PCJ – Chapter 57 Returning Home Victorious

Zhang Jiaohua cautiously walked to where he had hidden his bamboo basket, his ears attentive to any sound in the mountain forest. He was still a bit worried that the foolish wild boar might suddenly become clever, ambush around, and charge at him as soon as he appeared.

The forest floor was covered with a thick layer of dry branches and leaves, soft underfoot, but occasionally making a crisp sound when stepped on, especially pleasant in the quiet dense forest. Zhang Jiaohua had to slow down his pace to avoid making any noise that might attract the wild boar.

The tree branches and leaves covering the basket had begun to wither. Zhang Jiaohua lifted these branches and leaves, revealing three small wild rabbits desperately clawing and climbing, trying to escape from this cage. The large wild rabbit, on the other hand, remained motionless, evidently thoroughly killed by Zhang Jiaohua. Seeing Zhang Jiaohua’s arrival, the three small wild rabbits trembled with fear, huddling together tightly.

Seeing the large wild rabbit, Zhang Jiaohua’s mind immediately drifted to the sizzling sound of rabbit meat in the pot at night. The aroma of braised wild rabbit meat seemed to have already wafted into his nostrils.

“That wild boar. It’s a pity! It was too fierce.” Zhang Jiaohua sighed as he looked towards the hill where he had just escaped. He couldn’t be certain if the slope would have injured such a large wild boar. If the wild boar didn’t die and he recklessly rushed over, he might end up being the one eaten by the wild boar instead of eating its meat.

“Alas!” A child’s sigh sounded quite adorable.

With these gains, Zhang Jiaohua didn’t bother to collect firewood anymore. Collecting firewood was just an excuse anyway.

Liu Qiangye stood in the yard watching as Zhang Jiaohua, with an empty bamboo basket on his back, returned home. She chuckled, “Kid, you collected so much firewood, are you planning to cook a meal?”

While joking, Liu Qiangye walked towards Zhang Jiaohua.

“Mom, we’ll have meat tonight!” Zhang Jiaohua put the basket down on the ground.

Liu Qiangye walked over briskly, her eyes widening as she saw three small wild rabbits and the large rabbit in the basket.

“Where did these come from? Who gave them to you?” Liu Qiangye subconsciously thought that these items were given to Zhang Jiaohua by someone else.

“What do you mean ‘who gave them’? Can anyone give us wild rabbits? These were found by me and Xiao hui in the mountains. I knocked down this big wild rabbit with just one chopper. These three small rabbits were also found by Little Grey. Mom, can we keep the small rabbits? Raise them and eat their meat when they grow up.” Zhang Jiaohua pleaded, his eyes fixed on his mother.

“These are wild animals. They have wild temperaments. We can’t raise them.” Liu Qiangye poured cold water on Zhang Jiaohua’s enthusiasm.

“But they are so obedient. I fed them leaves, and they enjoyed it. They can definitely survive. Besides, they don’t eat grains, so feeding them leaves should be enough.” Zhang Jiaohua argued. He was not willing to give up easily.

“Alright, if you want to feed them, feed them. But from now on, you’re responsible for their food. If these rabbits don’t survive, you can’t blame others.” Liu Qiangye agreed to Zhang Jiaohua’s request, albeit with some concern. Zhang Jiaohua was still young and didn’t understand the profound meaning of loneliness. Perhaps when he grew up, he would gradually understand the significance of this word. Raising wild rabbits was also good. Liu Qiangye didn’t want Zhang Jiaohua to have nothing to remember when he grew up.

“Great! Mom, you can’t take it back!” Zhang Jiaohua jumped up excitedly.

“Of course.” Liu Qiangye took the rabbits out of the basket. She was quite satisfied with the weight of this rabbit, as a good housewife, she had mastered various skills as a loving mother and wife. With just a kitchen knife, she could skin the rabbit without damaging it, cut the rabbit meat cleanly into pieces, and even the internal organs were not haphazardly discarded, but cleaned up neatly. She also grabbed a handful of pickled peppers from the jar.

The sourness of the pickled peppers could cover the gaminess of the rabbit meat, and the bright red chili peppers not only provided a unique sour and spicy taste but also enhanced the anticipation of the delicious food. While the rabbit meat was simmering in the pot, Zhang Jiaohua sat in front of the stove, tending to the fire, his eyes fixed on the pot. He didn’t miss the scent of the fresh and fragrant aroma leaking from under the lid.

“Mom, can we eat now?” Zhang Jiaohua was somewhat impatient.

“Oh my, it smells so good! Are you two sneaking some tasty treats behind my back?” Zhang Youping entered the door carrying a hoe, peering into the kitchen.

“Of course, there are some delicious treats. But today’s delicacy was brought back by me.” Zhang Jiaohua said proudly.

“Is that so?” Zhang Youping chuckled as he put the hoe away behind the house. Then he closed the back door and came into the kitchen.

“The kid went hunting today. He caught a big wild boar, but couldn’t carry it back, so he just brought back a piece of the butt meat.” Liu Qiangye said, laughing as she improvised. She wasn’t a very good storyteller.

“When I grow up a bit and have more strength, I’ll go up to the mountain to hunt wild boars. Then our family can have wild boar meat every day.” Zhang Jiaohua’s mind was filled with the image of that plump wild boar. There was once a big wild boar nearby, but unfortunately, it could only run away desperately. Zhang Jiaohua felt regretful.

In his dreams, Zhang Jiaohua hadn’t learned Meishan martial arts, but Meishan martial arts were different from Meishan spells. Meishan martial arts seemed easy to learn, and the moves couldn’t really stump Zhang Jiaohua. However, for him, spells only required continuous practice in dreams to be fully mastered. But martial arts were different. True martial arts were obtained through countless painful training sessions. In dreams, he could only learn the moves but couldn’t integrate the martial arts into his muscles and bones.

“Alright, then dad and mom will wait for you, little guy, to grow up quickly, so we can eat wild boar meat every day.” Zhang Youping smiled contentedly.

Zhang Jiaohua kept stuffing firewood into the stove, the firelight reddening his face.

“Where did the meat come from?” Zhang Youping could naturally smell the aroma of the meat in the pot. Throughout the year, ordinary families only smelled the scent of meat during festivals and New Year’s celebrations. The scent of meat was truly delightful!

“Do you think I’m lying to you? It really was brought back by Jiaohua. But it’s not wild boar meat, it’s rabbit meat.” Liu Qiangye chuckled.

“Really? Son, tell dad, how did you get this wild rabbit?” Zhang Youping hugged Zhang Jiaohua to his chest, sitting down on a stool beside the stove.

Zhang Jiaohua recounted his experience today to his father in detail, only to receive a hearty slap on the buttocks from his father.

“You little rascal! If anything happened to you, your mom and I wouldn’t even have time to cry! That wild boar is not easy to provoke, you know?” Zhang Youping held Zhang Jiaohua tightly against his chest, seeming worried that Zhang Jiaohua might slip away from his embrace.