"Who would go into the mountains at this hour?" Du Tieshan asked curiously.
Moreover, judging by the sounds, there seemed to be quite a few people in the woods, all riding horses, with a 'thump-thump' sound...
"They're probably hunters, just ignore them!" Yun Erman said casually, then slung the entire yellow sheep onto his shoulder. "It's all downhill on the way back, not tiring, I can carry it myself!"
Not a hundred meters further, Yun Erman's legs started to tremble again...
Little Xi Tian blinked her big eyes and looked back.
It was so strange, she had not only heard the sound of hooves but also noisy shouting.
Had someone gotten lost in the mountains?
"Sister, stop looking, it's getting darker, and we still need to stew meat when we get back..." Yun Erman urged.
Little Xi Tian turned around, "Got it, second brother!~"
The three of them chatted as they returned to the village.
Meanwhile, deep in the dense forest, a group of riders galloped. Gu Zhenshan's eyes were ringed with dark circles, and his face was extremely weary.
Even the warhorse beneath him was constantly snorting, clearly exhausted.
"Young... Young General, there seems to be a village ahead!~" Steward Cao squinted and looked down the mountain.
Their young general was a leader in battle, but for some reason, he was naturally directionally challenged and often got lost.
He would always get turned around wherever they went, unable to distinguish east from west.
Ever since Du Lao San tricked them into moving forward last time, Gu Zhenshan had led his men on a wild chase, eventually ending up in the mountains inexplicably...
Oh dear, this mountain forest was like a maze. After wandering around, they finally saw some farmhouses.
"No, why does this village look so familiar?" Gu Zhenshan looked down the mountain. "Have we been here before?"
Steward Cao: "......"
Don't you know yourself if you've been here before?
It took so much effort to find Dashui Village.
Steward Cao didn't dare to speak, nor did he dare to advise, so they just kept circling in the area of Heyang County...
"Young General, it's snowing, and there are black bears in the forest. Let's hurry down the mountain!~" Steward Cao said.
Gu Zhenshan grunted and waved his hand, "Everyone, follow me down the mountain!~"
After a rumble of hooves, the group galloped towards Dashui Village...
Old Yun's family.
"My heavens, this thing is plump and fat. Old woman, look at this pelt. If we skin it and dry it, it'll be enough to make a vest for our daughter!" Old Man Yun held his pipe and circled the yellow sheep twice.
He had seen such animals in his youth and heard that yellow sheep liked to damage the pastures of herdsmen and reproduced very quickly...
If the rainfall was poor, they would surely gnaw away the sparse young grass on the pastures.
So, in the past few years, herdsmen spontaneously organized to round up yellow sheep together.
It was said that yellow sheep meat was tender and most delicious when roasted.
Thus, Old Man Yun began setting up a barbecue grill while muttering...
"Haha, Dad, Mom, no wonder sister wanted to go up the mountain with me. It turns out she attracted a yellow sheep. Tonight, save both hind legs of that sheep for sister, and no one is allowed to snatch them!~" Yun Erman said with a smile.
Gu Shi listened and proudly stroked her daughter's hair, "It's also thanks to Shanshan's archery skills. Otherwise, with how fast this thing runs, who could catch it?"
Du Tieshan, who was busy working, felt delighted...
With such delicious food suddenly appearing at home, it was natural to invite some close villagers to taste it.
So, Old Man Yun asked Erman to call the village chief, Du Lao San, and Fu Daqiang and his wife over.
They could help with skinning and cleaning the offal.
Half an hour later, Old Yun's family became lively again.
Outside, it was snowing lightly, but inside, there was great joy.
Du Tieshan stewed a pot of milky white sheep offal soup, chopped the lamb chops into small pieces, and stewed them with cabbage...
Old Man Yun was in charge of roasting the meat, and Zhao Guihua prepared a cold dish of pickled mustard greens.
Drizzled with chili oil and sprinkled with chopped scallions, the pickled mustard greens were both appetizing and suitable for drinking.
Deep-fried peanuts were essential. The Yun family hadn't eaten them for three days, and they had fried them early.
"Old Yun Touzi, I heard there's unrest outside. It's so dangerous for Daman and Sanman to go out doing business. You're really willing to let them go..." Du Lao San said, his eyes a little unfocused after drinking two bowls of wine.
Old Man Yun said, "If they want to go, can I stop them?"
After speaking, Old Man Yun put down his wine bowl and pinched Little Xi Tian's cheek, "Fortunately, I didn't let our daughter go with them. If anything happened, I would have jumped into the well!~"
Little Xi Tian: "......"
Daddy, my life is a life, but are the lives of my elder brothers, third brother, and Sister Fang not lives?
"Old Yun Tou, this lamb is too delicious!" Fu Daqiang said, his mouth greasy. "Do you have any more? Save me a hind leg, and I'll trade you tofu for it!"
Old Man Yun glared at him, "I do have some, but the lamb legs are saved for my daughter. I wouldn't trade them even for a cartload of tofu!~"
Fu Daqiang: "......"
This fellow, you've spoiled your little daughter to no end.
The village chief held his pipe and leaned back in his chair. "It's snowing now, and your Jinhe should be on holiday soon, right? By the way, how old is Jinhe this year? Fifteen or sixteen?"
When Old Man Yun heard this, he looked vigilant, "Why are you suddenly asking how old he is?"
Ever since Yun Jinhe started studying at Bocai Academy, matchmakers had been visiting their home from time to time...
Anyone with a little education knew that students trained by Bocai Academy every year could achieve good results, and the worst could become a county magistrate.
If they could marry their daughter to him, she would surely live a prosperous life in the future.
"What's wrong with asking?" The village chief twitched his short mustache and turned to Gu Shi, "Sister-in-law, tell me, how old is Jinhe?"
Gu Shi smiled and said, "He'll be sixteen after the New Year!~"
"Oh, that's a really good age. If a young man can also achieve fame, wouldn't young girls flock to him!~"
Little Xi Tian: "......"
Flies?
And flocking to him!
Young girls aren't as worthless as you say, alright!
The village chief gathered his thoughts before saying, "It's like this, my wife's cousin has a daughter who is the same age as Jinhe. She's beautiful, and although she can't read, she's capable. She can do everything: washing clothes, cooking, feeding pigs, carrying water, harvesting crops, and hunting. When Jinhe returns, I'll bring her over for you to see. Even if it doesn't work out, you won't lose anything, right?"
The Yun family: "......"