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Chapter 310: Chapter 300: Spring Outing (4)
Cleaning up the roe deer took quite some time, and by the time Li Hongjun had completely disassembled a buck, the wild chicken buried in the ground was also roasted.
Li Hongjun washed his hands clean in the stream before he started to pull away the extinguished pile of ashes, using his knife to dig out the buried roasted chicken.
He tapped lightly on the encased mud with the back of his knife, and a crack opened up in the dried mud, releasing the aroma of the chicken meat.
"Hmm, smells like it’s pretty good," Shen Yunfang took a deep breath.
"It tastes even better," said Li Hongjun briskly, as he peeled off the outer layer of crust to reveal the whitish meat inside.
Without minding the heat, he reached in and tore off a chicken leg to give to his wife.
Shen Yunfang took a bite and though it tasted very true to its natural flavors and was very juicy, the saltiness was quite light. It was passable for her, but for someone like Li Hongjun who liked his food salty, how could he possibly be used to it?
So, she took out a small dish of pepper and salt from her space, tore off a piece of chicken, and dipped it in the seasoning before eating. It was just right.
The two of them and their dog didn’t take long to finish off the chicken. With their big appetites, one chicken divided into three portions wasn’t all that much.
But that’s the kind of sweet indulgence that made it memorable; if they’d had their fill all at once, they wouldn’t crave it the next time.
After finishing the chicken, Li Hongjun was still responsible for cleaning up the site, and then the family of four started heading home.
While walking on the road, Shen Yunfang remembered something and asked, "Hey, if our mountains here have everything, why don’t the families in our military area have any meat? If they want to eat, why not come up the mountain to hunt?
"Hehe, you think everyone is as capable as your man?" Li Hongjun said this quite proudly, for in the army, everyone was trained in the same combat skills, but there were very few who would use their brains to explore those skills further. Not to boast, but in this military area, it was rare to find a handful of people who matched his skills.
We are the type that can perfectly combine wisdom with innate physical abilities, a versatile talent.
"Pssh, keep bragging," Shen Yunfang didn’t buy it. However, she did believe that Li Hongjun had the best stamina, as her Essence of Life was not given in vain.
Ordinary soldiers need to report and ask for leave to go out of the military area, and there was always a time limit whenever they went out, making it unrealistic to think of hunting in the mountains. It was not easy for officers who had families and businesses to go hunting either.
"Hehe," Li Hongjun didn’t explain further, "I imagine it’s not that no one comes up to hunt in the mountains, but whatever they hunt, they take home quietly to eat. Do you think they would let you see?"
The couple discussed how to cook the deer meat all the way home until they finally decided on a few ways. Of course, the one in charge of cooking could only be Shen Yunfang; Li Hongjun was just the one waiting to eat.
"Hongjun, you guys are finally back."
They had just pushed their bicycles into the yard when someone came out from the house next door.
"What’s up? Anything wrong?" Li Hongjun parked the bicycle and signaled Shen Yunfang to go inside, while he stayed to inquire.
"Haha, nothing serious, just that you got a letter today. I brought it back for you," Wu Guoqiang said with a chuckle, patting his belly.
Li Hongjun knew him too well and said with a smile, "Since when have you been so diligent? Your wife must be happy to know."
"Oh, get out of here, hurry up, and no playing dumb, see? What did you get?" Wu Guoqiang asked as if he were involved in some covert operation, the last question whispered under his breath.
"I won’t tell you," Li Hongjun unloaded the basket from his bike and, with effort, carried it toward the house.
Due to the cloth sacks covering the kang, it was hard to make out what was inside.
Li Hongjun was quite generous, and before he closed the door, he called out, "Have your sister-in-law bring the kids over for dinner tonight. You’ve had my wife’s cooking before; if you come late, I’m not responsible for just leaving you with the leftover soup."
Watching the closed door, Wu Guoqiang couldn’t contain his glee— he knew Li Hongjun was onto something; he never returned empty-handed from the hills. Since he found out Li Hongjun was heading up there, he’d been looking forward to it. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
"Wife, we’re not cooking tonight, we’re taking the kids to Hongjun’s."
That evening, wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air above the family compound, and Li Hongjun’s section was once again filled with the aroma of meat.
"Mom, are we cooking meat at our house? I want meat," a child who had been lured home by the scent while playing outside, came in and begged his mother for meat.
"Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you know. What else are you good for? Meat? You might as well eat me instead," a mother, worried about the nearly empty rice bin at home, found her child stepping right into the line of fire.
The child, accustomed to being scolded, acted as if he hadn’t heard, and although he suspected that the delicious smell might not be coming from his own house, he couldn’t help but lift the lid of their pot. Seeing nothing but colorless strips of cabbage, he felt completely hopeless.
"Hey, you darn kid, why’d you lift the pot lid?" The mother quickly snatched the lid back and securely covered the pot again.
"Wah, I want meat, I want meat. It’s been a year since I had any; it’s just cabbage strips every day. I’m not a little white bunny; why do I always have to eat cabbage?" The child, unable to bear the disappointment any longer, broke down completely, yearning for meat.
"Scram, you little rascal. Is the meat we had for New Year’s all fed to the dogs now? You don’t want to eat cabbage either? You’re really spoiled. When I was young, I couldn’t even get cabbage leaves, you know that...?"
After getting home, Shen Yunfang placed her child on the kang and left Taxue to watch him inside while she went to the kitchen to start preparing the evening meal.
On the way, Li Hongjun had told her to expect Wu Guoqiang and his family of five for dinner and to prepare accordingly.
She hadn’t believed it at first, but as soon as she entered the yard, she saw Wu Guoqiang waiting there, seemingly for Li Hongjun. After overhearing their conversation in the yard, she became convinced.
She also realized that Wu Guoqiang knew Li Hongjun well and was aware of his capabilities. Hence, upon hearing that Li Hongjun had gone into the mountains, he looked forward to possibly freelancing a good meal that evening. It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
Shen Yunfang was delighted that Li Hongjun had such a good friend, so she welcomed the opportunity to host Wu Guoqiang and his family of five.
Shen Yunfang thought for a moment, deciding that they would have dumplings that evening. With fresh vegetables not available yet, they would make do with pork and cabbage fillings.
It was fortunate that, just the day before, Li Hongjun had bought a piece of pork, almost two pounds. She planned to add a little extra in secret, so there would be enough to eat.
Of course, the two men would want a couple of drinks; a couple of stir-fried dishes for them would do the job.
With her plan set, Shen Yunfang went to the storehouse, took out a cabbage, peeled off the outer leaves, and began chopping.
While she was busy, Wu’s sister-in-law came over to help.
"Yunfang, I’m sorry to impose again this evening. I came to see if there’s anything I can do," Wu’s sister-in-law asked, somewhat embarrassed as she entered the room.
"Oh, sister-in-law, you’ve come at just the right time. I was thinking about having dumplings tonight, with pork and cabbage filling. Li Hongjun brought back a piece of pork yesterday. Today, he also hunted a rabbit in the mountains; we’ll braise it later as a dish for their drinks."
