Chapter 8: Self-Defense on the Body

Four hours later, it was already noon when Lin Xing finally returned to Bianxi Village.

Fortunately, Lin Xing had a strong willpower. Had it been someone else carrying over a hundred pounds of weight through the snow for four hours, they would likely have collapsed long ago.

When Lin Xing carried the sika deer into the village, many villagers were busy about their tasks. Upon seeing his prey, they were all astonished.

"Xiao Lin, where did you get such a huge deer?" Granny Wang said enviously.

"You went hunting in the mountains? Not bad, Xiao Lin. To catch such a big deer, your whole family is blessed," Uncle Zhao praised, a bit envious.

"Xiao Lin, how about sharing some meat with me? I can trade you some food coupons," Cripple Zhou chuckled.

Lin Xing just smiled in response, too exhausted to speak. His whole body felt drained.

Carrying the sika deer, he slowly made his way home.

Upon finally arriving, he saw Wu Xiulan and Lin Yiyi standing expectantly at the doorstep.

Seeing Lin Xing return, Lin Yiyi called out happily, "Mom! Look! Brother is back!"

Wu Xiulan and Lin Yiyi immediately came to help.

Lin Xing put the sika deer down, feeling much lighter. He sat down heavily, gasping for breath.

"Son, are you alright?" Wu Xiulan asked with concern.

Lin Xing waved his hand and smiled broadly, "I'm fine. Just carrying such a big prey was tough. Don’t worry, Mom, I’m not hurt."

Wu Xiulan quickly examined him and, finding no injuries, breathed a sigh of relief. She praised proudly, "Good that you’re unharmed. But you really are amazing to bring back such a big deer."

"Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen such a huge animal!" Lin Yiyi looked on enviously.

Lin Xing couldn’t help but feel proud. "I told you, I’m a born hunter. Honestly, I didn’t even use a rifle to catch this deer."

"No wonder it’s my son. At fifteen, you’re already capable of this — much better than others," Wu Xiulan said proudly.

Lin Xing chuckled and said, "It’s noon already. Let’s process the deer quickly and cook. I want to taste the venison."

"Great! We get to eat venison!" Lin Yiyi jumped happily.

Wu Xiulan fetched a kitchen knife and began handling the sika deer’s carcass.

The first task was to skin the sika deer.

It was a skilled job, requiring careful cutting along the grain; any slip would ruin the hide.

Fortunately, Wu Xiulan’s craftsmanship was excellent. Though the knife was crude, it did not diminish her skill.

She carefully cut and peeled off the skin.

Within half an hour, she had easily removed a complete deer hide.

"Mom, your skill is really impressive!" Lin Xing praised sincerely.

Wu Xiulan smiled slightly. "After doing housework for so long, these things come naturally. But this deer hide is really large — just enough to make three pieces of clothing for us."

Lin Xing was fifteen, not very large; Lin Yiyi was only seven, so they needed little material; and Wu Xiulan was slender, requiring little cloth.

The single deer hide was perfectly sufficient for the three of them.

"Mom, Brother, will we have new clothes to wear?" Lin Yiyi asked excitedly.

Wu Xiulan affectionately patted Lin Yiyi’s head. "Yes, once I finish this deer hide, we’ll have warm new clothes."

"Wonderful! No more freezing!" Lin Yiyi happily bounced on the spot.

New clothes would come later, but the immediate priority was preparing lunch.

With the hide removed, the next step was to butcher the venison.

Wu Xiulan deftly sliced open the deer’s body.

There was over sixty pounds of meat, along with bones and a pair of large antlers.

This much meat would last them several days. As for the surplus, there was no worry about spoilage in such cold weather. Just bury it in the snow somewhere — a natural refrigerator.

Wu Xiulan took several pounds of meat into the kitchen to cook, while Lin Xing found a corner to bury the rest in snow for later.

The deer bones were promised to Uncle Chen, so they needed to be delivered.

“Mom, I’m going to deliver the deer bones to Uncle Chen,” Lin Xing called out.

Wu Xiulan replied, “Alright, go ahead. By the time you return, the venison should be almost ready.”

Lin Xing packed the bones into a burlap sack, slung it over his shoulder along with his rifle, and set off.

After a while, he arrived at Uncle Chen’s house.

Uncle Chen was in the yard, hoeing the soil, seemingly preparing for next spring’s crops.

Now old, Uncle Chen could no longer hunt in the mountains and relied on farming within the commune to earn some grain.

“Uncle Chen, busy working?” Lin Xing greeted.

Uncle Chen put down the hoe and nodded slightly. “Just tilling the soil. What brings you here? Didn’t you say you were going hunting today?”

He thought Lin Xing hadn’t gone hunting after all.

Lin Xing stepped into the yard, smiling. “I went this morning. See, I’m back now.”

“Morning already? Judging by how you look, no luck, huh?” Uncle Chen teased.

“You really underestimate me,” Lin Xing said, handing over the sack. “Take a look at this first.”

Curious, Uncle Chen opened the bag and was startled. “My goodness, so many bones? Deer bones, no less! You actually caught a deer?”

“Yes, a sika deer over a hundred pounds,” Lin Xing said with a smile.

Uncle Chen’s eyes brightened in surprise. “Impressive! You caught a deer in just one morning — truly a natural hunter.”

“And I didn’t even use a gun, just my homemade spear,” Lin Xing added.

“Not bad, not bad — reminds me of my younger days,” Uncle Chen chuckled.

“I’ve brought you the bones as promised. What about the rifle? Would you like to take it back?” Lin Xing asked.

After thinking a moment, Uncle Chen shook his head. “Keep the rifle. I don’t hunt anymore, so it’s useless to me. If you often go into the mountains, having a gun is good for protection.”

“Heh, I knew you were the most generous,” Lin Xing laughed. “By the way, could you give me some more bullets?”