"Set up the tents and cook." Qi Xili gave the order, and everyone sprang into action.
The tents had just been set up and the fire had just been lit when a rabbit hopped over.
The guards were stunned, thinking how incredibly stupid this rabbit was. It wasn't afraid of people and ran incredibly slowly.
Shen Yanming's forehead veins throbbed as he looked at the rabbit, somewhat speechless.
These are the prey he released the night before last! Weren't they on the mountain? How did they run down here?
"Captain, look! This rabbit is so stupid!" Chang Anhui picked up the rabbit and showed it off to Li Gangtie.
Li Gangtie smiled and nodded, then turned to Qi Xili and said, "A great start! It looks like we're going to have a big harvest."
Qi Xili looked at the gray-black mountain, his eyes filled with hope.
As they expected, the group achieved a great victory on Yunling Mountain the next day. They not only caught over thirty sheep, but also captured over twenty pigs and seven or eight cows.
Moreover, they were easy to catch; these animals were either slow-moving or simply lay down.
Li Gangtie was stunned, and asked Qi Xili in a low voice, "Are these people crazy?"
Qi Xili rolled his eyes: "Shouldn't you be asking where the livestock came from?"
Li Gangtie: "...Who cares where it came from, as long as it's edible?"
Qi Xili ignored him and, while having the animals taken down the mountain, went up the mountain to investigate.
Shen Yanming remained completely calm. He had appeared in a very secluded spot and hadn't moved an inch since. Furthermore, two days of snow had concealed his tracks.
Qi Xili looked around but found nothing, so he could only return sheepishly and say, "It's probably a gift from heaven."
Everyone laughed when they heard this.
"Alright, let's go. Let's go back to base!" Qi Xili waved his hand, and the group led their prey down the mountain.
The trucks had limited capacity, and there simply wasn't enough room for all that large game. To avoid causing a commotion, they crammed as much as they could into the truck. If there wasn't enough room, they loaded it onto sleds, squeezing it in with the people. If there still wasn't enough room, the people had to get out and walk, making way for the meat.
Although the three-day journey was tiring, everyone had genuine smiles on their faces. After a two-hour trek, we finally returned to the base.
The truck went back first, and as soon as it arrived at the base gate, Liang Zheng informed Jiang Shulian.
Secretary Jiang, who was sleeping in the office, quickly brought out his medicine bag and brewed some cold-dispelling soup for everyone at Liang Zheng's gatehouse.
So when Shen Yanming and his team arrived at the base, they saw a large pot steaming hot. Jiang Shulian was standing next to it, using a large ladle to ladle medicinal soup into bowls.
"Come on, brothers, you've worked hard. This is some herbal soup I made to warm you up. Have a sip, go home and get a good night's sleep. We can talk about everything tomorrow."
Everyone accepted the herbal medicine without hesitation and drank it. After finishing a bowl, they felt warm all over.
"Alright, let's all go back then. We haven't rested for days, we're really tired." Although we slept in the tent, it was only for three or four hours. We didn't dare to fall into a deep sleep, because we were still quite tired when we woke up.
Shen Yanming didn't say much. He drank a bowl of herbal medicine, said goodbye to everyone, and went back.
Qi Xili and Li Gangtie also wanted to leave, but as the leaders, they had to handle things properly.
After seeing everyone off, I went to the agricultural area with Jiang Shulian. The meat in the truck had already been weighed and sent to the warehouse. The meat on the horse-drawn sleds still needed to be weighed.
Jiang Shulian said a lot of things like "You've worked hard," but Qi Xili and Li Gangtie were getting impatient: "We're tired. Let's get on with the work, okay?"
Jiang Shulian nodded shyly, "Okay!"
The group got down to business and didn't return home until dawn, exhausted.
Meanwhile, Shen Yanming had already washed up in the space. Wearing loose pajamas, he threw back the covers and lay down on the bed. He reached out and pulled his wife into his arms.
Bi Qiaoan opened her eyes and mumbled, "You're back," before falling asleep again.
Shen Yanming smiled and closed his eyes as well.
The next day, Shen Yanming did not wake up until the sun was high in the sky.
He woke up to find himself alone in bed. He rubbed his temples, got out of bed, and followed the scent to his wife.
As soon as I entered the living room, I heard An'an and Nuannuan excitedly shout, "Daddy, you're back!"
Shen Yanming smiled and nodded, then ruffled their short hair.
Have you missed me these past few days?
"I miss you, I miss you so much every day it hurts." Nuannuan said sweet nothings in a serious tone, but Shen Yanming mercilessly exposed her: "You miss me but don't even come to see me?"
Nuannuan felt embarrassed and giggled as she hid behind An'an.
An'an scratched her head and said, "Even if we go over there, we won't see you. Dad, we're helping Mom with the chores."
"Hmm, what did you do?" Shen Yanming asked, raising an eyebrow.
An'an: "Feed the goose."
Nuannuan: "Pick some fruit."
They both spoke at the same time.
Shen Yanming couldn't help but laugh. He didn't say anything, but looked up at Bi Qiaoan: "Honey, what do you want for lunch?"
"Want some hairy crabs?" Bi Qiaoan asked.
“Eat! But it’s too much trouble to eat. Is there anything else?” Shen Yanming said.
Bi Qiaoan smiled and said, "I steamed some crabs and stir-fried a dish of stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers. If you want anything else, just take it from over there."
Shen Yanming said "Okay" and took out a plate of braised pork from the storage area.
The family of four finished lunch and played around in the space all afternoon until 10 p.m. before going out.
An'an and Nuannuan followed obediently beside their parents, not saying a word the whole way. The family quietly made their way to the agricultural area. It was the dead of night, but the area was still brightly lit.
"Yanming's here. Here, all the meat is here. This is yours." Li Gangtie brought over a basket and placed it at Shen Yanming's feet.
The couple glanced at the other baskets and asked in a low voice, "This one seems to have more than the others."
Li Gangtie nodded: "You killed four deer by yourself, so it's only right that you share these."
Shen Yanming glanced at the basket, smiled, and said, "Alright, then I'll accept it."
The couple didn't stay there long; they picked up their baskets and went home. Once home, they looked through the baskets and found they contained all sorts of things.
There are five fish, ten catties of pork, twenty catties of venison, ten catties of mutton, and five catties of beef. It's about the same as last year, or even a little more.
The couple were very satisfied, divided it into five portions, and then put it back in their space.
The couple set off early the next morning, carrying gifts to give to Li Zhaozhao, Zhang Heping, Ji Kangyong, Zeng Yiming, and Song Wenuan, one gift for each of them.
The only difference was that the three brothers' gift was the best, Zeng Yiming's was second best, and Song Wennuan's was the least. But even so, all the families were quite happy.
Wei Jiahe, in particular, was overjoyed. He later matured and Song Wenwen gradually accepted him.
"Mom, why is Uncle Yanming so good to us?" he asked, staring at the fish and pork in his hand.
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