amaotonovel Chapter 445 Deer bites grass
Chapter 445 Deer bites grass
After passing through a thicket of bushes, a small meadow nestled in the valley suddenly opened up before us.
In the middle of the grassland, a small group of sika deer were grazing on the tender grass, with one of the larger male deer occasionally raising its head to warily look around.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou immediately crouched down, hiding in the bushes, and held their breath to observe the deer herd.
“Four,” Li Xiangyang counted softly. “We can take the stag, but the doe has fawns with her, so let them go for now.”
Wang Ergou nodded, indicating his understanding.
Hunting in the mountains is about sustainability; there is no indiscriminate killing or hunting, especially of mother animals with cubs. This is an unwritten rule among hunters.
Li Xiangyang raised his hunting rifle and aimed at the stag. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a mountain breeze swept by, carrying their scent towards the herd.
The stag suddenly raised its head, twitched its nose alertly, and then let out a long howl. The herd scattered like arrows, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest in the blink of an eye.
"Sigh, what a pity." Wang Ergou sighed, stood up, and dusted himself off.
Li Xiangyang put down his hunting rifle and shook his head: "It's alright, today's haul is already pretty good. It's getting dark, let's go back."
As the two were about to head back, Li Xiangyang noticed a peculiar patch of plants at the edge of the meadow. He approached and exclaimed in surprise, "That's deer-head grass!"
"Deer-head grass? What's it used for?" Wang Ergou asked curiously.
“This is a treasure,” Li Xiangyang explained. “It only grows where deer roam, and it’s very hard to find normally. It can improve blood circulation and is especially effective for joint pain.” Thinking of his pregnant wife, he added, “It’s also good for postpartum women.”
The two quickly picked some deer antler grass and carefully placed it in their cloth bag. The harvest was better than expected; although they hadn't caught a sika deer, finding this rare herb was an unexpected surprise.
"It's getting dark, we need to hurry down the mountain." Wang Ergou looked up at the darkening sky.
Li Xiangyang nodded, and the two quickened their pace, retracing their steps.
The moonlight gradually bathed the mountains, illuminating their way home. Li Xiangyang remembered the prey hanging in the trees and reminded them, "Let's go get our roe deer and rabbit first."
"This mountain forest is much safer than before," Wang Ergou remarked. "Since our hunting team was formed, there has been far less danger around the village."
Li Xiangyang laughed and said, "Yes, but we can't be careless. The rule in the mountains is to always be vigilant."
Reaching the place where they had previously stored their prey, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou unloaded the roe deer and rabbit, carrying them on their shoulders. The weight of the prey made their steps steady, but their hearts were filled with ease and satisfaction.
"How's your wife's appetite lately?" Wang Ergou asked, his tone full of concern. "My wife, Hongxia, says pregnant women have strange cravings; she wants to eat everything."
Remembering Li Xiaoyun's recent changes, Li Xiangyang smiled and said, "Yes, she's much better than before. She was craving sour things for a while, but now she's starting to crave meat. This roe deer meat is perfect for satisfying her craving."
"Then you'd better hunt a lot more," Wang Ergou joked. "If a pregnant woman craves something and you don't give her any, you'll be in for a world of trouble."
As the two chatted and laughed, they had already left the forest and could see the scattered lights of the village in the distance.
Back in the village, the two went to Li Xiangyang's house first. Li Xiaoyun was anxiously looking around in the yard, and when she saw her husband return, a smile immediately bloomed on her face.
"You're back!" she greeted him, taking the prey from Li Xiangyang's shoulder, and exclaimed in surprise, "So much! You guys are really lucky today."
“Not only that,” Li Xiangyang said with a smile, pulling out a cloth bag. “I also brought you some treasures.” He took out some moneywort and deer antler grass, showing them to his wife. “These are all good things, especially this deer antler grass; it will be beneficial for your future childbirth.”
Li Xiaoyun took the herbs, gently stroking them, her eyes filled with delight: "This is wonderful! I'll take it to Doctor Qian tomorrow and ask him to teach me how to use it."
Watching the two of them sweetly exchanging words, Wang Ergou felt a little superfluous and coughed lightly, "I see you two have something to say, I'll head back now."
"Wait," Li Xiangyang called out to him, "you haven't taken today's prey yet."
Li Xiangyang quickly began cutting up the meat, and Wang Ergou, without any hesitation, took the prey, patting Li Xiangyang on the shoulder with a smile: "Alright, I won't stand on ceremony. Come to my house for dinner another day; Hongxia's sauerkraut stew with roe deer is absolutely delicious."
"Definitely, definitely," Li Xiangyang said as he saw Wang Ergou to the courtyard gate, "Give my regards to Hongxia."
After seeing Wang Ergou off, Li Xiangyang returned to the house and skillfully began processing the prey.
His movements were clean and neat, without any hesitation.
"What do you want to eat tonight?" Li Xiangyang asked while cutting meat.
Li Xiaoyun thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "I want to eat roe deer meat stewed with potatoes."
“Alright,” Li Xiangyang laughed, “I’ll make it. I guarantee it’ll smell so good you’ll want to lick your fingers.”
Just as Li Xiaoyun was about to help, the fetus in her belly suddenly kicked. She gasped and clutched her stomach.
"What's wrong?" Li Xiangyang quickly put down the knife and asked nervously.
A happy smile bloomed on Li Xiaoyun's face: "It's okay, it's just the baby moving." She took Li Xiangyang's hand and gently placed it on her abdomen. "Can you feel it?"
Li Xiangyang held his breath, and after a moment, a faint but clear sound came from his palm, as if someone was gently pushing his hand.
"It's amazing," Li Xiangyang murmured, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement, "This is our child..."
Looking at the tears glistening in her husband's eyes, Li Xiaoyun felt a surge of tenderness in her heart. The two smiled at each other.
After a while, Li Xiangyang came to his senses and continued preparing dinner.
He took out a few potatoes, peeled and chopped them, and then took some dried chili peppers and scallions, mixed them together and put them into a large iron pot.
The fire in the stove was quickly lit, and the aroma gradually filled the air.
"Wife, smell this, how does it taste?" Li Xiangyang lifted the pot lid, and the steaming aroma immediately filled the entire kitchen.
Li Xiaoyun took a deep breath and laughed, "Just smelling this makes me hungry."
Before long, a pot of fragrant roe deer stew with potatoes was ready. Li Xiangyang brought the steaming dish to the table and served two bowls of rice.
"Here, eat it while it's hot." He placed a piece of the tenderest meat into Li Xiaoyun's bowl.
Li Xiaoyun took a bite, and her eyes lit up immediately: "It tastes amazing! The meat is stewed so tender, not dry at all. By the way, is your back injury really healed?"
Li Xiangyang nodded: "It's all healed now, the scars are almost invisible." As he spoke, he turned around so his wife could examine his back.
Li Xiaoyun lifted his shirt and saw that the once gruesome wound had now scabbed over with a thin scab. She breathed a sigh of relief: "It's much better. Okay, it's good that you're alright. Go eat."