The Tenth Year of the End of the World"

73-76

There was one less sparrow than the first time I caught it.
　　"You pulled the rope too fast. You can't always stay in the same place. Those birds are also very smart. If they know where you are catching them, they will not pass by. And the ginger sheep, don't keep talking loudly, it will scare you. Until they don't dare to come over."
　　I told them some of the techniques I knew, and then the birds near us began to have bad luck, because Jiang Yang and Qingshan rarely found something new to do, and they both did it seriously. There are so many birds around here. In autumn, the sky is dark and filled with birds. Although there are not as many birds as before when the weather is cold, they are still very impressive. You can see them from the number of paw prints on the snow.
　　I processed the captured birds in the end. After processing, I skewered them and smeared them with the spicy oil I boiled with chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, sprinkled them with salt, and roasted them on the fire. They tasted really good. We had dinner early, before dark. We would feel hungry before going to bed. Eating some barbecue not only satisfied our mouths, but also our stomachs. It was a pity that Jiang Sheep could not eat it, so he could only eat it. Roast chestnuts and bite into persimmon cakes.
　　Because there was no snow for the next two days, and the sun came out for two days, the accumulated snow quickly melted. The snow on the roof melted, and the dripping under the eaves turned into a curtain of rain. Jiang Yang's snow house was not finished after all, and it melted into a snowdrift in the sun.
　　Snow is melting everywhere, and the temperature at this time is lower than when it snows. When you wake up in the morning, you can often see drop-shaped ice strips and ice particles hanging under the eaves and on the branches. There was a row of transparent ice picks hanging under the eaves, all of about the same length, and they looked pretty good. Jiang Yang specially knocked a few of them down with a stick to play with.
　　Ginger Sheep can still play with ice, but I can't. My hands have become swollen since the cold weather. This is what happens every year after frostbite. After the hands are swollen, they become numb and hard when I pinch them. Not all that flexible.
　　There really wasn't much to do in winter. I just lazed in front of the fire, ate something and drank water, and talked to Jiang Yang Qingshan and the others. The day passed without me noticing.
　　When the second snow fell, I felt something was wrong with Qingshan. He was not as energetic as before. He rarely ran out like Jiang Yang. Instead, he sat like me and moved as little as possible.
　　I began to think that he was sick. It was while eating that I suddenly felt blessed. Then I asked him directly: "Qingshan, are you not full?"
　　Qingshan shook his head and said, "You are full."
　　I looked at him. Looking at our dishes, they are no different from what we had before, but the fresh meat has been eaten long ago. Recently, all we eat is marinated bacon, and we mainly eat pasta. I suddenly thought, just like Jiangyang can only be vegetarian, is it true that although Qingshan can be vegetarian, he still mainly eats meat? His staple food should not be noodles, but more meat.
　　I think about the time since summer, after Qingshan came here to recuperate, he would basically bring fresh meat back every other day, and the meat he ate the most was because he always ate the same thing as me, so I Actually ignored this point. After winter, he rarely goes out to hunt. The bacon I cut when cooking is mostly used as a dish, and the portion is relatively small. I reflected on it and found that I really cared more about Jiang Yang. Qingshan was more silent, and I always forgot about his needs unconsciously.
　　Jiangyang Qingshan are both very important to me. I have regarded them as my only important remaining relatives, even a part of me. I will not allow anything to happen to any of them due to my negligence.
　　I cooked a lot of meat for Qingshan alone. He looked at me without saying anything and ate all the meat silently. Then he said to me: "Actually, it doesn't matter. I didn't have anything to eat in winter before, so I won't die." ."
　　I remembered again when I first met Qingshan, how skinny he was, as if the bones in his body were about to pop out. Only a handful of bones and skin were left. He looked fierce and scary, but also very pitiful.
　　"Eat, you have to be full. After we finish eating the meat at home, we will go look for prey. Are the three of us still afraid that we can't find anything to eat?" I comforted Qingshan.
　　He shook his head again and said seriously: "I can go look for it myself, but I'm worried about you, so I won't leave. The winter will pass after
　　a while." I knew in my heart what he was worried about. Although this period of time was very peaceful, we There was no danger, but the fact is that the world is not a safe place right now, especially living at the foot of a mountain like we do. There are many wild animals on the mountain. Those big animals are likely to come down when the weather gets colder and there is no food. This is one of the reasons why I don’t allow Jiang Yang to leave my house too far. I’m afraid that he will be encountered if he runs far away alone. What kind of dangerous guy is this?
　　Qingshan also knows that the mountains in late winter are more dangerous. He doesn’t want Jiang Yang and I to take risks with him, but he doesn’t feel confident about leaving us, so he chooses to stay here with us. I didn't agree with his idea, so I said to him directly: "No need to say anything, you can eat as much as you want. When you finish eating, the three of us will go out together."
　　Although Qingshan's power is stronger than mine, in the face of my strength, He still showed the same docile attitude as before, obediently accepted my statement, and did not dare to raise any objections.