As Ning Hong spoke, she sniffed the long-eared animal hide among the animal skins.

These long-eared animal hides all appear to have been dried in the sun.

Each one carries the scent of sunshine. Fresh and clean.

Uncle Bai doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do something like this.

The task of cleaning and drying each pelt would generally be the work of a woman.

Men wouldn't be this meticulous.

If Uncle Bai had given it to them, it might still be stained with blood.

"If it's not Uncle Bai, then who could it be?"

The villagers don't like them, so they definitely aren't from the village.

So?

"Brother, can't we keep these animal hides?"

Not really.

The weather has turned completely cold. If I don't accept these animal hides, I might not be able to catch these long-eared beasts with my current strength.

Without these animal hides, the two brothers would probably freeze to death.

"Kitty, put this on first, brother will go out and take a look." Ning Hong wrapped one of the fur pieces around himself and went out to meet Xiao Xue.

Ningmao obediently hid at home.

The fine snow mixed with cold rain was blowing against her skin, making it really cold. Ning Hong wrapped her fur tighter around herself, and she had only gone halfway when she saw the white bear coming over carrying a bag of things.

"Uncle Bai?"

Ning Hong shouted.

"Hongze, I was just about to go to your house."

"What?"

“I’ve prepared some furs for you, and I’m just about to send them over.” He looked at the furs on Ning Hongze’s body. “Not bad, lad, you’ve come prepared.”

"this??????"

His purpose in going out was to ask who gave him the animal hides, but judging from the polar bear's reaction, it was clear that the long-eared beasts' hides were not given by the polar bear.

"Alright, now that I've run into you, I don't need to make a special trip over there." The white bear stuffed the animal hide bundle into Ning Hongze's arms and turned to walk back.

"Hongze, hurry back."

"knew."

Not Uncle Bai?

So who could it be?

Ning Hong returned home, where the warmth of the fire slightly dispelled the chill in his body. He rubbed himself and opened the animal skin that the polar bear had given him.

Just as he had expected, the polar bear's pelts were quite diverse, including those from long-eared beasts and wolf-like creatures. There were also some high-grade ingredients.

Of course, with these thick animal hides, plus the fur of those long-eared beasts, the two brothers were finally able to get through the winter properly.

Amidst Ningmao's joyful meows.

A figure perched on a large tree in front of Ning Hongze's house, quietly listening to the sounds coming from inside. A hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes.

In this lifetime, I can't bear to hurt you again.

Cat.

She muttered a couple of words to herself, then turned and left.

After she left, a small tiger climbed up the branch, its posture elegant, though it was a little small in size.

A moment later, the tiger turned around, and a human figure suddenly appeared among the tree branches. The figure's black hair danced in the wind, completely blending into the darkness and becoming impossible to see.

It was vaguely visible that her gaze lingered on Ning Hongze's house. After standing there for a while, she transformed back into a little tiger, leaped down from the tree branch, and ran into the deep forest.

As if sensing something, Ning Hong pushed open the door and looked outside.

For a fleeting moment, he had a feeling that someone was watching them.

The room was pitch black.

On rainy or snowy days, there are no stars in the sky, not a single ray of light.

Ning Hong looked around for a while, then closed the door again.

Oh well, let them be.

As long as they have no ill intentions towards them, that's fine.

The next day, the snow fell even heavier. The whole village was quiet, and everyone stayed home.

That concludes this year's hunting season.

Hunting can only resume in the village after the snow melts next year.

Most importantly, this heavy snowfall lasted for two months.

Ning Hong stood by the window, watching the rain and snow fall harder and harder, her face expressionless.

Is this snow going to fall for two whole months?

No wonder the villagers were hunting and gathering wild vegetables like crazy a while ago.

"Brother, at least we won't have to suffer from cold and hunger this winter."

In previous years, they didn't have enough food, so his brother told him not to move around and to just lie in bed to reduce his energy consumption. He never knew that his family could store so much food, and these furs were so warm.

Seeing Ning Mao's innocent and naive appearance, Ning Hong couldn't help but smile.

Well, anyway, the original owner's only wish was to protect his younger brother and keep him safe. As for anything else, why think so much?

"Side quest activated. Host, would you like to accept the side quest?"

The mechanical sound rang in Ning Hongze's ears.

A system that had disappeared for quite some time has reappeared.

"What side quest?"

"Train Ningmao to become the strongest warrior in Moonlight Village."

"What Moonlight Village?"

Ning Hong hesitated for a moment before asking.

system:"?"

"Host, you really love to joke. This is Moonlight Village."

"Oh, I'm just a joke to you." In the original owner's memories, the words "Moonlight Village" had never appeared. Who would know that this was Moonlight Village?

"Would the host be willing to accept the side quest?"

"I don't want to."

The system was silent for a while before speaking again, "If you can complete the side quest, your points will be tripled."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!