The two younger sisters followed her curiously. Only when Gu Jiu lifted the white cloth did they finally see what was underneath—a fully processed whole sheep.
Gu Rong and Gu Xiaoman’s eyes lit up instantly.
Meat! It was meat!
The sisters stared as Gu Jiu took the mutton out of the basket. Their gazes grew hotter and more intense with every piece. It had been so long since they’d tasted meat…
Gu Jiu had chosen a 30-jin (about 15 kg) wild sheep—more than enough for the siblings to eat for two days.
“That afternoon, I happened to pass the back mountain and came across a wild mountain sheep. I set a trap. After I finished catching fish and came back, I saw it had fallen into the trap. I processed it somewhere hidden and came straight back without anyone noticing.”
“Wow! Meat!” Gu Xiaoman swallowed hard, her big eyes round like black grapes.
She had only ever heard her cousins talk about how delicious meat was—she had never actually tasted it.
Could she… have a bite of the meat her sister brought back?
Gu Rong wasn’t as innocent as her younger sister. She immediately grabbed Gu Jiu and checked her up and down.
“Sis, are you hurt?”
“No.”
Gu Jiu smiled faintly. She could feel her second sister’s concern and warmth.
“Roast the mutton inside. Don’t let anyone see it.”
Gu Rong nodded and carried all the pots, bowls, and utensils inside.
She understood what her sister meant. Now that they had just separated from the main family and were suddenly eating meat, it would easily attract jealousy from others in the village.
And without adults in the household, just a few children living alone—there was always the risk of someone sneaking in at night to steal.
Gu Jiu planned to roast the whole sheep for dinner, stew a pot of snakehead fish soup, and also cook a pot of wild vegetable rice. Her siblings—and even her own body—were severely malnourished, so eating only meat wasn’t suitable.
There were only two clay pots, just enough: one for rice, one for soup.
The last bit of rice left by Granny Zhou in the afternoon was barely enough for one more meal. Tomorrow, she would have to find a way to go into town to buy more grain.
While thinking this, Gu Jiu quickly washed the rice and wild vegetables. She mixed them together, added a bit of spring water from the spiritual spring, and placed the pot over the fire.
The simple stove they had made at noon was improved when Gu Rong dragged over two stones from outside, struggling to lift them.
She set them opposite each other, with firewood placed between them—forming a basic cooking stove.
After lighting the fire, Gu Rong collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
“Rong’er, take a break. I can handle this.”
Just as Gu Jiu finished cooking the rice porridge, she saw her second sister exhausted like that.
The child was simply too sensible. Only eight years old, yet she already wanted to share the burden. But her small body couldn’t handle so much.
Gu Jiu then skewered the whole sheep onto two wooden branches, built a rack from broken tree trunks, and set the meat to roast. Large cuts of meat needed time.
“Sis, I’m not tired. I’ll help you cook.”
“Then watch the fire for the mutton. Turn it every quarter of an hour. The fire mustn’t be too big or too small.”
After giving instructions, Gu Jiu reached into the bucket and pulled out a four-jin black fish. There were two fish in total; the other could be kept for tomorrow.
Black fish soup was highly nutritious—perfect for malnourished children.
The youngest child was already one year and three months old. Two months ago, the Gu family had stopped giving him milk entirely. Since then, he had only survived on rice water and vegetable soup.
The dishes Gu Jiu made were light and gentle, suitable as complementary food.
She had experience taking care of young children from her past sect life.
Skillfully, she cleaned and cut the fish. Without a wooden cutting board, she used a flat stone instead, washing it clean and using it as a surface.
She carefully removed all bones and fish刺, then sliced the fish meat thinly.
Wild green onions and ginger she had dug up earlier were added for flavor, then everything was left to marinate. With no salt or seasoning, she could only make a simple clear soup.
She first fried the fish bones until golden, crushed them, added water, and simmered a broth. Once boiling, she removed the bones and added the fish slices. After a few minutes, the fish was perfectly tender.
A pinch of wild green onions finished it off.
“Rong’er, Xiaoman, get ready to wash your hands and eat.”
She scooped wild vegetable rice into bowls, secretly mixing in powdered nutritional supplements at the bottom. The rice covered it completely, making it invisible.
The children were growing—nutrition had to keep up.
There were only three bowls, so she planned to feed the youngest first.
“Sis, you’ve worked so hard cooking dinner. Let me feed little brother,” Gu Rong said as always, considerate and thoughtful.
But Gu Jiu wasn’t hungry—she had eaten chicken drumsticks and meat buns in the afternoon.
“I’m not hungry. You and Xiaoman eat first.”
She went into the bedroom and saw the youngest child wearing oversized old clothes, hand-me-downs from the other branches. Gu Rong had changed him into them earlier.
The clothes hung loosely on him, his belly exposed as he crawled around on the bed.
Seeing Gu Jiu, his rosy cheeks revealed dimples as he smiled foolishly.
“Ah… ya… yi!”
Gu Jiu didn’t understand, but it sounded like he was calling her.
She picked him up, adjusted his clothes, and tied knots where they were too loose. Pants that had fallen off were found in the corner and trimmed to fit.
“Alright, now you won’t trip.”
The baby happily crawled around again, then crawled back to her, grinning.
“Ah jia… ah jia!”
Gu Jiu understood—he was thanking her.
At this age, he should already be able to walk, but no one had taught him properly.
She went outside, quickly grabbed a piece of lamb, and used it to lure him.
“Stand up, and Big Sister will give you meat.”
The baby stared blankly at the meat, sniffing hard. His little hands pushed against the bed as he tried to rise.
Outside, the two sisters were eating roasted lamb, greasy and delighted.
But when they came in to check—
They saw something unbelievable.
The baby had stood up.
Gu Jiu kept her promise and fed him a small piece of lamb.
“Big Sister, you’re amazing! You taught little brother to walk!” Gu Rong exclaimed.
“I don’t have to carry him anymore!” Gu Xiaoman cheered.
Gu Jiu just smiled without saying anything.
Then Gu Rong suddenly suggested, “Sister… why don’t you name him? Mother left too suddenly and didn’t get to name him…”
Gu Jiu looked at the smiling child.
After a moment, she said softly:
“Then let him be called Chang Le. I hope he lives his whole life in happiness.”
“Chang Le… Gu Chang Le. Sister, that’s a wonderful name!”
“Chang Le! It sounds great!” Gu Xiaoman agreed excitedly.
Laughter filled the house—until suddenly, an uninvited guest burst in from outside.