Butcher Fulang’s Noodle Shop - Chapter 26
It was peaceful in the deep mountains, the sun silently advancing to its zenith. Other than occasional bird calls, an undisturbed hush enveloped the surroundings. It felt as though the two were nestled in boundless greenery, shielded from the clamor of the world below.
Song Shi’an lazily opened his eyes, finding the man’s arm resting on his belly—no wonder he felt a weight on him after waking.
Though doors and windows were tightly shut, Song Shi’an sensed a touch of coolness upon rising. His body was much colder than Xu Zhongyue, Song Shi’an, intolerant of the cold, donned the coarse cloth jacket he had prepared earlier.
Quietly observing his wife, Xu Zhongyue noticed Song Shi’an wrapping his slender frame in a thick coat.
Getting dressed and brushing his teeth first, Xu Zhongyue, having ventured up the mountain with the intention of showing Song Shi’an around rather than hunting, found himself moving with the same leisurely pace as Song Shi’an.
As Song Shi’an busied himself in the kitchen, Xu Zhongyue went out a few times to replenish the water used the previous night, collected two large bundles of dry firewood, and gathered some red and yellow wild apricots.
Song Shi’an crafted two large bowls of Yangchun noodles, simplicity adorned with sesame oil, salt, chopped green onion, and a sliced red oil duck egg. Satiated with the soup and noodles, the duo enjoyed the delightful meal.
Xu Zhongyue, in the meantime, cleaned the apricots in the stream, and Song Shi’an peeled two open for a taste. The bright red ones offered a touch of sourness, while the golden ones proved tender, juicy, and sweet to the core.
In the kitchen, a small bamboo basket awaited them. Xu Zhongyue planned to hunt in the afternoon, and Song Shi’an intended to use the basket to gather wild fruits.
Despite the absence of human presence in the deep mountains, a vast forest abounded with wild peaches, apricots, and plums. As Song Shi’an discovered fresh, smooth fruits, he picked, wiped, and savored them.
The sweet juice burst in his mouth, delighting his taste buds. With the basket full, even if he and Xu Zhongyue couldn’t consume it all, they could wash and preserve the fruits in various jams to enjoy with steamed buns during winter.
Xu Zhongyue, concerned about Song Shi’an potentially getting lost, remained nearby. He held an ax and marked the trunks of trees every two trees, providing a trail for Song Shi’an to follow back home if separated.
While wandering, Xu Zhongyue spotted pheasants in the treetops, their colorful feathers catching the sunlight. Yet, with his sharp eyes, he discerned the pheasants returning to nests after preying—spring and summer being the breeding season for female animals.
Understanding the hunting principles, he merely carried his bow and arrow, taking a casual stroll with the ax in hand.
Before long, two wild rabbits—one gray and one white—popped their heads out from the thatch. Wary, the rabbits cautiously eyed their surroundings. Xu Zhongyue, standing quietly downwind, patiently observed until the rabbits resumed nibbling the fallen fruit.
Drawing his bow, Xu Zhongyue released an arrow. In an instant, two arrows followed—one hitting the gray rabbit’s throat and the other merely grazing the white rabbit’s leg.
Hearing the wind, Song Shi’an turned around, witnessing Xu Zhongyue’s heroic appearance. Running to Xu Zhongyue’s side, he exclaimed, “That’s amazing! What a great harvest today!”
Despite just catching the two hares, Xu Zhongyue, noting Song Shi’an’s joy, contemplated of going back to the hut.
He didn’t remember when but he remembered a tale of of the beacon fire play about King Zhou’s infatuation with the nine-tailed fox. In the past, Xu Zhongyue couldn’t understand King Zhou’s obsession for a fragrant body that he wouldn’t mind giving up the world.
But now that he had a wife, he wanted to have him dressed well, eat well and live prosperous life together with his soft wife in his arms.
To conserve water, Xu Zhongyue squatted by the stream, meticulously skinning the two rabbits. He took extra care with the white rabbit, preserving its flawless fur, as white as a handful of mountain snow.
“I want to use this white rabbit fur to make you a scarf that matches your lake-green silk jacket,” Xu Zhongyue said casually.
Song Shi’an thought about it and the color would match beautifully, he admired his husband’s good taste.
“Alright, alright! I’ll make you a spicy rabbit pot tonight, I guarantee it’ll be delicious!”
Song Shi’an smiled as he cooked, anticipating the rabbit fur scarf. While scarves were not scarce, what made this special was that Xu Zhongyue had thought of him in everything.
Deboning the rabbit meat and cutting it into cubes, Song Shi’an selected a scoop of lard from a large jar brought up the mountain.
After heating the oil pan, he added chili pepper and various spices, followed by a basin of diced rabbit meat. Simmering until cooked, he added a handful of sugar to produce a fragrant aroma that might make one sneeze.
With plenty of dry food pancakes left, they alternated bites of rabbit meat and pancake. After just one pancake, Song Shi’an was full. Meanwhile, Xu Zhongyue dipped the pancake in soup and devoured more than half the pot.
Despite the soup being rich with condiments, a small portion of rabbit remained. The next day, Song Shi’an added water and made spicy rabbit meat soup.
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After breakfast, Xu Zhongyue set out with his bow and arrows to set traps in the mountains. Before leaving, he earnestly instructed Song Shi’an not to venture far, reminding him of the dangers in the deep forest.
“The mountains and forests are perilous with many ferocious beasts. If you get lost there, it might be difficult to find your way back. Don’t be careless!”
Song Shi’an, with a smile, clasped his hands together and promised, “Daddy Xu, I’ll heed your advice. I won’t wander too far. Are there tigers and bears in this forest?”
Xu Zhongyue looked at him deeply before finally departing.
Feeling Xu Zhongyue was overly concerned, Song Shi’an thought he resembled a worried father. Seeing the sunny weather outside, he washed and dried the sheets and quilts stained the previous day. Afterward, he carried a small basket to pick fruits.
This time, Song Shi’an was fortunate to stumble upon a massive beehive in the forest. Having learned beekeeping from an old friend in his previous life, he envisioned the value of a fist-sized jar of honey in town. In ancient times, with underdeveloped sugar-making technology, sweet things were extravagantly expensive, could cost you five taels!
He hurriedly returned to the house, found a change of coarse cloth, and wrapped his head, face, and hands, leaving only the slits of his eyes and two nostrils exposed. After pulling out some wormwood and burning it, he skillfully cut off an entire beehive. He packed the honeycomb into a small basket and hurried back home.
Adding a little honey to the cool well water made it delicious. In addition to daily consumption, he could use honey to make sugar, oil, fruit, honey osmanthus cake, and more.
Song Shi’an squeezed some honey onto his fingers, thinking of sharing it with Xu Zhongyue later, which brought a happy smile to his face.
Engrossed in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the small brown-black dog under his feet. It was tugging at his pants with pointed black claws, emitting a cute hum.
Song Shi’an rubbed the dog’s head and asked with a smile, “Are you asking me for honey?”
The dog whined and licked his hand, making him wonder if there were foreign dogs in ancient China.
As he played with the dog, a rustling sound reached his ears along with a heart-rending roar. Suddenly, Xu Zhongyue’s urgent voice broke in, “Song Shi’an, go back and close the door!”
Raising his head, Song Shi’an witnessed a terrifying sight that almost made his liver and gallbladder burst— a big, fat black bear charging on four towards him at an alarming speed!
Song Shi’an had been squatting near the door, enjoying the company of a dog that resembled a cub. The sight of the approaching bear sent a jolt through him.
Xu Zhongyue, returning from his hunt, noticed the danger from a distance. Different from their seemingly harmless appearance, bears were cunning and ferocious creatures. They could understand hunter traps and, in some cases, lie dormant, disguising themselves to infiltrate villages and prey on unsuspecting residents.
In a critical moment, Xu Zhongyue saw the black bear charging towards Song Shi’an, who stood frozen in fear. Acting quickly, he drew his bow, took aim, and shot three arrows at the approaching bear.
“Close the door!”
Song Shi’an, his ears buzzing, stumbled backward and fell to the ground. The bear, wounded by three arrows but still fierce, crashed onto the ground with a furious roar.
Following Xu Zhongyue’s shouted instructions, Song Shi’an tremblingly closed the door. He hastily employed the technique Xu Zhongyue had taught him, wedging a thick tree trunk between the door bolts with all his strength.
As Song Shi’an fumbled with the door, the bear, recovering from its fall, charged once again, violently colliding with the door. The doors swung open in the middle, revealing the bear’s snout squeezing through the gap.
Xu Zhongyue, arriving just in time, held a long knife and leaped, slashing at the bear’s head as it pushed into the doorway. The bear’s head split open, blood flowing. Enraged, the bear abandoned its attack on the door, turning to face Xu Zhongyue.
Witnessing the struggle through the door crack, Song Shi’an, overcome with fear, considered opening the door and helping.
But Xu Zhongyue’s stern warning reached his ears: “Don’t open the door!”
The sounds of the fierce confrontation between man and bear brought tears to Song Shi’an’s eyes. Terrified, he noticed a ladder against the wall and quickly climbed up.
Undeterred by the bear’s injuries, Xu Zhongyue, displaying courage in the face of danger, shot arrows at the bear again, this time aiming for its nose—the bear’s only weakness. Injured twice, the bear’s pain and fury heightened its bestial nature. Instead of retreating, it charged towards Xu Zhongyue even more aggressively.
Realizing the need to lure the bear away from the house, Xu Zhongyue ran in the opposite direction, shooting arrows as he went.
When his quiver emptied, he discarded the bow and arrows, opting to climb a nearby tree. The relentless bear, refusing to give up, stood on its hind legs, swiping its paw at the tree trunk, attempting to dislodge Xu Zhongyue and tear him apart.