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

He spoke seriously.

Chen Mo took two dried fish from the house, weighing about a pound.

"Take this, you can add some dishes for the New Year."

Sun Dazhu declined.

"This... I can't accept it."

Chen Mo forced it on him.

"Take it, don't be shy. We're brothers, so don't stand on ceremony with me."

Sun Dazhu hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted it.

Only then did Chen Dashan dare to open the door. He cautiously looked at Sun Dazhu and bowed deeply.

"Zhu Zi, you saved my family."

Chen Dashan's voice trembled slightly.

Sun Dazhu hurriedly helped him up.

"Uncle Chen, please don't do this. Chen Mo and I are brothers."

He spoke with conviction.

Chen Mo felt a warmth in his heart as he stood beside her; this friendship was truly precious.

It was already the early morning of the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month when the system panel lit up again.

[Daily information has been updated, please select:]

[1. Under the offering table in the village ancestral hall, there are three catties of glutinous rice that have been used for sacrifices for a long time. Although they are infested with worms, they can still be used to make rice cakes after washing. (Low risk, the ancestral hall can be eerie at night)]

[Second, at the hot spring upstream of the back mountain, there are wild water celery clumps that remain fresh and tender even in the cold winter, weighing approximately five pounds. (Medium risk, mountain paths are difficult to traverse at night)]

[Three, on the northern slope of Black Wind Ridge, there are badger hibernation burrows. The badgers inside are quite large, weighing about 15 pounds, and there is a store of food in the burrow. (High risk, badgers are fierce, do not dig)]

Chen Mo's eyes lit up: a 15-pound badger! And stored grain too.

This was truly a great achievement. He looked at Sun Dazhu, who also saw it, and both of their eyes were filled with excitement.

Both of them were exhausted after being attacked by wolves tonight. Badgers are not easy to deal with and are quite dangerous, but this opportunity is indeed rare.

Chen Mo finally chose the badger's den, where there might be even more food stored; he had already made his plans.

In my mind, a clear image appeared: on the sunny north slope of Black Wind Ridge, the snow was thin, and the badger's burrow entrance was about the size of a large bowl. The surrounding soil was damp, caused by the badger's breathing. The burrow was about six feet deep, and inside was a fat badger. At the bottom of the burrow, nuts and tubers were stored.

Chen Mo relayed the information from the video to Sun Dazhu, who clenched his fists upon hearing it.

"Brother Mo, let's do it!" His eyes were determined.

Before dawn, in the dim light, Chen Mo and Sun Dazhu carried all their tools: pickaxes, machetes, hunting bows, ropes, and torches.

The two quietly left their house and headed towards Black Wind Ridge. On the north slope, the snow was indeed thin. They found the badger's den. The entrance was small, and the surrounding soil was indeed damp.

The two divided the work: Sun Dazhu picked up a pickaxe and began digging from the side, avoiding the front of the hole to prevent the badger from suddenly rushing out, while Chen Mo held a bow and stood guard, keeping his eyes fixed on the hole.

"Huffing and puffing."

The pickaxes struck the frozen ground with little sound, but after an hour, both men had blisters on their hands.

The passage gradually came into view. Chen Mo lit a piece of cloth stained with grease and carefully threw it into the hole.

Smoke quickly filled the air, and soon after, furious howls echoed from inside the cave.

A fat, grayish-brown badger suddenly burst out of the burrow.

It was bigger than expected. Sun Dazhu was prepared. He was quick-witted and nimble. With a flick of the rope, he caught the badger's head.

The badger struggled incessantly, and it was quite strong. Chen Mo quickly rushed forward and used the back of his machete to forcefully slap the badger's head.

With a muffled thud, the badger fell to the ground, its body twitched a few times, and then lay still.

The two breathed a sigh of relief and continued digging. At the bottom of the cave, they actually found stored grain: about three pounds of wild chestnuts, two pounds of tubers they couldn't identify, and a small pile of pine nuts.

The harvest this time was greater than expected. We caught a badger, weighing about thirteen pounds, and also collected about five pounds of stored grain.

The two men packed the game and stored food into sacks and took turns carrying them down the mountain. By then it was completely light, and they returned to the cave, which was Sun Dazhu's dwelling.

Old Man Sun got up early and saw Sun Dazhu and Chen Mo, and the sacks they were carrying.

"What...what is this?"

Old Man Sun could hardly believe it.

The two worked on the spot, and the badger skin was completely peeled off. Chen Mo was careful and cautious. This skin could be used to make hats or mattresses.

When the badger meat was being butchered, Chen Mo took seven jin (3.5 catties), the front and hind legs and the tenderloin, Sun Dazhu took six jin (3 catties), and the remaining portion was divided equally among the stored grain.

The badger oil was rendered separately, yielding about two small jars. Badger oil is a good thing; it can treat frostbite and burns.

Old Man Sun's hands trembled as he looked at all the meat.

"This...this is enough to last until spring..."

His voice trembled.

Chen Mo gave the Sun family an extra pound of badger oil.

"Uncle Sun, this is good for treating frostbite."

Old Sun nodded repeatedly, his eyes slightly red.

"Thank you, thank you, Mova."

Chen Mo carried seven pounds of badger meat, some stored grain, and a small jar of badger oil. When he returned home, it was already noon.

Chen Ling'er smelled the aroma of meat and ran out of the house, where she saw the sack Chen Mo was carrying.

"Brother! This is..." Her eyes widened.

Chen Mo smiled and patted her head.

"Let's have some good meat today, like it's New Year's meat."

Chen Dashan also came out. He looked at the marbled badger meat and felt a lot of emotions.

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

His voice was choked with emotion.

Chen Mo started preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. He cut the badger meat into chunks, salted some of it for preservation, and prepared to braise the rest.

After cleaning the wild chestnuts, I cooked them to make chestnut rice. The water celery was picked by him yesterday afternoon, cleaned, and then made into a cold salad. I also heated up a pot of fish soup.

The aroma quickly spread, permeating the courtyard and the outside of the house; even Zhang San, who was outside the courtyard wall, could smell it.

He leaned against the wall, peering intently inside. He saw large chunks of meat on the Chen family's stove, his eyes widened, and his mouth watered. He turned around and secretly ran away.

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

Chen Dashan led his children to the front of the house, bowing to the south as he prayed softly.

"Ancestors above, your unfilial son Chen Dashan, along with his children Chen Mo and Chen Ling'er, kowtow to our ancestors. This year, our family has been blessed by our ancestors and we have enough to eat. We hope that our ancestors will continue to protect us and bless our children to get through this famine safely."

Chen Mo and Chen Ling'er also kowtowed. The ceremony was simple, but the three members of the Chen family felt much calmer, and they had hope for the future.