Chapter 24: Fragrant Rice Balls, Climbing the Mountain Again in His Wife’s Name

For the past few days, Chu Feng has stayed at home, keeping a low profile. He is worried that Chu Tian might come looking for trouble, and he is also concerned that the snow leopard might return to stir up more mischief at night. Fortunately, ever since the day it snatched a piece of meat from his home, the leopard has not been seen in the village again. Chu Tian has also remained quietly at the Chu residence, never stepping foot outside.

Chu Feng has given all the money he earned to Zhou Xiaoxiao to look after. However, the food supplies at home are dwindling. Not wanting his wife and child to go hungry, Chu Feng always prepares meals according to their appetites. He cannot visit the town too often, lest he attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. In this era of turmoil, such things happen all too frequently. Thus, Chu Feng tries his best to limit his trips to town to once a month. Before that, he needs to hunt enough game to sell.

Early this morning, Zhou Xiaoxiao began making wild vegetable dumplings. These dumplings are a favorite staple among many villagers; by gathering wild greens, mixing them with rice or flour, adding a pinch of salt, and steaming them, they become a simple, delicious ration. If a household has the means to add a bit of oil, they taste even better.

Looking at the freshly steamed rice dumplings, Chu Feng said, "Keep two for yourself. These are made with white rice; you can’t give them all to me."

"No need, we still have rice at home, I’ll make my own if I get hungry." Zhou Xiaoxiao stubbornly stuffed all four large dumplings into Chu Feng’s bamboo basket.

Before dawn had even broken, Chu Feng slung his bow and arrows over his back and tucked his axe behind him.

"Stay safe," Zhou Xiaoxiao said.

"If I’m not back by nightfall, remember to lock the door tight. Beware of the 'big cat'."

"Mm."

Zhou Xiaoxiao’s spirits were low, and she looked at Chu Feng with unconcealed worry. Chu Feng stepped forward and gave her a quick kiss, which instantly made her face turn bright red.

"What are you doing..." The women of this era were, after all, quite shy.

"Your husband will definitely return safely. Go back inside."

With that, Chu Feng headed toward the mountains. This time, he carried a piece of sheepskin parchment in his jacket. He wanted to try to traverse the dense forest and locate the source of the stream in Taoyuan Village.

***

Ten wen per oil frog, two wen per crayfish—these prices are certainly not low. Catching ten frogs alone would net him one hundred wen. In his past life, Chu Feng had heard that people in the Northeast loved eating these oil frogs. During his outdoor adventures in the Greater Khingan Range, he had encountered both frogs and crayfish. The "oil frog" is actually the Northeast wood frog; they are sturdy, with firm, chewy meat. They aren't very large, usually only four to five centimeters, though females can grow to six or seven centimeters. They are highly nutritious and delicious, tasting much better when braised than bullfrog. However, in his previous life, this creature was a protected species, and hunting them in the wild was prohibited. Having never eaten the farmed version, Chu Feng had never tasted them himself.

But Chu Feng was even more excited about the crayfish—the "Northeast crawfish." They are pitch black and slightly smaller than regular crayfish, with a bit less meat. However, they only grow in unpolluted waters; even the slightest pollution kills them. Their flavor is in no way inferior to the oil frogs. Chu Feng had once tasted "crayfish tofu" and it was so delicious he nearly bit his tongue off. If he could catch some, he could make a meal for his wife and child.

The oil frogs are currently hibernating, making them hard to catch on the mountain. Moreover, they are only found near streams, right where the crayfish live. As long as Chu Feng finds that river, he can catch both.

But after walking only a few steps, Chu Feng saw three people squatting at the village entrance: Sun Can, Du Cheng, and Wang Wei. They were bundled up so tightly that if not for Chu Feng’s keen eyesight, he would have mistaken them for three bears squatting there. When they saw him, they ran over in excitement.

"Brother Feng, oh my god, we finally waited for you!"

"Yeah, we’ve been getting up early every day just to stake you out here."

"Brother Feng, are you going hunting? Take us with you!"

Looking at the three of them, Chu Feng was torn between laughter and frustration. "Are you three truly not afraid of death?"

The events of a few days ago were still fresh in everyone's memory. Most people in the village had given up on the idea of hunting; it really wasn't a job for the faint of heart. Chu Feng had assumed these three had long since abandoned the notion.

Wang Wei immediately raised his hand to swear, "Brother Feng, this time we will definitely follow orders. We’ll do whatever you tell us to do, and we absolutely won't run around. If I break this oath, let me be struck by lightning!"

Chu Feng asked curiously, "Why must you follow me?"

Du Cheng stepped forward, looking a bit embarrassed. "Brother Feng, I heard you talking to my father the other day. I know you’re going to catch oil frogs and crayfish, but they aren't easy to find, and it's dangerous for you to go alone. Let us come with you—four people can look out for each other. Plus, everything we catch will be yours; you just have to give us twenty percent!"

***

Chu Feng remained silent for a long time, suddenly realizing that Du Cheng’s logic held water. His own strength was limited, but with four people, the efficiency would be much higher. And with more people, the safety factor would also increase significantly.

"Are you serious? You really only want twenty percent?"

"Absolutely! We’ve already brought our tools." Sun Can brought over the bamboo baskets and hoes from behind his back. It seemed the three of them had been planning this for a while and were quite persistent, waiting for him for several days in a row.

"Then let me say this first: you must listen to my commands. You do exactly what I tell you!"

After the warning, Chu Feng waved his hand, and the four of them headed deep into the mountains. There was no snow falling today, but the air remained bone-chillingly cold. The four men followed in Chu Feng's footsteps, eventually arriving at the dense forest from before. It was here that Chu Feng had saved Sun Can and Wang Wei.

"Brother Feng, do you think those Daxia soldiers are still around here?"

"Probably not. Those three were likely just lost and stumbled upon this place, running into you two unlucky devils."

"Did you hear that? He called you an unlucky devil," Wang Wei teased, patting Sun Can.

Sun Can, refusing to be outdone, patted him back. The group was young, after all; chatting and joking along the way made the journey feel less lonely. Chu Feng smiled and shook his head, continuing to lead the way.

Du Cheng held the sheepskin parchment, looking thoughtful. "The dense forest—it should be around this location."

Chu Feng leaned in, took a look, and said, "That’s right. We should be deep in the forest now. We’ll walk out soon, and if we head north, we'll be in the direction of Taoyuan Village. We don't need to go all the way out; this area should be the upper reaches of the Taoyuan Village stream."

"Brother Feng, I didn't know you could read maps," Du Cheng said, surprised.

Chu Feng curled his lip. He hadn't even reached the point of being truly lost yet. When that time came, he could teach them hundreds of ways to identify directions.

Since they hadn't encountered any danger, the group let their guard down. Du Cheng adjusted his hat and laughed, "My dad said there were 'bear-blind' (black bears) in the forest. We’ve been walking for nearly an hour and haven't seen one, and we're almost out of the woods."

"Even if there were, they'd be hibernating right now," Wang Wei laughed.

Just as they were chatting and laughing, Chu Feng suddenly stopped. He raised his hand, and the noisy Wang Wei and Du Cheng instantly fell silent.

"What's wrong?"

Chu Feng looked up at the vast expanse of snow, his brow furrowing.

"You’re right... this thing—it shouldn't be hibernating, should it?"