After reincarnation, attack as a female imp!

Zhang Zihao's eyes were hollow as he sighed. "You probably didn't bring any salt. You grilled it and found it was missing. This thing is like eating something that's not your original form."

The hedgehog meat was still burnt. Qin Zhifeng bit through the charred outer layer, revealing the inside was completely burnt. He threw the burnt hedgehog meat back into the fire, and the three of them set off to slaughter the sheep. Killing a sheep is a big deal in the countryside, and normally they would wait until the New Year to do so.

But sheep thieves were the most common back then. In the early years, when the situation was most rampant, gangs of sheep thieves would drive a van into the countryside and even dare to take away sheep in front of their owners. After all, those who still want to stay in the countryside are almost all elderly men and women, and few dare to clash with a group of vicious young men.

Qin Zhixin went to sharpen the knife. Qin Zhifeng and Zhang Zihao first chased a few sheep in circles in the sheep pen. They finally caught a slow-running little ram. By the time they led the sheep out, they were already sweating.

Zhang Zihao had no idea what to do next, but Qin Zhifeng knew. He stood by the sheep pen, leading the sheep, waiting for Qin Zhixin to sharpen the knife and bring it to him. During this time, Qin Zhifeng picked up some rotten leaves from the ground and threw them into the sheep pen to feed them.

"Brother Feng, are we going to kill them here after Sister Xin sharpens the knife? Killing them in front of these sheep? Wouldn't that be a bad idea?"

Zhang Zihao stroked the sheep's neck, and the little ram had no idea what was going to happen next.

"Don't worry. Sheep are incredibly stupid. They have similar intelligence to cats, roughly equivalent to arthropods with fur. They can't pass the mirror test, so don't expect them to be frightened by the death of their companions."

"What is the mirror test?"

"If you put a mirror in front of a sheep or cat, they won't realize it's themselves in front of the mirror. Similarly, parrots, dogs, crows, and even mice can pass the mirror test."

"A mouse can do that? A mouse is so small, and its brain is much smaller than a sheep's. How can it be smart?"

"Mice are very smart. By the way, Mouse, you know I recently saw a study conducted by our school that found that mice, as social animals, have a high level of social awareness. When other mice find a shocked mouse, they will come forward and bite the shocked mouse's tongue out of its mouth."

"What is this for?"

"First aid. First aid among animals is even very similar to the standard human first aid procedure of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, including using claws to scratch and lick the unconscious mouse and clear its airway. This kind of first aid behavior was previously assumed to only occur in primate communities."

Zhang Zihao found it strange that the sheep being led was just eating hay with its head down.

"You're saying sheep have too low an intelligence. Mice can do things sheep can't. When I was at home, the sheep ate all the offal from the slaughtered sheep, and they really couldn't tell the difference."

"You're mistaken. Cannibalism isn't unique to lower animals. Humans practice it quite a bit, and even now, people still practice like for like. Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. My sister will stew the lamb tonight. When you're done, remember to bring some back for Uncle Zhang."

Qin Zhifeng mentioned Qin Zhixin, and Zhang Zihao only then realized it.

Junior high school is the age when love first begins. Although Zhang Zihao and Qin Zhixin were indeed familiar with each other when they were young, she is now in high school and he is still in junior high school. The difference between the two of them has suddenly become huge. In the past, when Qin Zhixin returned to her hometown, he would definitely ask her to come over for fun. This year, if Brother Feng had not come, he would not have dared to ask Qin Zhixin to go out with him.

But Zhang Zihao couldn't help swallowing his saliva when he thought of her charming smiles and every frown. Qin Zhixin had grown noticeably in the past two years, and her femininity was truly incredible. Even those coquettish actresses on TV weren't half as pretty as Sister Xin. Compared to her, the girls in his class were truly ugly and plain, devoid of any charm.

But Zhang Zihao couldn't describe how beautiful Qin Zhixin was. No matter how mature he was, his shallow literary knowledge could only make him repeat empty monosyllabic words like "big" and "beautiful".

"Brother Feng, my teacher said that the high school that Sister Xin got into has students admitted to Peking University and Tsinghua University every year, and most of the city's top scorers are also from their school."

"Experimental High School. Don't even mention your current junior high school. My junior high school was a key one back then. There were only about 30 or 40 students in my grade at most. My grades were average anyway, so I was pretty comfortable just muddling through."

Zhang Zihao glanced at Qin Zhifeng, seemingly disdainful of his boastful remarks. Seeing that Zhang Zihao didn't respond, Qin Zhifeng didn't feel embarrassed. Seeing that Qin Zhixin had left, he deliberately raised his voice and spoke to himself.

"That's Shigao High School! And it's a key class there. Do you know how valuable the key classes of Shigao High School are? At least the two in the capital!"

"Brother, you are so dishonest all day long!"

Before I saw the person, I heard a voice, a charming scolding coming from behind me. The girl's voice was like the melodious sound of a chime, gentle yet natural, without any artificial tone or childish flattery.

Qin Zhifeng just glanced at her, and Zhang Zihao turned around to look at her carefully. Qin Zhifeng was fine, his eyes were always dead and he couldn't see anything, but Zhang Zihao's face flushed red after just one glance, and even his earlobes were red and hot.

Qin Zhixin was still wearing her dusty jacket. It was a decidedly tacky, oversized style, but it made her look even more slender. The top of the jacket was unbuttoned, and the bulges of her yellow sweatshirt bulged out, trembling slightly with her graceful, cat-like steps. Her jade-like face was pale, yet a hint of pink tinged it, and her almond-shaped eyes glared, a look of anger, shame, and annoyance.

Zhang Zihao stared at her blankly. No matter how many times he looked at her, he never got tired of seeing Qin Zhixin's face. She handed him the sharpened knife and bone chopping knife in her hand in a bad mood. Qin Zhifeng was about to take them with a silly smile, but Zhang Zihao was quick and took them before him.

"Sister Xin, I killed this. You vomited just now because I left too hastily. This time, I'll show you how to kill him with one blow!"

"Show off! Good thing you didn't poke your own hand."

Zhang Zihao's face said, "Sister Xin, believe me!"

"Okay, you guys take care of the rest. I'm going back to my room to boil some water."

Zhang Zihao only stuck his head out when he saw her turn around, staring at her blankly.

"Don't look, my sister has gone back to the house."

Zhang Zihao sighed.

"I'll go push a table."

Zhang Zihao hurried back to his house and brought a folding table and two ropes. Without saying much, he tied up the lamb leg.

"Brother, lift the lamb onto the table. I'll get a basin to collect the blood."

When Qin Zhifeng was almost done, Zhang Zihao brought a stainless steel basin to the sheep's neck. Ignoring the sheep's struggles, he took aim with a sharp knife and slashed it with a single stroke. Bright red blood flowed down, steaming hot and emitting white smoke. Qin Zhifeng, fearing the sheep's struggles, leaned over and pressed down on its belly, preventing it from moving. Within two minutes, the sheep was dead. Next, he systematically scalded its wool and gutted it.

While waiting for the hot water to come, Qin Zhifeng was not idle and started teasing Zhang Zihao.

"Boy, are you interested in my sister? Has her hair grown out yet?"

Hearing Qin Zhifeng's excitement, Zhang Zihao hurriedly shook his head.

Although he felt empty inside and his desire was written all over his face, if someone mentioned his admiration for her, he would firmly deny it. It seemed that at that age when love was just beginning, letting others know that he liked her was something extremely shameful.

"No, how could I dare to be interested in Sister Xin? We've been together for a long time. She used to be just like boys, but now she's beautiful. I don't dare."

"Hey, you're so unlucky. You met that damn girl so early. It will be hard to find someone you like now that your standards have improved. And even if you are interested, it's impossible. That girl is going to a prestigious school in the future."

"Sister Xin's grades are indeed good."

Zhang Zihao looked down at the sheep's blood in the basin. It was cold now, and soon the steam would stop coming out. It would probably solidify in a while.

"Brother Feng, what score do you think I need to get into high school?"

Qin Zhifeng didn't reply. He really didn't know how to respond.

"Being in the top ten of Yongcheng No. 2 Middle School should be fine, right?"

Zhang Zihao spoke hopefully, feeling something burning inside him. His heart, like that unfortunate hedgehog, crackled in the flames of longing and desire.

Qin Zhifeng spoke uncertainly.

"Maybe."

Chapter 140: Remaining in Touch

Qin Zhifeng and Zhang Zihao were still outside unbundling the sheep. They'd just roughly weighed it, and it wasn't even a full-grown sheep yet. With the throat hair removed, it weighed just over 70 kilograms. With the fur, bones, and viscera removed, they estimated it would be less than 40 kilograms of pure meat. Qin Zhifeng unloaded the suet and gave it to Qin Zhixin to make into mutton fat.

If the sheep fat is refined properly and the mutton smell is removed, it can be more fragrant than lard. If some spices and salt are added, it can be stored for a long time.

Qin Zhixin took the mutton fat and went to the kitchen. She boiled a large pot of water and poured the diced mutton fat into it. She blanched it to remove the foam, then removed it and rinsed it in cold water. Without wiping it dry, she added the mutton fat to the pot and stir-fried it. When the water had almost evaporated, Qin Zhixin bent over and used tongs to remove some of the firewood from the stove, turning down the flames and letting the mutton fat simmer slowly in the pot.

Seeing that she still had to wait for some time, Qin Zhixin squatted on the small stool in front of the wood stove and took out her cell phone to check it.

The moment she opened the screen, she saw messages from her cousin. There were dozens of them, all sent after she, Qin Zhifeng, and the others had gone to roast hedgehogs. Qin Zhixin clicked on them and read them. Tang Manwen asked her if the hedgehogs were delicious, if she was enjoying her life in the countryside, and if the Qin family's old master was doing well. They exchanged more than ten scattered responses, with no central theme.

Qin Zhixin took a photo of boiling mutton fat and sent it over.

"Qin Zhixin: Everything is fine. I'm making mutton fat."

"Qin Zhixin: I will bring a leg of lamb from the city tomorrow for my uncle and aunt to try."

She sent a string of messages. After a while, Tang Manwen replied with a "OK." Qin Zhixin sat in front of the stove, the firewood crackling beneath it.

"Qin Zhixin: How's Fuliang? Is it fun?"

"Tang Manwen: It's okay, it's a pretty quiet place. I met someone here who knows your mother. Liu Yujin and I came here at noon."

"Tang Manwen: We were received by his childhood friend, an Uncle Huang he knew. Uncle Huang asked if my mother's last name was Tang."

"Qin Zhixin: Your surname is Huang? Are you from Huanzigang?"

"Tang Manwen: I don't know. I didn't ask in detail. At first I thought he was my aunt's classmate, but it doesn't seem like that. Uncle Huang already has grandchildren and looks old. He doesn't look the same age as my aunt."

Flames danced beneath the stove, licking the blackened bottom of the pot. The old kitchen was poorly ventilated, and the whole room was filled with the smell of mutton fat. Qin Zhixin sniffed and found it a bit muttony, but it wasn't time to stir the seasoning yet. She picked up the tongs and simmered the flames down.

Tang Manwen's words inexplicably touched her. She seemed to remember something her mother, Tang Manwen, had mentioned before, but her mind was in a mess and she couldn't remember it. Qin Zhixin felt her nose itchy for some reason. She sniffed and the kitchen was filled with the pungent smell of mutton fat, which made her cough uncontrollably.

At this moment, her shoulder was patted, and when she turned around, she saw Qin Zhifeng with a lewd smile on his face.

This guy's jacket was covered in blood, and he was holding a blood-stained bag in his hand. Coupled with his condescending smile, Qin Zhixin was so scared that her heartbeat slowed down.

"Roast up a whole set of lamb shanks, lamb eggs, and lamb kidneys for that kid Zhang Zihao. He was so scared after poking the lamb in the neck that his face turned as pale as paper."

"You were trying to scare him! He looked weird when you killed the hedgehog."

"I'm the regular one, he's the one doing the surgery. This guy wants to show off, but it's no use trying to show off to me. He has to show off to you, to demonstrate his masculinity in front of you."

Qin Zhixin was just wondering if she'd forgotten something, but when she was startled by this unlucky Qin Zhifeng, she gasped and forgot everything she'd just thought of. Not only was he scary, he was also spouting nonsense. Qin Zhixin was so angry that she stomped on Qin Zhifeng's shoe, but he dodged with a quick dodge, leaving the damn girl with nothing to stomp on.

"Ah? What's wrong with you? These guns and ammunition are really valuable, much more expensive than meat."

"You're such a jerk! What do you mean by letting a rat show off his masculinity in front of me? You're crazy."

Qin Zhifeng still smiled after hearing this. He found a rag from the sink, not minding the dirt, and started wiping the blood stains on his jacket with some water.

"Don't you know that Mouse likes you?"

"There are so many people who like me, and they all like the appearance. Don't exaggerate. If you point it out, I guess all the rats will avoid me when they see me in the future."

"Oh, I can't tell. I thought you were always such a jerk."

Qin Zhixin rolled her eyes and walked over to grab a bag of lamb ram eggs. "There's no such thing as someone who's always careless. You just treat me like a kid. I'll roast these lamb ram eggs and split them between the three of us."

"Why? You want some more?"

Qin Zhifeng was also amused. He hadn't had much hope for the goat's spear and goat's eggs in the first place. He figured everything in the bag, except the goat's kidney, would have to be thrown away to feed the pigs. Qin Zhifeng had originally intended to play a trick on him, but he didn't expect Qin Zhixin to not only show disdain but actually try it.

"I have kidney deficiency and premature ejaculation, so I need to eat more lamb kidneys."

Qin Zhixin smiled brightly and spoke in a serious tone. She wasn't lying; she had indeed ejaculated early, but Qin Zhifeng dismissed her as just another antics and ignored her. He wiped the blood off his body and went back to carving the mutton. By the time the two of them finished carving the mutton, it was already past four in the afternoon. Qin Zhixin stewed the mutton she had already carved earlier.

You should eat mutton when it’s cold. It will warm you up all over.

Some people like to eat it blanched. It is best to keep the lamb shank with the lamb skin, add some spices to remove the fishy smell, and then pour some white wine and cook it slowly over low heat.

After the lamb soup is cooked, save it, let the lamb shank cool, slice it into thin slices, and eat it with soy sauce. The soy sauce is not very particular, it is best to add shredded green onions and ginger. If you want to be more creative, you can add your favorite sauce, such as chu hou sauce, shrimp paste, sweet bean curd, as long as it suits your taste.

When eating, pour some hot mutton soup on the soy sauce dish to bring out the aroma of shredded green onion and ginger. Take a bite of mutton and drink a sip of hot mutton soup, it is so delicious.

Some people like to braise it. Sauté the blanched lamb in mutton fat until done. Add the aniseed, soy sauce, rock sugar, and rice wine to a casserole and simmer over low heat. It's best to layer a layer of yellow sprouts on the bottom of the casserole, otherwise the lamb will burn easily.

The longer the mutton is stewed, the more it becomes loose. In the end, the meat can no longer stick to the bones. When you pick it up, the meat falls into the pot, as if it has melted. You don't even need to bite it with your teeth to eat it, you can just sip it directly.

This braised dish should be eaten with rice or steamed buns. Pour the fragrant broth over the rice and you will feel like you can have another bowl no matter how full you are.

But one thing is certain: almost everyone loves grilled lamb. The fat in the lamb is forced out by the charcoal fire, making it crystal clear. When the outside is slightly browned, sprinkle some dry ingredients on it and you can eat it.

The Zhang family received a full hind leg of the sheep, and the other households in Huanzigang were not forgotten, each receiving a few pounds. Qin Zhifeng explained to others that Zhang Zihao had helped slaughter the sheep, so he had given them a few extra.

Qin Zhixin cut two pounds of lamb rump meat into thumb-square pieces, marinated them together with small pieces of lamb tail meat for half an hour, and then strung them together to make skewers, separating the lean meat and the fat meat, and handed them to Zhang Zihao and Qin Zhifeng, who grilled them over the charcoal basin.

Qin Zhixin also processed the sheep's lance, sheep's balls, and sheep's kidneys.

Qin Zhixin soaked the lamb thoroughly in salt water, cut the lamb's shank into more than ten sections, carved the lamb's eggs, and cut the lamb's kidneys to remove the smell. Unsure of what seasoning to add, she simply sprinkled some spicy spicy food, white wine, and peanut oil on the lamb, thinking it was the simplest way to remove the fishy smell.

A large iron pot on the stove was simmering mutton soup, and a deep cast iron pot hung over the charcoal basin, filled with braised lamb. The whole kitchen was filled with the aroma of lamb. Qin Zhifeng squatted beside the charcoal basin, sticking the boiled lamb's feet on the side to roast.

After finishing her work, Qin Zhixin washed her hands inside and out with soap, and also took a small stool and sat next to the charcoal basin.

Qin Zhifeng handed her a skewered lamb's trotter. She took it and slowly roasted it at a suitable distance from the brazier. She took out her cell phone to play for a while and saw that Yang Qichao had sent her a message.

The photo was taken from the perspective of Yang Qichao lying on the hospital bed, looking down at his legs. His left leg was in a plaster cast and hung high with a traction rope. Qin Zhixin laughed out loud when she saw it.

"Qin Zhixin: Oh? Were you beaten?"

After saying this, Qin Zhixin spoke to Haozi and Qin Zhifeng who were squatting beside her.

"Brother, do you remember Yang Qichao? We used to play together."

Qin Zhifeng stared at the sheep's hoof in his hand with his dead fish eyes, and only turned around when he heard Qin Zhixin calling him.

"Which one? I just remember your cousin."

"That's Brother Chao, right? He used to come here often during holidays. Brother Feng, have you forgotten? The four of us even stole chickens together, and you were the leader."

Zhang Zihao still remembered him, interrupted. At that time, he was still an ignorant little kid. He had been following his "Sister Xin" around since she came back, so naturally he had some impression of Yang Qichao.

"No impression."

"Look, his leg is broken. I guess he got beaten up."

Qin Zhixin clicked on the picture sent by Yang Qichao. Her gloating expression made her look like she deserved a beating. She completely built her happiness on Yang Qichao's pain. Zhang Zihao couldn't help but smile at this. He didn't have a good impression of Yang Qichao because he and Qin Zhixin were too close.

"Is Chao-ge so dishonest? I thought he was a good student."

"Of course not. He's a very cunning man."

Qin Zhixin smiled and added insult to injury.

Yang Qichao sent a few more messages. Qin Zhixin glanced at them and saw that he had accidentally hit a tree while skiing. His leg was not broken, but only fractured. He was now in the Third People's Hospital of Nanling.

Qin Zhixin couldn't help but curl her lips at the sight. The leg break was so rude. She felt it was only a matter of time before Yang Qichao got beaten. He was so irritating, not to mention how he easily outscored her by several dozen points on the exam. He was always putting on airs and constantly trying to put her down.