OBS Chapter 352: Emptying the Mountain
Chapter 352: Emptying the Mountain
My family has made jerky many times. Even if you don’t know how to make it, you can learn it by watching.
There was nothing to do in the winter, and once the family got moving, Zhou Guo couldn't help.
She went to the backyard and looked at the animals left and right. She thought that she should get rid of the roe deer. She had raised it for so long, it was time to put it to good use. Another one would not give birth to cubs, so keeping it would be a waste of food and it could also save some food for the others.
She pulled the roe deer out of the pen. After raising it for so long, it must have weighed at least 100 to 180 kilograms. It had grown quite a bit of meat, so the food and fodder had not been eaten in vain.
When everyone saw her dragging the unconscious roe deer, they were surprised and asked, "Are you going to kill the roe deer again?"
We just slaughtered a pig yesterday, and now we have to slaughter a roe deer. Everyone is a little reluctant. These have been raised for so long. We go to check on them every day whenever we have time. In just two days, they will all be made into dishes.
Zhou Guo nodded and said, "Yes, the only rabbits left at home are the ones that Master brought back. The others have been made into cured rabbits, which are not easy to make into jerky. There is only this roe deer and two deer left in the backyard. After looking around, I think this roe deer is the most suitable. I have raised it for so long, but it won't give birth to any cubs, and it will cost us a lot of food and grass. We might as well kill it all."
When everyone heard this, they nodded quickly, fearing that if they didn't say it well, she would kill the two deer. In comparison, it would be better to kill a roe deer.
Roe deer meat is tender, so Zhou Guo specially cut off two legs, thinking that they would eat one and give the other to the soldiers on duty. The weather was so cold, they needed to eat some meat to replenish their energy.
The meat of a roe deer has been divided up and cut into strips, the internal organs have been processed, and everything is marinated and ready to be put into the pot, but the few people who went into the mountains to hunt have not returned yet.
Li asked Zhou Dacang worriedly, "Should we send someone to look for him? It's icy and snowy here. The snow is thick in the mountains and the ice is thick. They are unfamiliar with the place. Could they get lost in the woods and unable to get out?"
Zhou Dacang said, "Second sister-in-law, don't worry. They are used to hunting and have been to all kinds of strange forests. They haven't come back yet. I guess they are in high spirits. It seems that their harvest today is quite good."
After hearing this, Zhou Guo looked at the roe deer and lamented that it was killed too early. Since it had already been killed, he couldn't put the meat and the head back, so he might as well eat the meat.
When it was getting dark, the dried meat had started to be roasted, and Lao Hei and his two companions finally came back in the snow and wind.
"Puff, puff, puff..." There were continuous sounds, and a pile of things were thrown into the yard one after another.
Zhou Da Cang happened to be back from a patrol and saw this and said, "Good fellows, you are really amazing. Have you emptied our mountain?"
The Zhou family members also stared at the things on the ground in amazement.
Even the old man came out of the house holding a cup of tea to watch the fun.
Zhou Guo looked at the things on the ground: countless pheasants and rabbits, three badgers, two goats, three deer, and a wild boar!
With so many things to offer, how many mountains did you have to climb?
Lao Hei said, "I don't know what's wrong with the mountain here. We can't even see a mouse on the outskirts of the mountain. We can only go deeper. There are rabbits and pheasants in the deeper part, but no big ones."
Old Zheng pointed at the goats and deer and said, "We climbed over three hills to hunt these animals, and the wild boar climbed over two hills."
"Why are those prey hiding in the mountains in the middle of winter and not coming out?" Ren Liu asked in confusion.
"Really?" The Zhou family was puzzled and looked at the old man, "Sir, have you ever gone so deep when hunting before?"
The old man held the teacup and shook his head, "I am too old to walk that deep, and I am afraid I won't be able to get out with the things I carry."
Zhou Guo said: "Master, you must have hunted too much in the forest on weekdays, so these things have gone deep into the forest and dare not show their heads outside easily."
Lao Hei and the others didn't know who taught Zhou Dacang his skills before. After coming here and seeing how powerful Zhou Guo was, they realized that their skills were taught by the old man in the family. When they saw that he was so old, but still often braved the wind and snow to go into the deep woods to hunt, they were very impressed.
Several people bowed and said, "Old man, you are really good at fighting. I admire you!"
The old man waved his hand and said, "I am not a skilled person. I just can't sit still. I am bored at home, so I want to go to the mountains and hunt some things. You young people are really talented. You brought back so many things as soon as you went into the mountains. I can't hunt these things in half a month."
Several people responded modestly.
Zhou Guo's ears buzzed as he listened, and he asked, "Master, uncles, how do we make these things?"
The old man said, "Why are you asking me? I didn't hunt these things. You should ask your uncles."
As he spoke, he took the teacup and went back to the house. It was getting late, and the wind and snow were getting stronger outside.
Lao Hei and the others were silent. Although they were the ones who got the things, they were not the hosts. They looked at Zhou Dacang.
Zhou Dacang smiled and divided the pile into three portions, saying, "Send this one to the brothers in the camp so they can have something good to eat. We'll keep this one for ourselves, and this one over here for making jerky. We'll make some more. The last time I brought them, they ate them for four days, and then they found out that they had eaten half a month's supply in just one day."
Lao Hei and his friends were exposed in public and scratched their heads in embarrassment. "Your meat jerky is so delicious. The meat in the camp is so bland. We can't resist it when we see it. We won't eat these. Let's make them into meat jerky. If it's not enough, we will go into the mountains to hunt tomorrow."
Everyone in the Zhou family laughed.
Zhou Guo said, "Uncle Hei, Uncle Zheng, Uncle Liu, you don't have to go. Kill this wild boar. It will be enough for everyone in your camp to eat for two or three days. We only need a goat these days. The rest will be made into jerky for you. It will be enough for you to eat for several months."
Ren Liu was very excited when he heard this, "Really? Then I'll help you. Is there anything I can do?"
Lao Hei said, "It will take a long time for us to finish this task with just these things. I will go to the camp and call two people over. They have nothing to do in the camp anyway, so they can just sit there and do nothing."
This is even better. The Zhou family is eager to do it. If they were to do all these things by themselves, they would have to work day and night without rest.
These prey had all been shot to death with arrows, their blood had been drained out, and some had been frozen solid.
In order to deal with these things as quickly as possible, everyone in the yard worked until late at night and continued working early the next morning.
The wild boar was also divided among the soldiers. They only carried half away, and the Zhou family kept the other half. Together with the rest from the previous pig, the group ate it every day, either stir-frying, stewing or roasting. The fragrance of the Zhou family's yard never lingered.