"Put them on."
His voice was hoarse, carrying an unquestionable command.
Shi Yangyang seemed not to hear, remaining huddled there with unfocused eyes.
Zhang Cheng frowned, stopped talking nonsense, reached out and roughly pulled off the tattered quilt, and put the cold cotton-padded coat directly on her.
Shi Yangyang struggled as if startled, making indistinct whimpering sounds.
"Don't move!"
Zhang Cheng gave a low shout and increased the pressure on her hands, forcefully putting her cotton-padded jacket and trousers on.
The thick cotton coat insulated against some of the cold, and Shi Yangyang's struggles gradually subsided, though her body was still trembling slightly and her eyes were filled with fear.
Zhang Cheng ignored her and turned to walk to the center of the room.
There was a simple hearth with only a few blackened stones and long-extinguished ashes.
He gathered some withered branches and leaves from the corner of the wall, then took out tinder and a flint from his pocket and started striking them together.
After several sparks, the tinder was finally ignited.
A faint flame rose, illuminating Zhang Cheng's cold, hard face.
He carefully added firewood, and the fire gradually grew stronger, dispelling the chill in the room.
Then, he used a few stones to build a simple stove by the hearth and placed the brand-new iron pot on it.
Since there was no water, he scooped up several handfuls of clean snow from outside and put them into the pot.
The snow melted quickly into water under the licking of the flames.
Zhang Cheng drew his machete, cut off a large piece of wild boar meat with the bone still attached, and threw it into the pot.
"Sizzle—"
The meat made a slight sound when it came into contact with water.
As the water temperature rose, a rich aroma of meat, mixed with the distinctive muttony smell of wild boar, began to permeate the cramped mud hut.
Shi Yangyang, lying on the kang (heated brick bed), seemed to be attracted by the aroma. His blank gaze turned to the fire, and he made a "gurgling" sound in his throat.
She watched Zhang Cheng skillfully process the wild boar meat, and watched him lean that heavy-looking iron thing (hunting rifle) against the wall. For the first time, a look of shock, unlike anything she had seen before, appeared in her eyes.
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