My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 337 Wild Delicacies, Wild Beasts Hold a Meeting at Night

On a dark winter night, Chen Ling comforted his wife and children, then put on his coat and went out.

Under the cold night sky, Chen Ling, holding a flashlight, walked out of the farm with his dog. His breath turned into white vapor in the hazy light in front of him.

The quiet orchard was filled with the soft sound of footsteps.

A man and a dog walked through the orchard, approaching the spot where they had set up a foothold.

Even before getting close, at a distance of about ten meters, in the dim light of the flashlight, one could vaguely see several deer pacing anxiously back and forth between the trees.

Chen Ling squinted and looked carefully.

Wow, they're sika deer, there are six of them, big and small.

The largest one must weigh at least 140 or 150 pounds.

Sika deer are timid and alert. When they sense light or movement, they spring up like springs in the forest, making a fluttering sound as they run like the wind.

When Heiwa chased after them, five of the sika deer had already crossed the ditch and were climbing up the rocks at an angle, kicking up a lot of snow and mud.

"Heiwa, catch the little ones, the big ones aren't tasty."

Seeing Heiwa chase after it, Chen Ling called out, his gaze falling on the sika deer that had stepped into the claw.

He smacked his feet three times in one go yesterday morning.

Only this deer stepped on it.

This sika deer was rather small for a female, weighing probably less than 70 or 80 pounds. One of its front legs got caught in the claw. When it saw Chen Ling walking over, it cried out in panic, pulling at its trapped front leg while its other three legs struggled violently, trying to pull itself out of the claw.

As Chen Ling drew closer, it even considered leaping outwards.

But with one of its front legs caught, how could it jump out? Dragging the plank it was holding onto, it jumped less than half a meter before tumbling and falling to the ground because one of its front legs was trapped.

When Chen Ling walked up to the sika deer, it was still tugging at its feet and trying to leap away.

But it was all in vain; its front legs were trapped, and the wooden planks it was gripping were still chained, so it couldn't break free.

Chen Ling crouched down, grabbed him, and pinned him to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a young female fawn that had grown up in the spring. Its fur was reddish-brown, and when I touched it, I found that its flesh was quite thick and it hadn't lost much weight.

The sika deer was pinned to the ground by him, trembling.

Seeing its pitiful state, Chen Ling didn't wait for Heiwa to return. He immediately drew his knife and stabbed the deer in the neck, ending its suffering.

There are eight delicacies in the world.

The Eight Delicacies of the Upper Class, the Eight Delicacies of the Lower Class, the Eight Delicacies of Herbs, and the Eight Delicacies of Wild Food.

Deer are among the eight delicacies of wild cuisine.

Especially young deer, whose meat is tender and delicious, and whose odor is easy to remove. If properly prepared, it is not much worse than muntjac meat.

This is why Chen Ling instructed Heiwa to choose small sika deer to catch.

In addition, these semi-grown deer are not of reproductive age, and even if they go through the autumn mating season when the male deer joins the herd and mates with the female deer, they will not get pregnant.

Eat with confidence, no problem.

……

"Is this a sika deer? Why doesn't it have any pretty white spots on its body?"

Outside the kitchen, under the light, Chen Ling was bleeding a sika deer, while a group of chubby puppies surrounded the basin of blood, scrambling to drink it.

Wang Susu was worried that he would run up the mountain in the middle of the night to chase deer, so she also put on her clothes and came out.

"Actually, it is, but it's not very noticeable during the winter when they molt."

Chen Ling looked up and smiled at her: "Is Rui Rui asleep?"

"Yes, he's asleep. It's warm in the room, and he's sleeping soundly."

Wang Susu agreed and came over to help him tidy up.

A little while later, Heiwa returned carrying a small female deer in his mouth.

It's always been obedient in this respect; if you tell it to catch the small one, it will catch the small one.

Sika deer are herds of females, while males live alone.

Outside of mating season, the herds consist mostly of female deer and fawns.

Male deer only enter the herd during mating season.

Chen Ling also looked at the deer that Heiwa had brought back, and added with satisfaction: "Both of these deer are very good. I'll process the venison and stew it in a big pot. Tomorrow morning, we can have a hot pot of venison stew."

Wang Susu couldn't help but swallow hard as she listened to what he said.

Venison hot pot, topped with a ring of flatbread, tastes absolutely delicious.

Chen Ling had made it a few times last year, so she knew what it tasted like.

In addition, we've collected enough deerskins. In a couple of days, we'll find a leather craftsman to make a deerskin coat for my husband.

……

As a result, the young couple went back to their room and slept for less than two hours. Around 4 a.m., Heiwa started barking again.

Chen Ling knew from Heiwa's urgent cries that something had come in.

Get up and take a look.

Wow, this is amazing! It's really lively outside.

Several large tabby cats were seen standing on the roof of the kitchen behind the farm.

They squatted on the rooftops in various poses, their eyes glowing green, staring eerily at the black children on the ground.

Behind Heiwa was a group of his little rascals, who were protecting him closely.

Chen Ling was horrified when he saw the large tabby cats: "Tu Baozi!"

The earth leopard is the same as the clouded leopard.

This whole family arrived without a word.

He quickly grabbed a pitchfork and swung it towards the roof.

His swing startled him.

Because of this swing, not only were the leopards startled and jumped off the house, disappearing into the night in a few swift movements, but a long, mournful bird call suddenly came from behind them, followed by the sound of flapping wings.

Turning around, I saw several owls perched on the treetops not far away.

The branches were still swaying. There was also a rustling sound from the shadows, suggesting some wild creature might be lurking there.

"Good heavens, if the smell of meat wafts out, will all sorts of wild animals come down from the mountain to hold a grand meeting at my house?"

Chen Ling smelled the aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen and knew how tempting the smell of meat and the blood of a slaughtered deer were to the hungry wild animals in the mountains.

"Even the owls have come."

He glanced at Heiwa as he spoke; the guy was unusually cautious and composed tonight.

Knowing that he couldn't catch the things in the tree, he didn't waste his time and just stayed close to the puppy's kennel to keep them safe.

After all, these chubby little dogs are a delicious meal for the leopard.

Seeing the little fat dogs gather around him again, Chen Ling, who had previously fed them deer blood, stopped feeding them. He went to the kitchen, lifted the pot lid, and scooped up a piece of venison to taste it amidst the rising steam.

He then put the pot down again, put the lid back on, picked up the skewer to poke around in the firebox, added more firewood, and continued simmering.

It's almost 5 a.m. now, and after tossing and turning all night, I'm not sleepy at all.

Of course, he and Wang Susu always went to bed early and woke up early, but when the weather was bad, they liked to take a nap after breakfast.

When I was no longer sleepy, I would take out the cold ash that had accumulated under the stove and put it into the fire pit next to the vegetable cellar behind the kitchen.

Farmhouses have water vats and fire pits.

In the past, fire pits were used to block fires and store ash.

The fire vat is called a vat, but it is not entirely shaped like a water vat.

In the past, they were mostly placed between the stove and the woodpile to block the fire.

Now it's just accumulating dust.

Slowly accumulating a vat of wood ash, when the vat is almost full, it is hauled to one's own field to make excellent fertilizer.

Especially when the seeds are just sprouting, sowing them will ensure that the crops grown will be strong and robust.

It can also be used for pest control and sterilization, and it plays a significant role in various aspects.

At this moment, Wang Susu, dressed, came over and asked, "What's wrong? Did you catch another deer? I heard quite a commotion."

"No, it's the smell of meat that attracted the wild animals from the mountain. I've seen leopards and owls, and who knows what else might be lurking in the shadows."

Chen Ling shook his head: "It's my fault. Killing deer at night, the aroma of meat and the smell of blood waft out, how could they not come? And it's hard to find food in winter."

Upon hearing that the leopards had arrived, Wang Susu hurriedly said worriedly, "Then don't let Xiao Jin go back to the village tomorrow. Let him stay here and keep watch. If they come back at night, Heiwa won't be able to handle them."

"Yes, I'm thinking of doing that too."

This was their first time spending the winter on a farm, which was right next to the mountains and forests. No matter how fierce or intimidating the dogs were, they couldn't stop the lurking wild animals in the mountains from watching them.

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a wild beast that's starving.

The wildcat from a few days ago is proof of that.

However, there's no need to worry too much. With the Lunar New Year approaching, the constant firecrackers day and night will keep most wild animals away from the village, and only a small number will come down from the mountains.

Chen Ling is easy to deal with.

Isn't it easy to drive away wild animals?
Setting off firecrackers is allowed.

You could light a few fires and throw in some animal repellent.

If that doesn't work, we'll stop chasing them away, just grab them one by one and stuff them all into the cave to give birth.

But since it's almost Chinese New Year, it's better to set off firecrackers; it's fun to do it at night.

He had originally planned to buy more fireworks and firecrackers this year, and he would go shopping in a couple of days.

"The meat is almost ready. Let's eat while Rui Rui is still asleep."

"Okay, I'll go and put up a few pancakes and some steamed buns."

After the young couple had been busy for a while, as dawn broke, Chen Ling lifted the pot lid, ladled out two bowls of steaming hot venison, and began to eat it heartily with the broth-soaked flatbread.

In the warm kitchen, bathed in the orange glow of the fire, Heiwa lay sprawled on the floor, blocking the kitchen doorway completely. A group of chubby puppies whined and circled under the kitchen table, begging for food from the two of them.

A little while later, a few more furtive, hunched-over figures peered into the kitchen from the distant wall of the farm.

That was a fox that crawled in through the waterway.

This shows just how attractive the aroma of the meat was to these little wild animals.

Unfortunately, Little Gold wasn't there, so they didn't dare to go forward.

Venison truly lives up to its reputation as one of the eight delicacies of the wild. It lacks the greasiness of pork and the gamey smell of mutton. When Chen Ling stewed it, he used mushrooms. Mountain delicacies paired with mountain delicacies, it has a grassy aroma and tastes almost like Chinese herbal medicine. The meat is also extremely tender, and every bite is filled with rich and fragrant broth.

Chen Ling was enjoying his meal so much that he warmed up some corn liquor. Wang Susu also drank some, and her face turned rosy.

Chen Ling ate three large bowls of meat from a big pot. After he was full, Wang Susu went back to the house to take care of the children, so Chen Ling brought Xiao Jin and Xiao Bai Niu from the village to the farm.

Actually, there's not much going on during the day, but having both dogs around makes things more secure.

After finishing their meal and tidying up the house, they cut half of the remaining deer meat, and the two of them, carrying the child and the meat, went to Wang Lixian's house.

"Fugui is so generous, bringing over so much venison."

There were many people at Wang Lixian's house today. Relatives and friends arrived early, and after learning that Chen Ling had brought venison, everyone followed the young couple to the kitchen.

This venison is very valuable, and everyone was amazed that this kid could carry so much over.

"Ha, it's Sisi'er's happy occasion, how could we, as her uncle and aunt, be stingy?"

Chen Ling chuckled and hung the sign in the kitchen, saying to Liu Yuzhi, "Sister-in-law, Si Ni'er is coming back to her parents' home in a few days. She'll make venison dumplings for us, and we'll have to come back for another meal."

Liu Yuzhi smiled brightly, nodded to the young couple, and invited them into the house.

Wang Lixian also said with a beaming smile, "Come on, come and have a few more meals, I'm just afraid you won't come."

Then invite them to sit down.

There's no need for excessive formalities between the two families.

Chen Ling has never been a stingy person.

Furthermore, since there are deer near the farm, they are easy to catch, so they certainly won't be stingy with the meat.

When it's cold, set up a salt pit in an area where deer often roam.

Herbivorous wild animals love to eat salt.

Using salt flats as bait to set traps for deer, they rarely fail to catch them.

(End of this chapter)