Chapter 36: Here We Go Again

Seeing Su Yanwen’s embarrassment, Cao’er tugged at his hand. Her small face was flushed, and though she wore a look of mild confusion, she said firmly, “Father, I am so happy right now.”

“To have a home without a grandmother who scolds or beats us—it’s just wonderful.”

As she spoke, Cao’er carefully leaned her face against Su Yanwen, rubbing her soft head against his hand. “Father, can we just keep being this happy forever? We don’t need a big house. This one is actually very good. It’s small, and I just need to curl up with my rabbit.”

“Right, if I hold Cao’er, we won’t take up much space at all.”

Zhao Yue’e, seeing this, hurriedly added, “During the day, I can cook outside. It’s enough, it’s all enough.”

Su Yanwen did not respond. He simply looked around. The wooden hut was well-built; although it hadn’t been finished, it was sturdy and warm. It shielded them from wild beasts and kept the wind and rain at bay. But… it was too small. In such a cramped space, if all three of them lay down, the hut would be packed full. Living like this was truly inconvenient. Moreover, as Cao’er grew older, she would certainly need a room of her own.

Reflecting on all this, Su Yanwen said firmly, “No, we must build a proper house. As for the meat, I will find a way.”

Seeing how stubborn Su Yanwen was, Zhao Yue’e sighed deeply. She calmed down and continued, “If we really build a house, relying on meat alone is impossible. Actually, everyone was quite polite when eating today; no one ate their fill. They aren't used to eating meat, so when they finally got something they liked, they naturally treasured it. That’s why they were so restrained and didn’t really eat enough. But over time, they won't be so polite anymore. We have to make sure everyone is fed.”

Zhao Yue’e looked troubled. She was speaking of the reality they faced. In truth, catching prey was the simplest part of their current situation. The problem was that large game was too difficult to catch, and small animals provided so little meat that even if they caught them, it would barely sustain their own family, let alone keep fifteen people fed.

After saying this, Zhao Yue’e fell silent. She knew that although the old Su Yanwen had been a clueless fool, the current Su Yanwen was certainly capable of understanding the gravity of the situation. Tomorrow morning, everyone would arrive, and they would immediately face the problem of what to eat.

Su Yanwen stood by the window, feeling despondent, when something cold landed on the tip of his nose. He wiped it away; it was a cold snowflake. Cao’er walked over at that moment. Having been up on the mountain for so long, this was the first time she could openly watch the snowy night scene.

“Wow, Father, so this is what it looks like when it snows at night.”

“The snowy night view is so beautiful!”

She curiously reached her hand out the window but quickly pulled it back, hunching her shoulders and shivering. “So cold, so cold. It’s much colder on the mountain than in the village.”

That’s right! It was snowing!

A flash of joy appeared on Su Yanwen’s face. He clapped his hands and cheered, “Good, this is perfect. This snow is a godsend.”

Cao’er and Zhao Yue’e looked at him, bewildered. Su Yanwen smiled and explained, “You two go get a good night’s sleep. Heaven is helping us. Look at how hard it’s snowing; it won’t stop by tomorrow. This gives me a window of time to go hunting.”

Having seen his success a few times before, they had confidence in his hunting skills.

“But with the snow... will there be any prey out?” Zhao Yue’e asked, her tone filled with worry.

“It’ll be fine,” Su Yanwen said with a smile. “By the way, where is the burlap sack we brought back from Grandpa Cai’s house?”

“The sack?” Zhao Yue’e thought for a moment, then hurried to open the door and brought it in.

Su Yanwen opened it and dumped the contents out. As he looked at the items, he scratched his head, feeling a bit cheated. He had hoped for at least something useful, but the sack contained nothing but discarded junk—old rusty clips, a tattered fishing net, and scrap metal. The only thing of any value was a pickaxe.

*Ah... just this?* Su Yanwen was dumbfounded.

*Oh well, never mind.*

The snow outside grew heavier. Watching the swirling flakes, Su Yanwen felt a sense of helplessness. At the crack of dawn, he took the pickaxe and headed out. Unfortunately, he trekked deep into the mountains and found no prey. The traps he had set earlier were mostly destroyed. In the only spot where he found rabbit fur, there was a pool of blood on the ground; it seemed other predators had beaten him to it.

It began to snow again. The temperature dropped, and the falling snow kept more animals tucked away in their burrows. Hunting had become even more difficult.

In desperation, he walked to the edge of the pond. Perhaps because of the sudden drop in temperature, catching fish was no longer as easy as before. Using the same method, he spent the whole afternoon and only caught three fish, which weighed less than five pounds in total.

Just as he was about to leave, a growl suddenly echoed from behind him.

“Grrr...”

The low, guttural sound made his hair stand on end. It was a wolf.

Hearing the noise, Su Yanwen spun around. Sure enough, he saw a pair of glowing green eyes. The creature emerged slowly from the bushes, its eyes locked onto him.

“Grrr...” The black wolf growled again.

Seeing the wolf’s massive frame, Su Yanwen felt a headache coming on. Why did he have to encounter such a monster at a time like this? He only had a pickaxe and a hunting knife. As he looked at the wolf, his face turned pale. The power gap was too great; a head-on fight would surely result in mutual destruction.

Without hesitation, Su Yanwen turned and ran.

With an angry roar, the black wolf lunged. Su Yanwen cursed internally—what kind of situation was this? He had barely stepped out and already ran into something he couldn't fight. Was this thing supposed to be a guardian spirit?

Su Yanwen bolted. Suddenly, his foot hit empty air, his body lurched, and he fell backward. He slipped down a steep slope, tumbling over and over in the snow. The fish he was holding flew from his hand and landed on the ground.

He hadn’t noticed the steep incline behind him. He expected the wolf to chase him, but to his surprise, the wolf went straight for the three fish, snatched them up, and began to feast happily.

“Damn it!” Su Yanwen roared, his head spinning. Encountering a beast like that made hunting hard enough, and now his catch had been stolen too?

He was furious, but as he reached out to steady himself, his hand grabbed something. These weeds... why did they look so familiar? He hurriedly took his pickaxe and dug into the snow. He began to laugh.

Beneath the surface were thick, black roots.

Su Yanwen chuckled, “Heh, isn't this bracken root?”