Reborn in 1985, starting from the mountains of Northwest China

Chen Lin did not refuse. He put down the bowl, walked over to the pile of things, and squatted down.

Without saying a word, he picked up the relatively rough roe deer skin and spread it out on the swept ground.

There was still a lot of fat and bits of meat attached to the skin, and the edges were not neat.

He pulled out a small, sharp skinning knife that he always carried with him—a tool he had used for many years, with a narrow blade and thin edge.

He didn't mind the dirt, and by the light of the oil lamp, he began to carefully remove the remaining fat and membranes from the skin.

His movements were slow but extremely focused; each cut was precise, cleanly removing the unwanted parts without damaging the skin.

His hands were quickly covered in grease and blood, but he was completely unaware.

After discarding one, he picked up another.

The whole process was very quiet, with only the faint sounds of Chen Lin's knife hitting flesh and bone, and the occasional crackling of the oil lamp wick.

Chen Jun watched with a complicated look in his eyes. He knew that his second brother was better at these delicate tasks than he was, and was also more patient.

Chen Feng silently carried his portion of meat, which had been divided, into the storage room.

Lin Xiu helped tidy up, and watching Chen Lin's skillful and focused movements, she whispered to Chen Feng, "Second Brother is really meticulous when he does this."

When Chen Lin finally stopped, the two hides had been cleaned and neatly stacked to one side, and the bones and scraps of meat had also been sorted and put away.

He straightened up and said, "Okay."

By the flickering light of the oil lamp, the three brothers cast long shadows onto the mud-brick wall.

The air was still filled with a faint smell of blood and the raw smell of leather.

Chen Jun walked to the neatly categorized pile of items, cleared his throat, and his voice was exceptionally clear in the silence: "Fengzi did a great job this time. He was the one who fired the gun, and Ta Xue was also his. According to the old rules, the one who contributed the most gets the lion's share."

His gaze swept over Chen Feng and Chen Lin. "Here's what I'm thinking: Fengzi will take 60%, the remaining 40% will go to me and Lao Er, 10% each, and Zhang the blacksmith will get 20%."

This gun was a gift from Zhang the blacksmith; they should remember this favor.

Chen Feng looked at the pile of meat, skin, and bones on the ground.

Sixty percent, that's definitely the majority.

This can solve a big problem at home.

But then he glanced at his silent second brother and his eldest brother's faded old cotton-padded jacket.

"Big brother," Chen Feng said, "Ta Xue contributed a lot to this success, but if you hadn't been there to support me and handle the first prey, I wouldn't have been able to focus on chasing the smaller one. Your share is indispensable."

He paused, looked at Chen Lin, and said, "Second Brother's skill is remarkable. He peels the skin so cleanly and separates the meat and bones so carefully, without wasting a single bit. This in itself is a great achievement."

"The butchers in town need a lot of wages and food to process a single hide and tidy up these scraps. Second Brother's share can't be counted as 'one' either."

Chen Jun listened without interrupting him.

Chen Feng continued, "My idea is still as my eldest brother said: I'll take 60%. The remaining 40% will be split 20/20 between my eldest and second eldest brothers. The blacksmith's wages will come from my 60% share."

He looked at Chen Lin, "Second Brother, you're very skilled. The skin and bones you've prepared are worth the price. If you don't take it, I won't feel at ease keeping 60% of it."

Chen Lin stopped wiping the knife.

He looked up, and the light from the oil lamp reflected in his eyes, making them appear somewhat cloudy and turbulent.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything, and just turned his gaze to Chen Jun.

Chen Jun looked at Chen Feng, then at Chen Lin, remained silent for a moment, and nodded: "Alright. Fengzi is right. Lao Er's skills are indeed comparable to a strong laborer. Let's settle on this: Fengzi gets six, and Lao Er and I each get two."

The meat is roughly divided according to the cuts, and now we need to further subdivide it according to that proportion.

Chen Jun took the initiative and allocated most of the best pieces of hind leg and tenderloin to Chen Feng's share.

Chen Feng was also given more of the meaty bones and the scraps of meat left over from making soup.

Of the two pelts, the one that was more intact and had better fur naturally went to Chen Feng.

The other one, Chen Jun and Chen Lin left it to deal with slowly.

Chen Lin's "second" included not only his rightful share of meat, but also a small piece of high-quality hind leg meat that Feng insisted on carving out from his own portion for him.

My second brother also has a back injury, making things even harder for the family.

The items were sorted and wrapped in cloth or placed in baskets.

Chen Lin picked up his share, which was much more substantial and substantial than the one he had received when he arrived.

He didn't say much, but nodded to Chen Jun and Chen Feng, and then whispered to Lin Xiu, "Sister-in-law, I'm going back."

Then he turned around and, just as he had come, quickly disappeared into the cold night outside the door.

Chen Jun also picked up his satchel.

He didn't leave immediately, but said to Chen Feng, "I'll send some cornmeal to Zhang the blacksmith tomorrow. And if it's convenient for you, please send a bowl of bone broth when it's ready. It's not easy for us to make a living in the mountains."

"I understand, brother," Chen Feng replied.

Chen Jun is gone.

Only Chen Feng's family and the mess on the floor remained in the main room, needing to be cleaned up.

Lin Xiu started cleaning, and Chen Feng helped carry the large portion of meat they had been allocated into the storage room.

Looking at the meat and bones that took up almost half the space, Lin Xiu showed the most relaxed smile she had shown in days: "Now... I feel much more at ease."

Chen Feng hummed in agreement, but his mind was still preoccupied with the meat distribution earlier.

When his elder brother said he would deliver cornmeal tomorrow, his tone was very calm, but Chen Feng knew that his elder brother's family did not have much food in stock this year.

He arranged the last piece of meat, straightened up, and dusted off his hands.

As we entered the main room, Ta Xue approached us.

He squatted down and rubbed Ta Xue's furry neck.

"You deserve the most credit today," he said in a low voice.

Ta Xue licked his hand.

After the two left, Chen Feng didn't rush to rest.

He looked at the roe deer skin under the beam, which his second brother had cleaned thoroughly, and it gleamed with a soft, matte sheen in the dim yellow lamplight.

My second brother's cooking skills are truly exceptional.

He recalled the shot in the hollow, the tinge of the trigger still lingering in his hand, and the focused, agile figure as he surrounded the enemy in the snow.

This trip into the mountains went more smoothly than expected.

"Brother Feng, wash your feet and go to bed." Lin Xiu brought over hot water.

Chen Feng grunted in agreement, sat down, and took off his shoes.

Hot water scalded my frozen feet, and a warm, tingling sensation rose from the soles of my feet, dispelling the chill that had seeped into my bones.

Ta Xue leaned closer, resting her chin on the shoe of his other foot, her eyes half-closed.

"Tomorrow," Chen Feng said, rubbing his feet, "I'm going to see Zhang Tiechui."

Lin Xiu paused, wringing out a cloth to wipe her feet. "The guns...aren't they all ready?"

"There are still some things I'd like to ask."

Chen Feng didn't elaborate.

After firing the gun today, he felt that the sights of the old gun seemed to have a very slight deviation, or perhaps it was just an illusion caused by his own excitement.

We need to get the experienced master craftsman to take another look.

In addition, the roe deer tendons we harvested this time are a valuable item. Perhaps we could ask Zhang Tiechui to help us process them; they might come in handy in the future.

Lin Xiu handed him the cloth and didn't ask any more questions.