Chapter 52: Please Continue to be Strong (Santou wishes you a Happy New Year!)

Liu Guilan wiped her hands with a rag and greeted her kindly.

Liu Guilan got along quite well with Shen Wei and had often helped her.

Wang An had a reputation, and Shen Wei probably knew a little bit about it, which was why Liu Guilan often went to help her.

However, Liu Guilan had never pointed it out, and Wang An wasn't a good match for Shen Wei, so she just kept playing dumb. Perhaps one day, when she couldn't hold on anymore, she would compromise!

"I... I came because I wanted to..." Before she finished speaking, she looked at Wang An, seemingly wanting Wang An to help explain.

Seeing that she was having such a hard time asking for help, Wang An simply stated Shen Wei's idea of wanting a black bear paw.

Although this black bear was caught by Wang An, Wang An could directly make the decision to give the black bear paw away.

But after doing so, what would his family think, and mainly, what would Mu Xueqing think?

So putting the matter out in the open directly avoided the family's wild guesses!

Mu Xueqing hadn't been married for long, and apart from returning to her maiden home once, she hadn't been out.

Naturally, she didn't know the people in the village, and the people in the village didn't know her.

Mu Xueqing stood to the side, watching the scene in front of her, while quietly listening to Wang An's explanation.

Wang Dazhu didn't speak, because he couldn't make decisions about family matters.

Liu Guilan was very conflicted upon hearing this. Mainly, her son already had a wife, so even if she helped Shen Wei, it was just simple help, without any other ideas.

If it were a piece of black bear meat, even if she gave a bit more, she certainly wouldn't hesitate, but there were only four black bear paws, and this thing was too scarce!

No matter how awesome a gunner was, catching five or six black bears a year was incredible!

Once caught, black bear paws were basically sold; what kind of conditions did they have to eat this thing!

Besides, no one in the family had ever eaten this thing, and it wasn't certain if there would be enough to eat!

Liu Guilan couldn't help but secretly complain in her heart: "Why is this old lady so greedy? Doesn't she know what her own conditions are!"

They say mother and son are of one heart; didn't the mother and son just think of the same thing!

Liu Guilan looked at Wang Dazhu, but Wang Dazhu seemed to have heard nothing, his gaze fixed on the five playful puppies!

Liu Guilan looked at her daughter-in-law again. The daughter-in-law had been paying attention and looked at her mother-in-law very cooperatively.

But she had only been married for a few days; how could she open her mouth about this!

Her eyes involuntarily looked at her son, and seeing her son nod subtly, she finally felt reassured.

Only then did she say with a smile: "Hey, how many years have we known each other? Why buy it? I'll just chop one off for you to take back."

Although Wang An nodded very subtly, it wasn't just Liu Guilan who saw it.

Shen Wei and Mu Xueqing also saw it, but how the two of them would think specifically, that was unknown!

Hearing Liu Guilan agree, Shen Wei, who had been very embarrassed, had tears fall right then and there.

Poverty destroys ambition, not to mention Shen Wei's family, which couldn't even reach the level of poverty!

Poverty isn't scary; what's scary is that even surviving is difficult!

A young widow with no source of income, leading a child, and having to serve an old lady bedridden with paralysis!

The word "difficult" was far from enough to describe this kind of predicament!

So, when she saw Wang An nod gently and agree to her unreasonable request!

When she heard Liu Guilan agree with a smile to her unreasonable request!

Her world, full of darkness and helplessness, seemed to have a glimmer of light!

That glimmer of light also seemed to be telling her: You, must continue to be strong!

So, she cried, under the gaze of Wang An's family, she cried!

Liu Guilan, a woman who had lived a hard life, truly understood Shen Wei's mood at this moment!

"Oh my! Look at you, child, why are you crying?" Liu Guilan said, stepping forward.

Regardless of her hands, because skinning the black bear was so messy, she directly wiped the tears off Shen Wei's face.

Her originally fair face directly had a greasy black mark, which made Wang An's mouth twitch.

Shen Wei didn't know her face was dirty, forced a smile, opened her mouth, but didn't say anything.

Liu Guilan glanced at Wang An, skipped over it, and turned directly to Wang Dazhu: "Dazhu! Chop off one of the black bear's back paws. The back paws are big, let the child take it!"

Just now, Liu Guilan's glance seemed to want Wang An to chop the black bear paw.

But perhaps feeling that her son couldn't be relied upon, she directly ordered her old man!

Wang Dazhu listened to Liu Guilan very well, swung the board axe, and started chopping. On the third swing, the black bear's back paw came off!

Watching his old man swing the axe, Wang An couldn't help but think of his brother-in-law.

If his brother-in-law were doing it, he might not even need an axe; he would just use a knife to cut it off along the wrist joint!

In this way, the cut of the black bear paw would become beautiful and good-looking, and the action of cutting would be very aesthetic!

But he was too lazy to even swing his old man's three axe swings; if you don't work, don't blabber. Blabbering about this stuff is too annoying, and mainly, it's easy to get scolded!

Liu Guilan found a piece of hemp rope to tie the black bear paw, making it easier to carry, and handed it directly to Shen Wei.

She also cut a strip of black bear meat weighing about 10 jin and handed it to Shen Wei.

A black bear has a lot of fat and little lean meat, so the majority is fat.

Shen Wei said a bunch of words of thanks, and in the end, she was a bit incoherent.

When Shen Wei was about to say goodbye and leave, Liu Guilan seemed to think of something else.

She walked into the lower room, struggling, and dragged out a large basket of cut frozen meat pieces, looking like at least 150 or 160 jin.

Wang An was puzzled and suspicious; when did his mother become so generous, giving away so much meat just like that?

Walking closer to look, oh my god!

On top were indeed a few pieces of meat, some of which were left to feed the dogs, from that 500-jin big boar!

This meat wasn't very tasty; not only was it fishy and smelly, but it was too damn tough; you couldn't chew it at all! Only by chopping it up and making dumplings could it barely be eaten!

That day, Wang Dazhu was afraid it wouldn't sell, so he didn't dare to take much, only taking half, which was about 100 jin, because a 500-jin wild boar could only yield about 250 jin of meat!

Finally, hearing him mutter, it seemed it was sold for 8 cents a jin!

There were also a few pieces of leftover mountain leopard meat. The first few times it was made, people in the family ate it, but later, the family didn't eat it anymore!

The most critical thing was that the dogs in the family would rather eat cornmeal than eat mountain leopard meat!

This stuff was truly damn hard to eat, fishy, smelly, and sour; it wasn't even as good as the big boar meat!

When there was no meat to eat, they could still eat it, but now that there was plenty of meat in the family, no one touched their chopsticks after it was made!

Underneath the meat pieces were two big pig heads, pitch black.

One was the head of that 500-jin big boar!

That big head was at least 70 jin or more, and the tusks had been knocked off by Mu Xueqing!

The other was the head of that 300-jin big mother pig, also not small, 40 jin or more!

Beside the two pitch-black big pig heads were a few pitch-black big sticks!

Those were thick!

On this day of new days, new months, and new years

Wishing all the dear ones who have always supported and paid attention to me:

Happy New Year! May everything go as you wish! Get rich in 2014!

May all you obtain be what you wish for, and may the Year of the Dragon bring continuous joy!

I also hope that everyone will continue to support me as always!

Your following, your monthly tickets, your recommendations are the greatest love for me. I love you all!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 53 =====