8
Whether the little cub was hungry or simply exhausted from the recent ordeal, it stumbled and fell heavily halfway through its walk towards her. He Tian didn’t move, simply watching it quietly.
She watched it pick itself up, watched it take step after step towards her. Just as it was about to reach her, it fell again, tumbling directly into the palm of her hand.
A fuzzy, soft sensation met her touch, accompanied by a faint, milky, “Rawr~”
This unfamiliar yet soft feeling made He Tian’s eyes widen slightly. It was entirely different from the touch of the little gray rabbit. She didn’t dislike it, on the contrary, she liked it a lot.
Before the cub could scramble up, she grabbed its little paw and scooped it into her arms.
When the apocalypse came, countless species had vanished in an instant, leaving behind only a very, very few. And most of those that remained had mutated under the extreme conditions. Animals like tigers, He Tian had only ever seen in books and documentaries.
This kind of fuzzy, soft feeling in her hands? She was experiencing it for the first time.
She couldn’t quite describe the sensation, but it was simply wonderful to touch. She found herself instinctively stroking the cub’s soft, fuzzy back several times.
For some reason, holding this little creature, she could clearly feel her own emotions settling down, and there was even a strange sense of pleasure.
This was an experience she had never had before.
Sunlight filtered through the layers of leaves, falling upon the cub and making its striking patterns appear even more majestic and beautiful. The faint ‘king’ character marking on its forehead looked especially imposing.
It was a truly magnificent and handsome little tiger cub.
He Tian held it and petted it for a good while before finally saying to it, “From now on, I’ll call you Dahuang.”
The little cub opened its mouth wide and let out a milky, “Rawr~~”
He Tian smiled, thinking that it had just been through a fierce battle and lost its mother, she didn’t tease it further. She cradled it in her arms, stroking its soft fur as she looked around.
The tigress. The six wolves the tigress had killed. Plus the two she had struck down and the one she had thrown to its death. Overall, this treasure-hunting trip into the mountains had been quite fruitful. And all unexpected finds.
Taking everything back as is would be too conspicuous, and also unnecessary.
For the ones the tigress had killed, she only wanted the pelts. She could skin them here and take the hides back. The three she had dealt with herself, however, could be taken back whole.
As for the tigress, she glanced back at it. Its size was too large. She would have to process it on the spot as well and only take back the hide.
Liu Erniang was home alone. Having been out for so long, He Tian was worried. Plus, she was really, really hungry. Having made her plan, she wasted no time and set to work immediately.
She pulled some dry shrub leaves to line her basket, separating them from the freshly picked tree grapes, and gently placed the cub inside. She stroked its fuzzy head. “Stay put. Once I’m done, I’ll take you home.”
It was strange. She had only just met this little cub, so why did she feel like she couldn’t stop touching it?
The cub let out a “rawr” at her, its meaning unclear. He Tian gave it one last pat before turning to deal with the scene.
She leaped over to the former alpha wolf and its short-lived successor, pulling the axe and bone cleaver from their skulls. Grabbing one wolf by the tail in each hand, she dragged them over to a clear, open space.
As for the one she had thrown to its death, she swiftly bled it and added it to the pile with the other two. Then, she sharpened her knife on a rock and went to handle the wolves the tigress had killed.
Though she had never worked as a butcher, He Tian was proficient with all kinds of weapons, hot and cold. She wielded the bone cleaver with skill and precision, finishing the task in no time.
When it came time to deal with the tigress, she glanced towards the basket.
Dahuang was asleep.
Even so, she pulled some more dry grass to loosely cover the top of the basket. Only after doing this, did she continue with her work.
By the time she had finished everything, an hour had passed.
Covered in blood, He Tian raised her hand and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the only relatively clean part left, her shoulder.
Processing all this, while not exactly difficult, was time-consuming and physically draining. Already hungry before, she was now even hungrier, and a bit tired too.
She lay down on a large rock for a short while to rest and regain some strength. Then, she got up again and gathered some firewood and dry grass nearby.
While she didn’t particularly care what others thought of her, her current situation was still unstable. Changing too drastically too quickly would inevitably draw attention. One or two wolves might be overlooked, but eight or nine wolves and a tiger would certainly shock the villagers of Crescent Village tremendously. Adhering to the principle of keeping a low profile until things were clearer, she gathered some firewood and used it to cover the pelts and the tigress’s skeleton within the woodpile, making sure nothing was visible from the outside. Only then did she tie the three whole wolves—one on her left, one on her right, and the last one secured behind her.
With everything arranged, she went to a nearby mountain stream to wash her hands and drink some water.
The moment she took a sip, her eyes widened.
The mountain spring water from before the apocalypse was truly sweet and clear.
Just as Yao Yao had described. Yao Yao loved brewing tea; in her free time, she would often take two buckets to the nearby mountains to fetch spring water to brew tea at home.
He Tian cupped her hands to wash her face, thinking to herself that when she got the chance, she would also fetch some mountain spring water to brew tea.
Refreshed by the spring water, she hoisted the firewood, which was as tall as she was, along with her ‘game’, and began the journey back.
When she came, it was just her and her basket. Now, returning with so much more, the extra weight didn’t slow the hungry He Tian down one bit. What might seem heavy to others was nothing to He Tian, especially since she had tree grapes in her basket to replenish her energy anytime.
The basket containing Dahuang was carried in front. Whether due to typical cub behavior or lingering fright, it was now curled up asleep inside, a fuzzy little ball looking both cute and soft to the touch. Without a moment’s hesitation, He Tian reached in and stroked its fur several times.
It felt so good to touch.
Approaching noon, the sun was strong, its rays filtering through the dense trees and dappling over He Tian as she moved swiftly.
Just as she reached the foot of the mountain, she encountered two somewhat familiar figures.
They noticed her at the same time.
Mrs. Li, walking on the left, immediately scowled. Her brow furrowed as she made a move to step forward and curse at He Tian. But upon seeing the three wolves strapped to her back, her expression shifted from venomous displeasure to naked greed.
She nudged He Erlang beside her with her elbow, signaling him to look at the wolves He Tian was carrying.
Winter was approaching, and she felt the cold keenly. She had coveted a fur coat for many years, but they were far too expensive. He Erlang wasn’t much of a hunter, so she couldn’t even collect pelts herself to have one made. All she could do was watch others with envy.
They had gone up the mountain early this morning and after a whole morning’s work, had only managed to catch one pheasant. Now here was He Tian, just a girl, with three wolves.
Along with the greed, Mrs. Li felt a surge of jealousy.
But it didn’t matter, these three wolves would soon be hers!
In the past, Liu Erniang always dressed better and ate better than her, wearing fur every winter. After being overshadowed for so many years, she could finally hold her head high.
So, what if Liu Erniang had fur to wear? Her husband was dead!
Her son was dead too!
And she herself was sickly, no one knew how many days she had left.
She, Mrs. Li, was the real winner in life!
She quickly calculated in her mind. These three wolves would be just enough to make a warm short coat for her.
The leftovers could also make a winter hood.
He Erlang had also set his sights on the wolves at He Tian’s back.
Seeing the change in their expressions, He Tian understood perfectly.
First coveting their house, now eyeing the game she had just earned. These two were truly disgusting.
The couple didn’t notice that He Tian’s gaze towards them had grown increasingly cold. They simply thought her standing still meant she was afraid of them. This pleased Mrs. Li immensely. She stepped forward and said, “Tiantian, quite capable, aren’t you? Managed to hunt wolves. Since you’re better now and can hunt, you should also repay the one guan of silver your mother borrowed from our house for her medical treatment, shouldn’t you?”
As she finished speaking, her small, round eyes roved over He Tian’s body. “How about this: since you call me auntie, I’ll take a loss as your elder. That one guan debt will be settled with the three wolves you hunted today.”
Saying this, she had already reached He Tian and reached out to untie the wolves strapped to her back.
He Tian pulled the bone cleaver from her waist and swung it directly at Mrs. Li’s outstretched hand…
**