Golden Chicken Crowing at the Moon

"Shi Tou, go pluck that chicken. I'll stew it for you later."

"Mm-hmm, Second Brother, I'm going right now."

Zhong Shi excitedly hefted the brightly colored pheasant, then patted the muntjac that was already dead stiff, babbling nonstop.

After putting the copper coins from the table into his money pouch, Zhong Lin looked at the little turnip-head before him with a complicated expression.

Zhong Shi—his predecessor's younger brother, his blood brother.

His predecessor had four brothers in all. He was the second eldest, which was why Zhong Shi called him Second Brother.

His predecessor's mother had died in childbirth when giving birth to the youngest. Mother and child had both perished. Their father and eldest brother had also encountered the Mountain Lord while hunting in the mountains last year and died in its tiger jaws. In the end, only his predecessor and the third brother, Zhong Shi, had been left to depend on each other.

If Zhong Lin had not transmigrated, his predecessor would have died this time on Black Mountain. Their household would have been picked clean by others, and five-year-old Zhong Shi likely would not have survived either.

The family destroyed, its members dead—this was true destruction of a family!

It made Zhong Lin feel all the more deeply just how difficult life was in this world.

Zhong Lin could sense his predecessor's worry for Zhong Shi in his final moments. That was also why he had been able to accept Zhong Shi so quickly.

Since I've taken over your body, I'll bear your karma as well. I'll raise Little Shi into adulthood, Zhong Lin thought.

"Second Brother, I've finished plucking the chicken."

"I'm coming."

Zhong Lin stopped dwelling on it and walked over.

Children from poor families took charge early. Though it was only household chores, five-year-old Zhong Shi had easily finished plucking the pheasant. All that remained was gutting it.

Zhong Shi had also collected the beautiful pheasant feathers. They shimmered with brilliant colors beneath the sunlight.

Fortunately, it was a rooster. A hen's feathers would not have been so beautiful.

Zhong Lin took a kitchen knife from the kitchen and, in a few swift motions, gutted the pheasant before chopping it into chunks.

"Go wash off the blood foam with water again. I'll deal with those two rabbits too. Later, we'll stew a pot of Golden Chicken Crowing at the Moon," Zhong Lin instructed.

Children loved it when adults assigned them tasks, because it made them feel as though they had grown up too. Besides, they would be eating meat later. At the thought of it, Zhong Shi's mouth watered as he kept imagining just how fragrant Second Brother's "Golden Chicken Crowing at the Moon" would be.

Zhong Lin found a rope and tied up the rabbit whose head had been shot through, hanging it from a rack so he could skin it more easily.

Naturally, Zhong Lin had never done such a thing before. But his predecessor had many memories of skinning rabbits and removing their bones alongside his father and brothers, so it did not feel unfamiliar. In no time, he had peeled off the entire hide.

He did not intend to throw away the hide either. When he had time, he could treat it with saltpeter and make a hat or a pair of shoes from it.

He put the skinned rabbit meat on the chopping board and chopped it into pieces, washed the blood foam clean with water, then dumped it all into the pot together with the chicken.

Stir-frying or dry-frying was out of the question. There was no oil, no chili peppers, and barely any seasoning. The best option was to stew everything together.

Fortunately, in order to hold Zhong Lin's "funeral," the villagers had built a stove from yellow earth in the courtyard. They had also drawn clean water and brought firewood—enough to last for half a month.

Zhong Shi was still young, and Zhong Lin did not know how to cook. All he knew was how to throw everything into a pot and stew it.

He put all the chicken and rabbit meat into the pot, added water, salt, and wild vegetables, then covered it with the lid.

Under the fierce heat, half an hour later, a wave of fragrance came rushing at them.

It could not be called especially fragrant. Mainly because neither of them had had any fat in their diet for so long that even meat boiled in plain water would have smelled heavenly today, much less meat with salt added to it.

"Second Brother, can we eat yet?"

Zhong Shi had asked that question at least ten times. His eyes were full of longing, and he kept swallowing his saliva as his stomach rumbled loudly.

Zhong Lin lifted the pot lid. White steam billowed out, carrying the distinctive fragrance of meat straight at them.

Grrr~

Grrr~

The two brothers looked at each other, then both pointed at the other and burst into laughter.

Zhong Lin picked a piece from the pot with his chopsticks, took a bite, and chewed. The meat had stewed until tender, and the salt had seeped into it.

"Tastes decent. Let's dig in."

He stuffed the other half into Zhong Shi's mouth, then picked up a ladle and began serving the food into bowls.

One bowl each, paired with the millet rice left behind by those people earlier—the taste... delicious.

It was only simple meat boiled in water, but with salt and wild vegetables, it tasted quite good. Of course, the more important reason was that neither of them had a drop of fat in their bodies. With even a little meat, it was already a delicacy. Who had the luxury of being picky?

"Don't rush. Watch out for the bones—don't choke on one. There's still more in the pot, enough for both of us."

Zhong Lin patted Little Shi's head, afraid that he would eat too quickly and get a bone stuck in his throat.

In his previous life, one of his little nephews had gotten a bone stuck in his throat. Within moments, his face had turned blue from suffocation. If an adult had not noticed in time, the child might have died.

"Mmm... delicious."

As Zhong Lin gnawed on the meat, he considered what to do next. He did not intend to stay in Summer River Village any longer. His predecessor had lived for more than ten years without ever leaving it. Now that he was here, naturally he wanted to go out and see the world.

Besides, with a system panel on him, staying in Summer River Village would only leave it gathering dust. Only in a larger and more prosperous place could it truly shine.

And Zhong Lin also wanted to see whether this world actually possessed Extraordinary Power. After all, that was how novels always went!

After eating and drinking their fill, the two of them leaned against separate door panels and idly basked in the sun. Little Shi nearly fell asleep.

Over the past few days, he had been frightened and anxious at home. Then those shameless villagers had come to their door to pick the family clean. His nerves had long been shaken, and now that he was full, all he wanted was a good sleep.

Zhong Lin reached out and shook Little Shi awake. "Don't sleep here. You'll catch a chill."

"Second Brother, I wasn't asleep."

Zhong Shi opened his eyes wide and shook his head hard, forcing himself to fight off the drowsiness.

He was afraid too—afraid that once he fell asleep, Second Brother would disappear again. He did not want to curl up in the corner of the bed alone at night, trembling with fear. Nor did he want to open his eyes and find everyone rushing over to tell him that his Second Brother was dead.

Children wore all their thoughts on their faces. Zhong Lin naturally saw what Little Shi was thinking, and a trace of pity flashed through his heart. He rubbed the head that looked even larger from malnutrition.

"Don't worry. Second Brother isn't leaving. Wherever I go in the future, I'll take you with me. Come on, let's deal with that muntjac."

With that, Zhong Lin abruptly rose to his feet, dusted the dirt from his backside, and strode toward the muntjac that had been left in the corner of the courtyard.

Zhong Shi scrambled up with a roll, excitedly following close behind. By then, he no longer felt sleepy at all.

The muntjac's hide had remained in excellent condition. Zhong Lin's arrow had entered through its eye, though unfortunately, muntjac hide was not particularly valuable.

Zhong Shi pulled the rope while Zhong Lin exerted his strength, and together they hung up the muntjac.

Normally, skinning and gutting were jobs for professional butchers. Doing it themselves, they not only lacked proper tools, but could easily damage the hide. Many times, the hides of hunted animals were worth even more than the meat.