"Chen Fan!"
With the Wei family brothers gone, who else in the hunting team can handle a bow and arrow like him?
But how is this possible?
Examining the prey, it was clear that they had all been killed by arrows. There were no other wounds on their bodies. In other words, these animals were likely shot to death, and it seemed unlikely that anyone else could have accomplished this feat.
Chen Fan, just a novice in archery practice, had managed to capture so much game on his first trip out of the stockade? Could it be possible?
He scanned the hunting team gathered in the middle but couldn't spot Chen Fan. Wang Ping and the others also began to notice his absence, and they had a nagging suspicion. Their expressions, too, reflected a mix of wonder and excitement. Was something amiss?
More and more people gathered around, rejoicing at the sight of the prey. Some were so overwhelmed with excitement that tears welled up in their eyes.
"Ahem, please, everyone, calm down."
The bald man, realizing the crowd's enthusiasm, attempted to restore order. He pointed at the game on the ground and continued, "Do you know how we managed to catch so much prey today?"
Hundreds of people exchanged glances.
Someone spoke up, "They were shot with arrows."
"Exactly!"
The bald man beamed, then fixed his gaze on Wang Ping within the crowd.
Swish! Dozens of eyes focused on him.
Wang Ping nervously responded, "Uncle Liu, yes, it was Brother Fan, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, did Chen Fan do it?"
Zhao Feng and the others instinctively tensed up.
Intuition told them it might be true, but they couldn't jump to conclusions. After all, Uncle Zhang had previously mentioned that it was unlikely for Chen Fan to succeed in shooting his prey on his first outing.
The bald man grinned broadly, his eyes sweeping across the assembly. "That's correct. Chen Fan shot all these prey by himself. We accompanied him today, but aside from helping transport the game, we hardly did anything else."
A collective gasp of disbelief rippled through the crowd.
Chen Fan? Chen Guodong's son, the boy who had carried a bow and arrow that morning, had joined the hunting team despite their concerns about his safety. They couldn't fathom that he had not only shot the prey but had done so with such skill.
"Don't believe it? Hahaha, we wouldn't believe it either if we hadn't seen it with our own eyes." A middle-aged man laughed. "Did you see how effortlessly Xiaofan took down that wildebeest? Three arrows in rapid succession, so swift that we couldn't react in time."
"That's right. At first, the first arrow seemed to miss, and I thought it was over. But then it whizzed through the air so quickly! The second arrow pierced the wildebeest's throat, bringing it down."
"His archery skills are incredible. With Xiaofan in our village, we won't have to worry about hunger in the future."
Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.
In this world, freedom from hunger was a great blessing.
"Uncle Liu, you've been talking for a while now, but where's Brother Fan?"
Wang Ping couldn't help but inquire.
He scanned the crowd once more but still couldn't spot Chen Fan.
"Yeah, where is he?"
"Why haven't we seen him?"
Others joined in, eager to thank this heroic young man.
"Ahem," the bald man chuckled, "He's a bit shy and has already gone home. But don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet him in the future. Now, let's line up and divide the meat."
In an instant, the atmosphere soared.
Chen Fan was at home, facing his mother with an exasperated expression. "Mom, I'm really fine. I'm not hurt at all."
As he spoke, he turned around a few times.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
His mother still seemed unconvinced.
His younger brother nodded in agreement, wearing a skeptical expression.
"Yes," Chen Fan sighed, sat down, and took a sip of water. Though we might lack food and clothing, water isn't scarce in the village.
"It's alright," the woman said with relief. "You and your dad going out always worries me, but thankfully, you both returned safely. By the way..."
She seemed to realize something was amiss. "Why did you come back so early today?"
"Yes, big brother, the village entrance was bustling. Did you catch some prey?" Chen Chen asked, his eyes anxious.
"Yes," Chen Fan patted his head and smiled. "Not only did we catch prey, but we also had a bountiful harvest."
"Harvest?" Chen Chen's eyes widened.
"Harvest?" The woman was equally surprised.
"Yes," Chen Fan recounted the story with a smile, leaving them both dumbfounded.
"So, you're saying you shot and killed those prey by yourself with a bow and arrow?" the woman asked incredulously, staring at Chen Fan.
"Well, you can't say that," Chen Fan shook his head. "It's a team effort."
He explained that they had scouted the surroundings, transported the prey, and had benefited from the strength of the group, avoiding many potential troubles. Going out alone would have been riskier.
"But it's still largely your effort," the woman retorted, rolling her eyes. "Your mother and I aren't oblivious. In the past, when the Wei brothers were here, they made significant contributions to capturing prey, and they were gracious about the distribution. If they were still here, I wouldn't complain either. It's just a shame they left one day too soon."
"Yes," Chen Fan agreed, feeling a twinge of regret.
Just one day made all the difference.
Around noon, when Chen Guodong returned with nearly thirty pounds of meat, the room echoed with laughter.
"I didn't plan to divide this much, but everyone insisted," he said, somewhat bewildered.
This time, other villagers also received generous portions. Each household received at least five or six pounds of meat, enough to last a week with some careful rationing.
"I'll cook it," the woman happily exclaimed, taking a piece of meat weighing at least two or three pounds into the kitchen. The rest was preserved; luckily, it was already autumn, so the meat could last for a while. However, it would spoil if not eaten soon, unless it was salted.
In the village, salt was more precious than food. Sprinkling even a little salt for cooking or marinating animal meat was considered a luxury.
Chen Fan couldn't wait. Last time, ten slices of wild rabbit meat had earned him 1 potential point. Estimating that ten slices weighed only about one to two ounces, eating a pound of meat now seemed reasonable. It would potentially provide him with 5 points, and if it was wildebeest meat, even more.
One round of body strengthening would be more than enough.
However, there was still some time before the meal. Taking advantage of the moment, he looked at Chen Guodong and asked, "Dad, do you know if anyone in the village knows martial arts like Taijiquan?"