Chapter 15: Gone, never to return.

"Second sister, when did you learn to hunt?"

Molly not only caught a pheasant, but also killed a deer that weighed over a hundred pounds. This is something that would be difficult for even an adult man, let alone a woman.

"Just catch them when you see them, do you need to learn that?" Molly blinked her big, clear eyes, her expression full of naivety and confusion.

Mo An was stumped by the question, and after a long pause, he said, "But the prey runs so fast and is so strong, how can we catch up with it?"

Molly: "......."

“Normally, hunters use tools and traps to directly compete with their prey in terms of speed, strength, and agility; it’s almost unheard of.” Ji Hefeng hadn’t expected Molly to bring back so many prey, including a deer.

Where did she go?

What method was used?

Is it really about brute force?

Ji Hefeng's gaze fell on Molly's slender legs and feet, revealing no hint of explosive power.

Molly pondered for a moment, "Next time I'll try making a trap."

There was only one kerosene lamp in the house, and Moan felt that the light was not bright enough. When Molly was processing venison, he would tend the fire next to her.

"Second sister, you're really quick! In just a few swift movements, you've removed all the bones." Mo An gestured with her hands.

Molly froze, then chuckled awkwardly, "Really? Maybe it's because the blade is sharp and easy to use."

“This knife is indeed not bad, but we only have one kitchen knife at home. We don’t even have a sickle, nor do we have any farm tools like hoes or shovels. It’s very inconvenient.” Mo An thought for a moment and felt that these things couldn’t be skimped on. “Why don’t we ask my second brother-in-law to think of a way to see if he can buy some more?”

"Okay, I'll mention it to him."

The next morning, Molly put the bones she had shaved off the day before into a pot to stew, adding some wild ginger and Sichuan peppercorns to remove the fishy smell.

After turning the heat down to low, she asked Mo An to watch the fire while she peeled a few potatoes and put them into the pot.

"There's a bundle of noodles in the cupboard. We'll cook it in a bit," Ji Hefeng suddenly said.

The noodles were made from refined grains, and Molly hadn't touched them for days. Now that Ji Hefeng had brought them up, she didn't refuse. "Okay, the bone broth will be ready soon, and we can use the broth to cook the noodles."

"Add some more romaine lettuce. The wild romaine lettuce you brought back has already sprouted quite a few new leaves." I never realized before that my second sister was so good at growing vegetables; everything in the garden is growing very well.

"Okay, Xiao An, you go pick them. I'll go fetch two buckets of water first, and then we'll have breakfast when I get back."

There is only one water tank in the house. We use the water in the tank for everything, including watering vegetables. This water doesn't last very long.

It would be great if we could dig a well at home.

Molly was thinking about the possibility of digging a well. She thought the corner of the vegetable garden would be a good spot, and it would be convenient for watering the vegetables.

Molly brought up the matter with Ji Hefeng during breakfast.

Ji Hefeng: "We are at the foot of the mountain, which is a bit far from the river. Digging a well would definitely make things much more convenient. However, we need to find professional craftsmen to dig the well. They have professional tools and can detect whether there are rocks underground."

Mo An: "Professional well diggers are hard to find. The year before last, a family in our brigade wanted to dig a well. They finally managed to hire a well-digger, but they couldn't agree on the price, so the well wasn't dug in the end. The well-digger was asking for a lot of money."

"We'll dig it ourselves."

Molly never considered hiring someone to dig it up.

Moan: "We don't have the tools."

Ji Hefeng: "Digging wells is too hard and tiring."

Molly didn't take Ji Hefeng's words to heart and planned to dig after Ji Hefeng left.

The farm tools that Ji Hefeng had asked someone to help buy arrived ten days later. During those ten days, Molly went into the mountains twice more, once catching two pheasants and once a litter of rabbits.

Mo An wanted to raise rabbits, so Molly asked Uncle Zhao for advice and made a cage for the rabbits by hand. From that day on, Mo An had an extra task every day: cutting grass for the rabbits.

The day Ji Hefeng went to the town's health center to have his plaster cast removed, Molly went into the mountains again.

She planned to prepare a delicious meal to celebrate the monsoon season.

She was lucky; she hunted a wild boar today.

Molly didn't return from the mountain until dark, carrying the wild boar. Mo An waited for her under the eaves as usual, but Ji Hefeng was nowhere to be seen.

“What about him?” Molly asked.

“My second brother-in-law hasn’t come back.” Mo An was also worried about Ji Hefeng. “Logically speaking, it should only be a matter of removing a cast, it shouldn’t take so long.”

Molly frowned. "I'll go ask my second great-uncle."

Second Uncle drove the oxcart to take Ji Hefeng to town. If Second Uncle did not return, then he must have stayed in town with Ji Hefeng.

When Molly arrived at her second great-uncle's house, they were having dinner. Upon learning Molly's purpose, her second great-uncle slapped his forehead, looking annoyed. "It's all my fault for having a bad memory; I forgot about this. On the way back, Ji noticed something unusual about a truck. He was worried and chased after it to check. He asked me to tell you not to worry about him and not to wait for him to come back for dinner."

As for what was unusual, Ji Hefeng didn't tell his second uncle, and the second uncle didn't know either.

After dinner, Molly processed the wild boar and cured the meat.

"Second sister, are we going to pickle the whole wild boar?" Mo An had only ever seen so much meat when the brigade slaughtered pigs. But the brigade usually only had one or two pigs left for the brigade to deliver the pigs they were tasked with. If a pig got swine fever and died, then there would be none left.

Throughout the year, it's considered good if the family gets four or five pounds of meat.

With so much pork available, Mo An felt like he was dreaming.

"Marinate the lean meat and render the fat into oil."

A while ago, the brigade members received wild boar meat, and every household rendered lard. The aroma of lard lingered in the village for a long time. It was then that Molly realized how fragrant lard made from pork was.

"If all of this is rendered into oil, it will last for a whole year!" Mo An swallowed hard, thinking about the taste of the cracklings, and felt hungry again after just finishing his meal.

"Second sister, are we keeping all this meat for ourselves?"

"Yes, keep them all. If you don't eat meat, you won't have any energy."

For the past ten days or so, there has been a constant supply of meat at home, and she, Mo An, and Ji Hefeng have visibly gained some weight, their complexions becoming rosy. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt as if she had grown taller.

"Second sister, could you send some wild boar meat to eldest sister?"

"No need to see me off, please come to my house for dinner, elder sister."

She disliked Li Xiaoju and didn't want Li Xiaoju to eat her food.

Mo An was delighted to hear this. "That's good. I heard from the people in the brigade that the irrigation canal will reach our brigade in three days, and then my older sister should be back. She must have suffered a lot while digging the canal, so let her eat more to help her recover."

"That's what I think too."

Ji Hefeng did not return the next day, but Mo He and his group of people who were digging the irrigation canal returned to the village first.

Mo An hadn't gone to call Mo He yet, but Mo He arrived first.

"I dug up a lot of wild vegetables and brought some over for you." Mo He took out two bundles of wild vegetables from her basket. One bundle had lost moisture and turned yellowish, while the other bundle was still tender and fresh, probably picked today.

This isn't just bringing over some; it's bringing over all the wild vegetables.

But would Li Xiaoju agree?

Li Xiaoju naturally disagreed, and had a big argument with Mo He over it, threatening that Mo He shouldn't come home for dinner that night.

Of course, Mo He didn't take these words to heart. If Li Xiaoju really dared to stop her from eating, she would smash up the Zhao family's place again!

"Big sister, let's have dinner here tonight." Mo An held onto Mo He's hand tightly.

"No, I'll go home to eat," Mo He said firmly.

"Big sister, let's eat here tonight." Molly pressed Mohe back into her chair. "Big sister, we're having meat tonight."

"Where did this meat come from?" Mo He was surprised.

"Don't worry about it, big sister. Just sit here and I'll go cook."

Molly started stewing the bones she had shaved off yesterday afternoon, and they're now tender. She filled a bowl with the bones and used the broth to cook the wild vegetables Mohe had brought, filling that bowl as well. Then she stir-fried potato slices with sliced ​​meat and made a large plate of that too.

"How...how come there's so much meat?" Mo He's voice trembled.

"I hunted a wild boar," Molly said casually.

"Your brother-in-law hunted it?" Mo He subconsciously guessed it was Ji Hefeng.

Molly did not deny it.

Mo An glanced at Mo Li, and for some reason, didn't correct her, letting Mo He misunderstand.

"My brother-in-law is really amazing!" Mo He was genuinely happy for his sister and brother. The more amazing his brother-in-law was, the better their lives would be.

"By the way, where did my brother-in-law go? I can't find him."

Molly relayed her second great-uncle's words.

"My brother-in-law is a capable person, there will definitely be no problem."

After that day, Mo An frequently invited Mo He to his home for meals. Mo He always declined, but Mo An was good at being unreasonable, and each time Mo He couldn't do anything about it and was dragged over by him.

Thanks to Molly and Mo An's efforts, Mo He's condition improved slightly, and she was no longer as gaunt as before.

Ten days passed without Ji Hefeng returning. On the eleventh day after he left, Zhao Xiaoyong came to the house to tell Molly that the brigade headquarters had a letter for her.

The letter was written by Ji Hefeng, saying that he had returned to his unit and that Molly shouldn't worry. Besides this, there was a package containing two pairs of gloves, two old military overcoats, two cloth coupons, several industrial vouchers, and a money order for twenty-five dollars.

The package contained things she desperately needed, and she never expected Ji Hefeng to be so thoughtful, considering everything for her.

Molly felt a warmth in her heart as she pondered what she should give Ji Hefeng in return. The most precious thing she could get her hands on right now was meat, so she might as well make some jerky for Ji Hefeng.

Molly went into the mountains that day and returned that evening with two rabbits. The rabbits could be dried, but not enough for jerky. Molly wanted to hunt a wild boar or a bison.

Over the next few days, Molly went out early and returned late, and finally hunted a bison on the fifth day.