This was the first time Li had heard the term "self-preservation," and after a long pause, she murmured...
"So it was just self-defense all along?"
Xie Yushu noticed that she was muttering to herself and wondered what she was thinking. Seeing that Liu Qiang was on night duty, she went over to ask him if they could go hunting together the next day, since they had more people and more bows and arrows.
Liu Qiang was cleaning the rabbit when he saw Xie Yushu coming over and asked...
"What's up?"
"Tomorrow at dawn, I want to hunt some game to take back. I know you all need to hunt too. I was thinking, why don't we team up? Although there are lots of animals around now, they'll definitely run around when we actually start hunting. Besides, there are big ones up there. I think it's safer to drive the ones out from underground to hunt them!"
"Okay, sure!"
“I think we should catch enough for two days’ food. First, it’s too hot to keep them alive. Second, animals have a kind of intelligence. If we kill them all, we might provoke a counterattack. If they go berserk, we will suffer heavy casualties!”
Liu Qiang nodded after listening.
"Alright!"
Having said all that needed to be said, Xie Yushu was about to leave when Liu Qiang suddenly said something else.
"You just married Xiao Yi like that?"
"ah?
Oh, yes! I was jilted by my fiancé! All the suitors who came to propose were deaf, mute, blind, or lame. Xiao Yi was the best among them! He offered a high dowry, so I married him!
Liu Qiang threw down the boning knife in his hand with a bang, cursed something, and left with the rabbit!
"???"
What's going on? Did she say something wrong that offended him? No, right? Searching through the original owner's memories again, the two of them didn't seem to have any interaction! Every time the original owner saw Liu Qiang, she would take a detour, and of course, everyone else would take a detour when they saw those guys!
Neuropathy!
Xie Yushu also cursed and returned to Li's side.
When Li saw her return, she asked...
"They agreed to go hunting together?"
"Um"
"That's great! They have several bows and arrows, so we can benefit from that too. None of us in the family know how to hunt. If we had to catch them by hand, we probably wouldn't catch a single feather!" Li said happily.
"Sister-in-law, you go to sleep. I can keep watch by myself. There's no need for us to stay up together!"
Li did not respond, and spoke directly.
"I'll keep watch with you! There are wolves and tigers up there, and all sorts of snakes and insects. If there's anything you can't see, it'll be safer if I'm keeping an eye on things!"
Seeing that Li was determined to do so, Xie Yushu did not insist.
Although Li was a formidable person, she was reasonable and never made things difficult for Xie Yushu, so Xie Yushu didn't dislike her. Seeing that she was willing to befriend her, she chatted with her casually. Most of the time, Li talked about family matters and how the old man and woman of the Xiao family were biased.
Of course, the matter of dividing the family property was brought up again. Xie Yushu was speechless at the fact that the old man and woman of the Xiao family had been exploiting the whole family without any limits or in a roundabout way to support Xiao Yuanhang's education!
Xiao Yuanhang puts on a respectable facade outside, but at home, he is indifferent, selfish, and disregardful to his older brother and sister-in-law who have worked tirelessly to support his studies. His superior attitude makes people want to slap him all the time, and it's no wonder that Li Shi has tolerated him for more than ten years!
As the two talked, it was past midnight. Xie Baotian and Xie Baoshu replaced Xie Yushu, and Xiao Yong replaced Li Shi. Xie Yushu and Li Shi slept for the rest of the night.
I don't know how Li Shi rested, but Xie Yushu slept soundly. When she woke up, the hunger and fatigue of the past few days had lessened considerably!
Perhaps because they drank water, filled their stomachs, and rested overnight, everyone was much more energetic than yesterday!
Before the sun rose, the group made their way to the outer edge of the herd. Although the animals were huddled together, they were still clustered together.
Xie Yushu and her group circled around and found the gathering place of wild goats and wild boars. The Liu brothers lay in ambush not far below. After the three Xie brothers and Xiao Yong drove the goats and wild boars down, the Liu brothers drew their bows and shot arrows. Some were killed with one arrow, while others escaped with wounds. Xie Baotian and the others who were guarding the side then finished them off with a sickle.
Although the animals gathered together, they were not so easily resigned to their fate when it came to life and death. After a fierce battle, several people were injured, along with eight wild goats and two wild boars!
Seeing the herd of beasts above stirring, Xie Yushu called for a halt, and Liu Qiang also told his brothers to put away their bows and arrows. The group then dragged their prey down the mountain.
With the sun about to rise and the weather getting hotter, everyone was eager to go home so they could process the game, and they quickly divided the prey among themselves.
The Liu brothers contributed the most and were rewarded with six wild goats. The Xie family received one wild boar and one goat, while the Xiao family received one wild boar and one goat.
On the Xiao family's side, Xiao Yong and Li Shi also contributed their efforts. The couple treated her fairly well, and considering that they had four children and two elderly people to support, they gave them a wild boar and a goat!
As for how they would divide the spoils when they got back, and whether the old lady would squeeze them out of Xiao Yuanhang, Xie Yushu didn't want to ask. She had important things to do and didn't want to get entangled with them over such trivial matters!
She ate just over a pound of roasted wild boar last night. She doesn't plan to go back this time. The mountains are full of treasures. In the past, it was very dangerous to come in. Now all the dangers are gathered in one place, which is undoubtedly the best time to find treasures. So she cut off another three pounds of roasted meat and left a water hyacinth to carry with her!
There are still about fifty pounds of roasted meat left, enough for Xiao Yi and his two children to eat for a few days!
Xie Yushu asked Xie Laodie and a few others to take the water and roasted meat back to Xiao Yi, and instructed them to make sure that they delivered it to Xiao Yi.
Old Man Xie knew that Xie Yushu wanted to stay, and he was very worried about her. In the end, he left Xie Tianqi behind to keep her company before taking everyone away!
Liu Qiang, the son of Liu Jia, stayed behind with his third son, clearly hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to make a quick buck.
As for Old Man Xiao and his group, they naturally felt that the mountains were not safe. Seeing that there was food and drink available, they wished they had an extra leg to run home. They were the fastest to walk!
Seeing that everyone had left, Liu Qiang asked Xie Yushu...
"This is deep in the mountains and forests, would you like to come with us?"
"No! The dangers are all over there!" Xie Yushu pointed in the direction of the beast horde!
"Alright, I'll whistle then. It's so hot, don't stray too far from the water source!"
"good!"
After they finished speaking, they dispersed. The Liu brothers went east, while Xie Yushu and Xie Tianqi went south.
After walking for a while, Xie Tianqi, holding a sickle, asked while chopping weeds.
"Sister, with such a dry climate in the mountains, what else can we find to eat besides animals? The grass is all yellow! There aren't any mushrooms! And forget about fruit!"
"Who told you that only mushrooms and fruits are edible? Look, here they are!"
"What?"
"Wood ear fungus!"
Sure enough, there was a dead tree as thick as a person lying in front of us, with many wood ear mushrooms growing on it, which looked to be of excellent quality!
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