Madam Zhou was stunned and asked blankly, "Then what about mine?"
Old Madam Jiang squinted and snorted, "Yours? What's yours? Do you have the face to eat meat?"
"Why can't I eat meat? Am I not a member of the Jiang family? The meat distributed by the village, there's clearly my share, why won't you give it to me?"
Old Madam Jiang paid her no mind and stuffed meat into her mouth.
Madam Zhou was extremely greedy, so she turned and tried to snatch the meat from Si Lang and Wu Lang's hands.
Those two little rascals knew their mother too well and ran off with the meat.
Madam Zhou failed to snatch the meat, and in her anger, she sat down on the ground and started to cry.
Although Jiang Yu also wanted to eat meat, she knew from a young age that daughters in the Jiang family were not valued, so she didn't dare to have any ideas about the meat. When no one was paying attention, she quickly gulped down the bowl of organ soup. Even though it was so hot it made her eyes roll back, she didn't dare to spill a single drop.
Madam Liu hugged her son and brought her four-year-old eldest daughter. She took a bowl of mushroom soup for herself and sat in a corner, watching Jiang Lao San eat the largest piece of meat by himself.
A hint of mockery flashed in her eyes, and she said nothing. After comforting her daughter, who was crying from hunger, she coaxed her to drink the soup and then took the children to sleep.
The villagers were in high spirits. After eating their fill, the older boys pulled Yang the hunter aside and started telling him interesting stories about Tongzhou.
Yang the hunter was a well-traveled man, and his stories were very engaging. Jiang Wan listened with great interest.
"Don't let this mountain fool you, it's not that high, but no one has entered it for many years. In previous years, there were many wild beasts in the mountains, and wolves often traveled in packs. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to come here."
The boys listening to the story widened their eyes, "There are wolves?"
Yang the hunter nodded, "Yes, I encountered one once. That wolf was pure white, and its fur would be worth a lot of silver. Unfortunately, I was alone, how could I dare to provoke them."
The youths' eyes lit up with excitement, a white wolf! It would be great to see one.
Seeing them like this, Yang the hunter warned them, "Don't think seeing it is a good thing. Those beasts are fierce. If you encounter them, losing an arm or a leg would be considered lucky."
"Remember, never enter the forest without permission, otherwise, if you run into them, even the King of Heaven can't save you."
The youths were startled and quickly nodded, saying they wouldn't dare.
Jiang Wan listened to the story until her eyes could no longer stay open. When she woke up, it was already bright daylight.
Winter mornings were truly cold, and Jiang Wan refused to get out of her quilt.
The cotton bought in Tongzhou Prefecture had finally found its use. Chen Yuezhi and Madam Su worked together to make a new cotton-padded jacket weighing one jin for everyone in the family. They wore the new ones inside and the old ones outside, which was incredibly warm.
The remaining twenty jin of cotton were made into several quilts. Just like the clothes, the new quilts were placed inside and the old ones outside, making it so warm that no one wanted to get up.
Jiang Wan stayed in bed until the group was about to depart before getting dressed.
The road was difficult to travel, and lying in the carriage was not comfortable.
To protect Madam Su, her family would move all the bedding to cushion her when they were traveling, so that she and the baby in her womb would not be jolted.
Madam Su's belly was already three months along, and the villagers knew about her pregnancy. The meticulous protection given to Madam Su by the Jiang family made all the young married women in the village envious.
The road today was particularly difficult, and the convoy moved slowly. Jiang Wan found it boring in the carriage, so she got down and walked.
Little Ma Zai stood on her shoulder, occasionally chirping.
Little Ma Zai was now also a bird of status in the Jiang family. As it was getting cold, Chen Yuezhi, afraid it would freeze, had Madam Su sew a small garment for it that wouldn't hinder its flight.
The small garment was made of red fabric, making the dusty Little Ma Zai look very festive.
Jiang Wan doted on Little Ma Zai. Every time they rested, she would use her abilities to find insects from the deadwood to supplement its diet. In a month, Little Ma Zai had gained a lot of weight and looked a bit clumsy.
The children in the village were very envious of Jiang Wan. Seeing her walking in the convoy with Little Ma Zai on her shoulder, they all ran over to surround her.
"Wan Wan, can I touch it? I promise I won't use force."
Jiang Wan shrugged, "It's not up to me, it depends on whether it's willing."
The child immediately reached out his hand towards Little Ma Zai.
Little Ma Zai unceremoniously pecked him and chirped angrily: "Get away from your bird grandpa!"
The child, pecked, didn't get angry. He covered his pecked hand, grinning, "It's a bit fierce."
Seeing this, the other children also bravely came forward to touch Little Ma Zai, and all of them were pecked.
Jiang Wan looked at the group of children covering their hands and giggling, and couldn't help but twitch her mouth.
They were so happy even after being pecked, what silly children!
When they stopped for the evening, Er Lang took out a carrier to carry Jiang Wan to watch the hunt.
Jiang Wan didn't stand on ceremony and leaned onto Er Lang, letting him tie her to his back.
When they set off, Chen Yuezhi repeatedly instructed with concern, "When you carry Wan Wan, be careful of your footing, don't trip. Run slower, understand?"
Er Lang waved his hand, "Got it, don't worry, I won't let her fall."
Da Lang said, "Dad, Mom, I'm going too, don't worry."
San Lang also wanted to go, but his parents held him back, "What are you going for? Can you run faster or fight better? Stay put, and if you run around, I'll spank your butt!"
So San Lang could only watch his elder brothers take his little sister away with longing eyes.
Jiang Wan, lying on Er Lang's back, turned her head and made a face at San Lang, which angered San Lang so much that he stomped his feet, making Jiang Wan giggle.
The weather was getting colder, and Little Ma Zai didn't like to move and wasn't interested in going into the mountains to hunt. Jiang Wan let it stay in the carriage to sleep.
Many people were going into the mountains this time. The wild boar from last night had whetted everyone's appetite. Moreover, there was only their convoy and the small convoy ahead on this road, so there was no need to leave too many people to guard their belongings. Basically, everyone who could go, went.
The reason they could determine that the convoy ahead was small in number was that there were not many cart tracks and footprints on the road these past two days.
Jiang Wan was also very excited. It was her first time witnessing a real hunting scene in this era.
The people entering the mountains were all carrying various homemade weapons. Some were woodcutters' knives tied to long poles, some were sharpened wooden sticks, and some people had woven a net bag with stones in it, which they swung and threw, causing considerable damage.
As they walked through the forest, they soon found prey.
A scrawny rabbit.
Although the rabbit was small, it was still meat!
The villagers were all excited and rushed forward with their weapons. The rabbit was startled and turned to run.
The forest echoed with people's excited shouts. Before long, the unlucky rabbit was captured by the villagers.
Yang the hunter smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad, we have a harvest right at the start! We'll definitely catch a lot of prey today."
With his words, the villagers became even more enthusiastic, "Let's go, let's catch more prey tonight, and let the children eat meat to their heart's content!"