"Stone, go pluck the chicken's feathers. I'll stew it for you later."
"Okay, okay, Second Brother, I'll do it now."
Zhong Shi excitedly lifted the colorful wild chicken and patted the dead roe deer, making exclamations of delight.
After Zhong Lin put the Copper Coins from the table into his money pouch, he looked at the little sprout in front of him with a complex expression.
Zhong Shi, his predecessor's younger brother, his real brother.
The predecessor had four brothers in total, and he was the second, which is why Zhong Shi called him Second Brother.
The predecessor's mother died in childbirth while giving birth to the fourth child, both lives lost. The father and oldest brother also encountered a mountain tiger while hunting last year, leaving only the predecessor and the third brother Zhong Shi to rely on each other.
If Zhong Lin hadn't transmigrated, this time the predecessor would have died in the Black Mountain, and the family would have been left barren by others, and five-year-old Zhong Shi probably wouldn't survive either.
Lost family and home, this is true loss indeed!
This made Zhong Lin feel even more the hardships of living in this world.
Zhong Lin could feel the predecessor's unease about Zhong Shi at the moment of his death, which is also why he could quickly accept Zhong Shi.
"Since I've taken your body, I will also bear your responsibilities. I will raise little Shi to adulthood," Zhong Lin thought to himself.
"Second Brother, the chicken is plucked."
Zhong Lin stopped thinking further and stepped over.
A poor child runs the household early. Although he's only taking charge of chores early, five-year-old Zhong Shi effortlessly completed the task of plucking the wild chicken's feathers; only gutting remained.
The beautiful wild chicken feathers were also collected by Zhong Shi, shining with a myriad of colors in the sunlight.
Luckily it was a rooster; if it were a hen, the feathers wouldn't be so beautiful.
Zhong Lin took a kitchen knife from the kitchen, and in a few swift motions gutted it and chopped it into pieces.
"Go, wash the blood foam off with water again. I'll handle those two rabbits, and then we'll stew a pot of Golden Chicken Crowing at the Moon," Zhong Lin instructed.
Children love it when adults assign them tasks because it makes them feel grown-up, and besides, they would be eating meat soon. Thinking of this, Zhong Shi drooled, continually imagining how delicious Second Brother's "Golden Chicken Crowing at the Moon" would be.
Zhong Lin found a rope, tied the rabbit shot through the head, and hung it on the rack to be better skinned.
Zhong Lin had never done such a thing, but the predecessor had many memories of skinning rabbits with his father and brothers, so he wasn't unfamiliar. In a moment, he had skinned the entire hide off.
He didn't intend to throw away the hide, planning to process it with saltpeter later, which could be used to make a cap or shoes.
He chopped the skinned rabbit meat into pieces on the cutting board, washed the blood foam off with clean water, and then dumped it into the pot along with the chicken.
Forget about dry-frying or stir-frying, there was no oil, no chilies, and no seasonings. The best way was to stew them together.
Luckily, for Zhong Lin's "funeral arrangements," the villagers had built a stove in the courtyard with yellow earth, brought water, and delivered firewood, enough to last half a month.
Zhong Shi was still young, and Zhong Lin couldn't cook, only knew a chaotic stew.
All the chicken and rabbit meat went into the pot, along with water, salt, and wild vegetables, and the pot was covered.
Once heated on high, half an hour later, an aroma burst forth.
It wasn't particularly fragrant, mainly because both of them didn't have much oil in their bodies; even boiled meat in plain water would taste delicious today, not to mention salt was added.
"Second Brother, can we eat yet?"
Zhong Shi had asked this at least ten times, eyes full of longing, constantly swallowing saliva, and his stomach growling.
Zhong Lin lifted the lid, and steam billowed out, bringing with it the unique aroma of meat.
The two brothers glanced at each other and then began to mock each other.
Zhong Lin used chopsticks to pick up a piece from the pot, took a bite and chewed; the meat was tender and salted.
"The taste is alright, let's eat."
He stuffed another half into Zhong Shi's mouth and picked up a ladle to scoop into bowls.
Each had a bowl, paired with the leftover chestnut rice from earlier. The taste... was delicious!
Though it was just simple boiled meat in water, with added salt and wild vegetables, it wasn't bad; moreover, neither of them had any oil in their bodies; even a little meat was a delicacy, no room for much refinement.
"Don't rush, be careful not to choke on the bones, there's enough in the pot for both of us."
Zhong Lin patted little Shi's head, fearing he might swallow bones too quickly.
In his previous life, he had a little nephew who choked on a bone, and in a short time, his face turned blue. If not discovered in time, he might not have made it.
Zhong Lin gnawed on the meat while contemplating future plans; he didn't intend to stay in Lower River Village. The predecessor hadn't left for over a decade, but now that Zhong Lin was here, he naturally wanted to explore.
Besides, carrying a System panel, staying in Lower River Village would only waste it, only larger, more prosperous places could let it shine.
Moreover, Zhong Lin wanted to see if this world truly had Transcendent Power, as the novels described!
After eating and drinking, the two leaned against door panels, basking in the sun, with little Shi nearly falling asleep.
For several days, he had been living in fear at home, and later the shameless villagers came to take advantage, leaving him frightened. Now, full and satisfied, he just wanted to sleep well.
Zhong Lin reached out and shook little Shi awake: "Don't sleep here; you'll catch a cold."
"Second Brother, I'm not sleeping."
Zhong Shi widened his eyes, shook his head vigorously, forcing himself to stay awake.
He was afraid, afraid that if he fell asleep, Second Brother would disappear again. He didn't want to hide in a corner of the bed, trembling alone at night, or open his eyes to people telling him his Second Brother was gone.
A child's thoughts were written all over his face, and Zhong Lin naturally saw through little Shi's concerns. A touch of compassion flashed in his heart, and he stroked the bigger-looking head due to malnutrition.
"Don't worry, Second Brother won't leave; I'll take you with me wherever I go. Come on, let's handle that roe deer."
Saying this, Zhong Lin abruptly stood up, patted the dust off his pants, and walked towards the corner of the courtyard where the roe deer lay.
Zhong Shi clambered up with a gurgle, excitedly following closely, no longer sleepy.
The roe deer's hide was well preserved, having been shot through the eye by Zhong Lin. Unfortunately, its hide wasn't worth much.
Zhong Shi tugged the rope, and Zhong Lin exerted his strength. Together, they hoisted the roe deer up.
This sort of thing would usually be left to a professional butcher to skin and gut. Doing it themselves, lack of tools aside, easily damaged the outer hide. Often, prey's hides were worth more than the meat.