Although he had a young body, his soul was old. When Wang Tianxiao opened his eyes in the morning, he found that it was just past five o'clock and the sky outside was still dark.
Little Wang Fang had somehow snuggled into his arms, her little hands clinging to his arm like a little mouse.
He gently kissed his daughter's little face, then quietly sat up, tucked the blankets under the child's body, put on his clothes, and got off the bed.
"Shopkeeper, why are you awake so early?"
His wife was also woken up and asked him groggily.
"Hmm, I can't sleep. You can continue sleeping. The kang is still warm. I'll add some coal for you later. You can get up to eat at nine o'clock."
"Then I'll sleep a little longer."
Li Yali went to sleep again. She had to get up to feed the baby in the middle of the night, which was very tiring.
Wang Tianxiao envied his wife's ability to fall asleep so easily. Often, while they were talking, his wife would say she was sleepy, and within seconds, she would be asleep.
Unlike Wang Tianxiao himself, who always needs a long time to fall asleep and is a light sleeper, easily awakened by the slightest noise.
I've heard it said that people who are open-minded and don't have worries on their minds tend to sleep well, while the more things they think about and the more they worry, the worse their sleep quality will be.
After getting out of bed, Wang Tianxiao prepared to wash his face and found that there was very little water left in the thermos; he had used it all to wash his feet last night.
The rest was left untouched, just in case my wife suddenly got thirsty and wanted some more.
He went to the kitchen and found that the water in the water tank had also frozen into ice, just like the water at home.
He smashed a few pieces of ice with the handle of the knife and threw them into the pot. Just as he was about to light the fire to boil water, Wu Wenhua came in. Seeing him in front of the stove, he hurriedly came over to stop him. "Boss, why are you up? You want hot water, right? I'll boil it for you."
"It's okay, I can do it too."
"How can we let you burn it? You paid us to invite us, not for us to enjoy ourselves. Get up. Your constant politeness makes us uncomfortable."
Wu Wenhua hurriedly pulled Wang Tianxiao up from the stove, saying with dissatisfaction, "Boss, I'm not happy with you acting like this. If you want us to do something, just tell us to do it directly. You're just slapping us in the face by doing it yourself."
"No, no, that's not what I meant," Wang Tianxiao explained helplessly. "It's still early, and I thought you all could rest a bit more. I couldn't sleep, so I got up to boil some water so everyone can use it to wash up and eat later."
"That should be my job. From now on, I'll get up at 5:30 every day to boil water. Don't go into the kitchen unless you want to. If the landlady wants anything to eat or drink, just tell me, Lao Wu."
Seeing that Wu Wenhua was getting a little anxious, Wang Tianxiao could only smile and say, "Alright then, you stay here and do your work, I'll go and separate the deer from yesterday..."
"You mean that buck we hunted yesterday? I've already butchered it, and the meat is all in the warehouse." Wu Wenhua put a handful of dry grass on the stove, covered it with some easily flammable birch branches, and then placed a few poplar sticks on top of that. He spoke as he struck a match.
"Oh, it's all taken care of. When did you chop it up?"
"Last night, after cleaning the kitchen, my brother and I chopped the meat together. We wanted to separate the oil and meat as soon as possible, because the meat wouldn't taste good if it sat for too long."
Wang Tianxiao thought back and realized he hadn't heard anything that night. It seemed he had drunk a bit too much and his hearing was affected.
Since that's the case, it saves him some trouble.
"Okay then, Brother Wenhua, when it gets light, you should sort out the meat you've killed recently. Pickle what you can pickle, and cook what you can't pickle and put it in a jar. Keep the meat from the badgers to feed the dogs and cats."
"Okay, I'll get right on it."
Wang Tianxiao turned and walked outside. After a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and said to Wu Wenhua, "Last time you said your wife was afraid of the cold and you were thinking of getting a wolf skin. Actually, wolf skin is not as warm as badger skin. We have three badger skins, so here you go. You can find someone to make a vest or a jacket, which is much better than wolf skin."
Wu Wenhua was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly shook his head, "How can this be? Three badger pelts can sell for a hundred yuan or so. How can I take your things for free?"
"It's alright. If you don't use it all, you can share it with Brother Qiancai. Didn't I say last night that we'll be living here from now on, so we should take care of each other? I'm the boss, but I'm not a miser."
"Boss Wang..." Wu Wenhua didn't know what to say, his body trembling slightly with gratitude.
"You're busy, I'll go check on the doe."
Wang Tianxiao smiled sincerely at the Wu culture.
He quite liked Wu Wenhua; he was hardworking, knew his limits, and was honest—exactly the kind of partner he needed in the long run.
After bringing the doe back yesterday, it was put in the same room as the original fawn.
Wang Tianxiao was just trying it out. These wild female deer have a very bad temper and are generally difficult to tame. Often, if you don't kill them, they will seek their own death.
However, this doe was a bit special. She was pregnant, and perhaps because of the calf in her womb, her temperament was not as extreme as one might expect; she was relatively quiet.
Sika deer typically go into estrus in July and August, with a gestation period of about eight months, and give birth in May or June of the following year.
It's the end of December now, so I estimate she's about three or four months pregnant, which is exactly halfway through her pregnancy.
Wang Tianxiao observed the doe carefully yesterday. She looked to be only three or four years old, which is considered a relatively young deer.
Deer have a long lifespan; barring unforeseen circumstances, they can live to around twenty years old.
They're around the same age as dogs.
If you can successfully tame a doe, you'll not only get a fawn but also a mother deer—it's an incredibly rewarding experience.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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