Chapter 28.2

The lamp in the room was still on.

Even though Qin Qingman wasn’t home, the child still felt a little afraid of the dark.

About half an hour after Chuchu fell asleep, three shadowy figures appeared on the wall of his yard. The three figures were split into two groups—one with two people, the other with one. Eventually, the two groups collided.

When they recognized each other, the three masked figures froze in place.

They were all from the same village. Even though their faces were covered, the figures alone were enough for them to recognize one another.

Qin Jianming and Liu Sangunzi blinked hard.

In the end, they silently agreed not to reveal each other’s identities, instead reaching out with their hands, overlapping them in a gesture of partnership.

With Qin Qingman not at home, the three men, who had long been craving meat from the Qin family, couldn’t resist their appetites and decided to act during this beautiful evening.

“I’ve been watching secretly. They’ve hidden the meat in the snow by the well.” Qin Jianming said, swallowing hard as he looked at the corner of the Qin family’s yard.

“There’s only Chuchu at home, no need for a lookout. Let’s go in together. How much we can carry away depends on our skills.” Qin Jianming suggested.

“Alright.” Liu Sangunzi nodded, but he had his own concerns. “Today, we each rely on our own abilities to steal the meat. If anyone gets caught, don’t betray the others. Otherwise, I’ll make sure to cause some trouble next time.” He was worried about being used as a scapegoat.

“Agreed.”

Qin Jianming, worried that Liu Sangunzi might be caught and expose the two brothers, quickly nodded in agreement.

“Let’s go.” After reaching an agreement, Qin Jianming quickly and skillfully climbed into the Qin family’s yard.

They had already scouted the area, so their landing spot was secure, and they could hide their figures. The three of them made their way straight to the direction of the Qin family’s well.

The meat was waiting for them!

Inside the house, the two geese, who had been sleeping, suddenly lifted their heads and stared at the kitchen area.

The kitchen was right next to the well, and it seemed they had heard some noise.

“Ah, ah, ah—” The two geese gave a low warning call.

The sound was rather soft and didn’t wake Chuchu, who was still asleep.

Suddenly, there was a series of sharp, crashing sounds outside, followed by three muffled screams trapped in someone’s chest.

Then, there was silence—utter, complete silence.

The two geese in the hall perked their ears and listened carefully. After hearing no further noise, they tucked their heads back under their wings and fell back to sleep.

In the mountains, Qin Qingman and Wei Ling had originally planned to descend early in the morning, but Xiao Hei had taken them on a hunt. In order to wait for their share of the meat, they had to be patient.

They ended up waiting until after 3 p.m., and the sky was beginning to darken.

Although the black bear was still sluggish from just finishing its winter hibernation, its thick fur had caused Xiao Hei and the wolves significant trouble.

After much effort, more than ten wolves managed to kill the black bear.

Then, Xiao Hei and the rest of the wolves were exhausted, lying on the ground and panting heavily.

As the sky darkened, Qin Qingman no longer had any intention of descending the mountain.

What was more important to her was that she wanted to see the black wolf after its birth and take another look at the two wolf pups she had personally delivered. In the world of wild animals, every sighting was a rarity, and there was a chance she might never see them again in her lifetime.

Wei Ling, sensing Qin Qingman’s thoughts, fully supported them.

Meanwhile, after Xiao Hei regained its strength, it came to invite them to choose some meat. Both Qin Qingman and Wei Ling each picked one piece.

Qin Qingman chose the black bear’s left and right forepaws, while Wei Ling peeled the bear’s hide.

Although the bear skin had been damaged by the wolf pack and was no longer intact, it could still be patched up and made into good clothing for warmth. Since Chuchu was small, the scraps were enough to make a full set for him.

Xiao Hei was highly dissatisfied with Qin Qingman and Wei Ling’s choices.

It was extremely displeased.

Choosing bear paws with little meat and an inedible bear hide seemed like an insult to its gift. It kicked Wei Ling with its paw in frustration.

Wei Ling had no choice but to cut another two pounds of meat and hold it in his hand.

Since they would stay the night, this two pounds of meat would serve as dinner.

Once Wei Ling had cut the additional piece of meat, Xiao Hei seemed satisfied. It let out a howl in the direction of the wolf den, its call filled with pleasure and a hint of appeasement.

This was Xiao Hei calling for his wife to bring the cubs to eat.

Qin Qingman was stunned. She hadn’t expected the black wolf’s cubs to leave the den so soon, just a day after birth.

However, she had overestimated things. The black wolf had come alone. After the birth, it was so hungry that its ribs were visible, and upon seeing Qin Qingman, it rubbed against her legs before quickly squatting down to eat the meat.

It ate quickly, focusing intently on the meal.

While the wife wolf ate, Xiao Hei didn’t join in. Instead, it waited.

Wei Ling took Qin Qingman’s hand and whispered, “Normally, wolves avoid giving birth in winter. It’s too cold, and food is scarce. Cubs born at this time rarely survive.”

This was also the reason Qin Qingman found it strange.

“Xiao Hei probably didn’t have experience as a father, or maybe the geothermal heat misled its sense of time, causing it to give birth in winter.” Wei Ling continued.

The usually quiet Wei Ling spoke more when he was with someone he liked, though he was unaware of it himself.

After hearing Wei Ling’s explanation, Qin Qingman thought for a moment and agreed that this could be the reason. After all, wolves weren’t humans; they could only adapt based on the changes in the weather.

“After this hunt, Xiao Hei and the others will likely migrate.” Wei Ling added.

He spoke with a hint of reluctance, as he had spent nearly a year with Xiao Hei and formed a bond with it.

“Where will Xiao Hei go? Can’t they stay here?” Qin Qingman looked around at the land, where green shoots were already sprouting, feeling a bit wistful.

“There’s no prey here for them now. I guess if Xiao Hei’s wife hadn’t been pregnant, they would have migrated half a month ago.” Wei Ling, who was familiar with the wolves’ migration patterns, explained.

“Those two wolf cubs are so small. How will they migrate in this cold weather? They’re too young to survive the chill.” Qin Qingman worried about the newly born cubs, who were not only small and weak but also had little fur, making them vulnerable to the cold.

“This bear will feed Xiao Hei and the others for half a month. I think they won’t actually migrate until then.” Wei Ling reassured her.

“Will Xiao Hei come back?” Qin Qingman felt a strong fondness for Xiao Hei, who had generously given her a pair of bear paws.

“Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the migration routes of the herbivores.” Wei Ling wasn’t sure if they would ever see Xiao Hei again.

The appearance of the geothermal lake had not only altered the landscape but also impacted the food chain.

Qin Qingman reached out and took Wei Ling’s hand, her large eyes gazing at him seriously. “Ah Ling, before we go down the mountain, let’s visit the cubs again. After all, we saw them born, and I’m reluctant to leave them.”

“Alright.”

Wei Ling tightened his grip on Qin Qingman’s hand.

After their conversation, the two didn’t wait for the wolf pack to finish eating. Instead, they took their portion of the hunt and headed back to their shelter.

The sky grew darker, and after watching the battle between the wolf and the bear all day, they had not yet taken a drop of water.

Their stomachs had long been growling with hunger.

If it weren’t for respecting Xiao Hei, both of them would have preferred to leave and return to their shelter halfway through.

Before the night fully set in, Wei Ling found a clean and flat surface, using the snow and a knife to remove the leftover meat and fat from the bear skin. Qin Qingman went to prepare the food.

Half a day had passed, and the firewood in the shelter’s hearth had long burned out, leaving only white ash.

Qin Qingman expertly reignited the fire. As the flames began to burn, the temperature inside the shelter slowly started to rise.

The bear’s paw was buried deeply in the snow outside the shelter, preventing scavengers from finding it. Two pounds of bear meat were soaking in a pot of snowmelt water.

Bear meat was difficult to handle. If not prepared properly, the fishy odor would be overwhelming.

Without the proper conditions, Qin Qingman used every method she could think of to reduce the smell of the meat.

Once she had done everything she could, she stepped out of the shelter.

Wei Ling was busy in the distance, working with a knife. When he saw Qin Qingman’s figure, he immediately turned his gaze toward her.

“Ah Ling, you go ahead with your work, I’ll go by the lake to see if I can find any wild vegetables.” Qin Qingman said. She knew that Wei Ling was worried about her leaving alone, but she didn’t plan to go too far, so there was no need for anyone to accompany her.

“If you need anything, call me.” Wei Ling reminded her.

“Okay.” Qin Qingman felt sweet, like she had drunk honey water, at the concern he showed her.

She didn’t walk far but instead searched for wild vegetables along the lakeside.

This wasn’t the season for wild vegetables to grow, but due to the geothermal activity, some wild plants that once grew in this area were sprouting again. Last night, when she was bathing, she had thought she saw wild garlic.

Wild garlic had a stronger scent than onions, with a slight bitter and spicy taste, but it was the perfect seasoning to mask other odors.

Qin Qingman didn’t intend to boil the bear meat directly, as it might be too tough to chew.

Her efforts were not in vain. She had indeed seen correctly the previous day—some wild garlic had already started to grow on the ground.

In addition to the wild garlic, she also found some small shepherd’s purse and wild water celery. These wild vegetables, thanks to the unique climate conditions, had begun to sprout. Since they were already growing, Qin Qingman didn’t hold back; she gathered a good amount and returned to the shelter.

The bear meat inside the shelter had long been soaked in snowmelt, causing the blood to turn bright red.

She discarded the snowmelt water and then soaked the bear meat again in clean snowmelt.

At the same time, she cut the meat into thick slices about an inch thick. This would help the remaining blood soak out more quickly and also make it easier to process for cooking.

Wei Ling had brought five days’ worth of dry rations, but it was now the third day since he entered the mountains. Since Qin Qingman arrived, they had been eating his dry food. The supply in the bag was running low by now.

Qin Qingman threw the last two handfuls of wheat into the pot.

This time, there was more water in the pot. She planned to mix in the wild vegetables she had gathered and turn it into a vegetable porridge—plenty of broth, and with the addition of two pounds of bear meat, it would be enough for both her and Wei Ling to finish this meal and still have some left for the next.

While the porridge simmered on a low fire, Qin Qingman began to prepare the bear meat.

After several changes of water, most of the blood had already been soaked out of the meat, and the remaining blood would likely be hard to remove in such a short time.

Given the limited resources, Qin Qingman used wild garlic and salt to marinate the bear meat.

Once the meat was marinated, she spread it out on a large, smooth pebble that she had found by the lake to grill.

The pebble was large, thin, and smooth enough, so Qin Qingman had the idea to use it as a grilling tool.

While Qin Qingman was grilling the bear meat, Wei Ling, having finished his work, not only cleaned up the bear skin but also took a bath.

“Qingman, let me do it.”

Seeing Qin Qingman flipping the bear meat on the hot stone with a long pair of chopsticks, Wei Ling naturally took over.

“Mm, once it shrinks and turns golden, you can flip it over.” Qin Qingman said, letting go of the chopsticks as she gave him some guidance.

After saying this, she tore the wild vegetables, which she had cleaned with snow, into small pieces and threw them into the pot. As the shepherd’s purse and wild water celery entered the pot, the fragrant smell of the wild vegetables began to fill the entire shelter with the rising steam from the porridge.

Watching the wild vegetables lose their vibrant green color so quickly as they met the heat, Qin Qingman couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

It was a pity that there was no oil; otherwise, not only would the green color of the vegetables have been preserved, but it would have also enhanced the aroma of the wild vegetable porridge.

“It smells delicious.”

Wei Ling, who had seen Qin Qingman’s efforts firsthand, was genuinely surprised. Faced with the fragrant wild vegetable porridge and the bear meat emitting an unusual but inviting scent, he was genuinely impressed.

When he was the son of a duke, he had eaten roasted bear meat before, but it had been tough, with a strong fishy smell, far from what he had expected.

Today’s grilled bear meat had changed his opinion.

“Want to try it?”

Using a makeshift spoon she had quickly fashioned, Qin Qingman scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it to cool it, and held it up to Wei Ling’s lips.

For her, it was a simple gesture.

After all, Wei Ling was busy grilling the bear meat and couldn’t spare a hand!

Wei Ling, seeing the porridge offered to him, immediately took a sip. The temperature was just right—neither too hot nor too cold. What amazed him even more was that the simple wheat, after being mixed with the wild vegetables, had undergone a remarkable transformation in flavor.

“It’s delicious.” Wei Ling nodded approvingly to Qin Qingman.

For any chef, there was no greater satisfaction than seeing their efforts recognized, and Qin Qingman couldn’t help but smile brightly in response.

Her large eyes curved into crescent moons, and her beautiful face bloomed like a peony.

In an unexpected moment, Wei Ling, with his knife, cut off a small piece of the roasted bear meat, blew on it to cool it, and held it up to Qin Qingman’s lips. “Try it.”

Qin Qingman’s face immediately turned even redder than the flames themselves.

A mixture of shyness and sweetness flashed in her eyes. Were they feeding each other? It felt like something only lovers would do.