With Zhang Cheng's guarantee, the old village chief was overjoyed. After all, the thing he could talk about most in his life was serving three terms as village chief—who would want to watch themselves be outdone by the younger generation in the village and lose their position in their old age?
"Er Gouzi, here, Uncle has some cured meat here. Take it back and eat it." The old village chief said, turning around and going into the inner room. When he came out, he was carrying a piece of cured meat weighing at least two pounds. He said with a smile, "Tomorrow is the Little New Year. We should at least have a few decent dishes on the table!"
"Uncle, then I won't be polite, thank you so much!" Zhang Cheng didn't refuse, and took the cured meat skewered with nylon rope, then said, "Uncle, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now!"
"Go, go."
Carrying the cured meat, Zhang Cheng hummed a little tune, his steps becoming much lighter as he walked towards his mud house.
As he passed by the front yard, he caught a glimpse of Er Ya standing in front of the main house. She was staring wide-eyed at the cured meat in his hand, looking so greedy that her mouth was practically watering.
Zhang Cheng chuckled and winked at Er Ya.
Er Ya was stunned, not understanding what Zhang Cheng meant.
Back in the mud house, Zhang Cheng smiled at his crazy wife who was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, "Wife, do you still want some fruit candy?"
Shi Yangyang blinked and stared at him.
Zhang Cheng took out two pieces of fruit candy from his pocket, walked over, put them in her hand, and said softly, "I'll go blanch the cured meat first!"
The mud house was so small, and it didn't even have a proper stove. It was the old mud-brick stove that Zhang Cheng had built before. If the fire burned too brightly, the house would be filled with smoke.
Put the cured pork into the pot and add water.
Zhang Cheng then scooped up the turtle from the wooden plate next to him.
After soaking in the water for a while, the frozen turtle thawed, but it still didn't move. I don't know if it's hibernating or already dead.
He drew the military dagger he kept close to his body, and with a "whoosh," he ripped open the abdomen.
Catch the turtle blood in a small bowl, then place it on top of the cured pork in an iron pot and steam them together—turtle blood is a good thing, very nutritious!
Zhang Cheng worked quickly and efficiently, cleaning the turtle's internal organs in no time.
There was no cutting board or anything; they just used a dagger to forcefully cut open the turtle.
With cured pork, soft-shelled turtle, and the wolf and roe deer meat that were previously frozen in the earthenware jar, tomorrow's Lunar New Year's Eve dinner will be quite plentiful.
It's a pity that it's missing some ingredients. If we could add some garlic, ginger, or chili peppers, it would be even better.
After finishing all that, Zhang Cheng wondered where he could borrow some pickled vegetables; eating only meat was getting greasy.
"elder brother!"
Just then, Zhang Jianhao's urgent shouts suddenly rang out from outside the door.
Zhang Cheng raised an eyebrow, got up, and walked outside.
Zhang Jianhao, panting heavily, rushed over and shouted urgently, "Brother, Uncle Hong is dying! The village chief sent me to call you. Hurry up and go to the old blind man's house to check on him!"
Zhang Cheng's expression hardened.
Uncle Hong—one of the villagers who were injured by the bear a few days ago.
"Let's go!" Zhang Cheng tucked his hands into his sleeves and ran out of the courtyard, with Zhang Jianhao following closely behind.
Before long, Zhang Cheng and Zhang Jianhao arrived at the old blind man's house.
The eight villagers who were bitten by the bear were lying in the hall on makeshift beds made of wooden planks. Three stoves were burning brightly next to them, making the room warm and cozy.
Liu Zhongren from the police station is also lying here.
The families and relatives of the eight wounded soldiers also gathered here, and the originally spacious hall suddenly became extremely crowded.
At this moment, Uncle Hong was surrounded by a group of people, and his wife was lying by the bed, crying her heart out.
Hearing footsteps, the old village chief turned to look at Zhang Cheng and said, "Er Gouzi, you're here?"
"Hmm!" Zhang Cheng nodded, walked forward, and looked at Uncle Hong lying on the wooden bed with his eyes closed and his face flushed an abnormally. His heart sank—oh no, these are symptoms of inflammation and high fever.
"My dear husband—if you leave, how am I supposed to live?" The old woman lay on the headboard, wailing and crying.
"Alas!" The old village chief sighed deeply, looked at the old blind man, and asked, "Old Hong... how much longer can he hold on?"
"I'm afraid... he won't make it past noon tomorrow!" The old blind man squinted, his voice hoarse.
"Cough cough cough!"
Just then, Liu Zhongren, who was half-lying down, suddenly coughed violently, drawing everyone's attention. He said weakly, "Now... if we take him to the county hospital, perhaps... there's still hope. Also, the others... their condition isn't good either. If we delay any longer, they won't survive. If you want to save them, you... have no choice but to go to the county hospital."
The old village chief's face was extremely grim. He said, "Comrade Liu, it's not that we don't want to see you off, it's just that this awful weather makes the roads too difficult to travel. Carrying someone up the mountain roads... we'd probably just be carrying them straight to the King of Hell."
Liu Zhongren understood this principle, but at the moment, it seemed there was no other way.
Moreover, he himself was also seriously injured, and relying solely on the old blind man's limited folk medicine skills... if this dragged on any longer, it would only make matters worse.
"Er Gouzi—Er Gouzi!"
The old woman, who was crying her heart out by Uncle Hong's bedside, suddenly knelt down and crawled towards Zhang Cheng after hearing Liu Zhongren's words, crying out, "Er Gouzi, didn't you... go to the county before? Auntie begs you, please, have mercy, carry your Uncle Hong... to the county hospital! Auntie has money, Auntie has money!!"
The old woman's hands trembled as she pulled a handful of crumpled banknotes and grain coupons from her pocket, then kowtowed heavily to the ground.
The old village chief and the others quickly stepped forward and helped the old woman up.
"Old Hong's wife, what are you saying? Making Er Gouzi carry Old Hong to the county hospital? Isn't that going to kill him? The snow is getting heavier and heavier..."
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