Upon returning home, everyone saw Liu Tiezhu covered in blood and gathered around.
"Tiezhu, what happened? How did you get all this blood on you?"
Second Uncle was the first to approach, his face full of panic.
With only two days left until the wedding, nothing could go wrong now.
"Second Uncle, I got into a fight with Yang Hua and his guys on the way back," Liu Tiezhu said.
"Damn that bastard, that son of a bitch again..."
Er Gouzi cursed loudly, grabbed a pitchfork, and headed for the door.
Seeing this, Liu Tieshan quickly stepped forward and pulled Er Gouzi back.
"Gouzi, stop right there. Let Tiezhu finish talking first."
After calming Er Gouzi down, Liu Tieshan turned his attention back to Liu Tiezhu.
"Tiezhu, tell us exactly what happened."
"Nothing major, just a fight. I beat Yang Hua into submission."
"They won't come looking for trouble anymore," Liu Tiezhu said.
"He really won't cause any more trouble?" Second Uncle asked, skeptical.
"Don't worry, Second Uncle. Not unless he's tired of living."
Liu Tiezhu smiled and didn't elaborate further.
Second Uncle nodded hesitantly. "Alright then. Go wash up, and we'll discuss the menu for the wedding day."
A dozen minutes later, Liu Tiezhu came out.
Huang Xiumei brought over some medicine and had Liu Tieshan help apply it to the wounds on Liu Tiezhu's face.
After Liu Tieshan finished, Second Uncle took out the prepared menu and handed it to Liu Tiezhu.
Liu Tiezhu glanced at it—it was all dried meat.
"Second Uncle, let's stick with this menu for now."
"Tomorrow, Gouzi and I will head out and see if we can find some fresh game."
Liu Tieshan said, "Tiezhu, you're in this state and you still want to go out?"
"Your wedding is the day after tomorrow. Take these two days to rest."
Liu Tiezhu replied, "It's fine. Tomorrow, Gouzi and I will take Big Sweet Potato and the others for a walk nearby."
"We'll go to that wild river we visited last time and see if we can catch some mandarin fish."
Second Uncle chimed in, "Alright then. I'll come with you two tomorrow."
"I want to see how these hunting dogs work."
After they finished talking, everyone went back to their rooms.
Just as Liu Tiezhu stepped into his room, Er Gouzi followed him in.
"Tiezhu, tell me how you took on Yang Hua and his two guys."
"Three against one, and you still made them submit. That's seriously impressive."
Fighting three people at once wasn't easy.
Even though Liu Tiezhu had some skills, as the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands.
Making Yang Hua, that thug leader, submit was no small feat.
"How did I do it?" Liu Tiezhu said with a laugh. "I risked my life for it."
"I just focused on Yang Hua and beat him senseless until he passed out, then moved on to the next guy."
"You're a beast."
Er Gouzi gave him a thumbs-up, genuinely admiring Liu Tiezhu.
………
The next day, the snow began to melt, and the weather started to warm up.
Seeing the large patches of melting snow, many villagers thought the snowstorm was finally over.
They started preparing their hunting gear, getting ready to head into the mountains.
Taking advantage of the melting snow, they planned to hunt some game to store up for the New Year.
These past days, they had been tightening their belts.
Splitting one meal into three, they had come to deeply resent Liu Shan's family.
If it weren't for that bastard Liu Shan cheating them out of their rice and meat, they wouldn't be living so tightly.
Second Uncle woke up early. Watching the melting snow, he couldn't help but sigh that the harsh winter was coming to an end.
"Second Uncle, the harsh winter is just beginning," Liu Tiezhu said.
The first snowstorm had lasted nine days longer than in his previous life.
The second snowstorm, he remembered, had lasted a full three months in his past life.
He wondered how much longer this second snowstorm would drag on in this life.
In a month, villagers from various settlements would start running out of food.
That would be when the real disaster began.
Second Uncle was taken aback and quickly asked, "Tiezhu, are you saying there's another snowstorm coming?"
"Second Uncle, don't you think this situation looks familiar? Just like a month ago when the snow melted?"
Second Uncle thought about it and realized it did feel eerily similar.
Last month, there had also been a few days of melting snow, followed by fierce winds and heavy snow that didn't stop for an entire month.
Snapping back to reality, Second Uncle asked, "Tiezhu, how long do you think this snow will last this time?"
"I'm not sure exactly how long, but I reckon it won't stop before the New Year," Liu Tiezhu said.
Hearing this, worry spread across Second Uncle's face.
If it didn't stop before the New Year, that meant another month or more of snow.
The cellar was well-stocked with food, but it couldn't withstand constant consumption without replenishment.
"Tiezhu, we need to find a way to get more food."
After a moment of silence, Second Uncle voiced his concern.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Don't worry, Second Uncle. Game won't be a big problem."
"Once Big Sweet Potato's injuries heal, Gouzi and I plan to head into the mountains."
"What I'm worried about now is rice. If the snow keeps falling, the price of rice will definitely go up."
"In a bit, Gouzi and I will make another trip to town, sell some meat, and stock up on more rice while we can."
If he remembered correctly, the price of rice in town had started rising just before the second snowstorm.
"Alright, Shanzi and I will get the gear ready at home."
"When you and Gouzi get back, we'll head to the wild river."
As they chatted, Sister-in-law finished cooking breakfast.
During the meal, Liu Tieshan said the melting snow was a good sign, and the villagers could look forward to a prosperous New Year.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Second Uncle explained.
He said this melting snow was just like the unusual weather a month ago.
His words were like a bucket of cold water, making Liu Tieshan tread carefully, wondering how many people would go hungry this time.
Liu Tiezhu said, "Brother, it's fine. Even if another snowstorm hits, I'll find a way to get meat."
"Now that the hunting dog team is ready, heading into the mountains won't be a problem."
"Once Big Sweet Potato recovers, Gouzi and I will go into the mountains."
Though the snowstorm was a disaster, for Liu Tiezhu, it was also an opportunity to get rich.
With fierce winds and heavy snow, no one dared to go into the mountains, leaving all the game for him.
Thinking about all the wild game in the mountains, Liu Tiezhu felt a little excited.
After breakfast, Liu Tiezhu hauled two hundred pounds of dried meat from the cellar and drove the mule toward town.
When they arrived at the meat purchasing point, Boss Zhou Minghua saw it was Liu Tiezhu and his companion and immediately greeted them with a smile.
Liu Tiezhu didn't bring the meat in right away. Instead, he asked Zhou Minghua, "Boss, what's the price for fresh wild boar meat now?"
"Can I take a look at the meat?"
Zhou Minghua was a shrewd man. He didn't give a price directly but wanted to inspect the goods first.
Liu Tiezhu signaled Er Gouzi to pull back the colorful cloth covering the wild boar meat.
After examining it, Zhou Minghua offered a price of one yuan and eighty cents per pound.
Hearing this, both of them were startled.
It had only been a little over ten days since their last trip to town, and the price of meat had jumped so much.
Seeing Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi silent, Zhou Minghua thought they weren't satisfied with the offer and quickly explained.
"Fellows, this is already the highest price I can give."
"If it weren't for the snowstorm wreaking havoc and the town running short on meat, I couldn't offer this much."
Liu Tiezhu thought it over for a moment and finally nodded. "Alright, weigh it."
Zhou Minghua breathed a sigh of relief, immediately weighed the meat, and paid up.
This time, it totaled two hundred and thirty pounds, selling for four hundred and fourteen yuan.
Leaving the meat purchasing point, Er Gouzi said excitedly, "Tiezhu, meat's up to one eighty a pound."
"If the snow keeps falling, I bet the price will go even higher."
"We've got to seize this chance to make money."
Liu Tiezhu nodded. "It's definitely an opportunity, but we still need to keep building up our stamina."
"Starting today, we'll keep training until Big Sweet Potato's injuries heal. Then we'll head into the mountains."