Chapter 9: There’s Meat to Eat!

The Xu family gathered around the fire, drinking porridge and gnawing on dry rations. Although Wang Shi had also cooked wild vegetables, without any oil, they tasted bland and unappetizing.

Meanwhile, the scent of chicken soup from Hunter Wang’s household filled the air, making several children whimper hungrily.

Little Xu Cai sniffed deeply, taking big gulps of the meat-scented air as if he could somehow taste it.

Watching this, Xu Nian felt both amused and heartbroken. She needed to find an opportunity to take some of the meat stored in her space and bring it out.

After dinner, Xu Laoye (Old Father Xu) and Xu Yaozu went to see the village chief.

Once everyone had gathered, the village chief began assigning tasks. “There are wild beasts in the mountains, and it’s not safe. Tonight, we’ll split into two groups to keep watch. We need to build extra bonfires around the perimeter…”

After the meeting, Xu Laoye and Xu Yaozu returned home to relay the arrangements.

“I’m leading the way during the day, so I’m not too tired. I’ll take the first half of the night watch, and in the second half, Second Brother, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother, you’ll take turns keeping watch,” Xu Yaozu said.

Xu Laoye waved his hand dismissively. “How can you stay up alone? I’ll take shifts with you in the first half of the night.”

Xu Yaozu didn’t argue further, and the plan was settled.

That night, Xu Yaozu and Xu Fugui were on watch. Once Xu Yaozu left, the rest of the Xu family laid out their bedding and went to sleep, conserving their strength for the journey ahead.

Xu Nian closed her eyes but didn’t immediately sleep. Instead, she used her mind to enter her space.

In just two days, the fruit trees had already begun bearing fruit, and most of the corn stalks had turned yellow. It looked like they’d be ready for harvest in a day or two.

She took a few sips of the stream water, confirming her suspicions—it definitely tasted different in her space compared to when she took it outside.

Now, she wondered if crops grown using the stream’s water would have special properties.

Xu Nian rummaged through her tent and found the bean seeds she had bought earlier. Since she had no extra planting space, she sowed them beneath the fruit trees.

After watering them with the stream water, she finally drifted into a deep sleep.

The next day, the group traveled the entire morning before stopping to rest at a cave.

After several days of trekking, every family’s water supply was nearly depleted. Finding a new water source was now a top priority.

Each household sent a strong adult to follow Hunter Wang in search of water. In the Xu family, Xu Fugui was chosen, as he was the strongest among them.

Seeing an opportunity, Xu Nian quickly grabbed her second uncle’s arm, eager to tag along.

“Second Uncle, Second Uncle, I want to go with you!” she pleaded.

Xu Fugui glared at her. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s dangerous for a little girl to go up the mountain.”

Xu Nian leaned in and whispered, “Second Uncle, did you forget? I have divine protection.”

Xu Fugui hesitated. But what if the gods were taking a break and couldn’t protect her?

Before he could continue to dissuade her, Xu Nian had already started working her charm on Wang Shi. In her usual muddled way, Wang Shi ended up agreeing without much resistance.

Hunter Wang, seeing that the group was ready, called out for everyone to move out. It wasn’t until they had traveled quite a distance that he noticed Xu Nian among them.

“Xu family girl, why are you here too? The mountains are dangerous,” he said in surprise.

“Uncle Wang, I read in my father’s books about methods for finding water sources. I thought I might be able to help,” Xu Nian explained earnestly. “Besides, my father says your archery skills are unparalleled, that you can shoot an arrow straight through a willow leaf from a hundred paces away. I wanted to see it with my own eyes.”

Hunter Wang burst into hearty laughter. “Your father told me you had recovered, and I didn’t believe it at first. But now I do! That tongue of yours is even sharper than his!”

Then, his expression turned serious. “But listen, you must stay close to your second uncle. This is no place for games.”

“Yes, Uncle Wang! Don’t worry!” Xu Nian responded cheerfully.

Xu Fugui glanced at his eldest niece and was left speechless. When had this girl become so eloquent?

The group followed the animal tracks for about half an hour before finally finding a river.

When they were still about a hundred meters away from the riverbank, Hunter Wang signaled for everyone to hide.

“There are five or six wild boars drinking by the river. We’ll have to wait. Liuzi, Tianshui, you two head back the way we came and tell the others to bring the water containers.”

The two strong men, Liuzi and Tianshui, responded immediately and sprinted back towards the group.

Xu Nian stared at the wild boars grunting by the river, her eyes filled with longing. That was all meat right there!

However, she knew that hunting wild boars was dangerous. If there were only one or two, they might have stood a chance, but with so many, it was too risky.

It turned out she wasn’t the only one thinking about it.

“Uncle Wuzi, we have so many people here. Why don’t we try to catch one and take it back?” A young man in his early twenties whispered to Hunter Wang.

Hunter Wang shot him a glare. “Huzi, have you gone mad from craving meat? Do you think the wild boars are just standing there waiting for you to catch them? They’ll send you flying before you even get close.”

After hearing Hunter Wang’s words, not just the young man but everyone else also showed signs of disappointment.

Xu Nian’s legs were starting to go numb from squatting for so long, yet the wild boars were still lingering by the river. They couldn’t just wait here all afternoon. What if the boars decided to stay permanently?

As the saying goes, the heavens always provide a way. Just as Xu Nian was deep in thought, a fight suddenly broke out by the river.

It turned out that the wild boars had gotten into a battle with a herd of wild antelopes. Xu Nian was too short to see how it all started, but chaos had erupted.

Hunter Wang quickly ordered everyone to retreat a bit further to leave enough space in case things got out of hand.

Xu Nian stretched her neck to watch, utterly fascinated. This was far more intense than anything she had ever seen on wildlife documentaries. Watching the antelopes being bitten and bleeding so profusely—it was brutal!

Meanwhile, Xu Fugui was filled with helplessness. He had just realized today how little he truly knew about his eldest niece.

She kept saying how cruel and violent the fight was, yet the bright smile on her face told a completely different story.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the antelopes had lost the battle. The wild boars chased after the fleeing antelopes, disappearing into the distance.

The riverbank returned to its previous stillness. Xu Nian noticed that no one was moving yet, so she didn’t dare stand up rashly either.

Only when Hunter Wang finally said it was safe to approach did Xu Nian let out an excited cry and sprint toward the river, leaving everyone else momentarily stunned.

Only Xu Fugui gave an awkward chuckle.

Xu Nian reached the riverbank and beamed as she saw two antelopes lying motionless, already lifeless from their wounds.

“Uncles, come quickly! Our village is going to feast tonight—we have meat!”

The first to rush over was the young man named Huzi.

“These antelopes are big! This should be enough for at least two meals.”

The others followed closely behind, all filled with excitement. No one had expected to stumble upon such an unexpected windfall.

Hunter Wang urged them, “Hurry and fill your water containers. I’ll handle the two antelopes. If we don’t clean them up quickly, the smell of blood might attract predators.”

As the group hurriedly filled their bamboo tubes and other containers with water, the rest of the villagers arrived with their water-fetching tools.

Seeing Xu Yaozu, Zheng Shi, and Xiao Wang Shi approaching, Xu Nian ran up to them excitedly.

“Dad, Second Aunt, Third Aunt, we’re having meat tonight! You wouldn’t believe it—a group of wild boars…”

Caught up in her excitement, Xu Nian didn’t even realize how much she had started acting like a true twelve-year-old girl rather than the calm and composed twenty-eight-year-old Xu Nian from modern times.

Zheng Shi and Xiao Wang Shi were overjoyed. It had been so long since they had even touched meat. Their children, especially, had been craving it desperately.

Xu Yaozu’s heart ached as he watched his daughter talk while swallowing her saliva in anticipation.

“Let’s hurry up and finish fetching the water so we can go back and eat meat sooner.”

“Yes, yes, yes!”