The patch of grass shook violently a few times, followed by the gentle trembling of the blades.
"It's hit."
Gu Qingcheng said happily.
Gu Buku looked at the wood-cutting knife in his hand. Huh? He hadn't even made a move yet, and it was all over?
Still, hitting a wild goat was a good thing. The two went forward, parted the grass, and saw the wild goat, weighing over a hundred catties, lying on the ground, almost dead.
Several women were washing wild vegetables by the spring when they heard a burst of cheers from across the way:
"Hit it, hit it!"
It was Gu Buku's voice.
"My, they really hit a wild goat, how amazing! Who hit it?"
"It must be Buku. He's holding a wood-cutting knife, he's got some strength!"
"I think it was Qingcheng. Didn't she hunt all the wild game we're eating today?"
"Wild rabbits and pheasants are small animals. It's not surprising that Qingcheng, being a girl, could hit them. A wild goat is so big, she couldn't have done it alone."
The women chatted and speculated.
In a short while, Gu Buku and Gu Qingcheng, one lifting the front hooves and the other holding the hind legs, carried the wild goat to the spring.
"Aunties, please help us process it. We'll have extra stewed goat for everyone tonight."
Gu Qingcheng announced loudly.
"Alright, right away."
Seeing the wild goat, the women were overjoyed and casually asked who had hunted it.
"We hunted it together," Gu Qingcheng said.
"It was Qingcheng who hunted it," Gu Buku added simultaneously.
How could Gu Buku dare to claim credit? It was clearly Qingcheng who hunted it; he had only assisted.
Since Gu Buku said it was Qingcheng who hunted it, there was no way it could be false. The women looked at Gu Qingcheng with admiration.
A sense of pride welled up in Gu Qingcheng's heart.
In the blink of an eye, the system had rewarded her twice: once for the joy of hunting, yielding 10 Bliss Points; and once for the pride of being admired, yielding 5 Bliss Points.
While Gu Qingcheng was happy about catching prey, what made her even happier was getting Bliss Points at the same time.
She hummed a little tune and returned.
Upon reaching the campsite, Gu Qingcheng directly found Village Chief Gu and stated her intention to donate the wild goat to the village.
Gu Qingcheng had a clear understanding of the situation. Any matter, only with Village Chief Gu's endorsement, would be secure and clearly separate her family from the Gu family.
Otherwise, if the hunted game remained in their possession, the Gu family members would surely cause trouble.
Before, they sent Gu Xiaohua; who would they send next?
Gu Qingcheng was curious to see.
In any case, her family wouldn't starve. It was better to donate the meat; she just didn't want the vile Gu family to benefit.
These actions, she considered, were her repayment to the original owner, giving back to the Gu family all the suffering she had endured for over a decade.
Gu Qingcheng didn't feel this was excessive; she was doing what the original owner wished she could do but couldn't.
Village Chief Gu was naturally overjoyed.
Many villagers had lost their grain; it was impossible to go without food, but the commune couldn't possibly distribute grain to everyone.
As for borrowing from other families, grain was more precious than eyeballs now; who would be willing to lend it out?
Eating wild vegetables could sustain them for a while, but eating them every day, without oil or salt, was unbearable for any family. At this moment, Gu Qingcheng brought over a hundred catties of wild goat meat. How could he not be happy?
With the wild goat, wild pheasant, and wild rabbit meat, they could definitely hold out for three days.
Village Chief Gu had no intention of preserving the wild game by drying it into jerky.
Because he remembered the motto of Gu Lao Liu's family.
Stockpiling was necessary, but one couldn't stockpile to the point of starving oneself or dying of hunger. If that happened, stockpiling food would be meaningless.
Village Chief Gu loudly declared, "Add two more large cauldrons! Tonight, we'll have stewed goat. This was hunted by our Qingcheng and Gu Buku. Their two families can have an extra bowl of goat soup tonight."
Hearing that an extra wild goat had been caught, the villagers were ecstatic. They had no objections to Qingcheng and Buku's families getting an extra bowl.
They had given so much wild game to the commune, a rare act of great benevolence.
If it were themselves, wouldn't they enjoy it as a family?
Hunting wild game was based on one's own ability, not theft or robbery. There was no reason to selflessly contribute it to the commune.
But Qingcheng had done it!
It left everyone sighing.
"I really can't believe it. Lao Liu and his wife are quite honest, and yet they could raise such an outstanding daughter like Qingcheng! She only thinks of the commune."
A woman gossiped nearby.
As long as they didn't starve to death, women would gossip as long as their tongues could move.
Beside them, the "honest and unsophisticated" Hu Lanfang couldn't help but grin.
Of course, their couple had educated her well. Otherwise, how would Qingcheng understand the principle of a gentleman not standing under a dangerous wall?
If their family possessed too much wild game and were unwilling to share it, in a time when everyone was short of food, and even resorting to cannibalism, they would surely not be treated kindly.
At that time, being forced to hand over the wild game, and voluntarily handing it over now, would undoubtedly result in different treatment.
Hu Lanfang looked at her daughter with satisfaction and gave her a big thumbs-up.
The villagers also cast looks of admiration at Gu Qingcheng.
Everyone's attitude towards Gu Lao Liu's family became noticeably warmer, even fawning.
After all, the Gu family could hunt, chop trees, and take the lead. Such a good family, noble in character and selflessly devoted, how could people not like them?
Gu Qingcheng grinned, and her sense of pride doubled.
The system generously sent five more Bliss Points, sourced from: the joy of being praised!
See, can't you praise me more?
Gu Qingcheng merrily bound together eight sharpened throwing darts with thin ropes, preparing to set off with these javelins tomorrow.
Along the way, holding the javelins, she could hunt more wild game for everyone to enjoy.
Gu Qingcheng hadn't realized yet that the prey she hunted had already become the hope for the entire village to survive and leave this great mountain.
"Tsk tsk, wild goat meat is good! Add some ginger, it's nourishing and dispels cold!
The weather has been abnormally cold these past few days, and my old rheumatic leg has flared up. If I could have some ginger and goat soup, it would definitely help a lot."
An old man patted his swollen and painful knee and said.
"Yes, wild goat meat is very nourishing. I've been eating wild vegetables for more than half a month, and my stomach keeps churning with sourness, and my belly aches every day. If I could eat ginger goat soup, it would definitely warm and nourish my stomach."
A middle-aged man clutched his stomach, complaining about how eating wild vegetables made him spit sour water and ruined his constitution. The man, who could once carry 200 catties, now found himself out of breath just walking.
Hu Lanfang listened and whispered something to Gu Qingcheng without a trace of emotion.
Ginger and goat soup?
Consider it done!
Gu Qingcheng waved her small hand and took out ten palm-sized old gingers from the "Mountain Cat Supermarket."
The old gingers were very fresh, thoroughly cleaned, with no sand or soil on the surface. They had been washed and were sold on the fresh vegetable shelf as prepped produce.