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

Chapter 181: The Wolf Pack

This trip was primarily focused on foraging. Hunting wasn’t a major concern since there were plenty of wild animals deep in the mountains. Small game could be caught easily, while the more formidable beasts would come to them. What was needed was vigilance, archery skills, and combat readiness!

Since the surrounding peaks were unexplored, and considering the safety of Zhou Laizi’s family, Shen Lie and Chen Dashan decided to move laterally from Zhou Laizi’s residence, pushing towards the other side.

The area might not have seen human activity, with plants growing wildly. After the onset of autumn, the mountain produce was even richer than expected. Sang Luo found that there were even more mountain grapes than she had seen before. She hadn’t checked the mountain with the grapes previously, but in the vicinity of Zhou Laizi’s place, she found over a dozen grapevines, each sprawling widely.

At this time, the grapes were more mature than when they were last out. They picked the ripe ones, leaving the unripe. They gathered silver fungus, wood ear mushrooms, fungi, and hawthorns, finding something every few intervals and keeping their hands busy.

Zhou Laizi and his son were extremely excited. Although they had foraged before, they had only done so on the periphery and had never encountered such abundance.

With Shen Lie’s group leading the way, even if their food supply was limited, Zhou Laizi and his son knew that their family would survive.

You might say it’s just vegetables and fruits?

In desperate times, even grass roots are eaten. Wild vegetables and seeds are treasures. These were indeed precious finds.

Silver fungus, wood ear mushrooms, and fungi were put in one basket, hawthorns, which don’t mind being compressed, were stored in a sack, and grapes were placed in another basket. During their foraging, they also encountered mountain chickens and wild rabbits, which they put in a sack as well.

As for the possibility that the smell of blood might attract predators, it was part of their plan. This saved them the effort of actively seeking danger. Shen Lie, Chen Dashan, and Lu Erlang, being relatively experienced, remained vigilant for any signs of danger. However, large predators generally avoid areas with frequent human activity, preferring places where they can move easily and stay hidden.

With the group being larger, the speed of foraging for wild fruits and mushrooms was much quicker than when it was just the four of them. As they finished with the fifth mountain and were preparing to explore the sixth, they passed the forest edge and both Shen Lie and Chen Dashan simultaneously spotted a wolf hiding in the woods.

No, not just one wolf.

The two of them stopped, signaling the others to halt. Shen Lie whispered, “Wolves ahead,” and gestured for Sang Luo to take cover.

Chen Dashan and Lu Erlang immediately began checking the surrounding woods for hidden wolves. Sang Luo quickly assessed the situation and saw three wolves about four to five yards away in the forest.

While the two sides were still assessing each other, Sang Luo quickly located a large tree about a yard behind them. She gently tugged on Shi Erlang’s wife, who was startled, and carefully and slowly put down the sack and basket she was carrying, then retrieved her bow and quiver from the basket and strapped them on.

Shi Erlang’s wife, who had some experience from previous foraging trips, swallowed and began to prepare as instructed by Sang Luo.

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan had already drawn their bows. Those skilled in archery followed suit, while those less skilled tightened their grip on their weapons. At this moment, the wolves decided to attack and charged towards them.

As soon as the wolves moved, Sang Luo and Shi Erlang’s wife rushed to the trees and climbed up swiftly, taking positions on separate branches and observing the battle. Among the approaching wolves, two fell to arrows.

The remaining wolves were too close for archery. Shen Lie and Chen Dashan sheathed their bows and drew their knives, leading the charge into close combat. The rest of the group followed suit, engaging the wolves directly.

Sang Luo and Shi Erlang’s wife could now see clearly that there were eight wolves in total. Two had been quickly dealt with, leaving six more to confront.

Both women were nervously holding their breath, trying to use their bows, but with the chaos below, it was too risky to shoot. They could only wait quietly.

One of the wolves spotted Sang Luo and the others, but seeing their height, it chose to attack those on the ground instead. The wolf, along with another, circled around to the back of the group, getting as close as possible to Sang Luo and her companion. Sang Luo waited for the right moment and drew her bow.

The first arrow missed because the wolves were moving targets.

The second, third, and fourth arrows were also shot, but it was the fourth that finally hit!

The arrow struck the wolf’s hind leg. Due to the force and the fact that it was a bamboo arrow, it couldn’t kill the wolf in one shot like Shen Lie’s arrows could. The injury enraged the wolf, which turned and focused on the two women, trying to leap up the tree.

Shi Erlang’s wife was scared and almost cried out, but she knew she couldn’t distract the men, so she managed to hold back her fear.

Sang Luo, understanding the situation, knew that the wolf had little chance of climbing up to their height. Seeing the wolf’s anger directed at them, she took out a small porcelain bottle from her pocket, dipped the tip of an arrow into the poison inside, capped the bottle, and readied another arrow. She aimed carefully, despite the wolf’s fierce snarling and leaping attempts, and took her shot when the moment was right.

The wolf was jumping up from a close angle, making it an easier target. The arrow hit its mark!

The wound, while not deep initially, was fatal due to the poison. The wolf, in its final furious charge, staggered and lost balance, falling to the ground. It struggled and let out a final mournful cry before collapsing.

Shi Erlang’s wife was ecstatic, almost shouting with excitement. She grabbed Sang Luo’s arm and said, “Ah Luo, that was amazing!”

She was eager to shoot more arrows, wishing she could take down another wolf.

However, there were no more opportunities. Out of the eight wolves, two were killed right at the start, one by Sang Luo’s poisoned arrow at close range, and the remaining five were quickly taken down by the group. Three fell within a quarter-hour, two escaped but were later shot by Shen Lie, Chen Dashan, and Lu Erlang.

The wolves were vengeful and couldn’t be allowed to escape.

Uncle Xu and Zhou Dalang were lightly injured, but everyone else was unharmed.

Shen Lie, ensuring the area was safe, looked up at Sang Luo in the tree. Seeing her smile down at him, he couldn’t help but smile back. He walked over and signaled for her to come down.

Sang Luo carefully descended from the tree. As she landed and turned to face Shen Lie, he scrutinized her and asked, “Were you scared?”

Before she could answer, Shi Erlang’s wife, who was still in the tree, responded eagerly, “No, no, we weren’t scared. Did you see that? Ah Luo took down the wolf!”

Her excitement was palpable, almost matching the thrill of taking down a wolf herself.

Shen Lie also noticed the dead wolf near the trees, with a bamboo arrow still sticking out of it, its blood darkened.

Sang Luo was also a bit exhilarated, smiling as she said, “So my archery practice wasn’t in vain?”

She made a lighthearted joke before becoming serious again. “Actually, it was quite close, so it was a lucky shot. Otherwise, my strength and accuracy wouldn’t have been enough.”

Shen Lie was genuinely pleased, his face beaming with smiles. “That was very impressive.”

Her quick thinking and courage were indeed commendable.

Zhou Laizi and his son stood in stunned silence, looking at the pile of wolves. The two of them had been furiously fighting just moments ago, and it wasn’t until the skirmish ended that they realized the full extent of what had just happened.

So many wolves had been in their vicinity all along!

What was even more astonishing was how quickly Shen Lie and his group had reacted to the wolf pack.

The father and son turned to see Sang Luo and Shi Erlang’s wife descending from the tree, then looked at the wolf Sang Luo had shot. They were both dumbfounded and incredibly excited.

Chen Dashan surveyed the pile of wolves and the nearly full baskets of supplies, then looked at Shen Lie and suggested, “Should we take the things to Uncle Zhou’s place first to sort them out, and then head out again? It’s still early, just noon, so it would be a shame to head back now.”

Shen Lie agreed with this idea. Since they couldn’t continue further into the depths with their current load, returning now would be a waste of time. He turned to Zhou Laizi and asked, “Uncle Zhou, could we leave the supplies at your place for now? If we’re worried about the smell attracting more wild animals, we can leave a few people here to handle it.”

Zhou Laizi was more than agreeable, nodding vigorously, “Of course, of course.”

Next came the distribution of the game. Each person kept the wolf they had killed, while those who had collectively hunted shared the spoils equally. In the end, Shen Lie and Chen Dashan each took one and a half wolves, Lu Erlang took one wolf, Sang Luo took one, and the remaining three wolves were divided among Zhou Laizi and his sons, Zhou Cunzheng’s two sons, Chen Youtian, Lu Sanlang, Uncle Xu, Xu Wenqing, and Shi Erlang, each getting one wolf.

So three people shared one wolf!

The Zhou family brothers, Zhou Laizi and his son, and the Xu family were all thrilled, as such meat was a rare treat for them.

Except for Zhou Laizi’s family, everyone who went out hunting had brought some medicine for injuries. However, the injuries were only scratches, with their clothes torn up but their bodies mostly unharmed. They didn’t want to waste the medicine, so they relied on their experience to gather some herbs nearby, chewed them up, and applied the paste.

The wolves were still bleeding, so they didn’t carry them directly. Instead, they used thick wooden sticks to carry the eight wolves, binding them with vines and heading back.

Returning in less than two hours, the Zhou family and their children were stunned, running down to the base of the mountain. Seeing so many wolves left them both shocked and amazed.

“Is everyone okay?”

The mother and daughter looked anxiously at Zhou Laizi and his son, then at the others.

Zhou Laizi smiled broadly, saying repeatedly, “Everyone’s fine, everyone’s fine.”

He then remembered Uncle Xu and Zhou Dalang, saying, “Brother Xu and Changming got a few minor injuries.”

Changming was Zhou Dalang’s name. Hearing Zhou Laizi mention him, Zhou Dalang smiled and said to Zhou Laizi’s wife, “Aunt, it’s nothing serious. Just a few scratches, we put some medicine on them.”

Zhou Laizi’s wife finally broke into a smile, relieved. “It’s good that everyone’s alright.”

She looked at the pile of wolves with great excitement, wondering if they might have a share of the meat.

As if reading her mind, Zhou Laizi quietly told his wife while everyone was busy setting up stakes and preparing to skin the wolves, “Between Erlang and me, we should get about sixty to seventy pounds of meat.”

This was a conservative estimate, accounting for the skinning, draining of blood, and removing the entrails.

His wife and daughter’s mouths gaped open in astonishment, as if they had been hit with a windfall. The two women held their breath in excitement.

Zhou Laizi smiled and went to help Shen Lie and the others.

The wolves needed to be skinned and divided first, while the wild chickens and rabbits would be handled later by Shen Lie and his experienced hunters. They couldn’t attend to the gathered supplies immediately. Shi Erlang’s wife discussed with Sang Luo about consolidating the collected items, packing them into sacks, and storing them in the fenced courtyard of Zhou Laizi’s home. They would then free up a basket and join the hunters for a bit more exploration.

Sang Luo looked at the area where Zhou Laizi’s family was setting up wooden stakes around the courtyard. She had heard Shen Lie say it was meant for planting, but there was still a lot of unused space around. Considering the patch of cattails they had seen near the water source and the countless unexplored mountains nearby, she thought of another plan.

Just then, Zhou Laizi’s wife approached, and Sang Luo quickly stopped her. “Aunt Zhou, I’d like to discuss something with you.”

Zhou Laizi’s wife hurriedly pulled her daughter closer and said, “A-Lie’s wife, if there’s something, just say it.”

Sang Luo explained, “We’ll be searching for mountain goods throughout the fall, mostly around this area. I was thinking that transporting fresh mountain goods or newly hunted meat back directly isn’t very convenient. If we were to do it like today, we might have to spend the afternoon hunting again, and transporting the goods would take too much time on the road. Would it be possible for us to cut some cattails and weave mats to dry the mountain goods here at your place? Once they’re dry, we can bring them back together.”

In the valley, sunlight was limited compared to the outside, and space was very restricted. Drying things wasn’t as convenient as it would be outside. Usually, they only dried a small amount, but more would be problematic. Plus, if they didn’t plan to come frequently, it would waste manpower and time to guard and transport the goods back and forth.

Sang Luo thought it would be cheaper and more efficient to handle the processing at Zhou Laizi’s place. Of course, if Zhou Laizi’s family didn’t agree, they would find a nearby piece of land, fence off a small area where people could stay safely, and dry the goods there instead.

If they moved on to another area later, they could find a place to set up a drying area, leave a few people to guard and handle the drying tasks. This way, they would be far from the valley at night, with a safe place to stay, and wouldn’t have to rush back and forth, saving a lot of time.

The more she thought about it, the more practical it seemed, and Sang Luo’s eyes shone with excitement.

After she finished her proposal, Zhou Laizi’s wife immediately agreed. “Of course, it’s no trouble at all. You’ll free up the baskets, and still have time to go back into the mountains. Just leave the goods here for drying. If there’s anything else to deal with, just let us know—we’re all free anyway.”

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan had been kind enough to bring their family to safety and help them settle in. She had been worried about how to repay them, and now being able to help in any way was something she eagerly wished for.

Moreover, Shen Lie and the others had only been here half a day. Not only had they gathered a lot of mushrooms and fruits, but they had also secured sixty to seventy pounds of wolf meat. Sang Luo’s group would continue to work around the area, which meant they would be able to stay with them, a stroke of luck that was hard to come by.

From another perspective, eight wolves…

If they hadn’t hunted them today, there was no telling when they might have come to their own home. Zhou Laizi’s wife felt they were truly fortunate and hoped Shen Lie and his group would continue hunting around this area for a while longer. It would make their winter easier, providing safety and food.

Sang Luo, seeing her agreement, smiled and said, “Thank you for your hard work, Aunt. If it starts to rain heavily, could you please keep an eye on things? We’ll take care of everything else ourselves.”

“It’s no trouble, really. We still owe you for all you’ve done for our family,” Zhou Laizi’s wife replied, then turned to her eldest daughter and said, “Go tell your father and brothers to cut some cattails and come back to weave mats.”

Shi Erlang’s wife, listening with shining eyes, added, “I’ll get my husband to go too. He’s not much help with skinning, so he might as well do something useful.”

Sang Luo smiled and said to Zhou Laizi’s wife, “I’ll go over as well.”

She then shared her plan with Shen Lie.

Chen Dashan, Uncle Xu, and Chen Youtian, who had been listening, brightened up. “That’s a great idea. In the future, when we head out hunting, we should first find a place to process the mountain goods. It will be much easier to carry them back once they’re processed.”

Grapes and raisins, hawthorn and dried hawthorn, fresh bloody meat and jerky—carrying them back is entirely different. Dried goods are much more convenient and don’t take up as much space. They also don’t have a bloody smell that attracts large predators.

Furthermore, they knew their own land well. The valley had very little space left, let alone enough for drying large quantities of mountain goods.

Chen Youtian immediately pulled out his sickle from his basket and said, “I’ll go cut cattails too.”

Uncle Xu, Zhou Dalang, and Zhou Erlang also joined in.

Seeing this, Shen Lie looked at Chen Dashan and said, “I’ll handle things here. You follow along. The area with long cattails is a bit far from here. We don’t want to run into any problems that we can’t handle.”

So, the group split into three teams: Chen Dashan led a group of men to cut cattails; Shen Lie, along with Lu Erlang, Lu Sanlang, and Xu Wenqing (who was keen to learn), skinned wolves and divided the meat; Sang Luo and Shi Erlang’s wife borrowed two ceramic basins from Zhou Laizi’s home, collected spring water, and started washing their grapes and hawthorn. The Zhou family also found their own baskets and began washing grapes.

Since no one had dried grapes before, they were a bit unsure. Zhou Laizi’s wife asked, “Do we need to wash each grape individually?”

Sang Luo shook her head and said, “No need to wash them one by one. Wash them in bunches and dry them in bunches. Once they’re dried enough, they’ll naturally fall off one by one. Plus, drying them in bunches lets us hang them up, which saves space and effort.”

The Zhou family women and Shi Erlang’s wife quickly saw what it meant to hang things up to dry. Their home had a wooden enclosure, but it wasn’t covered in branches. Sang Luo went to find Shen Lie, and together they gathered some thin bamboo poles from outside, stripped off the branches, cleaned them a bit, and set up several drying rods on the wooden fence.

With just the grapes from their three families, each drying rod was filled up beautifully!

There were still plenty of bamboo poles left, and Shen Lie helped set them all up, leaving some drying rods empty.

When Chen Youtian and the others returned with the cattails, the Zhou family’s yard already had several rods of mountain grapes drying. They were arranged in clusters, creating a small wall of grapes—quite a sight to behold.

“Have you all finished processing them for us?” Chen Youtian asked.

Sang Luo smiled and said, “Yes, the bamboo rods are marked with the same symbols as on your arrows. You can identify which rod belongs to which family yourself.”