the hens. He went to the firewood storage area and filled half the basket with clean grass. He then filled a small bowl with half water, sprinkled two handfuls of moldy cornmeal into the mixture, stirred it thoroughly, and brought it to the hen. The hen devoured it with great relish.

Butcher Yun looked back and saw that the firewood in the stove was almost burned out. He quickly walked over and added a handful of firewood. He also added firewood to the fire next to the smoked meat. After that, he hurried to add half a basket of hay to the donkey.

At this time, Zhang heard the noise and got up.

"Boss, you get up so early." Zhang said with a yawn.

"I just got up too. Wife, why don't you sleep a little longer and I'll cook." Yun the Butcher said in a low voice.

"I'm not going to sleep anymore. I better get up and cook. I'm afraid the village chief will urge us to leave early. If that happens, we won't have time to eat." Zhang said this, and then she looked into the nearby woods. She could see many people getting up to cook. However, everyone was speaking quietly. The children were sleeping soundly, and the adults wanted them to sleep a little longer.

Zhang first washed her hands and face. Then, she opened the pot and looked inside. The water was almost boiling. She poured the cabbage cut by Yun the butcher next to her into the pot and stirred it with a spatula. She covered the pot again and started to cook. She looked down and saw that there was still a lot of firewood in the stove. She scooped half a bowl of noodles into the clay basin, added water, and stirred it into dough balls.

Butcher Yun watched the little donkey eat half a basket of hay. He then fed the little donkey two bowls of moldy cornmeal and placed a clay basin of water next to it for it to drink.

Butcher Yun washed his hands and came over with two clean baskets. He put some hay in each basket and then went to the fire to check on the pig offal and fish.

"Wife, come and take a look. These pig offal, pig feet, and fish seem to be almost smoked, so I thought of putting them away first. It will be daybreak soon, and there will be many people coming and going. It won't be good if everyone sees them." Yun the butcher said in a low voice.

"I feel that it has been smoked and is quite dry. It can be put away. Boss, it's still a bit hot during the day. I don't know how long it can be kept after being smoked for one night?" Zhang said a little worriedly.

"Wife, it will be fine in three to five days. When we find an opportunity later, we can smoke it for a few more nights." Yun the butcher said in a low voice as he put the meat into the basket.

"That's all right, sir. But put these fish in a separate basket."

"Okay, that's what I was planning. Wife, go cook first. I'll clean up these myself, so don't do anything."

After hearing what Yun the butcher said, Zhang went back to light the fire and cook.

After Yun the butcher collected all the meat and fish, he placed them in a basket and finally piled a handful of hay on top. The hay allowed air to suffocate the meat and fish, but it was also to protect the donkey cart from children from other families who might have spotted them.

Butcher Yun moved both baskets onto the donkey cart and placed them there. He checked on the hen; it had already eaten all the cabbage leaves and cornmeal. The water in the bowl was almost gone. Butcher Yun tied the hen's beak with a rope and placed it in the basket, which had been replaced with clean straw. As usual, he put it in the donkey cart first.

Then he went to check on the little donkey, and found that the little donkey had not eaten much either. He took away the empty earthenware basin and refilled it with water and hay.

By this time, the sky was already slightly light. The sounds of conversation in the woods had become chaotic. Yun the Butcher went to check on Zhang, who had already prepared the dumpling soup and poured it into a clay pot. Yun the Butcher brought the pot to the dining table and used a spoon to scoop some into bowls, letting them cool.

"Boss, come and help me light the fire." Zhang called out in a low voice.

"Here I come, wife."

Butcher Yun sat on a stone in front of the stove. He glanced into the pot and saw Zhang heating vegetable pancakes. These needed to be cooked with weeds, over a low fire. Butcher Yun added a handful of weeds to the stove and lit it.

Soon, the aroma of vegetable pancakes wafted from the pot. Zhang heated up the leftover vegetable pancakes from last night, making just enough for this morning.

"Mom, it smells so good." Brother Yun San's dazed voice came.

Zhang and Yun the Butcher turned around and saw that Yun Lao San, the foodie, had just woken up and was already thinking about eating before he even realized what was happening. Seeing this, they both laughed secretly.