This child was always a bit odd since he was young, always alone with a wolf, never mingling with the village children, quite reclusive. Previously, when someone bullied Granny Huo, this kid went straight for them with a hoe, cracking open their head.
At that time, the kid was only thirteen years old, and he pinned a grown man to the ground, beating him until he was bloody. After that, villagers started saying that the kid was bizarre and brutal, and told their children not to play with him.
The children in the village were very afraid of the "wolf cub". Whenever they misbehaved, the adults threatened to send them to live with the "wolf cub".
"Are you the 'wolf cub'?" After saying it, Xu Ying immediately regretted it, quickly putting on an apologetic face, "No, I'm sorry!"
Huo Chen said nothing, weakly leaning against a tree. Everyone in the village called him "wolf cub", so he was used to it by now.
Looking toward Xu Ying, he spoke slowly, "If you trust me with these wolves, I can take care of them for you."
Xu Ying was a bit curious, "You'll help me sell them?"
Huo Chen nodded without hiding anything; she had saved Old Hui and himself, which he remembered as a debt of gratitude.
"Do you want all cash, or do you want some tickets too?"
If she wanted all cash, she could sell for more money, but if she wanted tickets, there would be less cash.
"I want some cash, but only a few tickets," Xu Ying pondered before speaking.
She had fabrics and various supplies in her space, so she didn't need too many tickets.
"If there are bicycle tickets, that would be best." Her family didn't have a bicycle, and going to town was either by ox cart or on foot, which was very inconvenient.
Ox cart was quicker, but it couldn't compare to bicycling.
Huo Chen nodded and slowly stood up from the ground.
To Xu Ying's amazement, Huo Chen dragged a wild boar into a cave. Not long after, he came back out, striding away while dragging several wolves across the ground.
An adult wild boar weighed at least five hundred pounds, yet he was pulling it effortlessly – what incredible strength.
It was almost like the strength of a superpower user after the apocalypse.
Watching him leave, Xu Ying realized something was wrong and turned, rushing out toward the deeper wilderness.
Just as she emerged from the wilderness, she heard Shitou and Hu Zi's anxious calls, "Little aunt, little aunt."
Hearing their voices, Xu Ying quickly responded loudly, "Shitou, Hu Zi, I'm here."
Finishing her words, she hurried toward the direction of their voices with her backpack basket on.
Shitou, hearing his little aunt's voice, also hurried over. When he saw Xu Ying, he couldn't help his tears from falling, "Little aunt, where did you go?
Hu Zi and I thought you were carried off by wolves, we were so scared."
Hu Zi's eyes were red, with traces of having wiped away tears, obviously having cried before. Seeing Xu Ying, his lips pouted, and tears came pouring out, "Little aunt!"
"Hey," Xu Ying quickly ran in front of them, patting their heads with a smile, "Why are you crying? Little aunt's fine, I caught some nice things for you.
Look, not only wild chickens, this time there are rabbits, and two big fatty fish too."
At the mention of food, Hu Zi stopped crying instantly, stretching his neck to peek into Xu Ying's backpack basket.
Shitou saw what was in Xu Ying's backpack basket and quickly covered it with the pig grass inside.
"Little aunt, let's go back. Today, a lot of aunties didn't go to work, they're up in the mountain picking wild vegetables. Let's not let them see."
Upon hearing this, Xu Ying quickly slung her backpack basket on and, with Shitou leading Hu Zi, they quickly made their way home, avoiding crowded places.
"Granny, we're back," Shitou hummed a little tune merrily as he called out.
Mrs. Xu immediately knew something was up when she heard that voice and hurried out of the house, "You're back, quickly come into the yard."
After saying this, she immediately shut the front gate.
"Mom, today's haul is even bigger than yesterday," Xu Ying said as she took out all the pigweed, revealing fifteen large duck eggs.
Five of these duck eggs were picked up by her, the rest came from her space.
Following that, a wild rabbit, three wild chickens, and two big fish.
The wild rabbit had been shot dead with an arrow, its body covered in blood and holes. Mrs. Xu picked up the rabbit and asked gravely, "Daughter, how did you kill this wild rabbit?"
Xu Ying knew she couldn't hide it and straightforwardly took out the bow from behind her, confidently showing off Huo Chen as her toolman, "I killed it with arrows. I bumped into Huo Chen on the mountain, the wolf cub. I had him help me make these arrows.
Mom, you mustn't speak about this outside, otherwise, others will definitely want his help too."
She would surely be going up the mountain often in the future. If she didn't find an excuse, her mother would keep asking.
"What? Wolf cub, why are you together with him!" Mrs. Xu said with a worried tone, "In the future, hang out with him less. The boy is really fierce; what if he bullies you!"
Xu Ying reluctantly nodded, "Huo Chen isn't all that bad, I think. He's just been slandered by those gossipy women in the village."
She was aware of the incidents where Huo Chen had hit people. However, if it were her family members being bullied, she too would smash the offender's head.
Mrs. Xu thought about the village gossips—who turn black into white, white into black—it might indeed be possible.
But why should the wolf cub give her daughter things? Remembering that her daughter was no longer young, Mrs. Xu became a bit guarded, "You're a grown young lady, why take things from someone else? You're not allowed to do that anymore, understand?"
Xu Ying realized her mother's concerns and quickly nodded, "Mom, I understand. Let's make this wild rabbit for lunch! I want to eat spicy stir-fried rabbit meat."
Mrs. Xu couldn't resist her daughter's coaxing. Seeing so many good things, she agreed; they hadn't even eaten yesterday's wild chicken eggs and duck eggs, and now her daughter had found so many more duck eggs, their luck was just too good.
Three wild chickens and two fish weighing over three jin each, plus the remaining wild chicken and fish from yesterday, made for a total of four wild chickens and three fish.
Eight wild chicken eggs and twenty-three duck eggs.
Mrs. Xu took all the items into the kitchen.
Xu Ying followed into the kitchen as well, "Mom, you clean up the rabbit. Let me stir-fry the rabbit meat. I've seen a cookbook before: I've only looked but never cooked it myself, not sure if it will turn out tasty."
Mrs. Xu was naturally pleased to see her daughter wanting to cook. A woman before marriage must know how to cook, and she had wanted to teach her daughter before, but the girl was unwilling.
Unwilling, so be it; she never mentioned it again, but unexpectedly, her daughter offered to cook today. Mrs. Xu was more than happy.
"Okay, then I'll skin the wild rabbit," Mrs. Xu said, picking up the rabbit and heading towards the water vat.
Xu Ying ran to the vegetable garden and picked a few chili peppers before returning home.
Mrs. Xu was fast with her hands. By the time Xu Ying got the seasonings ready, the rabbit was also prepared.
"Daughter, the rabbit is ready. I'll cut it for you."
Xu Ying didn't refuse. Cutting a rabbit was troublesome, having someone help couldn't be better.
Mrs. Xu quickly cut the rabbit into chunks.
Seeing that she had finished, Xu Ying began to usher her mother out, "Mom, the fish won't keep for long; let's stew them all today. Take yesterday's fish and clean it too."
Mrs. Xu thought of the two fish left and without hesitation, took yesterday's fish to clean.
As Mrs. Xu went to prepare the fish, Xu Ying quickly began washing the rabbit meat, washing it three to six times until the blood was completely gone. She then secretly took some white wine from her space and poured it over the rabbit meat.
Next, she added ginger pieces and scallion segments to soak the rabbit meat, about twenty minutes or so.
To prevent the smell of the white wine from being detected, Xu Ying specifically found a large basin to cover the rabbit meat.