Leisurely mountain village

Dinner was plentiful. Ye Huan's mother distributed wild game to almost all the families she was close to. Bai Jie cooked the meal, and there were two or three hot pots with roe deer meat, wild mutton, and a pot of pheasant stewed with wild mushrooms. They didn't prepare any wild venison today.

A large bowl of vegetable soup, plus three stir-fried vegetables, the whole family, along with Bai Jie and Jing Jing, ate their meal.

"This mutton is absolutely amazing, sister-in-law, your cooking skills are incredible!" Ye Huan praised after eating the wild mutton. Juanjuan just nodded, her mouth full of meat. The life she was living now was exactly what she had always dreamed of—having meat to eat every day.

"It's the mutton that's good. I haven't seen wild sheep in so many years." Bai Jie didn't take credit, as if she was thinking of the past.

"We should be able to deliver some vegetables tomorrow. I don't know how much. I checked the road; it's passable, but it's okay to walk slowly," Ye Huan's father said, getting down to business. The rain had stopped, and there should be money coming in tomorrow.

I'm used to it now. If I don't receive the money for a day, I feel empty and uneasy.

Ye Huan nodded: "Let's see tomorrow morning. If it's still possible, we'll send it over. If not, we'll wait another day."

Although Manager Du messaged him as soon as the rain stopped today, asking if he could deliver vegetables tomorrow, he hasn't replied yet.

Strictly speaking, Ye Huan suffered quite a lot of losses from this storm. Not to mention the watermelons, peaches, and vegetables, about half of the chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cattle, and sheep on the back mountain were also lost.

Fortunately, the nests built by the villagers were of decent quality. However, when the flash flood occurred, many chickens and lambs were washed away. Considering the quality of the chickens Ye Huan raised, the loss was considerable.

"Dad, when you go ask about the greenhouse frames this time, also ask if they have any pigsties or chicken coops. We need to rebuild the back hill; it needs to be sturdy and of good quality," Ye Huan said. The ones he made himself, a mixture of wood and soil, were still a bit lacking.

He still needs to increase the strength, using reinforced concrete.

"Okay, how about we bring two chickens and ducks over tomorrow and give it a try?" Ye Dafa asked.

Ye Huan thought for a moment, "Forget it. Before we suffered any losses, it wouldn't have mattered if we gave them some, but now that we've lost almost half, let's keep it for ourselves. We'll also buy some chicken, duck, and goslings. Dad, you can handle the pigs and sheep, no rush."

Ye Dafa nodded, then he wouldn't bring them. It's not like before; he's not short of money now, so he thinks it's normal for his family to eat better. If it were a month or so ago, he definitely wouldn't have agreed, because so many of them could have made a lot of money.

"Uncle, have some meat~" Jingjing finally managed to pick up a piece of wild goat meat and handed it to Ye Huan. Ye Huan lowered his head and swallowed it in one bite. "Mmm, delicious. Jingjing, have some meat too."

Everyone laughed.

After finishing their meal, Ye Huan's parents continued cutting the meat and then rode their electric tricycle to deliver it to their friend.

Bai Jie tidied up the house and watched TV quietly. Ye Huan had drunk quite a bit with her grandfather today. Her grandfather was very stable every day, drinking a small cup of tiger bone wine, and living a very comfortable life.

The rain stopped, but there was still a bit of wind, not strong, and it was quite comfortable and cool. Ye Huan carried Jingjing, followed by Xiaobai and Saihu, and went out for a stroll to digest their food.

"Second Uncle, what are you doing?" Ye Huan saw Xiao Tangyuan and his grandfather busy by the river. Tangyuan and the little dog were standing on the bank, while Tangyuan's grandfather and Ye Huan's second uncle were rummaging through the grass by the river.

"Oh, Xiao Huan, I'll set a few traps and catch some shrimp and eels to improve Xiao Tangyuan's diet," Second Uncle said with a smile.

"Uncle, Jingjing~" The two little girls tangled together again and started chatting. They talked about everything under the sun. Ye Huan didn't know what they were talking about, but they were so happy.

Saihu and Xiaohua were also being affectionate, while Xiaobai and Yehuan were left alone.

"Do you have eels?" Ye Huan asked curiously.

"Yes, but they're not very big, just enough to eat," Uncle said. These small rivers formed by water flowing down from the mountains rarely have any large creatures.

Ye Huan nodded. These are all living things. He can put some in his space when he has nothing to do. But he can't pollute the spring. He still needs to drink from it. He can just create a separate small pond.

There are also those small river shrimp, about an inch long, but with very long claws. These wild river shrimp are delicious when stir-fried in oil with some chili and garlic, and they go very well with drinks.

Even though she had just eaten her fill, Ye Huan was already craving herself again, almost drooling. It's unbelievable.

Then he thought of the river snails, the kind with shells, where you take the meat out and stew it with salted meat. Oh my god, my mouth is watering again.

Then there's braised small mixed fish, with a ring of flatbread stuck around the edge of the pot. No, Ye Huan can't take it anymore.

"Second Uncle, save some small fish for me, I'm craving some," Ye Huan said.

"Okay~ I'll see how many there are tomorrow and deliver them to your house." Second Uncle nodded. Little Tangyuan eats at their house countless times a year, so this is nothing.

"Okay, thanks, Second Uncle~" Ye Huan didn't mention money, as he might get beaten up. This was his father's cousin, within the fifth degree of kinship.

Although Ye Huan's grandfather and father were not the oldest in their respective generations, they were indeed the eldest sons and grandsons of their respective branches of the family.

Just like Ye Huan, Bai Jie's husband was older than her, but Ye Huan was the eldest grandson of the Ye family. Every year when the Ye family held its ancestral hall ceremony, no one dared to stand in his place, or they would be beaten to death.

After watching his second uncle set down a few traps, Ye Huan picked up Jingjing and left. It was a rare cool day, so they took a walk. Little Tangyuan soon followed his grandfather home as well. Saihu took Xiaohua back before coming to find her owner.

"You're such a simp." Ye Huan looked down on Saihu. When he was with Xiaobai, Saihu was always very arrogant, but as soon as he met Xiaohua, he turned into a simp, which made Ye Huan look down on him.

"Woof woof~~" Saihu didn't care and said, "This is love, single dog..."

Ye Huan was so angry she almost kicked it away. Ignoring it, Ye Huan hummed an unknown tune, led Jingjing around the village. At this time, almost everyone was indoors, and there weren't many people outside.

So it was exceptionally quiet. Ye Huan liked this atmosphere: a gentle breeze, the chirping of insects and croaking of frogs, adults chatting, and children playing—what a vivid rural nocturne!

Then they met the village chief at the village entrance. Ye Huan greeted him and chatted for a few words. He learned that Eighth Master's family had already left. He nodded, said nothing, and then turned around with Jingjing and headed back towards their home at the end of the village.

"Uncle, look, the big moon~" Jingjing pointed to the big moon in the sky and said to Ye Huan.

"Hmm, it looks beautiful." Ye Huan looked at the half-moon. Time flies; Mid-Autumn Festival is just over two months away.

He returned after the Dragon Boat Festival, more than a month later, Ye Huan sighed. Life had indeed changed dramatically, just as he had imagined. Thinking about the past few years working away from home, he sighed, "Forget it, I can't think about it, it brings tears to my eyes."