The four little ones were overjoyed. Yesterday, they had eaten their first game of hunting, and today they would not only eat a wolf, but also keep its pelt.
Zhang Weiyu stood next to Zhang Hongmei and said, "Mom, I'm giving you my wolf skin."
"Thank you, Mom doesn't need it. Mom doesn't like animal fur."
Zhang Hongmei genuinely dislikes fur. The few fur coats Huang Meihua bought for her in the US are all kept at the bottom of her closet; she would never wear them.
"Since Mom doesn't want it, I'll give it to Grandpa. Mom, what can wolf skin be made into?"
Zhang Hongmei really didn't know this. "Why don't you ask your grandfather? But I know that wolf skins must be tanned. Go back and ask your grandfather; he should know."
The other three also remembered this. Since their mother didn't need it, they thought they could give it to their great-great-grandfather and grandfather instead. The four of them could then give one to each of the four elders.
After breakfast, A assigned the eight of them to put out the fire. "You must do a good job of cleaning up the mess, especially the fire."
A was relatively satisfied to see that they used soil instead of water to put out the fire.
Fourteen wolves were divided into three groups of six people, with two people carrying four wolves each. The last two wolves were carried by Lu Jing and Gan Lu. This left only eight teenagers to be on guard duty.
The four wolves weighed over 500 pounds, and it was very difficult to lift them. They walked and stopped frequently, and finally arrived home at midnight.
At this moment, Zhang Weiyu had already called Liu Aimin over.
"Grandpa, how do we cure this wolf pelt?"
"It requires wood ash and lime, which is quite troublesome. Don't worry, Grandpa will find someone to prepare it for you and send it back."
"Grandpa, is it okay to eat wolf meat?"
"It's okay, but it doesn't taste good. It has a fishy smell that I can't get rid of, and it also has a slightly sour taste."
"That wolf meat would be wasted, and we can't eat it."
"It's alright, have your grandma make it into jerky. She's made it before, and it tastes better than stewing it."
Zhang Weiyu shook his head, "Grandpa, I'm not eating it. If anyone wants it, take it back. My godfather also told me it's not tasty."
"Hehe, okay, we'll keep one for your grandma to try, maybe you'll like it."
"Grandpa, we'll probably be leaving today."
"So soon?" Liu Aimin was genuinely reluctant to let it go.
“Both my father and godfather are busy with work, and we have missed many days of schoolwork.”
At this moment, everyone came in, all of them covered in sweat. It was the hottest time of day, how could they not sweat?
"You all rest quickly. I'll go get someone. Let's not skin them in our yard anymore."
A stepped forward and said with a smile, "Uncle, it's alright. It's fine as long as it's in your own yard. That way, other animals won't dare to come in. Also, I'll teach a few of them how to skin animals."
"Okay, you guys rest first, I'll go get the food, your aunt has already cooked it." Liu Jingze went back with his father.
More than ten people washed up separately. A little while later, the food was brought over: meat pies, cold noodles, tomato and egg stir-fry, fried meat sauce, and three kinds of braised green beans and pickled vegetables.
More than ten people ate all of them, each with two meat pies and two large bowls of cold noodles.
The eight children were eager to try. First, A called them to help build the frame, and then they hung the wolf up on it.
Da Shan's father came over with several of his close friends. Looking at the wolves hanging in the yard, he swallowed hard. Good heavens, this is really something, there are fourteen wolves!
“Uncle, if anyone wants the wolf meat, let them take it. We just want the wolf skin,” Zhang Hongmei said with a smile.
"Yes, we came here to help with the tanning, but it will take at least ten days to half a month to tan properly."
"Okay, no problem. Once it's ready, we'll have someone send it back to us."
Hu Aifen accompanied the old lady and Liu Changhe's family.
Looking at their spoils made me very happy.
“Ancestor, I just discussed it with my companion. I’ll leave you one piece of my pelt and the one I borrowed. I just asked, and wolf pelts can be used to make mattresses, so they’ll be warm to lay down in winter.”
"Good, good, good, the old ancestor can still enjoy your filial piety."
“The four of us brothers agreed that mine would be left to you, the youngest brother’s would be taken back to my great-grandfather, my second brother’s would be given to my grandfather, and the eldest brother’s would be given to Grandfather Zhou.”
"Good, good, good, you are all filial children, the old master is happy."
After A demonstrated it to them, the eight of them stumbled and struggled, but finally managed to skin the wolf two hours later.
Da Shan's father and his six companions pushed the wolf skin cart, followed by eight others, to the aging area.
The old lady sat on the sofa, her face beaming with smiles. "Hongmei, the children have all grown up."
"Yes, they've all grown up so fast. I can still remember what they looked like when they were just born."
"Yes, he's almost nine years old now, he's all grown up."
"Grandma, we're leaving tomorrow morning to take the children home. They won't have time to come back for the Chinese New Year."
"Yes, go ahead. As long as they succeed, that's all that matters. I'm fine here; I can still live a few more years."
The children didn't return until it was completely dark. With Xiao Li accompanying them, Zhang Hongmei wasn't worried.
Today I finally witnessed the fighting prowess of the people around me. They were off the charts. I didn't expect Liu Jingze to be so skilled, especially Jia and Xiao Li; they're probably the best fighters.
Lu Jing and Gan Lu are also very good, especially Gan Lu, whose fierce look can definitely put pressure on the other party.
“Mom, we also watched the process of ripening the dough, and we think we can do it too.”
"That's great. It's good to have more life skills."
The eight children went to wash up, as they were going to have dinner at the old lady's house. Taking this opportunity, the eight of them began to write down their experiences from their battle with the wolves that day.
Even Xiao Si didn't pause; he finished it in one go.
Dinner was still cold noodles, but an enticing aroma wafted from the courtyard.
"Grandma, what kind of meat is being stewed?"
"It's not stewed, it's wolf meat, steaming in a pot. It can be made into jerky, and we can eat it tomorrow morning. The wolf meat smells quite fragrant, but the texture isn't very good."
"If it's not good, then it's not good. This is perfect, so my younger brothers can take it back and try it."
After dinner, the four children sat with the old lady in the yard, chatting and laughing, which made the elderly woman very happy.
"The four of you are all very outstanding, and the Ancestor is pleased."
“Grandpa, we can only come to see you next year. Please wait for us. We will try our best to finish our studies as soon as possible,” Zhenye comforted the old man.
In fact, he is the most soft-hearted person and can't stand separation, but he has never shown it and always remains silent.
"Alright, but don't overwork yourselves. The Ancestor can wait for you."
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