Courtyard House: After disbanding the Elderly Care Gang, I went to the countryside to cultivate immo

On the way back to the educated youth settlement, that silly roe deer wasn't so obedient; it struggled every few steps.

But Lin Shengli was walking behind. He casually picked a branch and, seeing that the guy had stopped, he flicked it.

By the time the two of them, leading the somewhat disobedient roe deer, stumbled and trudged down to the foot of the mountain, it was already completely dark.

Night falls early in winter, leaving only a sliver of bluish-gray afterglow on the horizon.

Fortunately, it's almost Chinese New Year now, and the weather is freezing cold. Most villagers have gone home and are eating and chatting around their heated kang beds. There are hardly any people on the village roads.

In addition, the educated youth settlement was located at the easternmost end of the village, near the foot of the mountain, in a relatively remote location, which allowed them to quietly conceal their "returning home laden with spoils".

Only after pushing open the familiar, slightly dilapidated courtyard gate of the educated youth settlement did the two truly breathe a sigh of relief.

A warm orange glow shone through the windows of the male educated youth dormitory. Hearing the sound of the gate, footsteps immediately came from inside. Jiang Yuanchao and Wei Jun, wearing cotton-padded coats, poked their heads out.

"Is that Shengli and Kuiyong? Why are they so late..." Jiang Yuanchao's concerned words were cut short when, by the dim light coming from the room, he saw the silly roe deer following behind Li Kuiyong, as well as the pheasant and rabbit on the roe deer's back. His voice stopped abruptly, and his eyes widened instantly.

Wei Jun reacted even faster, rushing into the courtyard in a few steps. He first saw the roe deer being led by a rope and gasped, "My God! A roe deer?! Alive?!" Then, his gaze swept over the pheasants and rabbits, and he was even more astonished, his jaw dropping. "Rabbits! And pheasants! And all alive! You're not going hunting, you're going to buy supplies!"

Li Kuiyong had been eager to show off all along the way, and seeing the two men's reactions, he immediately felt his back straighten up a bit.

He deliberately put on an "it's nothing special" expression, but couldn't hide the smugness in his eyes. He shoved the rough hemp rope holding the roe deer into Wei Jun's hand with a rather "generous" air: "Here, Jun'er, hold it tight! See? With Shengli and me on the front lines, one of us is worth two! How about that? This New Year's treat, isn't it tough enough?"

Wei Jun instinctively took the rope. The roe deer seemed unhappy about being handed over, twisting its neck and snorting, exhaling a puff of white breath. Wei Jun was so frightened that he quickly gripped the rope tightly, looking at the little guy with a mixture of surprise and delight.

He quickly led the roe deer to a makeshift shed in the corner of the yard where miscellaneous items and firewood were stored. He found a sturdy post to tie it to, then grabbed some dry grass from the side and threw it in front of the deer. Only then did he rub his hands together and run back excitedly.

Jiang Yuanchao had already recovered from his initial shock. He was more composed and first invited Lin Shengli into the house.

The heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) in the dormitory was warm and cozy, dispelling most of the chill from the two of them.

He moved a chair over and insisted that Lin Shengli sit down, then handed him a bowl of hot water that had been kept warm on the stove. His tone was full of admiration and disbelief: "Shengli, you guys are amazing! Junzi and I were just this afternoon planning that if you could bring back a pheasant or a rabbit, our New Year's Eve dinner would be a real feast! Who would have thought you'd bring back so many! And a live roe deer too! I never even dared to dream of this!"

Lin Shengli took the hot water and drank a sip. The warmth flowed from his throat to his stomach, dispelling the last trace of chill. He smiled and said, "I was lucky to run into them. It was mainly because Kui Yong cooperated so well."

By this time, Wei Jun had already swiftly served dinner—a large bowl of steaming pickled cabbage, potato noodles, and golden cornbread as the main dish. The aroma of the food instantly filled the air.

"Eat first, eat first! We'll listen to your story while we eat! Kui Yong, come on, tell us in detail how you got these guys today? Was it particularly dangerous?" Wei Jun urged impatiently, his eyes shining like two little lanterns.

The four of them sat around the kang table, and in the warmth of the lamplight and the steam from the food, Li Kuiyong began to recount his experiences of the day with great enthusiasm and gestures.

From his excitement at discovering the first set of footprints, to his astonishment at Lin Shengli's flawless shooting down of the hare, to Lin Shengli's incredible skill in launching stones at the startled pheasants in the tree, and finally to the tense teamwork during the clever capture of the roe deer...

He spoke vividly, especially describing Lin Shengli's superb "kung fu" as almost legendary.

Jiang Yuanchao and Wei Jun listened intently, occasionally letting out soft exclamations of amazement, their eyes filled with sincere admiration as they looked at Lin Shengli.

They knew Lin Shengli was skilled, but to this extent was far beyond their imagination.

"So, today's achievement is definitely a victory!" Li Kuiyong concluded, taking a big bite of the flatbread. "Without his skill and calm command, we would have only managed to gather some firewood at best."

Lin Shengli waved his hand, bringing the topic back to reality: "We've brought the prey back, but how to deal with it is another matter."

He put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "After we finish eating, let's cut off the wing tips of those two pheasants, tie them with thin ropes, and keep them in the yard. Pheasants aren't too temperamental. We can keep them until the 29th of the twelfth lunar month before killing them, so the meat will be fresher."

He paused, then said, "Rabbits are temperamental and easily frightened to death. If they die, it's not good to bleed them, as the meat will easily turn sour and tough. What I mean is, let's deal with it tonight. Junzi, can you handle this job?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Jun immediately patted his chest and guaranteed, "Yes! Absolutely! Shengli, don't worry. I've watched my dad do things like slaughtering chickens and plucking feathers, and butchering rabbits, countless times at home. I guarantee I'll do it cleanly and thoroughly, draining the blood completely! Perfect timing! We've saved up some Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, and some precious soybean oil over the past few months. Tomorrow I'll cook this rabbit and make a spicy cold rabbit! I guarantee you'll be eating it until your tongues are tingling!"

"What about the roe deer?" Jiang Yuanchao pushed up his glasses and looked at Lin Shengli. "It's such a big guy, I'm afraid the few of us can't handle it, and it smells so bloody."

Lin Shengli nodded: "We need to hire a professional to handle the roe deer. I've thought it through. Tomorrow, we'll secretly ask Uncle Lao Pao to come and help. He's an experienced hunter, and he's the best at dealing with these animals. We won't ask him for help for nothing. After the roe deer is cleaned up, we'll give him a hind leg and some offal as a token of our appreciation. We'll keep the rest, and with the pheasants, our New Year's meals will definitely be decent."

This arrangement was reasonable, as it allowed them to properly handle the prey, maintain good relationships, and avoid arousing envy. None of the three objected.

After the meal, Jiang Yuanchao took the initiative to wash the dishes and pots.

Wei Jun immediately sprang into action, finding scissors and, together with Li Kuiyong, carefully cut off a section of the wingtips of the two pheasants. Then, he tied each pheasant to a wooden post in the yard where clothes were being dried with sturdy thin hemp rope, and sprinkled some corn grits on top.

The pheasant flapped its wings for a while, then gradually quieted down.

Then, Wei Jun showed another side of himself as a "chef".

He asked Li Kuiyong to help hold the rabbit down, while he skillfully wielded the knife to bleed, skin, gut, and clean the internal organs.

The whole process was orderly and efficient, clearly indicating that the person was not a novice.

The two plump wild rabbits were quickly reduced to two piles of tender, bloody meat and two intact rabbit skins.

He carefully spread out the rabbit skin, treated it simply with wood ash, and prepared it for tanning so that it might be used to make some small items.

Lin Shengli watched from the sidelines, occasionally lending a hand.

Once everything was settled—the rabbit meat was temporarily preserved by burying it in clean snow, the pheasant was settled, and the roe deer was temporarily housed in the woodshed—he dusted off his hands and said to the three of them, "Alright, everything's arranged here. I'll head back to my courtyard now."

Jiang Yuanchao and the others knew that Lin Shengli preferred to be alone, so they didn't keep him any longer. They just repeatedly told him to be careful on the road and to come back early the next day.

Lin Shengli returned to his small courtyard alone under the cold moonlight.

Once the door is closed, the courtyard is completely silent.