Wang Lun first removed the barricade from the gate, then asked Liu Ruoxi if anything was wrong. Liu Ruoxi replied that everything was normal and there were no other issues. Wang Lun then repeatedly instructed Li Ling and Liu Ruoling to each take one bar and drag it into the camp. If Liu Ruoxi didn't give any warning, they could go back. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling understood. Only then did Wang Lun open the gate. The three of them ran towards their respective targets, then ran back.
However, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling aimed for the closest target, which was Wang Lun's requirement. Wang Lun, on the other hand, aimed for the furthest. Wang Lun had grand ambitions; he wanted to take all six hyenas.
After the first attempt, Liu Ruoxi didn't issue any warnings, so she started a second time. Soon, all three successfully returned to the camp and closed the gate. During this time, Liu Ruoxi didn't issue any warnings, presumably because the hyenas were afraid and had left the vicinity. Thinking about it, it makes sense; just a moment ago there were ten hyenas, and in an instant, only four remained. Wouldn't they be afraid?
Wang Lun put the barricade back on and finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this risky hunt was quite daring; what if the hyenas were hiding outside, ready to pounce when they went out? Li Ling and Liu Ruoling had a good chance of escaping, since they weren't far from the camp, but what about Wang Lun? He couldn't possibly fight the hyenas with just his machete. Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened.
Wang Lun and Li Ling sat on the ground and rested for a while before they recovered. Wang Lun got up and told Liu Ruoxi to continue keeping watch on the wall, while Li Ling and Liu Ruoling went inside to get the knife and pot. They quickly dissected the hyena since it had only recently died. Wang Lun himself carried the hyena to the edge of the pool.
Soon, Wang Lun moved all six hyenas to the edge of the pool, and also removed the short spears and arrows from his body. Li Ling and Liu Ruoling also took out their knives, pots, and baskets.
Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling each took one hyena and began skinning them. After all, hyena skins could be used to make clothes, and with these six hyenas, Wang Lun and his companions would have enough clothes and trousers to wear during the winter, which should allow them to get through the winter.
Wang Lun skinned one hyena and began skinning another. Li Ling took the skin and started processing the remaining scraps of meat. Once processed, she hid it on a pre-made rack and hung it under the eaves to dry. After drying, it was kneaded and ready to be used to make clothes. Liu Ruoling did the same, processing one hyena before moving on to the next; none of them stopped working. Perhaps the only one who was relatively idle was Liu Ruoxi, but she wasn't idle all the time. She kept a close watch on the outside of the camp and patrolled the perimeter of the camp along the wall.
However, once it got dark, Liu Ruoxi no longer needed to stay up there, as it wasn't safe. Wang Lun told her to come down and help with some other tasks. Of course, her main responsibility was to keep an eye on the situation outside the camp.
It took Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling over an hour to skin the six hyenas. But now that it was dark, they couldn't stop and quickly continued processing the skinned hyenas.
Although it was dark, Liu Ruoxi had lit a campfire nearby, which was still quite bright, and everyone could see clearly. Wang Lun picked up a skinned hyena, then gutted it, removing the edible heart and liver, and tossing the rest aside to bury the next day. He then gave it a quick wash to remove the blood. He separated the head and legs, cut the meat into large pieces, and threw them into a basket. Then he began processing the next one.
After Wang Lun and Liu Ruoling dealt with the two hyenas, Li Ling took their heads to the campfire and began processing them. First, she burned the heads thoroughly to remove all the fur. Then she continued processing the other heads and legs.
Liu Ruoxi then brought a bamboo jar of salt, rubbed some salt on the meat, and hung it on a rack next to the hearth. While Wang Lun and the others began processing the second batch of hyenas, Liu Ruoxi took two pieces of hyena meat, cleaned them, cut them into chunks, placed them in an earthenware pot, and carried them into the house to start cooking dinner. The remaining tasks were left to Wang Lun and the other two. After all, it was late at night, and it was time for dinner.
After Li Ling finished taking care of her hair, she continued Liu Ruoxi's work, rubbing some salt on the meat, then taking it inside and hanging it on a rack.
It took Wang Lun and his three companions nearly three hours to process the six hyenas. Although there were six hyenas, there wasn't actually much meat. Apart from the heads, Wang Lun estimated there were only a little over 100 jin (50 kg) of meat. Hyenas generally don't have much meat, and there's even less after removing the internal organs.
Actually, if it were any other prey, Wang Lun would have liked to get some blood to make blood pudding. But since it was a hyena, he abandoned that idea. Hyenas are scavengers, so Wang Lun was quite worried about its blood. Although he had heard that hyena meat was hard to eat, Wang Lun figured that since they were almost out of food, what did it matter if it tasted good or not? Besides, he hadn't tried it before; what if it was delicious? After all, he had to try it to know.
After dealing with the hyenas, Wang Lun and his two companions rinsed the camp again, mainly to wash away the bloodstains. They then followed the waterway, rinsing all the way to the outermost part of the toilet area, before considering the matter complete. As for the bloodstains outside the camp, they decided to deal with them tomorrow; it was best to leave it for now, as it was already dark and still somewhat dangerous outside.
After Wang Lun and the other two finished doing these things, they washed their hands and faces. Wang Lun then filled the pool with water so that they could all take a bath and rinse off after the meal, so as not to be covered in the smell of blood.
Then the three of them went back inside, ready to try Liu Ruoxi's hyena meat and see if it was really that bad. As soon as Wang Lun and the others entered, they smelled a foul odor. All three frowned, and Liu Ruoling asked, "Sister, what are you cooking? It smells so bad!" Liu Ruoxi turned around and Wang Lun, holding his nose, said, "This hyena meat really stinks." Wang Lun, trying to suppress his nausea, went over and asked, "How long has it been cooking? Is it done?" Liu Ruoxi said, "Almost an hour. It should be done. I just pierced it with chopsticks, and it went in easily." Wang Lun took the chopsticks and tried it himself, finding it easy to insert them into the meat. He then picked up a small piece of meat, intending to eat it first, but then suddenly thought of something.
He laughed and said, "Does anyone want to try it? This is hyena meat, you know. We've never eaten it before." Li Ling and Liu Ruoxi quickly shook their heads. Liu Ruoxi was the one cooking the meat, and just watching her cook it was almost unbearable for her; how could she possibly eat it? As for Li Ling, seeing that even Wang Lun wasn't eating it, why would she?
Only Liu Ruoling seemed somewhat interested. Wang Lun then focused on persuading Liu Ruoling. In the end, Liu Ruoling seemed willing to give it a try.
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