Chapter 87 Wild Beasts Appear, Barbed Wire, Meat Shard
When Lai woke up in the morning, he found that the village was very different from usual.
The villagers, who had been staying at home because of the cold weather, were now gathered in small groups on the road, chatting amongst themselves.
"Ray!"
Gugge, standing among the group, waved to Laiyi, signaling him to come over quickly.
"What happened?"
"I'm puzzled," Ray asked.
"A wild animal got into the village last night. Be careful at home these days, and make sure to close all the doors and windows tightly at night."
An old man smoking a pipe exhaled a puff of smoke and explained in a helpless tone.
Lai looked at old Gug, who nodded, and continued speaking.
"It's all because of these recent snowfalls. Wild animals in the mountains can't find food, so they come out and wreak havoc on the village. Several families have suffered. Ray, you and Neil live further away, so you need to be even more careful."
"good."
"well."
The old man who was smoking let out a long sigh.
"I thought this year's harvest was good, a good year, and that the wild animals in the mountains would be better fed and wouldn't harm people. I didn't expect them to come down from the mountain in the end."
“In previous years, it came down earlier. We should be content with having had more than two months of peace.”
Some people joked that it had a kind of bittersweet feeling.
Lei listened to Gug and the others' conversation and learned the whole story.
Last night, the snowstorm was so severe that the villagers went back to their houses to rest early. Unexpectedly, when they went out to collect firewood this morning, they found many animal footprints in the snow.
It wasn't just footprints; meat that some families had left outside and livestock that were kept in their pens were also dragged away.
The village was in an uproar as soon as the news broke.
The village was surrounded by traps, and each household was on high alert, but in the end, their homes were still raided.
Losing the meat is a minor matter, but if the child is taken away, that would be a matter of life and death!
Lai's parents were monsters who lurked in the village and lost their lives protecting it, so everyone had to be careful to guard against these unknown dangers.
Everyone started talking at once, recounting all the events that had happened over the years, and the atmosphere of the discussion became increasingly heated.
Only Lai noticed that Kai was equipped with various weapons and was walking over from the other side of the road with five or six people, looking very serious.
Kari and the others walked straight toward Ray, making everyone think that Ray had done something heinous.
"Ray, did you hear anything last night?"
"No, it's very quiet at night, only the sound of the wind outside."
Lei really didn't hear anything.
Besides, if something really breaks into the house, Dahuang (the dog) can't possibly not bark at all.
"Lay, wolves may have gotten into the village. Your house is located on the very edge, closest to the woods. Be extra careful when you sleep at night these days, and it's best to nail all the doors and windows shut."
Kari patiently explained various things to Lai, and in just a short while, the men he brought had thoroughly inspected Lai's house.
There were no traces of wild animals.
"Okay. You guys go to the next one first."
Judging from their posture, Kari and his men were going to search every single household in the village.
"Okay, I'll be careful. Go ahead and get busy so you don't delay anything."
Seeing that Kari was quite busy, Ray took the initiative to end the conversation.
Kari nodded.
"Keep doors and windows closed, carry weapons with you, and seek help from the nearest neighbor if you encounter danger."
Upon realizing that Gug's house was the closest to Lai's, Kari paused in his speech.
"In short, always seek help immediately if there is any danger."
"good."
Ray nodded, and Kari left for the next place.
Where is Neil?
Guge asked Laiyi.
"I'm still sleeping upstairs. I get up late in winter."
"It's normal for children to grow so fast."
Lai and Gug chatted for a while longer before going home to continue preparing breakfast.
I started making dough before bed last night, but it didn't rise because of the cold weather. This morning, I added more starter and warm water, and it's risen now, albeit barely. We still have a lot of nuts at home, so I'm planning to bake some nut bread for breakfast.
There was something that Lai didn't understand: even though he knew that wild animals would roam the village in winter, the walls of each house were not built high, and some didn't even have walls, just a few pieces of wood and planks simply pieced together.
Such walls can only keep out animals that can't jump very high; they are useless against more powerful beasts.
Everyone in the village is now living in fear, and Ray feels he must also take some measures.
After finishing breakfast, Lai searched through the outer barn, hoping to find something he could get his hands on.
But inside, besides the firewood, there were only some old furniture and planks, which were of little use.
"Brother, what are you doing? I just went out and saw a lot of people on the village road."
"Wild animals have entered the village, and everyone is a little worried."
"Another wild animal has entered!?"
Neil's expression changed instantly. Around this time last year, their parents lost their lives fighting monsters to protect the nearby village.
Ray noticed Neil's unease and gave him a hug.
"It's okay, your brother will protect you."
The sudden hug made Neil feel very uncomfortable. His brother had never been very close to him before, and this was the first time they had ever hugged.
He carefully wrapped his arm around Ray's shoulder. The hug was brief; Ray straightened up, and Neil awkwardly withdrew his arm, unsure of what to do with his hands.
"Neil, your brother will board up your room's window from the inside with wooden strips later, and we'll take it down when spring comes."
"Okay, brother."
Neil lived alone on the second floor. Rye was worried that something might climb up the outer wall in the middle of the night and break into Neil's room through a window.
This might cause some ventilation issues, but it's better than having something extra in the room in the middle of the night.
Lai had nailed down all the nails that needed to be nailed inside the house; the next issue was the courtyard wall.
Thinking back to when I was a child, living with my grandparents in the village, the livestock farms near the village would fence off their contracted pastures with wire mesh specifically for grazing. I wonder if we can find that kind of wire here.
Lai decisively took two cans of hot pot base to Temuji's house.
The Temuji family's architecture was quite different.
His house was lower and made mostly of stone. The blacksmith's workshop was an extension of the main house, making the house very sturdy and well-insulated.
The wild animal incidents in the village didn't affect him. He didn't keep any livestock, and the meat he bought was usually eaten within three or four days.
Forging blacksmiths requires a lot of physical strength, while studying alchemy requires a great deal of mental activity.
Temuji has an unusually large appetite, as Laiyi noticed the last time they ate hotpot at home. Fortunately, he had prepared enough meat and vegetables, and Temuji finally finished nearly a pound of noodles before he was satisfied.
"Temuki, have you heard about the wild animals that have entered the village?"
Temugi looked completely bewildered; it was obvious he didn't know about this.
"Is it a monster? Is someone injured?"
"I'm not sure, it shouldn't be. Some livestock are missing, but I haven't heard of anyone being injured."
"oh."
Temugi seemed somewhat disappointed that it wasn't a magical beast.
"Lay, do you have some new ideas now?"
Lai touched his nose, realizing that he always sought out Temuji because he needed something from him.
“The walls in my house are too low, and I’m worried that wild animals will come in and attack the livestock.”
After removing the red tardigrades that had already been eaten by their own family, the Lai family still had about seven or eight left, all of which were kept to lay eggs in the spring; in addition, they also had the most precious mules, which required careful protection.
"What do you want to do?"
Do you have any sturdy wire here?
"iron wire?"
"It's something made of very thin iron, like a thread."
"You mean this?"
Temuqi took out a bundle of wire from the bottom of the shelf.
"This is something I bought in Eaton City to keep things in place. I've only used a little over the years. You can take it all if you need it. I don't need it now, but what do you plan to do with it?"
Describing it in words is a bit abstract, so Lai pulled out a piece of wire and demonstrated it to Timur on the spot.
Do you have pliers or any tools that can cut it?
Temuji found an axe, the stone underneath, and all the tools that Lai needed.
With a swift movement of his axe, Ray chopped off two pieces of wire, each about four or five centimeters long.
"Twist these two short iron wires, both of which are sharp at both ends, onto the long iron wire. Make two twists every ten centimeters or so. After you've done all of them, leave the sharp end sticking out. Fix two longer wooden posts along the wall and wrap the wires back and forth."
Aside from being somewhat wasteful, Ray's idea was indeed a good one, as this kind of thing does have some effect on protection.
"I'll help you. This job is easier for me to do. It'll be a bit more strenuous for you. Just come and pick it up in a few days."
Lai thought about it and realized that was indeed the case. In the era of pure handcraftsmanship and no machinery, it might have been springtime by the time he finished making this.
He did not refuse Temuqi's kindness and insisted on keeping the cost of buying the wire and the labor fee.
Temuqi accepted it without hesitation, but specifically requested that he bring a can of hot pot base when he came to pick it up, which Laiyi readily agreed to.
Having resolved the major issue, Lai's next task upon returning home was to erect the wooden stakes.
Neil helped him with the work until the afternoon, mainly because it was cold in winter and he couldn't stretch out his hands, making it inconvenient to work.
The two brothers were working hard when a commotion suddenly broke out in the village.
Neil looked on with curiosity.
"Brother, what happened in the village?"
"Let's go take a look."
The two put down their tools and went to the main road, where they saw the backs of a dozen or so villagers chasing something. They could clearly hear the shouts of the crowd.
"Quick, grab it!"
"Catch them and we'll eat them!"
"Hey, hey, get out of the way, move away."
...
The village was bustling with activity, just like during the Chinese New Year.
"Brother, it looks like they're catching the Gulu Beast."
"Yeah?"
"Hmm. I saw a little bit."
Children's eyes are definitely better.
More and more villagers gathered to watch, and more people joined the chase.
About half an hour later, cheers erupted from the crowd. They had probably caught the Gulu beast that had wandered into the village.
"Brother, let's go take a look too."
"It's going to be very bloody, are you sure you want to see it?"
"go!"
"Let's go then."
Lai led Neil to the most crowded place, where a large crowd had already gathered, and at the very back of the crowd was the Gulu Beast, which had just been captured and was on the verge of death.
It was all flesh and very fat. Everyone was already having a heated discussion about how to divide the meat of this Gulu Beast.
Neil was still a little kid, and after standing on tiptoe for a long time, he still couldn't see anything.
"Brother, did you catch a Gulu Beast?"
"yes."
"This Gulu Beast is incredibly fat!"
The villagers standing next to Neil were very enthusiastic and eager to answer his questions.
Are you afraid of heights? Let me lift you up so I can see you.
Before Neil could answer, the man grabbed Neil by the armpits and lifted him up, his arm muscles taut, making sure Neil could see everything clearly. His older brother, Ray, standing next to him, was stunned.
No, who is this person?
Lei was very puzzled.
"Put me down, put me down quickly."
Neil struggled a few times, and the man then safely and steadily placed Neil on the ground.
"Hey, caught another one! Caught another one!"
The crowd erupted again, with more villagers pushing forward. Before Lai could even get acquainted with the man, he was quickly dispersed by the villagers.
Neil, who is so big, was lifted up high to watch the fun, which made him both excited and a little shy.
"Alright, alright, stop blocking this area."
Barnett's timely appearance calmed the restless crowd.
"Elder, are we getting meat today?"
Someone in the crowd mustered up the courage to ask.
He helped catch the first Gulu Beast, so he should get a share of the credit.
"Fifth brother, don't worry, the clan elders will definitely give you your share."
The person standing next to him joked.
Barnett looked around, and a faint smile suddenly appeared on his usually stern face.
"Everyone should come to the threshing ground this afternoon to distribute the meat. Please inform the neighbors who are not coming."
"oh!"
"Very good!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd. Several burly men carried the bound and gagged Gulu Beast to the threshing ground, preparing to slaughter it and divide the meat.
In the afternoon, Barnett indeed delivered on his promise, distributing meat to the villagers according to the number of people in each household.
Wild Gulu beasts have a strong smell, but who cares? It's good enough to have some fresh, free meat to eat.
Although the tunnel has made it much more convenient to go to town, meat is expensive in winter, and not everyone can afford it.
This is where the advantages of having a large family become apparent.
There were only two of them, Ray and Neil, so Barnett gave Ray special consideration, letting him choose from the best cuts of meat, such as ribs, pork belly, and thigh meat. Ray chose ribs. He made sweet and sour ribs at home, but that largely masked the flavor.
During the process of dividing the meat, Lai overheard a villager say something.
The two Gulu beasts turned the village's fields upside down because field mice had stolen a lot of grain in the autumn and hidden it underground. The Gulu beasts had a keen sense of smell, and they opened the field mouse burrows to eat the grain inside.
After careful observation of the tracks and footprints, the old hunter determined that the wild animal that entered the village was a fox. Although foxes are cunning and difficult to catch, they are not very dangerous, so the villagers were relieved.
But Lei did not let his guard down; he always kept everything he needed ready, just in case.
Night fell quietly. Lai stayed up unusually late that night, and without noticing anything amiss, he went to sleep peacefully. Little did he know that waking up in the morning would bring a great shock.
His dog, the gatekeeper, has disappeared!
He hadn't heard a sound last night. Da Huang had been raised at home for over ten years and had long become an indispensable part of the family. For a moment, Lai didn't know how to explain it to Neil.
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Author's Note: Tata's Forest Life Log ① (Continued)
"Aww!"
The little monster let out what it considered its fiercest roar.
The beetle shook off the spittle that had splattered on it and continued crawling forward. Its disdainful attitude thoroughly enraged the fiercely competitive little monster.
Tata crouched down and bit the beetle's body.
It cracked with a satisfying crunch.
A strange smell began to spread in her mouth, and Tata's mouth watered because of the stench.
The mother beast, who was not far away, also heard the little monster's soft cries. She ran quickly to the edge of the cave and tilted her head to look at the little cub nestled inside.
"What's wrong, Tata?"
She didn't quite understand why the cub's face was covered in tears and saliva. Had someone bullied it?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Her expression gradually spiraled out of control, and her anger crackled and burned in the air, making the atmosphere tense for hundreds of meters around.
Tata stared at the magnified beauty of the mother beast before her, her heart filled with unspeakable bitterness. Her tongue was swollen, and her mouth was slurring with saliva, unable to utter a single word.
The little cub looked at her with a pitiful expression, sticking out its pink tongue for her to see. Seeing the beetle's corpse on the ground, and recalling the cub's symptoms, reason returned, and she immediately understood what was going on.
It turned out that Tata had accidentally eaten a poisonous beetle and was poisoned.
She looked at her mischievous little cub with heartache.
It's good that the cubs are lively, but being too curious and active isn't so pleasant in this dangerous forest.
She decided to teach Tata a lesson and not give him the antidote herb so quickly. This small amount of toxin would be metabolized quickly by them, though it would cause them some discomfort.
Tata crawled out of the cave looking dejected, its once-shining white fur now covered in dust and grass. It looked utterly pathetic, covered in dirt and grime.
"What's wrong?"
Faced with the mother beast's deliberate question, Tata had no way to explain himself. The strange taste in his mouth made him feel nauseous.
Tata's big eyes were filled with tears.
"Mother...vomit!"
The little monster started gagging, looking utterly hopeless.
The soft-hearted mother couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she took the cub by the scruff of its neck and carried it to a place with water to rinse its mouth and wash its body.
Tata was forced by her mother to eat a large patch of reeds before her tongue finally regained sensation.
Have you learned your lesson?
Tata remained silent and listless.
"Don't put everything in your mouth next time."
"knew."
The little cub secretly vowed to crush all the ugly bugs!
The head of the household, returning from inspecting the territory, shamelessly mocked the cub from every angle. Tata, enraged, burrowed into a tree hollow, presenting his chubby little bottom to him.
I'm never talking to my father again!
The little monster secretly made a vow in its heart.
"Aww!"
Hearing that the mother beast had slapped the father beast, Tata finally smiled secretly.
Sure enough, I am the beast that the mother beast likes the most!
-END-
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