After dealing with the white-tailed eagle, the group had no desire to venture into Changling Slope to catch more birds. Besides, Liu Tiezhu's wound was still bleeding and needed treatment. After a quick cleanup of the eagle, they hurried back home.
Once home, Liu Tieshan handed the white-tailed eagle to Huang Xiumei. "Xiumei, use this meat to make porridge and stir-fry a few side dishes."
"What happened to Zhu? Why is his cotton jacket torn, and the blood on his leg..."
Liu Tieshan waved his hand to cut her off. "It's nothing, just a scrape. Go cook now."
In the main hall, Yang Yulan quickly fetched clothes to drape over Liu Tiezhu. She stood nearby, watching nervously as her uncle-in-law treated his wound.
"Sister-in-law, it's fine. Brother Zhu just scraped his skin a bit," Ergouzi said, grinning awkwardly, unsure how to comfort her.
Liu Tiezhu smiled at Yang Yulan. "Hunting always comes with injuries. I'm fine. Go help your sister-in-law cook."
Yang Yulan nodded and said nothing more. Though he claimed it was nothing, she knew he was lying. The large bloodstain on his cotton pants made it clear the injury was serious.
Only after Yang Yulan left did Liu Tiezhu grit his teeth and shiver. His uncle was disinfecting the wound with 52-proof *shaodaozi* liquor. In the countryside, with limited resources, this was the best method. The harsh liquor stung like a knife cutting into the wound—not something just anyone could endure.
Fortunately, the wound wasn't large and wouldn't affect him much. After disinfecting, his uncle applied some medicinal herbs and wrapped it tightly with cotton cloth.
"Uncle, how long until that white-tailed eagle chick can be trained into a qualified hunting bird?" Liu Tiezhu asked. Having seen the fierce bird's combat prowess, he couldn't help but feel eager. Once the eagle could work with a hunting dog—one in the sky, one on the ground—the dog would drive prey, and the eagle would catch it. No prey would escape.
His uncle thought for a moment. "At least three months. By then, the chick will be a young bird, at its peak for hunting. But it eats a lot—probably as much as three hunting dogs."
"Meat isn't a problem. Once it's trained, we won't have to worry about game. Besides, no investment, no return, right?" Liu Tiezhu said. He understood the principle: if you want a horse to run fast, you feed it well. And with the family not short on meat, the returns from raising the eagle would far outweigh the costs.
As they chatted, his sister-in-law and Yulan finished preparing a hearty dinner. Besides the white-tailed eagle porridge, there was dry-pot sausage, braised wild boar, and dried mandarin fish stir-fried with bamboo shoots.
Liu Tiezhu brought out the bamboo-green liquor he'd gotten from Yang Haitian and filled everyone's cups. "Uncle, big brother, Gouzi. Here's to our days getting better and better. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" They raised their bowls and drank in one go.
The dinner stretched past ten o'clock, and everyone was a bit tipsy. Liu Tiezhu gave Ergouzi a look and left the table first. Ergouzi caught on and made an excuse to leave too.
Back in the room, Yang Yulan followed him in. Emboldened by the alcohol, Liu Tiezhu's desire flared up. He pulled her into a kiss, and she responded, letting him have his way. After a passionate moment, he turned her around. From behind, her figure was truly stunning.
Yang Yulan blushed, her eyelashes fluttering, her breathing quickening. She knew what he wanted and felt a hint of anticipation. Liu Tiezhu admired her for a moment, then slowly slid his hand into her thick cotton coat, moving upward.
"Mmm..." Yang Yulan trembled, as if struck by electricity. "Zhu, go... gently..."
Liu Tiezhu pressed close, increasing the pressure. When a woman says "gently," you can't take it at face value. After a while, he leaned his face against hers. "Do you like this?" he whispered.
Yang Yulan bit her lip and nodded firmly. They stayed like that for over ten minutes. Unable to hold back, Liu Tiezhu pulled his hands out and tugged at her cotton pants. She trembled slightly, biting her lip as she shifted to help him. Once the pants were off, he turned off the light.
In the dark room, silence reigned, broken only by heartbeats. Liu Tiezhu quietly approached the shadowy figure leaning against the bed. Soft sounds filled the stillness. After more than ten minutes, two shadows moved to the window. With the howling wind outside, they moved in a steady rhythm.
Thanks to his training, Liu Tiezhu had incredible stamina. The session lasted a full hour and a half. If not for worrying about Yang Yulan, he could have gone on.
"Zhu, how are you so amazing?" Yang Yulan said, blushing on the bed. Thinking back to their frenzy, her breath was still uneven. She'd heard about such matters from Aunt Wang next door, who'd said a man lasting half an hour was a man among men. Marrying such a man meant a woman's happiness. Liu Tiezhu's stamina shattered her expectations—over an hour, and he still wasn't satisfied.
"Amazing?" Liu Tiezhu was puzzled. "Isn't that normal?"
"Of course it's not normal. You must be eating too many tonics," Yang Yulan said, burying her blushing face in his chest. Her touch reignited his smoldering fire. He grabbed her and kissed her fiercely.
The next morning, Liu Tiezhu got up while the sky was still gray.
"Zhu, why are you up so early?" Huang Xiumei called from the kitchen.
"I'm going out with Gouzi to handle something. Don't need breakfast," he replied, heading to Ergouzi's room. Just then, Ergouzi came out.
"Got the stuff?" Liu Tiezhu asked in a low voice.
Gouzi nodded. "I left it outside the yard last night. Brother Zhu, your leg wound..."
"It's fine," Liu Tiezhu waved dismissively.
"No wonder your room was creaking last night..." Ergouzi caught himself mid-sentence, realizing his mistake. Before he could backtrack, *smack*—Liu Tiezhu slapped him on the head.
"Scram. Say another word, and I'll smack you."
Ergouzi dared not speak, grinning sheepishly as he turned to leave.
"What are you two up to so early?" Huang Xiumei stopped them, handing over two cooked wild chickens tied with straw. "Can't skip breakfast. Take these."
"Thanks, sister-in-law. We're off. If big brother asks, tell him we went to exercise," Liu Tiezhu said.
Twenty minutes later, they reached the entrance of Liujia Village. Under a poplar tree at Liujia Village's entrance crouched a man—Yang Hua, as arranged. He spotted Liu Tiezhu and hurried over.
"You're finally here. What's the plan?" Yang Hua asked.
Liu Tiezhu tore off half a wild chicken and handed it to him. "Let's find another spot to eat first. Once we're full, I'll take you to settle the score."