The situation at the Yufu family is quite similar; it's been a long time since they had meat. Yujie and Yukui are also excited.
Even Yufu, when she tasted the first sip of meat soup, almost shed tears.
After her man's death, it became difficult for her household to have meat. Even if she exchanged gathered items, there was no guarantee. Members of the hunting team deliberately made things difficult for her, giving her embarrassing tasks. She, being stubborn, would rather go without meat than agree to their demands.
So, it had been two months since the last time she ate meat.
The trio ate without lifting their heads until the entire pot of meat soup was finished.
"Mom, the meat is really delicious." Yujie licked her lips, wanting more.
Yufu couldn't help but touch Yujie's face, feeling a bit bitter. It was her fault that the child lived such a hard life. Even today's meal was given by Yusuo. If not for his kindness, the child might have forgotten what meat tasted like.
Thinking of this, Yufu's eyes gradually became determined. She stood up and said, "Come, let's go find Uncle Yusuo."
Yujie and Yukui stood up and followed Yufu.
Yufu took the two children to Yusuo's house. He had just finished attending to Jiayun and was eating the remaining pieces of meat from the pot, along with two more bowls of soup.
"Yusuo," Yufu called.
Yusuo replied, "Come in, sister."
Yufu led the two children into the house, stating her purpose directly, "You'll be out hunting tomorrow morning, and there will only be Yuzhou taking care of your father. I thought it would be better if my two children came over to help Yuzhou."
Yusuo was more than happy. He was worried about Yuzhou facing Jiayun alone for an extended period. Now, having children of the same age to keep Yuzhou company was even better.
"Sister, thank you so much," Yusuo genuinely expressed his gratitude.
Yufu said, "No need to thank me. You've helped me a lot. Having these two children help out is only fair."
Yusuo said to Yuzhou, "In the future, Yujie and Yukui from Sister Yufu's family will come over to take care of Dad with you. You can play together, okay?"
Yuzhou didn't answer; he silently hugged Yusuo's legs and hid behind him.
Yusuo felt a bit awkward.
Yufu gently pushed her son forward.
Yujie, eight years old, already mature for a poor child, approached Yuzhou and said softly, "Uncle Yuzhou, I'm Yujie. In the future, my sister and I will take care of Grandpa Jian with you."
Yuzhou still didn't respond, staying behind Yusuo, showing signs of reluctance.
Yusuo lifted him in front, ruffled his head, and then said, "It's okay, take your time. Big brother will be home in the afternoon, and we can play with Yujie and Yukui together."
Yusuo said to Yufu, "Sister, let Yujie and Yukui follow me in the afternoon. I'll take care of them."
Yufu naturally agreed and instructed, "These two kids can be mischievous. If you can't control them, feel free to scold them."
Yusuo smiled, "I think they're well-behaved. Even if they're a bit naughty, it's fine. I welcome it."
In the afternoon, Yusuo accompanied Yuzhou and the others. When the sun was setting, he took a basket of pig intestines to the riverside.
There were people by the river, so he went downstream, processed some easy-to-clean items first, and then dealt with the pig intestines. After removing some fat, flipping the intestines, cleaning off the dirt, he crushed the bitter grass picked by the river earlier, adding it to wash the intestines. After repeating this process, he cut the intestines into small pieces with a bone knife borrowed from Yufu and put them back in the basket.
When he returned home, he found Yuzhou sitting on the opposite side of Jian Yunchuan, playing with mud silently. Yujie and Yukui sat nearby, looking somewhat lost, not knowing what to do, and didn't dare to leave, just dryly guarding Yuzhou.
Yusuo walked over without stopping, smiling, "I'm back. I'll stir-fry the intestines for you guys later."
Yuzhou stood up, curiously following him.
Yujie and Yukui also followed.
Seeing this, Jian Yunchuan followed as well. Yusuo had adjusted the length of the hemp rope, allowing him to move around most parts of the house.
At this time, Yufu also arrived, watching how Yusuo did this.
Yusuo put the bitter grass that could remove the fishy smell into the pottery jar, blanching it with pig intestines. After washing the jar, he hung it back on the fire pit, poured the pig fat peeled off earlier, used bamboo chopsticks to stir, and when the fat melted, he poured the pig intestines in. The sizzling sound startled the three little ones.
Yuzhou still wanted to pull Yusuo away, but Yusuo comforted him with a smile, "It's okay, don't be afraid."
After a while, when the three little ones saw that nothing happened, they gathered around curiously.
Yuzhou crushed the green wild fruits sent by Yufu, added them to the mix.
These wild fruits were sour and sweet, perfect for frying pig intestines.
When it was almost done, he added a few seasoning herbs, and then the last bit of salt saved from lunch.
When the fragrance spread, everyone, including Yufu, gathered by the pit, staring intently.
"So fragrant."
"It seems even more delicious than meat."
When Yusuo took down the pottery jar, everyone's gaze fell into it.
Yusuo tasted a piece himself. It lacked salt, was a bit bland, and the texture was not perfect. But Jian Yunchuan and Yuzhou couldn't lift their heads, having eaten with relish. Yufu and the two kids also ate quickly and were disappointed when they found it was all gone.
Yufu said, "The intestines are so delicious. If I knew, I would have exchanged for some. After all, they don't want it."
Yusuo said, "This thing wastes salt. Meat soup can still be eaten without salt, but intestines without salt seasoning are inedible."
Talking about salt, Yufu sighed, "Our salt at home is almost gone. I don't know when we'll be able to exchange for salt this year."
Yusuo said, "Tomorrow, I'll ask the village chief."
After eating Yusuo's dinner, Yufu felt embarrassed and went back to cook mushroom and wild vegetable soup, bringing half over.
Yusuo had Yuzhou and Jian Yunchuan drink first, then finished the remaining soup himself.
After Yuzhou and Jian Yunchuan fell asleep in the evening, Yusuo began to browse through the comprehensive system of arts in his mind.
He had opened the first acupoint on the sole of his foot, completing the first step of introducing Qi into his body. However, to gather spiritual energy in the elixir field, he needed to establish a complete meridian. The comprehensive system of arts explained how to use spiritual energy to impact acupoints, and he decided to try it now.
At first, he couldn't find the trick and only gradually got the hang of it after several hours of exploration.
The acupoint being impacted was itchy and painful. If he hadn't been practicing martial arts for years, with a high tolerance for pain, it would have been difficult to persist.
After a considerable time, there was a popping sound under his foot—the second acupoint opened!
At the same time, a system prompt sounded in Yusuo's mind—[Ding... Ding Ding... Ding... The comprehensive system is online, dedicated to serving the host.]