Chapter 130
Before the heavy snowstorm arrived, the elderly people in the village, who were about the same age as the village head, had already said that the village might be in danger of a snow disaster.
The village chief, Youmu, made a commotion with gongs and drums to warn the villagers in advance. Those who knew their houses were not sturdy went to stay at the dining hall early on.
Some families who went to the dining hall after their roofs collapsed mostly slept in the corners of the walls and were lucky enough to escape being hit.
No one in Mujia Village was injured or killed in the heavy snow.
Unexpectedly, just as the snow stopped, a pack of wolves came down from the mountain in search of food.
The howls of wolves were so loud that they made people tremble.
Upstairs, Hibiscus lifted a corner of the cotton curtain and gently pushed open a crack in the window. Just then, she saw a pack of gray wolves, followed by the strongest one, leaping and bounding through the snow.
Its wolf eyes gleamed with a chilling light, making it truly unsettling to look at.
Zhou Lin stepped forward and gently closed the window. "It's so cold outside, don't look out."
"It's about the same size as the Night Owl, but a bit stronger. I wonder if the wooden doors of some houses in the village can withstand it."
Zhou Lin lowered the cotton curtain. "It should be possible."
He didn't sound very confident when he said that. He had just glanced at the pack of wolves and estimated that there were about twenty of them, none of them to be trifled with.
Not long after, the sound of wolf claws scratching at the gate came from the courtyard.
The sound, along with the low growls of the wolves, was heard most clearly by Lin Nuo, who lived in the back room, and by Wang Li, who was with him.
The two huddled together in a corner of the small bed, snuggling for warmth and trying to keep warm.
Fortunately, the wolves coming down the mountain, seeing that they couldn't pull open the gate with their claws or break it open, seemed to turn around and go to a neighbor's house.
The wolf pack gradually disappeared into the distance, and there was no more sound. Lin Nuo let out a soft breath.
He comforted Wang Li, who was still trembling beside him, "Li-ge'er, don't be afraid, they're all gone."
Wang Li said softly, "Really?"
Lin Nuo nodded gently, "They must have left, I didn't hear a sound."
Upon hearing this, Wang Li straightened up, the fear on his face fading. He got up to get out of bed, saying, "Then let's go take a look. Let's go tell Big Brother that he's not afraid anymore."
Lin Nuo quickly grabbed him, "Don't go, brother said wolves are very cunning, what if they're hiding outside!"
Wang Li looked bewildered. "Didn't you just say they were all gone?"
"No, listen carefully, there's still a sound. Wait a little longer."
Having no other choice, Lin Nuo told a little lie and dragged Wang Li back to bed.
They couldn't see it, but Zhou Lin, who was up in the wooden building, could see it clearly from the window in the outer room.
Although most of the wolves had indeed left, two or three remained, lingering around the corner of the wall near the courtyard gate.
Because it was winter, the locust and elm trees in the village were bare, and Zhou Lin could vaguely see some wolf shadows from upstairs.
The villagers closed their doors early in the morning, which mostly kept the wolves out.
However, some houses without walls were breached by wolves.
Those who didn't have time to bring their livestock and poultry back into the house were all carried away by wolves.
Zhou Lin couldn't see clearly, but when he vaguely saw the wolf pack enter the courtyard, his heart clenched.
Although villagers occasionally quarrel, few people can stand idly by and watch an entire village suffer.
If it weren't for this heavy snow that blocked the village roads, the able-bodied men in the village would have gathered together, brandishing knives and axes, and would have scared them away.
Now, all they can do is watch helplessly as they close the doors to protect their families.
As Zhou Lin was thinking this, he saw a figure not far away on the courtyard wall, dressed in a round, bulky outfit, with long hair fluttering in the north wind, sitting on the wall, holding a bow and arrow.
"Hey, isn't that Brother Zhaoye?"
Mu Jin walked out from the inner room at some point, her large pregnant belly protruding, and stood beside Zhou Lin.
Seeing that he was dressed warmly, Zhou Lin ignored him and nodded gently, "It's Zhao Ye."
Judging from his figure, although he looked a bit rounder because of the thick cotton coat, he really did look like a chivalrous knight-errant who traveled the world with his "arrow".
At the entrance of Mu Zhaoye's courtyard, you can vaguely see the shadows of two or three wolves lying down.
An arrow whistled through the air and struck a wolf lurking near Zhou Lin's door in the belly. The wolf howled and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing their companion fall to the ground and die, the other two wolves no longer lingered and turned to run away.
This was the first time Mu Jin had ever seen Mu Zhaoye draw his bow and shoot an arrow. She had heard the hunters praise him a few days ago, but it didn't feel real to her.
Now that I have witnessed it with my own eyes, my admiration surges like the rising tide of a lake or sea.
"Brother Zhaoye, you're amazing!"
Hibiscus's eyes sparkled; even the plump figure in the distance seemed quite dashing to him.
Zhou Lin paused, closed the window, and lowered the cotton curtain. "It's cold outside, don't catch a cold."
"I'm wearing thick clothes, I'm not afraid."
Mu Jin wanted to see Mu Zhaoye skillfully shoot down the wolf pack, but Zhou Lin unexpectedly took the initiative and pulled him back to the inner room.
About two hours later, when Zhou Lin looked out the window again, the wolf pack was nowhere to be seen.
Zhou Lin breathed a sigh of relief, relieved to be safe. He glanced at the gray wolf lying stiffly at the courtyard gate.
He hurried downstairs, opened the courtyard gate, and brought the wolf inside.
We don't know when the road to town will be passable. Wolf meat is still meat, and although it doesn't taste good, it can fill our stomachs.
The wolf pelts have been cleaned up; they can be used to make a pair of warm wolf-skin boots for Mulan.
After the wolf pack left, about an incense stick's time later, Wen Zhaoran slowly woke up.
As I opened the door, I felt a bit hungry and was thinking of going downstairs to find something to eat when I saw Zhou Lin walking in through the door carrying a gray wolf.
"Brother-in-law, where did this wolf come from?"
Zhou Lin: "…………"
Wen Zhaoran was sleeping soundly, oblivious to everything around him, his mind solely focused on meeting the Duke of Zhou in his dreams.
"The wolf has come down from the mountain."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Zhaoran's eyes widened like copper bells.
"Wolves...wolves came down from the mountain?! What...when did this happen?"
Zhou Lin rubbed his forehead. "They're gone. Don't be afraid."
Wen Zhaoran gently patted her head. "How could I sleep so soundly? The wolf is coming! Such a dangerous thing, and I didn't even wake up."
Zhou Lin chuckled, "Even at such a young age, I'm still sleep-deprived."
They threw the wolf aside, fearing it might return, and quickly closed the gate tightly.
The next day, the family had just finished breakfast when they heard a knock on the courtyard gate.
Wen Zhaoran suddenly found it difficult to swallow the tofu in her mouth. "The wolves won't come again, will they?"
The "wolf" at the door spoke up, "Brother Lin, it's me, Mu Linsen. I need to talk to you. Open the door."
Mu Jin relaxed a little and chuckled, "My great-grandfather's little grandson."
Zhou Lin recognized him and got up to leave the kitchen.
"Lin Sen, what brings you here at this hour? Come in and warm up."
Mu Linsen, who was about fifteen years old, had a youthful face. He had come through the snow on the village road, and his cotton-padded trousers were covered with snow.
He grinned at Zhou Lin and said, "Brother-in-law, my grandfather asked me to tell you that the village roads need to be cleared, the snow needs to be shoveled and transported to the foot of the mountain, and piled up so that the village roads can be passed through and wolves can be prevented from coming down the mountain."
"Okay, I'll go over after I finish breakfast."
"Brother-in-law, eat first, no rush. I'm going to Brother Zhaoye's house."
Zhou Lin nodded, turned around, closed the courtyard gate, and went back to the kitchen.
The village chief gathered the able-bodied men of the village and spent five or six days piling the snow that had accumulated on the village roads into a thick snow wall at the foot of the mountain.
The village road was covered with only a thin layer of snow, which had been compacted by the villagers coming and going.
As soon as the snow was cleared, Bai Qiqiu came over to Mu Jin's side.
"Big brother, I've missed you so much."
Mu Jin's lips curled slightly. "Is the house all tidied up?"
"Oh no, oh no, I already packed it yesterday."
As Bai Qiqiu spoke, he helped Mu Jin into the main room.
“Yesterday, Mu Zhaoye’s cousin’s family helped transport the snow all day. They only left a small pile of snow near the courtyard wall to put the meat and other things in to freeze.”
Wen Zhaoran sat by the earthenware stove. "My brother-in-law threw all the meat from our family into the snowdrift in the field in the backyard. He probably remembered it when he threw it away, but I don't know if we can still find it now."
Wen Zhaoran said this because the family hadn't cooked meat for the past day or two.
The wild boar we hunted last time, I kept about 30 jin (15 catties) of it, and with the pig's head, it's enough to last until the New Year.
But Zhou Lin hadn't brought back any meat from the fields for two or three days, so Wen Zhaoran suspected that he must have lost it.
Mu Jin smiled and said, "Your brother-in-law has been busy these past two days and forgot about the meat. It's not that he forgot where he put the meat; you can still see the tip of the bamboo basket with the meat in it. It's right by the field. How could you not find it? Do you want to finish the meat? I'll have your brother-in-law bring it back later."
Wen Zhaoran nodded, "Have my brother-in-law bring back more, we'll make braised pork for lunch."
Bai Qiqiu smiled and said, "I'll bring over the chicken that froze to death at home later, and we'll make a meal together. Mu Zhaoye and I will just stay home for dinner today and won't go back to cook."
"If you want to eat chicken, you can have it at home, why go back to get it?"
Mu Jin still longed for the silver fox pelts that were being tanned at Mu Lingqiao, and naturally didn't want Bai Qiqiu to bring anything else.
Bai Qiqiu waved his hand and said, "Brother, I have about ten chickens at home. Last night, I found that seven or eight of them had frozen to death, and the remaining two or three were sickly. Mu Zhaoye and I can't eat that many. If you bring the chicken over, we can eat it too. Besides, it's just one chicken."
Bai Qiqiu was wealthy and powerful, with a bulging wallet, so he spoke with great confidence.
Mu Jin chuckled: "Alright, I know you're a rich kid. If you don't bring the rest of the chickens here, there are plenty of chickens. There are straw curtains hanging in the coop, and your brother-in-law will even light a fire inside, so it'll be a bit warmer."
"It's too late. They're probably frozen solid by now. We can try to raise them next year."
Bai Qiqiu felt a pang of regret that they ate it like that. The chickens at home were bought together with the chickens from Mu Jin's family, and they were just at the age when they could lay eggs.
But since things have come to this, the egg can't be laid, but at least we can still eat a few bites of meat, which brings some consolation amidst the regret.
But the other families in the village were not as open-minded as Bai Qiqiu.
When the wolf came down the mountain, the villagers who had broken into the village had chickens and ducks with only feathers left. Some families' pigs were completely eaten, leaving only a few strands of pork hanging on the bones.
Now that the village road is open, he still goes to Village Chief Mu's place every day to cry with him.
They were thinking of getting some money from the village's public account to help them.
Since Chief Kimura hadn't given his approval yet, those families continued to visit every day, seemingly without getting annoyed.
This made Village Chief Kim regret his actions; if he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have cleared the village road.
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