Although Liu Tieshan didn't know how long the heavy snow would last, he understood the principle of not flaunting one's wealth. With food scarce at the moment, if he took out so many bamboo chickens to sell, it might attract thieves.
"Tieshan, let's listen to Zhuzi," Huang Xiumei said.
Upon hearing this, Yaoyao clapped her hands and cheered.
Soon, five bamboo chickens were slaughtered and boiled into a large pot of rich chicken soup, with the meat torn apart to eat whole. Half an hour later, the five chickens were completely devoured. Yaoyao looked unsatisfied and said she wanted to eat more the next day, but was met with a glare from Tieshan and his wife.
Liu Tiezhu stroked Yaoyao's little head. "Yaoyao likes it, so Uncle will catch more for you tomorrow. But Yaoyao has to be good and not go outside."
Yaoyao blinked her lively eyes, nodding as if she understood but not quite.
Liu Tiezhu picked up Yaoyao and turned his gaze to Huang Xiumei. "Sister-in-law, take ten bamboo chickens back to your parents' house tomorrow. Don't let anyone else know about this. Keep the rest of the bamboo chickens in the cellar for storage. Tomorrow, I'll head to the mountain again to see if I can get some other game."
Huang Xiumei quickly waved her hands upon hearing this. "That won't do. My parents' family doesn't lack food for now. Besides, there are fierce beasts in the mountain. It's too dangerous for you to go alone."
"Sister-in-law, rest assured, I'll just stay near the foot of the mountain. If there's no other game, I'll wander around the bamboo grove. You've endured a lot of hardship since coming to our family. Taking ten bamboo chickens back is more than reasonable," Liu Tiezhu said.
Huang Xiumei had been married for six years and had always relied on her parents' support. Now that he had a second chance at life, he was determined not to let his sister-in-law suffer anymore.
Huang Xiumei wanted to say more, but Liu Tieshan raised his hand to stop her. "Xiumei, you've had a tough time with me all these years. Your parents have supported this family a lot, and we don't have anything good to offer in return. Just listen to Tiezhu and take ten bamboo chickens back."
Hearing this, Huang Xiumei had nothing more to say. After the couple returned to the east room, Yaoyao insisted on sleeping in the same room as Liu Tiezhu. With no other choice, he indulged the little girl.
"Tieshan, have you noticed that Tiezhu seems like a different person?" In the east room, Huang Xiumei asked Liu Tieshan beside her. In the past, Liu Tiezhu was honest and steady but didn't know how to care for others. This sudden change left her a bit unsettled.
"Isn't it good that he's like this now?" Liu Tieshan didn't dwell on it, his mind already turning to the matter of his brother's betrothal gift. Liu Tiezhu was twenty this year. According to the customs of Zhuangdong Village, he was already an adult and should start a family. But the Liu family had demanded a betrothal gift of thirty-eight yuan and eighty cents, which troubled him.
Three years ago, Liu Tiezhu and Liu Ruyu were engaged, originally planning to pick a date this year to marry. But the Liu family refused to budge, insisting on the thirty-eight yuan and eighty cents betrothal gift, or else they wouldn't agree to the marriage. Thirty-eight yuan and eighty cents was no small amount. After years of frugal living, his entire savings amounted to only eighteen yuan. Thinking about this, Liu Tieshan couldn't help but sigh.
Meanwhile, in the west room, after coaxing Yaoyao to sleep, Liu Tiezhu began planning for the days ahead. The most critical issue now was food. He had to stockpile enough before the great famine hit. But having food alone wasn't enough; he also needed to prevent the villagers from looting after the famine began.
After thinking for about an hour, Liu Tiezhu got up, wrapped himself in a cotton coat, and went to the yard. He picked up a tattered umbrella in the corner, tore off all the rotten fabric, and dismantled the ribs. He ended up with twenty-two ribs, each about the size of a pencil. Liu Tiezhu took these ribs, sharpened one end on a grindstone, attached bamboo strips to the other end, and tied them tightly with red string.
Then he cut a branch about two fingers wide from the star fruit tree in the yard and tied both ends with ox sinew. In the middle of the branch, he fastened a bamboo tube, fixing it with iron nails and a buckle. After finishing, he took an old bicycle tire, cut it into a strip one finger wide and fifty centimeters long, and attached it to the setup, creating a simple compound bow.
Liu Tiezhu placed a rib into the bamboo tube, pulled the tire strip to the buckle, aimed at the nearby star fruit tree, and released the buckle. With a *whir*, the rib shot out swiftly, embedding itself in the tree and splitting the bark. Seeing this, Liu Tiezhu nodded in satisfaction. Though simple, the compound crossbow had decent lethality. Based on his estimate, at a distance of five meters, it could pierce a bamboo chicken in one shot. With this crossbow, hunting small animals would be much easier.
He then spent another hour modifying it, adding a sight and an extra bicycle tire strip to boost the crossbow's power. However, with only a dozen or so ribs, he had to use them sparingly, as getting more wouldn't be easy.
After finishing the crossbow, Liu Tiezhu devised a plan to improve his physique. His current body was too weak—he got winded after walking a few kilometers. That wouldn't do for hunting in the mountains. After another hour of thought, he finally came up with a method to strengthen himself.
Early the next morning, his brother knocked on the door. "Your sister-in-law and I are going back to her parents' house. We won't be back for lunch. There's a steamed bamboo chicken in the kitchen for you and Yaoyao."
Liu Tiezhu waved his hand. "It's several kilometers to your in-laws' place. Take the bamboo chicken with you to eat on the way. I made a compound crossbow last night and plan to head into the mountain today. I won't be back for lunch."
Hearing that Liu Tiezhu was going into the mountain again, Liu Tieshan didn't stop him. He just told him to be careful and left with Yaoyao.
Liu Tiezhu grabbed his compound crossbow and a few sweet potatoes, then headed toward the mountain. An hour later, he stopped at the foot of the mountain and lit a fire. The weather was freezing, and after an hour of walking, his feet were numb. If he didn't warm up to get the blood circulating, his toes might freeze. After roasting himself for half an hour and eating a sweet potato, he felt warmer. He picked up his crossbow and continued deeper into the mountain.
His targets for this trip were wild rabbits and masked palm civets. In winter, these game animals usually chose to hibernate in thickets near the mountain's base. Drawing on years of wilderness survival experience, Liu Tiezhu quickly traced clues and found a civet's den. About five meters ahead, two civets were curled up in the weeds, eyes closed, sound asleep.
To be safe, Liu Tiezhu didn't rush to shoot. Instead, he crouched and crept two meters closer, hiding behind a pine tree. He took out his crossbow and adjusted the angle.
*Whoosh...*
A sharp sound broke the silence, startling the sleeping civets. Just as they opened their eyes, a rib pierced through their necks—one arrow, two kills. The civets cried out in pain and bolted toward the weeds. Liu Tiezhu dropped his crossbow, pulled out a short knife, and pounced. He slit the throat of the first wounded civet, then followed the blood trail to find the second one five meters away.
The two civets weighed a total of sixteen jin, delighting Liu Tiezhu. But a dozen or so jin of game was still a drop in the bucket against the prolonged snow disaster. To survive the blizzard safely, he needed to stockpile much more. Liu Tiezhu found a clearing, cut open the civets' necks, and spilled the hot blood onto the ground. After that, he hid in a nearby thicket, crossbow in hand, waiting quietly.