All the children at the dilapidated temple perked up in spirit.
Heaven knows how long they had been waiting for this day, the shepherd's purse leaves at the gate had already withered.
Jiang Sheng rushed to the leeward side of the dilapidated temple, faced the bare-chested Fang Heng and yelled, “Third brother, third brother, there’s a big tiger!”
Even though they didn’t often buy meat to eat, they knew the value of a tiger.
From the fur to the bones and then to the head and tail, they were all expensive.
Fang Heng had practiced martial arts since he was little, and could be considered a man of resolute character. Wandering to the dilapidated temple and eating chaff had not caused him too much emotional fluctuation. At one point, he thought he had achieved his father’s words of having an unchanging expression even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him.
Until this moment, when he had finally obtained the fruits of his labor through enormous effort, a feeling of joy arose from the bottom of his heart.
Fang Heng immediately threw away his wooden stick, put on his cotton jacket, and followed Jiang Sheng to the front of the dilapidated temple, “Is it really a big tiger?”
Zhang Qiquan was stunned, not knowing how to explain.
Fortunately, Zheng Ruqian's glib tongue came in handy, “Jiang Sheng, this fool, got it wrong. It's a big guy, not a big tiger.”
Fang Heng's expression changed visibly, clearly disappointed.
Even if it was a wild boar, its value couldn't be compared with a tiger's.
"We don't know for sure what it is yet." Zhang Qiquan comforted the nimble little boy, "Let's go take a look first."
Fang Heng nodded, carrying the wooden stick and sitting cross-legged on the donkey cart.
Jiang Sheng instinctively lifted her feet to follow along.
The other children looked at each other, still young at heart, unable to restrain their curiosity, and all climbed onto the flatbed cart.
It only took them an hour to get from the dilapidated temple to the mountainside, a journey that normally took two hours.
Zhang Qiquan was clearing away the camouflage covering the trap.
Irritated ramming sounds came from the one-person deep pit, it should be the prey trying to escape.
Fang Heng's eyes were sharp, he clearly saw a patch of black and yellow striped fur under the fallen leaves, and his heart suddenly rose to his throat.
Until a weak tiger's roar sounded.
Fang Heng's heart settled back into his chest, he tried hard to restrain his excitement, both hands dangling aimlessly at his sides.
"It really is a tiger." Jiang Sheng exclaimed in astonishment.
For such a ferocious big creature, she had only heard about it in storybooks. It was said that its mouth could bite a person to death, and even four or five adults were no match for it when it went into a violent frenzy.
"It's a tiger." Zhang Qiquan's voice also trembled.
As long as they could sell this tiger, they would be able to get by this year.
After all the camouflage was cleared away, the tiger's full appearance was revealed.
Zhang Qiquan was quite experienced, he appraised it at length, "It should be a young adult tiger, who came out to hunt and fell into the pit. I put sharpened branches at the bottom of the pit, enough to pierce its body."
But the tiger was the king of the mountains after all. Even with blood flowing, it still kept desperately trying to crawl out.
Zhang Qiquan was ruthless, he lifted the iron fork and hit it in the head twice more, only then did the pit quiet down again.
"Let's lift it out."
He jumped into the pit with two of the older children, and lifted the fainted tiger out.
Jiang Sheng and fourth and fifth brother strained hard to pull it up above.
After enormous effort, they finally got it onto the donkey cart.
To prevent the tiger from waking up in a violent frenzy, they deliberately tied up its four paws with ropes.
On the way back from the mountain to the dilapidated temple, they inevitably ran into a few villagers carrying hoes on their shoulders. Zhang Qiquan was all smiles, a complete change from his usual listless appearance, and took the initiative to greet his fellow villagers.
"Ran into a big guy today."
"It's a tiger, took a lot of effort to lift it out."
"Unfortunately it wasn't a pig, otherwise could have treated everyone to meat."
Jiang Sheng understood clearly that those uncles didn't even look closely at what was on the cart, it was all Zhang bragging by himself.
She stuck out her tongue, not exposing it.
Back at the dilapidated temple.
After being a hunter for several years, Zhang Qiquan not only learned how to make traps, more importantly he learned how to skin and dismantle animal limbs and fur.
First he took some measurements on the tiger with his palm, then located the position of the carotid artery, and slit it open, tiger blood gushed out into the big bucket Jiang Sheng had prepared.
The blood from an adult tiger filled three whole buckets.
Zhang Qiquan was elated, he scooped out a bowl of blood with a bowl, and drank it all up while it was still hot.
The children were all shocked speechless.
"Do you guys want to drink some too?" He ladled another bowl and handed it over.
Jiang Sheng was frightened, taking small quick steps backward. This was way too scary, she didn't dare drink it at all.
"Bunch of kids." Zhang Qiquan shook his head, "This tiger blood is very nutritious, countless nobles and officials fight over themselves trying to drink a mouthful but can't get any, yet you don't drink it when you have it, truly wasteful."
After speaking, he gulped down two more bowls, and was so heated up that he took off his cotton jacket.
Fang Heng watched eagerly from the side, hesitating for a moment, then ladled a bowl for himself and drank it in small sips.
Perhaps tiger blood didn't actually have any effect, but those who thirst for strength would never miss an ounce of possibility.
After Fang Heng drank a bowl, the usually silent Chang Yan actually took two steps forward as well, and drank half a bowl with knitted brows.
Zhang Qiquan looked at these two boys with new respect. He patted Fang Heng's shoulder, "Watch closely, how to skin and debone."
As he spoke, he swung his arms forcefully.
Just watch as the dark sharp knife swung back and forth, and the tiger skin separated from the tiger meat, the tiger bones broke apart easily as well, even the internal organs were sliced open in one motion.
"It's very important for the knife's edge to be sharp, this knife of mine has been sharpened over and over who knows how many times." Zhang Qiquan really liked Fang Heng, and didn't hold anything back in his explanation, "But knowing the breakdown of every inch of flesh and bone is even more important. For example, it takes three to five cuts on the joints to chop the bones, but entering from the fascia, one simple cut will snap it apart."
If practicing martial arts was to enhance one's endurance, explosive power, and tolerance.
Then dissecting now was to analyze the enemy's weaknesses, and how to incapacitate the enemy in the most effortless way.
Fang Heng watched without moving his eyes, his brain operating nonstop, this kind of thing could not be taught on the battlefield, his father couldn't give it to him, it was a chance encounter for him.
It was also the key for him to become stronger than others.
As pieces of flesh and bone fell to the ground, only the most important head remained.
If the head skin was peeled well, and the pelt was intact, the price could be raised several fold.
Zhang Qiquan didn't dare speak again, he held his breath and slowly peeled off the skin, delicately carving away.
Only when the whole pelt came off did he let out a breath, "Done."
The tiger skin processed and dried could sell for at least twenty taels of silver.
The tiger whip cut off separately was also very valuable.
Although the meat, blood and organs weren't as valuable as the skin and whip, they could still exchange for a few taels of silver...
Zhang Qiquan was pondering.
Fang Heng, having come back to his senses from studying the body structure, picked up a tiger leg, "Let's have meat for dinner tonight."
They had finally caught meat, the fur was peeled off, the remaining meat should at least allow his sister to cut some teeth.
Unexpectedly this remark immediately set Jiang Sheng off.
"Third brother, what nonsense are you talking about?" The seven year old girl had her hands on her hips, her face full of accusation, "You actually want to eat tiger meat, this is tiger meat!"
Fang Heng was at a loss.
Hunting was for eating meat after all.
Chang Yan's brows were also furrowed, looking over puzzled.
Why couldn't they eat it?
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