Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

Two disheveled figures tumbled into the swirling snow and disappeared in a flurry of activity.

The world seemed to fall silent all at once.

Only the broken door frame was still creaking, and the howling north wind, carrying snowflakes, relentlessly poured into the house.

Zhao Shanhe stood at the door, dark blood still dripping from the unsheathed dagger in his hand.

His chest heaved violently, and two thick plumes of white breath billowed from his nostrils.

The killing intent that had erupted just now hadn't completely faded. He was like a frozen demon, staring motionlessly at the pitch-black night outside the door.

That was an instinct he had developed in Heixiazi Gully—vigilance.

Even if the enemy escapes, one cannot relax immediately; the muscles in one's body remain taut like stone.

The room was eerily quiet, with only the occasional crackling sound of the flames in the stove.

"Mountains...mountains and rivers?"

A very soft, very careful call broke the deathly silence.

Lin Xiu huddled by the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), tightly protecting Niu Niu in her arms, her eyes filled with three parts fear and seven parts worry as she tentatively looked at the unfamiliar figure from behind.

That sound seemed to forcefully pull Zhao Shanhe back from the hellish battlefield to the human world.

Zhao Shanhe's body jolted violently, and the suffocating stiffness vanished instantly.

He took a deep breath, exhaled the bloody smell from his lungs, and then turned around abruptly.

Although the bloodshot in his eyes was still there, the murderous glint in his eyes had completely disappeared.

He walked quickly to the kang (a heated brick bed), and almost tripped over a small stool on the ground because he was walking too fast.

"Xiuer, Niu Niu, are you alright?"

His voice was somewhat hoarse, revealing an undisguised urgency, and his gaze swept back and forth between the mother and child like radar:

"Did that beast, Third Brother, hurt any of you just now?"

Hearing her husband's familiar voice, no longer the "madman" who only knew how to shout and kill, Lin Xiu's heart, which had been hanging in her throat, finally settled down.

But then, by the dim light of the oil lamp, she clearly saw Zhao Shanhe's face—

The front of his tattered cotton-padded jacket was almost soaked with blood and frozen into a hard, dark purple shell. His face and neck were covered in mottled bloodstains, making him look even more gruesome than the third brother from before.

"Oh no! Blood! There's so much blood!"

Lin Xiu turned pale with fright. Ignoring the pain in her forehead, she grabbed Zhao Shanhe's hand, and tears streamed down her face.

"What happened to you? Were you bitten by a wolf? Let me see where you're hurt! Don't scare me!"

She frantically tried to unbutton Zhao Shanhe's shirt, her hands trembling uncontrollably, afraid that she would see the horrifying wounds inside.

Seeing his wife's panicked state, Zhao Shanhe felt a warmth in his heart and took her cold little hands in his own.

His large, warm, and strong hand gently enveloped her panic.

"What's the panic?"

Zhao Shanhe grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth, his tone full of nonchalant disdain and a touch of masculine arrogance:

"You underestimate your man. Those few beasts in the mountains, how could they possibly hurt me?"

He casually patted the hardened scab on his chest, making a dull "thump" sound:

"This is all the blood from that wild boar and wolf cubs! It's from when they were skinning me; it looks scary, but I didn't even break any skin!"

To prove he was alright, he deliberately swung his arm forcefully, showing off his physique.

"Really...really?" Lin Xiu sniffed, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, her face filled with disbelief.

"Why would I lie to you? If I were really injured, would I be standing here joking with you?"

Zhao Shanhe smiled and wanted to wipe her tears, but when he reached halfway, he realized his hand was covered in mud and blood, so he awkwardly withdrew it.

Just then, his gaze passed over his wife and landed on the quilt in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed).

There, a small, trembling figure was peeking out, its eyes like those of a frightened fawn, looking timidly at the blood-covered "stranger."

Zhao Shanhe's heart clenched suddenly.

They were banging on the door and hitting people, and the third brother almost kicked the child. The child must be terrified.

He released Lin Xiu's hand and quickly walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

But as soon as he reached out his hand, he saw the bloodstains all over his hands and sleeves, and he pulled back as if he had been electrocuted.

Looking at myself like this, not only children, but even ghosts would be afraid of me.

He quickly wiped his hands haphazardly on the clean corner of his clothes, and then, with a thud, knelt down on one knee on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

He lowered his tall frame so that his line of sight was level with Niu Niu's.

"Niu Niu?"

Zhao Shanhe spoke very softly and gently, afraid that even a slightly louder voice would frighten the child.

"Don't be afraid, it's your father. Your father is back."

Hearing that familiar voice, the little dumpling in the quilt stirred.

Niu Niu slowly poked her head out, her sallow little face streaked with tears, her little mouth pouting, wanting to cry but not daring to:

"Father...Father is bleeding...Does it hurt, Father...?"

These words almost brought tears to the eyes of Zhao Shanhe, this tough man.

Even though the child was so frightened, my first reaction was still to feel sorry for him.

"My father doesn't care; this is all the blood of bad guys."

Zhao Shanhe could no longer hold back. He gently rubbed his daughter's cold little face with the back of his slightly cleaner hand.

"That bad uncle scared Niu Niu, didn't he? Daddy already taught him a lesson and spanked him so hard he won't dare come back again."

"Really?" Niu Niu sniffed.

"Really! Dad is Sun Wukong, he fights monsters all the time!" Zhao Shanhe made a face.

"Wow—Daddy, hug me!"

Niu Niu finally couldn't hold back anymore. She cried and crawled out of bed, her little hands outstretched, trying to rush into Zhao Shanhe's arms.

Zhao Shanhe quickly wrapped the child in a quilt and hugged the child and the quilt together.

He rested his chin on the top of his daughter's fluffy head, feeling the little body trembling in his arms.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Daddy's here, no one can bully our Niu Niu..."

It took a while of coaxing before Niu Niu calmed down.

Zhao Shanhe put the child back in bed, but as soon as he got up, his face suddenly darkened.

"Don't move!"

The shout was a bit urgent, startling Lin Xiu who was standing next to him.

Zhao Shanhe moved closer, his brows furrowed, staring intently at Lin Xiu's forehead.

There was a cut the size of a coin, caused by the third brother pushing and shoving his head against the stove. Although the bleeding had mostly stopped, the wound was still gaping and particularly glaring.

"And you're the one talking! Your own injury is the real problem!"

Zhao Shanhe's eyes were filled with heartache as he turned to rummage through the still-bleeding basket.

He rummaged through the hidden compartment at the bottom of the basket and pulled out a handful of thistles (small thistles) that smelled of earth.

He picked these while resting in the mountains, never expecting to use them on his wife.

He put the herbs in his mouth, chewed them a few times, and they turned into a green paste.

Then, with movements as gentle as if touching fragile porcelain, he carefully applied the medicinal mud to Lin Xiu's forehead, bit by bit.

"hiss……"

"Bear with it, this herbal medicine is the best at stopping bleeding and won't leave a scar."

While applying the medicine, Zhao Shanhe muttered a complaint, "Next time you encounter something like this, don't try to tough it out. It's better if you're alright. I can earn more money, but what will happen to me and Niu Niu if something happens to you?"

Lin Xiu felt the cool medicinal paste on her forehead and listened to her husband's "lecture," nodding obediently, but her heart was filled with sweetness.

After calming his wife and daughter down, Zhao Shanhe stood up and glanced at the still drafty door.

"You guys warm up first, I'll fix this door. It's so cold, we can't let the wind in."

He found some nails and quickly nailed the door panel shut.

Then, he bent down and picked up the huge silver-gray wolf pelt from the ground.

call--

With a swift movement of his arms, he unfolded the wolf pelt, fur side facing inward, and nailed it directly into the gap in the door panel.

The thick wolf fur instantly filled all the gaps, completely blocking the biting cold wind from the outside, and the temperature inside the room seemed to rise several degrees instantly.

The wolf skin hung there, like a majestic guardian deity, protecting the whole family.

"Gurgle..."

Just then, an untimely noise shattered the tranquility.

It wasn't Zhao Shanhe, it was Niu Niu on the kang (heated brick bed).

The little girl clutched her stomach, her face flushed, and she looked at her parents shyly.

"Daddy... Niu Niu is hungry..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shanhe burst into laughter:

"Good that she's hungry! It means our daughter is healthy!"

He glanced at the leftovers on the table, which had long since frozen solid, and waved his hand dismissively:

"We won't eat the leftovers! Dad will make you a special dish tonight!"

He walked to the middle of the field, picked up the frozen, fiery red fox, and gave the mother and daughter a mysterious smile:

"See that? Braised fox meat! This stuff is incredibly nutritious!"

"Xiuer, boil some water!"

As Zhao Shanhe skillfully skinned the fox, he teased Niu Niu:

"Wait, my dear. Once this red skin is peeled off, Daddy will make you a new hat. You'll look like a little Red Army soldier when you wear it, okay?"

"Okay!" Niu Niu's eyes sparkled as she clapped her hands. The fear she had felt earlier had long been driven away by the aroma of meat and the promise of a new hat.

The fire in the stove was reignited, and the bright red flames shone on the faces of the family of three.

Outside, snow was falling heavily; inside, the aroma of fox meat was about to fill the air.

As long as this pillar of support remains, this dilapidated home will be the warmest place.