The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 139: Hunting

Early the next morning, everyone rose with the dawn. Though there were no roosters, the mountain birds served as their natural alarm, waking everyone before sunrise.

Breakfast was eight-treasure porridge. Though it wasn’t made with many ingredients, it included red beans, black beans, red beans, peanuts, rice, and glutinous rice. These beans and peanuts were from their stored supplies, not expensive but made with care by Sang Luo, taking over half an hour to cook. The beans were separately roasted beforehand, and the resulting porridge was extraordinarily delicious, its color and aroma promising a delectable meal.

Shen An and Shen Ning, having finished their morning chores early, headed to the inner part of the valley to study under a tree with the Xu siblings. They returned home after their morning reading, speeding up as they caught the scent of the delicious breakfast before even reaching their door.

Seeing the eight-treasure porridge, the siblings couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.

“Big sister-in-law, did you cook Laba porridge this morning?”

The villagers typically didn’t indulge in such delicacies, often eating plain and simple meals. Although beans were not as expensive as rice, preparing a good porridge still required a lot of care and ingredients. Hence, this dish was mostly made during the Laba Festival, and the village children collectively referred to it as Laba porridge.

Sang Luo nodded and asked the siblings, “Where is your big brother?”

Shen An replied, “He’s by the pond making something. He said he’ll be done soon and will be back shortly.”

Shen Lie had borrowed tools from the Chen family next door early in the morning and hadn’t returned yet. Hearing he was by the pond, Sang Luo guessed he was indeed working, but also likely listening in on the children’s lessons nearby. He was multitasking, working while quietly following along with the lessons.

She smiled and scooped the porridge from the pot into the largest soup bowl in the house. It was more like a small basin, holding four to five regular bowls worth of porridge. This large bowl was enough for the whole family, even with Shen Lie’s large appetite.

After filling the large bowl about seven-eighths full, Sang Luo saw there was still some porridge left in the pot. She decided to scoop it into two smaller bowls and asked Shen An and Shen Ning to deliver a bowl each to the Chen and Xu families.

It wasn’t much—just a bowl for each family. The dish was labor-intensive to make and not commonly prepared, so she sent some over for the children to taste.

The Chen family consisted of Chen Ershan and his little sister, so half a bowl each was enough. The Xu family had three children, but Sang Luo knew that the bowls provided by Xu’s father were all small and delicate. Even with five members in the Xu family wanting to taste it, a little each would be enough.

The Shen and Chen families were close and often exchanged food. Whenever one made something nice, they’d share a bit. The Xu family, whom they were also close to, was entrusted to their care by Xu’s father and were neighbors, naturally fostering a close relationship.

The siblings took their tasks and left. Sang Luo rearranged the firewood under the cooking stones, scooped some hot water prepared earlier to clean the pot, and finely chopped some wild onions washed the previous day. She took a clean bowl and retrieved some flour from the second shelf of the grain storage, cracking an egg into the bowl, adding the chopped onions and a bit of salt, and mixing it into a batter. She then brushed oil onto the pot and started making egg pancakes.

Shen Lie, Chen Dashan, and several other strong young men were heading out today to collect clay and shale. Knowing they might not return until nightfall, Sang Luo made these pancakes for Shen Lie to take along as dry food.

She paid careful attention to the heat while making the pancakes in the clay pot. Unlike an iron pan, the clay pot was fragile and required careful handling to prevent cracking from sudden temperature changes.

Just as she started making the pancakes, Xu Wenyi came over with Shen An, smiling and holding a shallow plate of wild chive pancakes.

“Sister Shen, my grandmother made some wild chive pancakes and asked me to bring some over for you to try.”

Sang Luo was slightly taken aback, guessing that after receiving the porridge, the grandmother felt embarrassed to accept without giving something in return, so she sent over their breakfast. She smiled and said, “No need to be so polite. We’re also making pancakes. You should keep these for yourselves.”

She gestured for Xu Wenyi to look at the pot.

Xu Wenyi peeked in and saw the pancakes cooking, laughing, “It’s different. You’re making egg pancakes, right? The taste is different. Try ours too.”

“My grandmother anticipated that you might refuse, so she asked me to tell you that she measured out just enough. There’s also a portion for the Chen family. We have plenty for ourselves. She also wanted me to thank you for the porridge.”

The young girl’s earnest words clearly came from the grandmother’s instruction. After speaking, she quickly placed the plate on the wooden table and hurried off.

“Sister, I’m going back for breakfast. I’ll pick up the plate later.”

Sang Luo couldn’t help but laugh and didn’t refuse further. She knew that the grandmother was grateful for their help. She smiled and asked the young girl to convey her thanks to the grandmother.

Xu Wenyi cheerfully said it wasn’t necessary, waved to Shen An, and ran back home.

When Shen Ning returned from the Chen family, he brought back a bowl of their homemade pickled radish.

Sang Luo laughed, “Well, our breakfast is quite sumptuous today.”

Six egg pancakes were quickly fried. Seeing that Shen Lie hadn’t returned yet, she considered sending Shen An and Shen Ning to call him. Just as she was about to check, she saw him coming back, carrying tools along with something else.

It looked like a wooden basin, but much smaller, just a few sizes larger than a regular bowl and smaller than their largest soup bowl.

When Shen Lie returned and handed it to her, Sang Luo saw it was indeed a small wooden basin. “You made this this morning?”

Shen Lie smiled, “Yes, I didn’t have much time before heading out, so I made this for you to use when washing vegetables. I’ll make more when I have time.”

The large pottery basin was too heavy.

Sang Luo laughed, “It’s smoother and better looking than the one I carved.”

It was lightweight and well-crafted, with a unique rustic charm due to its irregular shape and smooth finish.

Shen Lie’s sense of aesthetics was impeccable.

She examined the basin, placed it on the wooden table, and called Shen Lie, “Have you washed your hands? If so, let’s eat breakfast.”

“I washed them before coming back.” He looked at the table, surprised, “This breakfast looks quite rich.”

Sang Luo smiled, “You’re in luck. Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Chen both sent over some food.”

Shen Ning smiled and pointed at the porridge and egg pancakes, saying, “Our sister-in-law made this. We don’t usually eat so well. She must be worried that our big brother isn’t eating well in the mountains, so she made these special dishes.”

Shen Lie felt a warmth in his heart and instinctively looked at Sang Luo.

Sang Luo glanced at Shen Ning with a half-smile and asked, “Have I been neglecting you? I would like to cook better food. Can you find me some wild onions?”

Shen Ning grinned, “Sister-in-law treats me well; she doesn’t neglect me. I’m just saying that she treats big brother very well too.”

Noticing Shen Lie’s ears turning slightly red, Sang Luo playfully tapped Shen Ning, “Let’s eat. With so much delicious food on the table, you still have time to chat. It seems like life has been too good lately.”

Shen An and Shen Ning both laughed, and Shen Lie’s lips also curled into a smile.

However, they soon quieted down, each scooping some porridge and starting their breakfast.

The eight-treasure porridge wasn’t sweetened with sugar, but the beans naturally had a sweet flavor, making it delicious without added sugar, especially when paired with the pancakes and pickles.

Indeed, this was a rare feast since moving into the valley. Shen Lie realized that every time he returned, Sang Luo would always find a way to make something nice for him, affirming what his sister had said.

As they left the valley, Shen Lie couldn’t help but smile frequently.

Chen Dashan, who was traveling with him, glanced at him several times. He looked at Shen Lie and then at the small package in his basket, “Did your sister-in-law make something delicious for you again?”

Shen Lie glanced at him and, in a rare moment of teasing, said, “Am I only happy because of food?”

Chen Dashan replied, “Isn’t it? That porridge this morning looked really good.”

He didn’t get to eat any; neither did Ershan. He felt embarrassed to eat and only watched his little sister and grandmother enjoy it.

Chen Dashan glanced again at Shen Lie’s basket. It didn’t seem like he had brought porridge.

How come the same beans and rice cooked into porridge by Sang Luo looked so much more appetizing?

Marrying someone who can cook well is a blessing. Should he ask his mother to inquire how Sang Luo cooked the porridge?

Well, at this moment, the latter seemed easier to achieve.

While Chen Dashan was longing for food, Shen Lie was happily paying attention to any animal droppings and tracks along the way.

They avoided making a clear path through the forest by taking different routes each time they went out, though the general direction remained the same. The tree house they built while protecting the elderly and children during the initial crossing was dismantled and used as firewood, leaving no trace behind.

After transporting the last batch of food, they only needed to tidy up the grassland near the valley entrance to make it hard for anyone to notice anything unusual about the valley.

Today, they took a route they hadn’t used before, though it was just a slight deviation. They had hunted wolves and encountered only one bear on previous trips, making the recent journeys relatively peaceful.

They moved quickly, with Shen Lie constantly alert. He was thinking about another task. When they reached their target area and Shen Lie started setting traps, Chen Dashan finally realized what was happening. Forget the Laba porridge, they needed to focus on catching pheasants! How could he have forgotten?

Clearly, Shen Lie was more dedicated to finding food than he was!

…

They hurried back to Yun Valley, arriving just before dusk, after traveling a long stretch by torchlight. The people in the valley, carrying baskets and tools, were waiting near the large cave, ready to help at the first sound.

Sang Luo, knowing that Shen Lie was also bringing back shale besides yellow clay, had boarded up the cave door before dark and was waiting nearby with Shen An and Shen Ning.

When they heard the noise, they went to help, expecting to carry soil. Instead, Shen Lie handed two rattan baskets to Sang Luo and Shen An, which wiggled a bit as they took them.

The sensation was familiar.

Shen Lie grinned, “Wild pheasants, four of them. Raise them and eat them when you want meat.”

Chen Dashan was also pleased, handing baskets to his mother and grandmother, “Mom, Grandma, let’s raise these for meat too.”

Their companions looked on enviously.

While they hadn’t caught anything, they did manage to gather some fresh wild vegetables. They didn’t need to hunt themselves to enjoy meat; there were other ways.

For example, Mrs. Xu directly asked Sang Luo, “A-Luo, can I trade some grain for a pheasant?”

The head of the Zhou family from the village also approached the Chen family, wanting to trade grain for half a pheasant.

“A whole one is too much; grain is still very precious,” he explained.

Shi Erlang looked at his child, who was almost drooling with desire, and, unwilling to part with the grain, tried to console him, “Dad just lacks experience this time. With more practice, I’ll get better. Next time, I might catch one.”

Sanniu, his son, replied, “…Do we really need to wait for next time? Dad, you’re not that good at this.”

He patted his stomach and said, “Well, Dad, you should try harder.”

Seeing his son’s longing, Shi Eryi gritted his teeth and went to Chen Dashan to negotiate, offering to trade grain for a quarter of a pheasant. He planned to cut it into small pieces and stew it, just to give his son a taste of meat.

Before Chen Dashan could respond, both Erniu and Sanniu started jumping with joy.

It felt just like celebrating the New Year. Fortunately, they remembered they were at the valley’s edge and couldn’t make too much noise, so they just jumped in place.

Chen Dashan couldn’t refuse, smiling as he said, “Alright, we’ll trade. Everyone can trade.”

Shen Lie watched with a smile as everyone transported their goods into the valley. Once the entrance was securely sealed, they headed back.

…

Out of the four pheasants, one went to the Xu family, while Shen Lie kept the other three. He found some thick branches and started building a separate cage for them. He was mainly concerned that the wild pheasants, being untamed, might attack the domestic chicks and ducklings. If one got injured or killed, it would be a significant loss, as their future egg supply depended on these birds.

While Shen Lie was busy building the cage, Sang Luo and a few others helped. Sang Luo observed the evening’s bounty and reflected on their diet of mainly dry food during their journey. They only resorted to hunting when they encountered wild animals. This was the first time they actively set traps and hunted.

Except for Shen Lie, Chen Dashan, and the semi-experienced Lu Erlang, everyone else had failed on their first attempt.

Sang Luo thought about Shen Jin.

“Do you think Xiao Jin, being so young, can catch wild pheasants and rabbits on his own?”

Shen An and Shen Ning also looked at Shen Lie upon hearing this.

While sharpening one end of a wooden stick and driving it into the ground, Shen Lie replied, “Yes, catching wild pheasants doesn’t require strength and isn’t age-dependent. It’s all about the technique of setting traps. Xiao Jin may not succeed the first or second time, but after ten or so attempts, he’ll get it. That’s how I learned in the past.”

He paused for a moment, “We’ve been in the mountains for over a month now. Even with average talent, he should be getting the hang of it by now.”

Besides, Shen Jin wasn’t actually dumb.