There are many animals hiding in the mountains, and some of them are burned before the wildfire arrives because they didn't have time to escape.

The family doesn't have much meat stored up: a few dozen pieces of cured pork, two sheep, four ducks, two chickens, a few rabbits... and a turtle that's been kept in a bucket and is barely surviving the wildfire.

Children need to eat more meat in winter to build up their strength and resist the cold. If we really start eating the meat we've stocked up on, it won't take more than two or three months to finish it.

Ye Wenxue originally planned to bring back a few wild boars to raise, so that with her watching over them at all times, the wild boars wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

But when I looked out of the cave towards the lake this morning, all the scattered animals had disappeared, so I had to go out of the valley to take a look.

Of course, besides collecting and storing meat, we also need to collect some firewood to take back to the valley.

Most of the trees in the valley were destroyed when people built houses, made furniture, and chopped firewood. The ones that survived the wildfire were kept alive by watering them with spiritual spring water, while the ones that withered and died were cut down to make charcoal.

But compared to the large amount of charcoal needed in winter, there was less wood in the valley.

The chopped firewood stored at home was for cooking, not for burning charcoal, so Ye Wenxue could only look beyond the valley.

The last time our whole family left the valley was before the wildfire.

Compared to their previous joy and excitement, the children all looked rather solemn as they left the valley.

Dazhuang, carrying two empty baskets, walked at the front. Looking at the charred ground and the few remaining embers, he pursed his lips and said, "Wildfires are too dangerous; we must take preventative measures."

The mountains surrounding the valley were originally lush and vibrant with trees, but after this battle, their peaks were burned bare.

The two of them silently gathered firewood, then suddenly looked up at the hazy sky shrouded in black smoke: "If only it would rain, the wildfire would go out."

Ye Wenxue chuckled upon hearing this. Shuangshuang always loved playing with Siwang, unlike Dazhuang and Sanyuan who were clever and quick-witted.

Now it seems that Shuangshuang has hit the nail on the head – wildfires cannot be saved by human effort; they can only be saved by heavy rain.

"This incident teaches us not to play with fire carelessly, especially in the woods." Ye Wenxue called to the children to follow. "Let's go check near the wild boar's den first. If we encounter any pheasants, rabbits, or goats along the way, we can take them with us. Firewood is everywhere, so we don't need to rush to collect it, lest we add to our burden."

Sanyuan followed closely behind Ye Wenxue, nodding in agreement.

"Mom, the meat is burnt and doesn't taste good. Why don't we go dig up some yams and taro?" Siwang reluctantly picked up his little hoe and followed. He dug up several yams and a pile of taro. He was quite good at it.

Ye Wenxue reached back and scooped up her youngest daughter, Yuanyuan, on her back. Then, looking back at the other children who were following along, she thought for a moment and said, "When you get back, go dig up some sweet potatoes. Keep some for seed and store the rest for later. Sweet potatoes are delicious when they're roasted in the ashes of the stove."

The child didn't want to dig up yams and taro; he wanted to prove his usefulness.

Apart from Yuanyuan, who is not yet one year old, Siwang is the youngest. He doesn't know any wild vegetables or animals and can't do much work. He is usually responsible for weeding and feeding the poultry. He was overjoyed to have made such a contribution.

"Oh." Siwang pouted, somewhat reluctantly.

He had never heard anyone mention sweet potatoes. If they were so delicious, they would have been dug up and planted in the mountains long ago. How could even his older brother not know about them?

However... Siwang recalled the taste of the sweet potato vines and decided to trust his mother, because his mother was the most amazing!

"Mom, don't pay him any mind. He even said that burnt meat doesn't taste good. Last night, half of the duck meat was burnt, and Siwang ate the most of it." Shuangshuang bluntly exposed him.

Siwang, with his sharp eyes, picked up a bird that had been burned to death, then looked up and puffed out his cheeks like a hamster: "Nonsense, I'm so small, even if I can eat a lot, I can't eat much!"

Shuangshuang chuckled cryptically, about to continue mocking Siwang, when Ye Wenxue interrupted with a smile:

"Being able to eat is a blessing, and eating more will help you grow taller and stronger... Siwang, go ahead, there's a half-cooked rabbit under the third tree ahead, pick it up and put it in your second sister's basket."

Distracted by this, the two stopped arguing and rushed to the place Ye Wenxue pointed out.

Shuangshuang, with her longer legs, arrived a step ahead of Siwang. She picked up a wild rabbit, stuffed it into her own basket, and proudly raised her chin at Siwang.

"..." Da Zhuang and San Yuan, who were watching from the sidelines, did not understand what Shuangshuang was so proud of.

She picked up a wild rabbit and put it in her basket, but she still had to carry it herself.

Siwang hadn't expected this. Provoked by Shuangshuang, he immediately became determined to fight. He looked left and right, then looked around to find meat, determined to collect more meat than Shuangshuang!

Ye Wenxue and the other three, along with the goose that had been brought out, watched helplessly as the two engaged in a subtle yet open struggle, and could only manage a helpless smile.

Sanyuan carried a basket on his back and a cloth bag to pick up the meat that Shuangshuang and Siwang had missed, and also to check if there were any surviving medicinal herbs.

Dazhuang picked up the roasted chestnuts around him, lifted the basket, and looked at his mother, younger brother, and younger sister in front of him. The seriousness between his brows eased slightly.

No matter what danger we encounter, as long as the family is together, there is nothing to be afraid of.

He stepped forward and followed.

Before leaving, Su Jiu mentioned the location of the wild boar's den to Ye Wenxue, which was quite far from the valley.

But compared to the winter when there's no meat to eat and you can only eat cabbage, radishes, and green vegetables, this short journey is nothing.

Before they had even reached the halfway point, Siwang was exhausted. He frowned, squatted on the ground, and refused to walk any further.

Sanyuan then half-squatted down, offering to carry him on his back: "Come on up, your third brother will carry you."

Siwang glanced at Sanyuan's not-so-tall figure, then gritted his teeth and shook his head: "No need, I can do it."

Siwang persisted and eventually reached the vicinity of the wild boar's den.

Ye Wenxue had the children climb onto a large rock that the wild boar couldn't reach, while she herself peered into the wild boar's den.

This area was also affected by the wildfires, and several baby wild boars and a large, robust wild boar died in their den.

Ye Wenxue poked the wild boar from a distance with a tree branch. Seeing that it didn't move for a long time, she cautiously approached and vaguely heard an extremely faint sound.

Just as she was about to walk forward, several tigers with their skin singed by fire suddenly sprang out from behind the wild boar's den.

The tiger seemed to be threatened, roaring angrily at Ye Wenxue and taking steps to subtly surround her.

On a rock not far away, Shuangshuang and Siwang noticed what was happening and instinctively wanted to jump down to help: "Mom! Be careful!"

"Dazhuang, keep an eye on them, don't let them come down!"

Dazhuang quickly hugged Yuanyuan tightly, grabbed Shuangshuang with one hand, and Sanyuan held Siwang tightly to prevent them from accidentally falling off the stone due to excessive worry.

Below, Ye Wenxue subtly took a step back, afraid that if she moved even slightly, the tigers would pounce on her.

But just waiting around isn't a solution. After the fire, there's not much to eat in the mountains, and the tigers won't let go of the meat that's already in their mouths.