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

Ye Dazhuang's deep eyes met her almond-shaped eyes; his brows furrowed slightly, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

"Everyone's waiting for you to eat; the food will get cold if you don't come back soon."

"Let's go to the foot of the mountain."

Ye Dazhuang's heart suddenly stirred, and vague memories began to surface in his mind.

It seems no one has ever questioned him in such a dissatisfied tone before.

Ye Qingqing pressed, "Why go to the foot of the mountain?"

Ye Dazhuang looked at her and paused.

Although Ye Cuicui dared not look at Ye Dazhuang, she was worried for her second sister.

That's such an awkward question, it makes it sound like Big Zhuang is about to run away!

She kept tugging at her sleeve, "Second sister, let's eat..."

"Yes, yes, let's eat, the food's getting cold."

Sensing the atmosphere was a bit off, Ye Youliang, fearing her daughter might anger the boy, quickly changed the subject, saying, "Everyone, come to the table! What are you standing there for?"

Ye Qingqing didn't move, staring straight at Ye Dazhuang.

Although the divination sticks could predict the danger this guy would bring, she wasn't afraid of attracting trouble, but she was afraid that he might think that there were too many people and too many eyes in Kaoshantun and run away in a moment of madness!

He ran away. Will he still get the reward money?

Besides, my older brother doesn't know how to hunt, and my father has a limp. We'll have to rely on his fighting skills to make money in the mountains. If he runs away, where will I find help?

Therefore, we must understand his thoughts and feelings!

A complex emotion flickered in Ye Dazhuang's deep eyes as he said in a low voice, "When we were hunting in the mountains, there were wolves in the forest."

On the way back, I spotted traces of wolves and decided to go check them out.

"Wolves?"

Ye Qingqing's heart skipped a beat. "You mean we're being targeted by wolves?"

Ye Dazhuang shook his head. "It's a pack of wolves. I went to the foot of the mountain to take a look. Although the wolves' tracks were hidden, they were very orderly, only wandering around where the village could be seen."

Therefore, I suspect the wolf pack had their eyes on those two wild boars for a while, but we beat them to it.

"Oh!"

Before Ye Qingqing could speak, Ye Youliang's face was already tense. He said repeatedly, "At this time of year, the wild beasts on the mountain are all eyeing big guys like wild boars!"

I reckon they'd been watching for a while, just waiting for their chance to strike, but you two ended up killing the wild boar!

Wolves are the most petty of creatures; would they be content to lose a piece of meat that's already in their mouths?

Ye Qingqing frowned. "Father, you mean..."

"Uncle, do you also think the wolf pack will attack the village?"

Ye Dazhuang looked past Ye Qingqing and at Ye Youliang, saying in a steady voice, "If my estimate is correct, they will take action tonight."

Judging from the tracks, this pack of wolves is not large, consisting of groups of three to five, but it should not be underestimated.

Ye Youliang nodded repeatedly, "Dazhuang is right. If they can't hunt for food, they'll come down from the mountain and wreak havoc on the village when they get hungry!"

This isn't the first or second time there's been a wolf attack; every year when heavy snow closes the mountains, packs of wolves come down...

Last year, wasn't it that the child from so-and-so's family, the little one, who was snatched from the bed by a wolf in the middle of the night?

"what?"

Upon hearing the word "wolves," Ye Cuicui's legs went weak. She gripped Ye Qingqing's arm tightly, her face green, and trembled as she asked,

"We have two wild boars now, the whole yard smells of pork, and if a pack of wolves comes down the mountain, they'll head straight for our house! What are we going to do, Dad?"

Last year, a pack of wolves came down from the mountain in the middle of the night, targeting the time when people were sound asleep. They not only killed all the chickens and ducks in the yard, but some wolves also scratched at the door and banged on the window, trying to get into the house to eat people.

Fortunately, Dad reinforced the doors and windows as soon as it snowed, so no wolves got into his house, but two or three other families in the village suffered the same fate.

Ye Cuicui still remembers the dark shadows darting around outside the window, and the low, suppressed howls of wolves that sent chills down her spine and made the hairs on her body stand on end.

The family huddled together on the kang (a heated brick bed), holding kitchen knives and hoes, and spent the whole night in fear and trembling.

A baby was carried off by a wolf. The adults asked the wolf to cut open the baby's belly with its claws, and the baby's intestines and stomach spilled out onto the ground.

She still remembers the tragic scene of that entire family being wiped out.

Blood was everywhere in the yard and inside the house, and the bloodstains were very glaring against the white snow.

Ye Qingqing remained calm, only frowning as she asked, "Father, was this how we used to protect ourselves from wolves in the village?"

What's the use of being afraid? When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it.

If a wolf pack attacks a village, you should try to defend against it if possible; if you can't, it's not just her family who will suffer.

Ye Youliang, an experienced hunter, remained calm. He tapped the handle of his pipe and pondered for a moment.

"That's not difficult. There's only one road in and out of our village. We've set up horse-stopping posts at both ends of the village and laid caltrops in front and behind, so the wolves have nowhere to put their feet."

Wolves fear fire, so lighting a large bonfire can deter some of them. In addition, every household should send out able-bodied men, who will take long knives and spears from the village head's house, to take turns guarding the village entrance and exit. If a pack of wolves comes, they can fight them!

The whole village mobilized?

Ye Qingqing pressed on, "Father, shouldn't the village head handle this?"

Ye Youliang took a puff of his pipe and nodded. "Preventing wolf attacks is definitely something the village headman will do. Would anyone in the village listen if someone else said it?"

"I reckon the village head might not listen to us."

Ye Qingqing sneered, "Dad, didn't you notice? Almost everyone in the village came to our house for the pig-killing feast today, but not a single person from the village head's family came."

Do you expect us to carry the pork to his house?

Seeing that his family was making money every few days, the village head's family must be filled with envy and jealousy.

Ye Youliang noticed this too, and had been feeling a little uneasy for some time, but he still spoke up.

"The village head is in charge of our village, so it's only right that we deliver the meat to his door. This day was too chaotic, and Father didn't think things through."

"Alright, Er Yatou, Da Zhuang, you two go and get ten jin of meat. Dad will take you to the village head's house to discuss wolf prevention."

"Heh, not much official rank, but such a big shot!"

Ye Qingqing scoffed, but for the safety of her family and for the sake of the bigger picture, she nodded in agreement.

……

The village head sat in the main room, idly smoking his pipe. Seeing Ye Qingqing carrying a large chunk of pork, he finally spoke softly.

"Oh, Brother Youliang, you finally remembered your old brother? I heard you make pork stew, and I was just thinking of going over to check it out. Why did you come all this way in person?"

Ye Qingqing rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky.

"The house is always a mess, and you can't eat well even if you go over. That's why I asked Er Ya to bring you some pork. You can stew it at home and have some peace and quiet, right?"

Ye Youliang said with a forced smile, "I also happen to have something to discuss with the village head, you see..."

The village head glanced at the pork, then said with a smile,

"Look at you! You came all this way, why did you bring anything? We're all from the same village, why are you being so formal with me?"

Before he finished speaking, his wife came out of the inner room, smiling as she approached Ye Qingqing.

"That's right, Brother Youliang, you're being too polite! Your family is practically rolling in money these days..."

Wow, this piece of fat is as wide as a hand! It's really fat!

Without saying a word, she took the pork from Ye Qingqing's hand and put it into her own.

Ye Qingqing, "..."

The village head tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, his face serious. "What is it? Speak up."