During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

Ye Dazhuang nodded, brandished his machete, swept up some dry grass and bushes, and gathered these flammable materials at the entrance of the badger's den.

Ye Qingqing pressed the tinder onto the flint and steel, and with a few quick snaps of the flint and steel, sparks crackled and popped, igniting the tinder.

She brought her lips close and blew gently a few times, and the tinder ignited instantly, setting the dry grass ablaze.

Ye Dazhuang placed the burning dry grass on the pile of withered grass and bushes, then used a machete to lift it up, and soon the fire was burning.

Seeing the fire escalate, he grabbed a handful of soil and stones and covered it with them. The fire subsided, and thick, choking smoke billowed out.

He turned to look at Ye Qingqing.

"Oh, here you go."

After confirming with her eyes, Ye Qingqing quickly handed over the hunting net.

You see, even a mute person who can't speak has ways to communicate.

She hopped over, carrying her injured foot, and together with Ye Dazhuang, each on one side, they used all four hands to firmly hold down the net, blocking the hole.

Before long, a "plop plop" sound came from inside the cave, accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of scratching at the rocks.

Ye Qingqing's eyes lit up, she gripped the net tightly, and exclaimed excitedly, "It's here!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a dark, chubby shadow suddenly darted out of the cave entrance and plunged headfirst into the hunting net.

The badger was incredibly strong, and Ye Qingqing almost lost her grip on it.

She gritted her teeth, raised her uninjured foot, and stepped on the edge of the net that the badger had almost broken free from.

The badger howled and struggled wildly as it was strangled, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Ye Qingqing freed one hand, drew a wood-chopping knife from her waist, and slammed it down on the head of the struggling badger.

"Bang!"

The badger groaned, losing its strength but not completely unconscious. It kicked its four short legs wildly and let out a desperate howl.

At the same time, Ye Dazhuang reached out and precisely grabbed the badger by the scruff of its neck. With a forceful pull of his fingers, a "click" was heard, and the badger's head tilted to the side, and it passed away.

"pretty!"

Ye Qingqing gave him a "cool" look.

"Pfft! Pfft..."

Before they could relax, another short, terrified cry came from inside. After a commotion in the cave, two slightly smaller badgers suddenly darted out.

Ye Qingqing clicked her tongue, "They're here!"

The hunting net was almost blown away by the fleeing badger, but fortunately Ye Dazhuang was strong enough to hold it down firmly.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ye Qingqing struck the two badgers one by one with her machete, making them squeal and bark.

Ye Dazhuang aimed at the badger's head, pinched and twisted it, and the whole world instantly fell silent.

The two worked together incredibly well!

Ye Qingqing immediately breathed a sigh of relief, poked her head into the dark cave, and said in a low voice,

"I wonder if there are any left?"

Ye Dazhuang glanced at her silently, his grip on her hand remaining firm.

The two huddled in the earthen hollow, waiting for what felt like half a cup of tea in the northwest wind. The heat they had generated from their exertion was dissipated by the early winter wind, and they began to feel cold all over.

"Forget it, I don't need it even if I have it."

Ye Qingqing loosened the net, clasped her hands together, breathed warm air on them, and said in a trembling voice,

"If we wait any longer, we'll freeze to death! Let's call it a day and go home! I'll have my sister-in-law stew a pot of sauerkraut and pork, and then make some radish and fish stew. We'll have a bowl of rice with it!"

She couldn't help but drool as she spoke.

Ye Dazhuang glanced at her indifferently, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

Sometimes, he inexplicably felt that this girl lived a life full of everyday warmth and vitality.

In his hazy memories, there seemed to be no trace of this kind of everyday life.

Just as the two were pulling in the net, a medium-sized badger suddenly darted out.

Swift as lightning, it disappeared into the tangled bushes right before their eyes.

Ye Dazhuang instinctively grabbed his machete and flew out, but the badger still managed to escape.

He frowned unconsciously, a cold glint flashing in his deep eyes.

He never liked making mistakes.

Ye Dazhuang was suddenly tapped on the shoulder, and he turned his head instantly. Ye Qingqing caught the fierce look in his eyes.

"It's alright, they've run away, there are still three left! We should be content."

Ye Qingqing smiled nonchalantly and said in the direction the badger had fled, "I'll spare your life. Go back and have many healthy offspring to benefit the public!"

Ye Dazhuang was slightly taken aback, "..."

Contentment brings happiness; that doesn't seem like something this girl would say, does it?

Otherwise, with her ankle sprained, why would she limp around trying to catch the badger?

However, the chill that had been stirred up by the escaped badger suddenly dissipated a lot from Ye Dazhuang's heart.

"Oh!"

A sharp pain shot through her ankle, and Ye Qingqing suddenly cried out in surprise, her body tilting as she was about to fall.

She was so focused on jumping up to watch the fleeing badger that she forgot she twisted her ankle!

"careful."

Ye Dazhuang reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into his arms to steady Ye Qingqing.

"We were too busy with the badgers!"

Ye Qingqing chuckled, limped over and sat down beside him, took a rope out of her bundle and tossed it to Ye Dazhuang, saying with a beaming smile,

"Tie it up, let's go home! This portion should be enough for our whole family for two days, right?"

Ye Dazhuang picked up the rope and skillfully used it to tie the badger's four hooves. He then turned around and picked up his machete.

Ye Qingqing tossed the badger into the sack, dusted off her hands,

"Come on, it's getting dark, or my dad will start worrying again."

Ye Dazhuang hoisted the sack onto his shoulder and turned around to carry her on his back.

Ye Qingqing waved her hand and said, "We're not far from the village. Just help me walk."

Ye Dazhuang nodded and stretched out his arm.

Thanks!

Ye Qingqing grabbed his arm and walked side by side with him, taking small, unsteady steps, towards the village.

With wild ginseng tucked in her arms and three badgers slung over her shoulder, Ye Qingqing was in an incredibly good mood and couldn't help but start talking.

Have you ever eaten badger meat? I haven't, but I've heard it's incredibly delicious, a true delicacy!

"Brother Dazhuang, you said this wild ginseng can sell for 30,000... oops, 300 taels? I even sprained my ankle digging it up, it should sell for at least a lot more, right?"

"I wonder how much badger oil costs, and how much oil can be rendered from three barrels? My dad's an old hunter, he'll definitely know how to render badger oil!"

"My sister-in-law and Cuicui have asked Aunt Shuanzi to come home. They're making cotton-padded clothes, so maybe they can wear them when they get back..."

……

She chattered on and on, while Ye Dazhuang only managed a soft "hmm" at most.

However, he seemed to be deliberately speeding up or slowing down his pace to match hers, so that she could keep up.

By the time we reached the village entrance, it was completely dark.

As expected, Ye Youliang sent Ye Dali to guard the door with a lantern.

If Li Chunyan and Ye Dali hadn't stopped him, he would have gotten out of bed on his own!

Ye Dali, wrapped in his newly made cotton-padded coat, hunched his shoulders and neck, glancing towards the mountain every now and then, anxiously pacing back and forth at the crossroads.

If Er Yatou doesn't come back soon, Dad will really get restless at home!

His wife cooked a big pot of sauerkraut and pork, stewed mango fritters, made white flour pancakes, and steamed rice. The whole family didn't eat, but craned their necks to wait for the two of them to come back.