A Fierce Beast was a treasure from head to toe. The people of Stone Village worked for quite a while before they had it completely cleaned and prepared.
Then, just as the last of the sunset was about to vanish, Stone Village held a bonfire gathering.
It was hardly an evening party. Everyone slept at night, and no one dared light a bonfire and sing and dance in the Great Wilderness after dark.
The bonfire was lit, Fierce Beast meat was set over it, and the roasting meat crackled. Happy smiles shone on every face.
The old and the young, men and women alike, were delighted.
"Little Nonpoint, you're drinking milk again!" Meng Chuan caught Little Nonpoint sitting beside the bonfire, scooping up milk with a wooden spoon.
The firelight made the boy's cheeks glow red. His big eyes narrowed in bliss.
"Ah! Uncle Meng, do you want some too?" Little Nonpoint looked up at Meng Chuan and asked.
Meng Chuan's expression did not change. He remained perfectly calm.
"No!"
"Oh."
Little Nonpoint turned his attention back to the stone bowl in his hands.
Everyone else was taking great mouthfuls of meat. He was taking great mouthfuls of milk.
Meng Chuan watched Little Nonpoint drink it one spoonful at a time, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction after every sip.
"He really is cuter now." Meng Chuan rested a hand on Little Nonpoint's head and gently stroked it.
Little Nonpoint rubbed back against Meng Chuan's hand. Its smoothness felt nice.
Firelight flickered across Meng Chuan's face.
After a while, the feast ended. All the village brats were rounded up, and great bronze cauldrons were set out in the village clearing.
Fierce fires burned beneath the cauldrons. Inside, the liquid bubbled and gurgled, already boiling.
Some village elders kept tossing medicinal herbs