Wufu and Liu Jin’s hunt was for a not particularly large deer, yet it still weighed around forty or fifty pounds. Seeing that it was nearing noon, Wufu decided to prepare a meal using the mountain stream water, and they also took care of the deer.
Although Wufu knew how to hunt, she was not a true hunter. Skinning a pheasant or a rabbit was manageable, but a deer was a bit more troublesome.
The deer hide, once removed and tidied, could be made into clothing or stitched into a pair of shoes—hence Wufu was reluctant to mess it up.
It took the strength of nine bulls and two tigers for the two of them to skin the deer entirely. They carefully folded it, wrapped it up, and placed it in a basket before they slit open the deer’s belly.
"We’re really lucky. This deer has fully grown, both velvet antlers are intact," said Wufu carefully as she cut off the deer antlers, smiling at Liu Jin.
Liu Jin said, "Also these deer bones, we can boil them down into a salve, right? Selling these would all turn into silver!"
The deer body was a treasure trove, with many parts that could be used for medicinal purposes.
"We’re not lacking in silver to spend, so let’s not sell. These are all good things for nourishing the body. The selling price is unlikely to be high anyway. It’s better to keep them for ourselves—to save the trouble of having to buy them in the future at a higher price," Wufu had another idea.
Currently, thanks to her contracts for carving jade, she had made some silver, and they weren’t short on Silver Taels. It made sense to store these medicinal parts for their own use or to give to others. If they were to buy them later, the price certainly wouldn’t be what they would have sold them for.
Wufu, who was the decision-maker at home, had Liu Jin who always listened to her. Hearing this, he smiled and nodded, "Whatever the lady says."
Wufu wanted to ruffle his hair but then remembered the saying he brought up a few days earlier about how one shouldn’t touch a man’s head or a woman’s waist, so she awkwardly withdrew her hand.
After processing the venison, both of their hands were full of blood, but luckily the mountain stream had plenty of water for them to wash up easily.
Wufu took out flint, salt, and cumin, chopped up some bamboo sticks, skewered the venison, seasoned it, started a fire, and skillfully began roasting it.
"Lady, how do you know so much?" Seeing her well-prepared and adept actions, and thinking about everything she taught along the way, Liu Jin couldn’t help but ask.
Wufu gave him a glance and said, "Your lady knows far more than what you’re aware of."
Liu Jin blinked his eyes.
Wufu didn’t elaborate further, only vaguely saying, "It’s all gained through experience."
In truth, what she knew came from experiences accumulated in a previous life. In retrospect, because she was able to make money, her life had been quite comfortable back then.
She loved adventure and risk-taking, enjoyed extreme sports, was adept at free solo climbing, loved horseback riding, and even shooting was something she picked up when egged on by pals in the group—and there was so much more...
Time, once gone, never returned.
Although she died young, in her previous life, she had tried quite a lot of things. If there was a regret, it was perhaps that she had died before spending all her money. Now, however, she had been reborn. Perhaps this was Heaven’s way of compensation?
Liu Jin couldn’t tell why such a complex expression appeared on her face, looking alternately amused and sighing. One thing he was certain of though was that his lady was full of secrets, a whole body of mystery.
"...Let me tell you, in the wild, there are two things you can’t go without, fire and salt. Fire can keep you warm and scare off animals, and salt can replenish the energy your body loses. It can also be used to season food, and if you’re injured, it can be used to rinse wounds with saline..." Wufu began teaching him more wilderness survival skills.
"Lady, I’ve got it all down," Liu Jin said with a smile. Afterwards, when traveling out, two things he made sure to carry with him were salt and a flint—both indispensable.