Reborn in 1963: I Hunted and Stockpiled Meat During a Famine

"What? You think you might run into a wild leopard or something?"

"Don't count on wild leopards. We'll probably just run into something else. The stench of blood is so strong around here. If we leave, we'll definitely attract a lot of guys. Who knows what might be inside?"

"Look back again. As long as there's something inside, whatever it is, it's better than nothing."

Back in Majia Village, when they saw that everyone had brought back leopards and wild boars, the villagers all gathered around.

"Wow, that's impressive! You've already hunted a leopard and a wild boar so soon after arriving. Amazing!"

"I'm not very capable. It's all thanks to Quanxue and Qiming's well-prepared traps. I just collected the items; it didn't take much effort on my part."

The village chief praised Ma Quanxue and Qin Qiming.

"The leopard has already been reserved. The wild boar was hunted along the way. Apart from the ones we take back and the ones we give away, the rest will be distributed among everyone."

"This won't do. This is the wild boar you hunted. Why should we get a share?"

"Yes, we didn't do anything."

Despite everyone's objections, the village chief was determined to allocate a portion of the wild boars to the people of Majia Village.

Qin Qiming understood the reason: they had crossed the line to hunt.

The unwritten rule is that hunting can only take place near one's own village or deep in uninhabited forests, as if an invisible boundary defines the hunting area.

They had already crossed the line by digging a pit to hunt leopards, and now they've hunted a wild boar.

Even with Ma Quanxue present, it would be unreasonable not to separate some of the prey.

The two villages have a good relationship; we shouldn't let this small matter leave any resentment.

Even if the other party doesn't have this intention, they should still leave some prey behind.

If people from the mountains hunt near other villages and leave immediately afterward, or come frequently, then you'll need to be careful when entering the mountains in the future.

If you are alone or out of people, you have only yourself to blame if something bad happens to you.

Therefore, the village chief's distribution of meat reflects wisdom.

When dividing things, the more people there are, the more you get.

Families with more elderly people and children receive a larger share.

Those from poorer families also received more points.

Ma Quanxue reserved a large portion of the quota separately.

In this way, Qin Qiming and his group could only take back a few dozen kilograms of meat and a bloodied leopard.

Every household in Majia Village received tangible benefits, and no one questioned whether Qin Qiming and his group's hunting activities were legal.

Ma Quanxue also received his share, and he will receive another share after the leopard is sold.

All participants benefited from this event.

The village chief has a very high reputation and prestige among the surrounding mountain villages, and he handled this matter to everyone's satisfaction.

After dividing the spoils, Qin Qiming, Qin Kang, and the others stayed overnight and returned to the guard team with the prey the next day.

"Hey, this leopard skin, we'll have to have it skinned properly later. After all, it's not cheap, and if it gets damaged, the price will be drastically different."

"Then we'll definitely have to let Old Knife do it."

The Qin brothers should keep the leopard and wild boar meat, while Qin Qiming should stand guard with a gun to watch out for any potential attacks from wild animals.

"Brother Qiming, when exactly is that hunting thing you mentioned last time?"

Ma Quanxue asked questions.

"Hunting? When did I ever tell you about that?"

"How could I not have mentioned it? Brother Qiming, you told me it yourself, the time you saved me in the Old Wood Forest."

Qin Qiming pondered for a while, and it seemed that there really was such a thing.

"The best time is after autumn arrives and the harvest is finished. Before the snow, everything in the mountains has gained enough fat, and they are all big and plump. If you take them home and stew them, the taste is simply amazing."

Back then, whether it was mountain hares or black bears, their size and meat quality were much better than they are now.

"Look at the animals we're hunting now, they're all skinny and have hardly any meat. Take this wild boar, for example. If we don't hunt it now, it'll gain at least 20 or 30 pounds by autumn, and that's the minimum. Just imagine what that meat would taste like if it were stewed!"

Qin Qiming imagined it for a moment and swallowed hard.

He didn't like greasy food before, but now he really enjoys it.

"Autumn is still a long way off."

"You don't necessarily have to wait until autumn to go hunting; there are other things to do. You can catch animals in the mountain streams, and there are large meadows to play in."

Qin Qiming then remembered, "You haven't been to the meadow yet. I'll take you there later, and you'll see."

Qin Qiming nodded in agreement: "Are there many good things over there in the meadow?"

"Of course, you can ask Brother Kang and Brother Hao; they found a lot of good things there before."

Qin Kang laughed heartily: "That's right, we found so many good things when we were young. We'd collect bird eggs by the basketful. We even caught a really interesting duck once, with a black head, feathers puffed up on the back of its head, and a bright red beak. It smelled so good when stewed, it was simply divine!"

And then there's that flying goose, a big bird with a red dot on its head and incredibly long legs, trying to catch something but failing.

Ma Quanxue's eyes lit up. "When you go to the meadow in a few days, you have to take me with you, okay?"

"Alright, I'll definitely take you this year. Your family is building a new house, and they're in dire need of Ula grass. You'll definitely get your share."

As they chatted, the group returned to the guard post.

When the team members saw Qin Qiming and his men return with their prey, they all put down what they were doing.

"Hey, how come we've brought back so much game again? Why don't I have this kind of luck when I go into the mountains?"

"Stop making a scene. You think you can compete with Qiming? All the animals in these mountains are raised by Qiming, understand?"

"If we're talking nonsense, you're really good at it. You were yelling so loudly at night the other night, I hope you didn't actually do something stupid!"

"Ha ha!"

The people around him laughed so hard they almost fell over. After exchanging a few words, they went back to their own business.

"Everyone's been exhausted these past few days. Luckily, we hunted a wild boar in the mountains. After deducting the portions given to other villages, we'll divide the rest into two parts. One part will be shared among the families, and the other part will be used to make a nice dinner!"

Upon hearing that there would be extra food today, the group suddenly became more motivated and trained even harder.

After Qin Kang finished speaking, he took the meat and went back to prepare it.

With so much meat, it will require a lot of ingredients to cook.

Qin Qiming then took the leopard back to the mixed-surname village and found the old swordsman.

"Uncle Dao, come and help! There's work to be done!"

"Hold on."

The old swordsman put down his work and cleaned his hands and clothes.

"What's the explanation for this job?"

"This leopard skin has been pre-ordered. The skin is of excellent quality and without any damage. It must be kept intact during the skinning process."

"This price must be quite high."

The old swordsman nodded after examining the leopard skin.

"It's really good leather, rare in the mountains, and in good condition. I'll find some things to pad it. Don't worry, I guarantee I'll skin you a perfect piece of leather."