Chapter 146: Great Strength Requires a Great Appetite

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Great Strength Requires a Great Appetite

After walking for a while, Gu Nuan Nuan saw that no one was around and couldn’t help but complain, "Grandpa, don’t try to help pull. Just hold onto the rope. When you pull, it just makes it more tiring for me."

"Alright, alright, I get it. I won’t pull." Zhang Dazhuang saw that Gu Nuan Nuan did indeed look more strained than she had the whole way. Amused, he finally gave up on the idea that pulling harder would save her some effort and relaxed his grip.

"That’s much better."

"Dad, should we go to the village loudspeaker later and make an announcement for everyone to come buy meat?" Zhang Minzhen asked. She had been listening to their conversation with amusement and couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Of course. Otherwise, all this meat will spoil before long. We’ll see how much we can sell tonight. Aside from the portion we’re keeping to cure for ourselves, we’ll probably have to take the equivalent of one whole boar to town to sell. By the way, how much longer do you have to work at the supply and marketing co-op?" Zhang Dazhuang had already been mulling this over on the way back.

"Tomorrow is my last day, but I won’t get paid until the end of next month."

"Good. Then we can go to town together tomorrow to sell the pork."

"Grandpa, maybe we shouldn’t sell it? Aside from what we keep for ourselves, we have to give a small portion to each family in the clan as a token gesture. Then there’s my uncle’s wife’s family, and the old man, Mr. Mu, who taught my uncle martial arts. Since we hunted this wild boar ourselves, shouldn’t we have Uncle send them some jerky? Oh, and his supervisors at work, and all those people you mentioned who helped us before..."

Gu Nuan Nuan ticked off the social obligations on her fingers. The more she counted, the more she felt it was a shame to sell the remaining wild boar meat. ’This is authentic, wild game. In the future, it’ll become rarer and rarer. There’s barely enough to keep for ourselves, and we’re going to sell it?’

She blinked and looked at Zhang Dazhuang. "Grandpa, why don’t we just not sell it? We can keep some to eat fresh, cure some more, and dry the rest into jerky. It’ll last a whole year without spoiling."

"You little girl, why are you getting so possessive over food? Even after we set aside all those gifts, there will still be a lot left. Why would our family need to keep so much? Even if we cure it and make jerky, that’s still a huge amount. We probably couldn’t finish it in a year, even if we ate meat every single day. Are we really going to eat meat every day? In my opinion, it’s more practical to sell it and save the money for your education."

Zhang Dazhuang couldn’t help but laugh, amused by Gu Nuan Nuan’s foodie expression. He suddenly thought that the reason his granddaughter could create such delicious meat buns was probably because she herself loved to eat so much, giving her a special talent in that area.

He couldn’t stop laughing at the thought. "If you really love meat that much, then your mom and I won’t go to town to sell it. We’ll just take one of the boars and sell it from home. We’ll sell however much we can, how about that?"

"Dad, I actually think Nuannuan has a point. Let’s not sell the meat and just keep it for ourselves. What’s wrong with eating meat every day? Have you forgotten? We can afford it," Zhang Minzhen said, winking at Zhang Dazhuang.

Zhang Dazhuang’s resolve started to waver, but he was still hesitant. "It’s still too much. How about we sell half a boar?"

"Grandpa, Mom, there’s actually something I haven’t told you." Seeing her grandfather still hesitating, Gu Nuan Nuan knew he was just used to being frugal. She decided to play her final card.

"What is it?" As expected, their attention was immediately captured.

"Actually, I’ve never told you this, but I feel like I’m never really full.

"Especially just now, after using so much strength. Even though I ate not long ago, I suddenly feel hungry again."

Gu Nuan Nuan wasn’t lying. As the old saying goes, it takes wealth to practice martial arts. A strong body will always require more energy than a weaker one. And food, especially meat, is the most direct source of that energy.

"..."

Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen both fell into deep thought. After a long moment, Zhang Dazhuang nodded. "We’re not selling this pork. Aside from the portions for gifts, we’re keeping all the rest for ourselves.

"When we get back, I’ll tell your grandma. From now on, we’ll have meat at every meal. And we won’t worry when this runs out; we’ll just buy more. Minzhen, when you move to Lihua Village, you do the same. Don’t let the child go hungry.

"Nuannuan probably needs to eat more than others because she’s so strong. Do you remember when your older brother was studying martial arts with Mr. Mu? He was always complaining about being hungry back then, too. It’s really the same situation as Nuannuan’s now."

"Oh, so that’s why! Great strength means a great appetite, right?" Zhang Minzhen said, finally understanding.

"Grandpa, you’re amazing for figuring out the reason so quickly. But I don’t actually need to eat that much at every single meal, since I’m not usually using so much strength.

So even with my current portions, at most I just feel like I’m not quite full and could eat more, but I don’t actually feel uncomfortably hungry," Gu Nuan Nuan added. She had to clarify; being forced to eat so much at every meal would be miserable.

"Anyway, from now on, don’t worry and just eat more. Eat as much as you can. With the game you found today and the meat filling you created, do you really think we’ll have trouble affording your meals in the future?" Zhang Dazhuang said with a cheerful laugh.

"Okay. Then I’ll just tell Grandma that I’ll be eating enough for two people from now on. That should be about right," Gu Nuan Nuan said with a smile, thoughtfully providing a guideline so her grandmother wouldn’t be at a loss when cooking.

As they got closer to the village, they began to see villagers in twos and threes walking with hoes over their shoulders. The one closest to them, a sharp-eyed man named Zhang Sanqiang, was the first to spot Gu Nuan Nuan and Zhang Dazhuang dragging something. He called out to them from a distance, "Uncle Dazhuang, did you get something good on the mountain this time? What are you having to drag back?"

As he got closer, Zhang Sanqiang leaned in for a curious look, and what he saw gave him a huge shock. "Incredible! Two adult wild boars! Uncle Dazhuang, how did the three of you manage that?"

"Can’t you see they were killed with a hatchet?" Zhang Dazhuang chuckled, his tone clearly pleased with himself.

"My god! There are only three of you, and you’ve got the old, the weak, and the young all covered! How could you kill two wild boars with a hatchet? Don’t tell me they just stood there patiently and let you chop them?" Zhang Sanqiang couldn’t help but gulp, his eyes wide.

"You’ve actually guessed right."

Zhang Dazhuang gave a mysterious smile and explained to Zhang Sanqiang using the story the three of them had concocted on the way. "We were just lucky when we ran into them. They were probably chasing a pheasant and ended up running into a tree, one after the other.

"Somehow, they managed to knock the tree over so it was about to fall. That’s when we found them. In a moment of panic, my granddaughter gave it a little push, and who would’ve thought? The tree fell right on top of them."