A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

His lips trembled as he stared at the piece of badger meat, which was marbled with fat and lean meat.

"In previous years, our family didn't even have enough porridge to eat on New Year's Eve, but this year... we have meat."

Chen Mo began preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. He first cut off a large piece of badger meat, carefully rubbed the rest with salt, intending to make cured meat, and used the cut-off meat to braise.

Boil the wild chestnuts until cooked, then mix in some sorghum rice to make chestnut rice. Chen Mo picked five catties of water celery on his way back yesterday, and now he took it out and made a cold salad. Finally, he reheated a pot of fish soup that was left over from a few days ago.

The aroma of meat and rice wafted out of the dilapidated house, over the courtyard wall, and Zhang San, who lived next door, couldn't resist the smell. He leaned against the wall and peered inside. When he saw a large bowl of braised pork on the Chen family's stove, his eyes widened immediately.

As evening fell, Chen Mo arranged the offerings inside the house: a bowl of chestnut rice, a bowl of braised badger meat, a small dried fish, and an egg.

Chen Dashan led his two children to the front of the house, facing south, and knelt down, praying softly.

"Ancestors above, your unworthy descendant Chen Dashan, along with his children Chen Mo and Chen Ling'er, kowtow to our ancestors. This year, our family has been blessed with food thanks to your ancestors' protection. We pray that your ancestors will continue to protect us and allow our children to safely get through this famine year."

Chen Mo and Chen Ling'er followed suit and kowtowed. The ceremony was simple, but the three members of the Chen family felt much more at ease.

After the ancestral worship ceremony, the New Year's Eve dinner officially began. On the table were a large bowl of braised badger meat, a pot of chestnut rice, a plate of cold water celery salad, a pot of fresh fish soup, and a small dish of cleanly peeled pine nuts.

Chen Mo poured his father a bowl of hot water to replace alcoholic beverages, and then put a large piece of meat into his sister's bowl.

Chen Ling'er buried her head in her food and ate, her mouth glistening with oil.

"Brother, this meat...smells so good!"

Chen Dashan chewed slowly, his eyes glistening with tears.

"If your mother were still alive... how happy she would be."

Chen Mo also recalled that on New Year's Eve in his previous life, his father had already passed away, his sister breathed her last in his arms, and he himself was waiting for death in despair. This life was completely different.

He held up his bowl.

"Father, Ling'er, let's raise a glass and wish our family such wonderful days every year."

Three broken bowls gently bumped together.

At the same time, the Wang family was also having their New Year's Eve dinner, with a table full of chicken, duck, fish and meat. Wang Mang was gnawing on a chicken leg when he suddenly spoke.

"Dad, I always feel like there are ghosts at Chen Mo's house. Today, Zhang San told me that he smelled stewing meat at Chen Mo's house."

"Not only that, Zhao Si said, Chen Mo went up the mountain with Sun Dazhu in the middle of the night yesterday and didn't return until dawn, carrying a bulging burlap sack."

Wang Laoqi squinted his eyes.

"Sun Dazhu...has Old Man Sun been found?"

"No, it's like it disappeared."

"After spring arrives, take your men and search the mountains thoroughly. Old Man Sun is definitely hiding there, and Chen Mo's grain... I reckon its origins aren't exactly legitimate either."

……

At midnight, the New Year arrived, and the system panel in Chen Mo's mind lit up again.

[Daily information has been updated, please select:]

[1. In the abandoned mill at the east end of the village, there is half a bag of soybean seeds, about eight pounds. Although it has been stored for a long time, they can still germinate. (Low risk, the mill is dilapidated)]

[Second, on the south-facing slope of the back mountain, where the snow melts earlier, there are clumps of wild garlic sprouts underground, and you can probably dig up about three pounds. (Medium risk, the ground is still frozen)]

Thirdly, on the carts abandoned by refugees thirty miles away, there was half a sack of bran and many broken farm tools. (High risk, long distance, and a high possibility of being robbed)

Bean seeds.

Chen Mo's eyelids twitched. He stared at the words on the panel, his heart pounding. This thing was tighter than flesh to him right now.

Just then, a cracking sound came from outside the courtyard, as if something had been broken, followed by a low sobbing sound.

Chen Mo immediately looked up. He heard two green lights peeking out from the crack in the courtyard gate.

Wolf.

His breath hitched, and Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't fight head-on.

In his past life, the hunter had said that wolves are afraid of fire, loud noises, and things taller than themselves. He moved slowly, his body pressed against the wall.

The stove was right next to him. He reached out and touched the fire tinder, while his other hand tightly gripped a pine torch, which he had prepared beforehand.

The tinderbox was rubbed against something, sparks flew, and the pine torch was instantly lit.

The firelight flickered, and the two wolves stopped moving abruptly. They backed away, letting out low whimpers from their throats.

Chen Mo raised the torch high, picked up the broken iron pot hanging on the wall with his other hand, and swung the wood-chopping knife forcefully.

"clang--!"

The sharp noise startled the wolves, causing them to back away. They wanted to escape, but hunger made them unwilling to leave.

Chen Mo seized the opportunity to run to the chicken coop. He used his body to block the coop, and raised the torch forward, causing the flames to flicker.

The wolf pack dared not approach any further; a dead silence fell over the standoff.

Chen Dashan, who was inside the house, was awakened by the noise. He peeked through the crack in the window and the sight made his heart pound.

Chen Ling'er also woke up, and Chen Dashan quickly covered her mouth, shaking his head forcefully to signal his daughter not to make a sound.

Outside, only the crackling of torches and the low howling of wolves made time pass slowly; each second felt like a year.

Sudden.

"Aww—!"

Outside the courtyard, a howl came—not a threat, but a scream of agony.

Chen Mo looked over there and saw an arrow stuck in the wolf's rump. The arrow shaft was rough, and it belonged to Sun Dazhu. He had given Sun Dazhu an arrow when he gave him a hunting bow before.

"Chen Mo!"

Sun Dazhu nimbly climbed over the wall, holding a hunting bow in his hand, the bowstring still vibrating.

"I'm late!"

Sun Dazhu was panting heavily.

He had been having trouble sleeping in the middle of the night because the cave was cold. He planned to go to the Chen family to discuss the New Year with Chen Mo. When he saw the wolf in the distance, he felt a surge of anxiety and quickly grabbed his bow and arrows, running all the way there.

The wounded wolf howled and limped away from the courtyard wall, its figure quickly disappearing into the darkness. Seeing this, the other wolf also ran after it.

With the crisis averted, Chen Mo and Sun Dazhu both breathed a sigh of relief. They leaned against the wall, panting heavily, Chen Mo's forehead covered in cold sweat.

Chen Mo walked to the chicken coop and carefully examined the three chickens. They were frightened, but none of them were seriously injured.

He patted Sun Dazhu on the shoulder.

"Thanks for this arrow, I'll get you a better one."

Sun Dazhu shook his head.

"You saved my father, I should be thanking you."