As he spoke, Zhang Cheng gently turned Shi Yangyang's head toward the mud house, pushed her shoulders, and sent her back inside.

Closing the door shuts out the noise and ugliness outside.

Zhang Cheng picked up a sharpened chopstick again, poked a piece of scalding hot roe deer meat from the iron pot, blew on it, and then stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it in large mouthfuls.

Only by constantly replenishing our energy can we cope with this cruel world.

Gradually, the noise outside finally subsided, leaving only intermittent crying and cursing.

"Squeak—"

The door to the mud house was pushed open again.

Zhang Da walked in with a bruised and swollen face, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.

He glanced at Zhang Cheng and Shi Yangyang, who were still wolfing down their food around the iron pot, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

"Er Gouzi..." Zhang Da Nao's voice was a little hoarse and embarrassed.

He also had a rather thick-looking quilt slung over his shoulder.

"Keep this quilt." Zhang Da Tou placed the quilt on the old, worn-out table next to him. "This wasn't 'snatched' from your parents' house. It was Tie Zheng's father, Uncle Ju Cai, who specifically asked me to bring it to you. He said... thank you for saving that kid Tie Zheng."

Zhang Cheng, gnawing on a bone with grease dripping from his mouth, mumbled a reply: "Yeah, put it there."

Their attitude was casual, as if it were just a trivial matter.

"Yes! Of course I want it!" He swallowed the meat in his mouth, pointed to the table, and said, "Just put it there."

"Okay!" Zhang Da Nao put down the quilt as instructed, but his eyes couldn't help but glance at the pot of fragrant stewed roe deer meat, and he swallowed hard.

Although they also got some wolf meat this time, it was tough and dry, nothing like the roe deer meat!

Zhang Cheng naturally saw through his thoughts, but showed no intention of inviting him to eat together.

He wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth and asked casually, "Big Head Bro, is there anything else?"

The intention to shoo them away was quite obvious.

"Uh...no, that's all!" Zhang Da Nao looked even more embarrassed. He raised his hand to scratch the back of his head and rubbed his hands together somewhat awkwardly. "Um...by the way, Er Gouzi, we brothers have been discussing it. You see...when you go hunting in the mountains in the future, can you take us with you? More people means more strength, and it's safer that way."

Zhang Cheng tossed aside the cleaned bone and picked up another piece of meat.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally shook his head.

"Big Head Bro, I think we should just forget about this."

Zhang Cheng knew that in this perilous environment, going it alone was indeed very risky, and sticking together was the way to survive.

but……

He looked up and calmly stared at Zhang Da's head.

Firstly, he urgently needs a large amount of meat to restore his weak body and to feed Shi Yangyang. With more people, the amount of prey he gets will naturally be less.

Secondly... to be frank, Zhang Da Nao's group is really too "incompetent".

They were so unaware of being surrounded by wolves that they followed them into the mountains. Were they hunting or feeding the wild animals?

Zhang Cheng doesn't have the time or energy to take care of a bunch of burdens.