The Taoist priest rubbed his hands together, his eyes crinkling with laughter. "So many jars of wine, enough for us to drink for a very, very long time. We won't have to be so careful with our wine anymore."
Xu Han walked in at the opportune moment, pouring cold water on the situation, saying, "Don't be too happy yet. This wine still needs to be distilled. In the end, there won't be much left. And even if there is a lot, you can't drink as much as you want. You're all getting on in years, don't you care about your health?"
Lu Chuan chuckled to himself upon hearing this, thinking to himself that he was young and it wouldn't hurt to drink a little more.
However, Xu Han saw through this little trick and said without hesitation, "You too."
Now the happy ones are the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao, while Lu Chuan is left with a bitter expression, looking like he's about to laugh or cry.
At dinner, Xu Han specially made a few extra pancakes for Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest to eat on the mountain the next day.
As Xu Han packed their tools and food for their mountain trip the next day, she asked, "What time are you coming back tomorrow? Is there anything you particularly need to bring?"
Lu Chuan thought for a moment and said, "It's been a long time since we've been deep in the mountains. We plan to stay in the mountains for a couple of days. We haven't lived in the cave for the past few years, so we'll definitely tidy it up. Let's bring a few more days' worth of food and some blankets. We'll also bring two or three earthenware pots to put in the cave. We'll need them often in the future."
"Okay, I'll prepare it and put it in your baskets. You two be careful and try to come back as soon as possible."
Grandpa Zhao chimed in, "That's right, don't stay too long. We don't know what the situation is like in the mountains right now. Just because it's safe near our home doesn't mean it's safe deep in the mountains."
The Taoist priest pondered for a moment and said, "Well, Xiao Chuan and I plan to clear out the large animals in the mountains first, so that it will be easier to enter the mountains later."
Lu Chuan continued, "If things go smoothly, we'll come back every two or three days, rest for a day, and then go again. We'll try to finish patrolling the nearby mountains as soon as possible. If we encounter any special circumstances, it might delay us for a day or two, but don't worry about us at home. We'll definitely prioritize safety."
Xu Han smiled and said, "Okay, as long as you know what's going on. We'll wait for you to come back at home."
Then she continued, "Should we bring all the dogs from home? They haven't hunted in a long time, so this is a good opportunity to train them properly."
Lu Chuan disagreed, saying, "Let's leave Black Spot at home and take the rest with us. We won't feel at ease with the four of you at home if there's not a single dog."
"Okay then, it's just a pity about Black Spot, it always has to stay at home."
Lu Chuan smiled and said, "Next time, let another dog stay at home and let Blackie go out for some fresh air."
"Okay, we can't always leave black spots at home."
Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest continued to prepare the tools they would need for their mountain adventure the next day. They hadn't hunted in a long time, and their arrowheads were starting to rust.
Although the two of them often took out these tools to sharpen them, it had been a long time since they had drawn blood, so they had to sharpen them today.
The group worked until eight or nine o'clock, then went back to their rooms to rest.
The next day, while it was still dark and the dew was heavy, the two set off early into the deep mountains, ignoring the fact that it was already light.
After Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest left, the house suddenly became quiet and deserted.
However, Mu'er and Grandpa Zhao did not slack off and continued to get up early to practice their skills as usual.
When Mu'er was waiting for breakfast, her father and the Taoist priest had not yet returned for breakfast, so she couldn't help but ask, "Mother, why haven't I seen Father and the Taoist priest?"
Xu Han patiently explained, "Father and Grandpa Daoist went hunting in the deep mountains and haven't been home for the past few days."
Grandpa Zhao chuckled and said, "Now that there are two less capable people in the family, Mu'er, you must protect your younger brother and mother at home."
Upon hearing this, Mu'er immediately straightened her body and looked serious. "I will protect my mother and younger brother, and I will stay at home and wait for my father and Taoist priest to come back."
"Haha, good child." Grandpa Zhao patted Mu'er's head affectionately, his face full of satisfaction.
Three days passed peacefully like this. During these three days, Grandpa Zhao stayed at home to take care of Mu'er and Ze'er, while Xu Han was busy at home.
After finishing the chores at home, she would go to the vegetable garden outside to weed, never stopping for a moment.
On the fourth day at noon, Xu Han and the others were having lunch when they heard the black dot making noises incessantly.
Upon hearing the sound of the black dot, Grandpa Zhao and Xu Han hurriedly told Mu'er not to come out. The two of them cautiously went out of the main room and saw Maodou run in first, which put their minds at ease.
"It must be Xiaochuan and the others who are back. Let's go out and take a look."
Grandpa Zhao and Xu Han walked out of the courtyard one after the other. From a distance, they saw the Taoist priest and Lu Chuan carrying something over, which looked quite heavy.
The two men rushed to help, asking, "What are you carrying?"
The Taoist priest's hearty laughter carried from afar, "Hahaha, come and take a look!"
Grandpa Zhao exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, such a big tiger. It seems that it's really not safe in these deep mountains."
Xu Han hesitated and asked, "Should we carry it home? Will Mu'er be scared if she sees it? Or should I just put it in my spatial storage?"
The Taoist priest smiled and replied, "Mu'er is not a child anymore, don't worry, this little thing won't scare him, and Ze'er is so fierce, he won't be afraid either."
Lu Chuan wanted to show off in front of his son, so of course he wouldn't agree to Xu Han's suggestion.
Moreover, just as the Taoist priest said, the two boys are not young anymore. If we can't protect them, they'll be afraid of even a dead tiger. What will happen to them in the future?
Xu Han didn't object after hearing this, "Alright then, you can just carry it home, I won't help you anymore."
"Yes, it's not far."
After Lu Chuan finished speaking, Xu Han and Grandpa Zhao took over the rest of the pheasants and rabbits to help lighten their load.
The two hunted a total of 12 pheasants, 2 rabbits, and a roe deer.
Lu Chuan said, "These rabbits are breeding way too fast. In just over half a year, there are already many rabbits in the mountains. Next time, we'll go hunting some rabbits. If we can't eat them all, we'll take them to the county town to exchange for money. If this continues, they'll become an infestation."
Grandpa Zhao chuckled and said, "Hahaha, rabbits have one litter a month, with six or seven rabbits in each litter, sometimes more than a dozen. They can reproduce again after six months. If we don't control them, they'll become a plague."
The Taoist priest chimed in, "There are already plenty in the mountains. We'll catch more rabbits during the winter hunt later."
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