Chapter 85 Dividing the Wolf Meat, Xu Zhiqing's Noble Character
A bright, admiring smile immediately spread across his face, and he nodded emphatically: "Sister is absolutely right! I was so short-sighted, only thinking about money! Sharing happiness is worse than keeping it to yourself! I'll listen to you, sister!"
That smile was clean and pure, as if the deep look in his eyes just now was just an illusion.
“Hmm,” Xu Zhili nodded in satisfaction, then turned her gaze to the wolf carcass on the ground, her brows furrowing again.
"But we can't waste it. Wolf pelts are good stuff. Once they're skinned and tanned, they can keep you warm and can also be used to trade for supplies through legitimate channels. Wolf meat is a bit rough, but it's still meat. We need to process it quickly. The smell of blood is too strong, and if we leave it there, it might attract other things." As she spoke, she drew a smaller, sharp skinning knife from her waist.
"I'll help you!" Xie Yunze said immediately, trying to bend down despite his leg injury.
"You sit still!" Xu Zhili pressed him back against the tree root without giving him a chance to argue. "Just watch, don't cause any trouble."
She swiftly dragged the wolf carcasses together, avoiding fatal wounds. Her sharp blade, like the most agile dancer, precisely cut into the gaps between the fur and muscle. With a flick of her wrist, her movements were fluid and graceful, possessing an almost cruel beauty.
The sound of fascia separation was faint, and relatively intact wolf skins were neatly peeled off and spread out on the relatively clean ground.
"Sister, your technique..." Xie Yuance watched intently, unable to contain his amazement, "You're even more skilled than the old hunters in the village!"
Xu Zhili didn't even look up, focusing intently on the work in her hands, sweat sliding down her blood-stained cheeks.
“This is my skill. How can you survive in the mountains without some skills to keep yourself alive? You have to learn these things. I’ll teach you when I have the chance. It’s always good to have more skills; you never know when you might need them.” Her tone was calm, but it revealed the wisdom of survival.
Soon, several wolf pelts were processed, and the wolf meat was skillfully deboned and cut into pieces, which were then tightly bound together with sturdy vines.
She carried the heaviest bundle of meat on her shoulder and stuffed the folded wolf skin into Xie Yunce's arms: "Take this, be careful. I'll help you walk."
Xie Yunze held the still-warm wolf pelt in his arms, the strong smell of blood filling his nostrils, yet he felt a heavy weight in his arms—a weight of trust and responsibility.
With Xu Zhili's help, he stood up and limped on his way home.
As the light in the forest grew dimmer, the calls of the returning birds sounded exceptionally clear.
Throughout the journey, Xie Yunze's gaze kept unconsciously falling on Xu Zhili's profile.
Her sideburns were damp with sweat and clung to her cheeks. Her tightly pursed lips revealed a resolute strength. Her figure, carrying heavy loads, appeared exceptionally slender yet incredibly powerful in the sunlight.
A mixture of admiration, dependence, and an indescribable flutter of emotion quietly grew in his young chest, making him more uneasy than the wound on his leg.
Xu Zhili, however, was completely focused on being vigilant about her surroundings and getting back to the village as quickly as possible, and did not notice the subtle change in the gaze of the boy beside her.
As the two men, exhausted and covered in blood, appeared at the village entrance, dusk was falling and wisps of smoke were rising from the chimneys.
The villagers who were chatting and cooling off under the old elm tree at the village entrance suddenly fell silent, as if a pause button had been pressed.
All eyes were on them—the heavy chunks of flesh they were carrying, dripping with dark red liquid, the thick, obviously valuable fur they were holding in their arms, and the mottled, glaring bloodstains and obvious injuries on their bodies.
"Good heavens! Xu Zhiqing? Yun Ce? What... what is this... " An old man was so shocked that he dropped his pipe.
"Wild...wolves?! So many?!" The sharp-eyed woman exclaimed, pointing at the wolf pelts.
"Oh my god! It really is wolves! Did Xu Zhiqing fight off the wolf pack?!"
Exclamations and exclamations of admiration erupted instantly, like boiling water.
The villagers swarmed around, chattering amongst themselves, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
Xu Zhili put down the bundle of meat, a tired but gentle smile on her face. Just as she was about to speak, Xie Jianguo, the captain who had rushed over upon hearing the news, pushed through the crowd and squeezed in.
He saw the mountain of wolf meat on the ground and the few wolf pelts Xie Yunze was holding in his arms. Then he saw the wounds on the two men, especially Xie Yunze's obviously bandaged calf. His eyes were first shocked, and then filled with great excitement and relief.
"Xu Zhiqing! Yun Ce!" Xie Jianguo's voice trembled slightly. He patted Xu Zhili's shoulder hard and then carefully examined his son's injury. "Good! Well done! You two... you two have rid our Xiangyang Brigade of a great scourge! These beasts have been harming so many livestock lately, and the villagers are afraid to go out at night. Good! Excellent!" He was so excited that he was almost incoherent.
“Captain,” Xu Zhili said hurriedly, her voice tired but clear, “I was able to escape danger this time thanks to Xie Yunze. If he hadn’t rushed out to help me at the critical moment and risked his life to protect me, the consequences would have been unimaginable for me alone.” She looked at Xie Yunze with sincere eyes.
Being praised in public, especially by Xu Zhili, Xie Yunze's face flushed red, even his ears turned bright red. He lowered his head awkwardly, his voice barely audible, "No...no, Dad, I...I just helped a little. It's mainly because my sister is so capable...I...I even dragged her down." He instinctively tried to hide his injured leg.
"Nonsense!" Xie Jianguo's eyes widened, then turned into a smile full of pride. He looked at Xu Zhili, who was covered in blood but had a determined look in her eyes, and then at his son, whose face was flushed but could not hide his youthful spirit. He was filled with emotion.
With a wave of his hand, his loud voice drowned out the villagers' murmurs:
"Stop arguing! Listen to me! Xu Zhiqing and Yun Ce have done a great service for our Xiangyang Brigade! Take this wolf meat to the threshing ground and distribute it to each household! Everyone will get a share! Let the whole village, young and old, have a taste of the meat brought back by our heroes who rid us of this pest! As for the wolf pelts..."
He looked at Xu Zhili with a questioning and respectful gaze.
Xu Zhili immediately chimed in, "Captain, you decide how to handle the wolf pelts. Once they're tanned, it's fine whether the team keeps them or exchanges them for other communal items. Xie Yunze and I will follow the team's arrangements." She spoke humbly, attributing the credit to the collective.
Upon hearing this, Xie Jianguo's smile widened. He gave Xu Zhili an approving look and said loudly, "Good! Xu Zhili is so righteous! Part of the money from selling the wolf pelts will go to the collective to buy equipment for the team, and the rest will be credited to Xu Zhili and Yun Ce's work points! In the future, if there are any good things for the team, we'll give you two priority. What do you all say?"
"good!"
"Xu Zhiqing is righteous and benevolent!"
"Yun Ce has really made something of himself!"
"Thank you, Xu Zhiqing! Thank you, Yun Ce!"
The cheers and words of thanks from the Xiangyang Brigade instantly overwhelmed the two men.
Sincere smiles and gratitude radiated from their simple faces.
Xu Zhili and Xie Yunze's eyes met unexpectedly across the noisy crowd.
The sunlight reflected in their eyes. Xu Zhili saw the sparkling starlight and unconcealed joy and pride in the boy's eyes, while Xie Yunze saw the relieved, faint, and genuine warmth in his sister's eyes.
All the weariness, pain, and thrills seemed to be soothed at this moment by the strong, down-to-earth local sentiment, turning into a heavy harvest and a down-to-earth, warm "daily life" rooted here.
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