Chapter 39: Highly Sought-After Industrial Coupons

They had truly struck it rich.

Although red deer meat is slightly cheaper than wolf meat, it is more expensive than wild boar. Locally, red deer meat is held in the same high regard as wolf meat; it is rich in protein and fat, contains a certain amount of vitamins, and serves as a nourishing substance that improves human metabolism and immunity. It is especially prized as an excellent remedy for warding off the cold in winter.

The three gray wolves were all males, totaling nearly three hundred pounds of meat, and the red deer provided nearly another three hundred pounds. Just selling the meat alone would bring in over five hundred yuan—not even counting the profit from the wolf and deer pelts!

This wasn't hunting; it was practically robbery.

The wolf pack that had been running wild was nowhere to be found, likely off somewhere licking their wounds. They would probably stay far away from this area now, though even if they left, new packs would eventually move into the territory.

"Big brother, wild pheasants!" Tie Zhu noticed two pheasants foraging not far away and quickly alerted Zhang Huacheng.

Er Gou rolled his eyes. Who had the mood for pheasants right now?

"Forget about the pheasants. Even if a wild boar were standing right in front of us, we’d pretend not to see it." Zhang Huacheng was steaming with heat, though he felt a sense of relief knowing that he had seen the Chen Tang Sanli Canal in the darkness. It seemed he needed to start his special forces training as soon as possible to return to his peak.

By the time they arrived home, it was already well past midnight. Wang Lin heard the commotion and quickly ran out to open the door. Under the moonlight, Zhang Huacheng noticed her eyes were red; she had clearly been crying.

"Don't worry about us. We were specifically out hunting the wolf pack." Zhang Huacheng knew she was worried because they had returned so late.

"Mm!" Wang Lin kept her head down and wiped away her tears.

Processing the haul was a headache for Zhang Huacheng. Each animal took half an hour to dress. With three wolves and a deer, he was glad that Er Gou knew how to handle it, and Tie Zhu helped as well. The red deer’s fat was no different from the wolves'; after gutting it and removing the head, they only scraped about five pounds of fat from its carcass. The three wolves, however, contributed a full basin of fat.

They pulled all the wolf teeth and ended up with three complete gray wolf pelts, along with two red deer hides.

"Er Gou, you go home and sleep. Tie Zhu and I will get some rest, then we'll head to the county to sell the meat. Tie Zhu, you sleep in the next room." Zhang Huacheng was exhausted.

Er Gou nodded and headed home, leaving his bow and arrows behind. Tie Zhu went into his room and collapsed into sleep.

"Tomorrow, when Hua Ling comes, let her take the wolf and deer fat back to render it. We don't need it at home right now," Zhang Huacheng reminded Wang Lin as he went to bed. Hua Ling had been coming over quite early lately, bringing little Ya along to play.

"Mm!"

"Let her take a wolf leg, too."

"Mm."

"Tomorrow I’ll go buy a sack of rice and two sacks of Chinese cabbage. We won't be short on cabbage this winter." Gradually, Zhang Huacheng drifted off to sleep.

Wang Lin woke him in the morning just as a rooster crowed outside. The rooster was at least somewhat useful after all. Soon, they were pulling their cart toward the seaside.

The sea yields were bountiful, but Zhang Huacheng no longer had the heart to bother with it. It took nearly an hour to earn eight or ten yuan, and more importantly, it was hard to sell. After much hesitation, he hid the crab traps under the reefs; he didn't plan on dealing with seafood for the time being. Once the weather warmed up, he would try using large crab traps to catch big mud crabs directly in the sea. By then, selling a single mud crab for a few yuan wouldn't be a problem at all.

When they arrived at the market, a crowd gathered just as it had the day before. Because people had started fighting for the goods while queuing yesterday, they didn't bother with a line today; everyone simply crowded to the front. When the three gray wolves and the red deer appeared before them, the morning market was almost turned upside down.

"Wolf meat is one yuan per pound, red deer is seventy cents per pound! Whether you buy wolf or deer, buy one pound and get an extra ounce free!" Zhang Huacheng immediately shouted.

The surrounding vendors shot them looks of envy and jealousy.