Eat More

Fang Yuan carried the rabbits and the kitchen knife into the courtyard.

The moment he stopped, cold air several times more biting than indoors instantly wrapped around him. Like countless icy needles, it pierced through his thin clothes and burrowed straight into the cracks of his bones.

He could not help shivering.

He had hurried home in a rush just now, his nerves stretched tight, so he had not noticed it. Only now, as his mind relaxed a little, did he truly feel the brutal cold of this winter night.

"This must be the magical attack people from the south talked about in my previous life—ignores defense..."

He muttered self-mockingly, rubbing his frozen, stiff hands.

He picked up a rabbit and began dressing it.

Although the 100 points of proficiency in the Basic Saber Technique had greatly increased his strength and control when swinging and chopping,

slaughtering and skinning were delicate work, requiring clever force and precision in every cut. He was still somewhat clumsy at first.

He cut through the first rabbit skin in several places, ruining its quality.

But he was not discouraged. He focused wholly on the movements in his hands, adjusting the angle and force of each cut.

Just then, the familiar notification sounded in his mind again.

[Basic Saber Technique Proficiency +1]

Fang Yuan was instantly delighted. That works too?

He immediately understood.

Though skinning and butchering were not as broad and forceful as swinging a blade to chop and slash,

they placed extreme demands on the steadiness of the wrist, the precision of the eye, and intense concentration from the entire body.

This ultimate training of the mind and fine muscle control was likewise recognized by the system as cultivation of the "saber technique"!

With this discovery, he worked even more attentively.

He strove for precision with every cut, avoiding the fascia, separating hide from flesh, removing the organs... His movements became smoother and more practiced by the moment.

Liu Wanwan helped beside him, handing him water and cleaning up the offal.

As she watched Fang Yuan's focused profile and those unbelievably steady hands, waves of shock washed through her heart one after another.

Was this still that scholar who could only cradle books and study bitterly, too weak to even truss a chicken?

Those deft movements clearly belonged to an old butcher who had done this for more than a decade!

Once all five rabbits had been dressed, neatly sorted cuts of meat, organs, and several rabbit pelts lay piled on the ground.

Aside from the first hide, which was badly damaged, the remaining four were quite intact, with only slight damage from the traps. Once properly tanned, they would surely fetch a good price.

Fang Yuan breathed out a plume of white mist, rubbed his slightly sore wrist, and swept his awareness over the System Panel.

[Cultivation Method: Basic Saber Technique Proficiency (200/10000)]

In that short while, his proficiency had risen by a full 100 points!

Though he had made far more than a hundred actual cuts, the efficiency was still astonishing.

This had undoubtedly opened up another path to increasing his strength!

"Once these pelts are cleaned up, they should be worth some grain."

Fang Yuan pointed at the relatively intact rabbit hides as he spoke to Liu Wanwan.

Liu Wanwan's eyes lit up at the sight of the pelts, and she hurriedly nodded.

"Mhm! Master Chen's family buys hides. We'll keep this damaged one to line our own padded clothes, and when the weather clears, I'll take these good ones over and give it a try!"

Her voice carried a long-lost lightness and hope.

With this meat, Husband could build up his health, and the pelts could be traded for grain. This winter finally seemed to show a glimmer of light.

Looking at her, then at Little Bean Sprout beside her staring hungrily at the rabbit meat, the gloom Fang Yuan had felt because of Hou San faded somewhat.

To survive, and to live better. That was his simplest wish now.

After dressing the rabbits, Fang Yuan wanted to bring the meat into the kitchen and help cook, but Liu Wanwan pushed him away with unusual firmness.

"Husband, rest. I'll do it." There was an unquestionable insistence in her voice as she even gave Fang Yuan a slight shove toward the room. "You've been tired all day, and you're injured too. Hurry and lie down to rest."

Fang Yuan froze for a moment. Seeing that barely perceptible stubbornness in her eyes, and... a trace of unease? He suddenly understood.

By refusing to let her wash clothes in the icy river anymore, he had cut off the way they had once supplemented the household income. Though it was for their own good,

it might have made her feel useless in this home, like a burden.

Now that he had brought back game, she was eager to prove her worth by managing the household and preparing the meal,

to seize hold of this hard-won "usefulness" that could let her feel a little more at ease.

Fang Yuan sighed inwardly and did not insist further.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you." He nodded and obediently went to sit by the kang's edge, truly feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

Only after Liu Wanwan saw him agree did a trace of relief appear on her face. She immediately picked up the prepared rabbit meat and slipped briskly into the kitchen.

Like a little tail, Little Bean Sprout followed after her eagerly.

Leaning against the kang's edge, Fang Yuan could hear faint sounds coming from the kitchen: washing and scrubbing, firewood being snapped and fed into the stove,

then a sizzling sound, likely the rabbit meat hitting the pan to be stir-fried.

Before long, a rich aroma of meat mixed with the smell of woodsmoke drifted out, forcefully driving away the cold and the earlier gloom in the room.

Even with only coarse salt added, the oily, savory fragrance unique to meat made the greedy worms in their stomachs writhe madly.

Little Bean Sprout had long been unable to restrain herself. Her little head kept peeking out from the kitchen doorway as she stared eagerly at Fang Yuan,

then sniffed hard, the sound of her swallowing audible even in the quiet room.

Only then did Fang Yuan remember that since he had left home, the two of them had probably eaten nothing all day except that thin porridge in the morning.

They had been saving food out of habit, waiting for him to return.

His heart ached, and he beckoned to Little Bean Sprout.

Little Bean Sprout immediately ran over and nestled against his leg, though her eyes remained fixed on the kitchen.

"Wait a little longer. We'll be able to eat soon." Fang Yuan stroked her dry, yellowed hair. "From now on, our family's life will get better. Brother promises."

Little Bean Sprout nodded as though she understood, then whispered, "Brother is amazing. You can catch rabbits."

At that moment, Liu Wanwan entered carrying a steaming earthenware basin. Inside was rabbit meat stewed until tender. Though it had little oil, its fragrance filled the air.

She then turned and brought over three sets of bowls and chopsticks, along with several mixed-grain flatbreads.

"Eat." Her face bore a faint flush after all her work, and her bright eyes held a long-lost gleam.

Fang Yuan picked up his chopsticks and first placed a large piece of meat in Liu Wanwan's bowl, then gave Little Bean Sprout an even fattier, more tender piece.

"Eat. All of you, eat more."

Without many words, the three of them sat around the kang table and ate quietly beneath the dim yellow lamplight.

The sounds of chewing and soft slurping felt especially warm and real in this freezing winter night.