The drying ground was maintained for three days. Every day, Chen Lan carried a basket, taking Ming Wei, Cui Qiao, Hu Yuzhen, and Zhao Xiaoyue with her to forage for mushrooms and wood ear fungus in the surrounding mountains for three days. As with previous times, her mother-in-law and the others at home were responsible for washing, drying, cleaning, and marinating the game.
Chen Lan also joined the hunt for three days. On the third day, Chen Lan led them a little farther than before. This time, they were lucky enough to spot a herd of wild goats in a mountain valley, which greatly delighted everyone. To be honest, everyone had had enough of wild chickens and rabbits recently. How could they not be excited to see wild goats today?
From a distance, Chen Lan gestured for everyone to be silent, signaling them to stay put and not move.
Wild goats are highly vigilant animals. They are also very fast runners with excellent balance, capable of jumping swiftly and steadily from one rock to another. To escape predators, they always choose to flee towards rugged terrain and steep cliffs.
However, they couldn't be startled, otherwise, the wild goats would disappear before anyone got close. It wouldn't be much if they ran away! But if they encountered one head-on, a wild goat's horns are very strong, and one could be seriously injured if unfortunate enough to be butted by one.
Chen Lan moved forward quickly, retrieving a crossbow from her system inventory. This time, she took out six matching carbon steel arrows as weapons. Using her mind, she opened the system and scanned a radius of 500 meters. She cautiously moved forward while observing the distance to the wild goats on the screen. She stopped a hundred meters away from the herd and, using the trees for cover, clearly saw the group of wild goats. These goats, with their sharp, pointed horns, numbered more than eighty, if not a hundred. They were scattered throughout the valley, grazing.
She carefully moved forward another forty meters, reaching the maximum range of the crossbow. Chen Lan loaded all six carbon steel arrows, her eyes fixed on the scope, aiming at the throats of six plump, large wild goats. She released the safety button. With six muffled thuds, the arrows pierced flesh and hide. The six wild goats instantly collapsed. The other goats froze for half a second before scattering in all directions and disappearing without a trace, leaving behind only the six goats struck by the arrows.
Chen Lan quickly descended into the valley and approached to examine the six wild goats. All six were killed with a single arrow. Each goat was estimated to weigh around one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty pounds. She swiftly removed the six carbon steel arrows from the goats, wiped them clean, and returned them to her system inventory.
She beckoned and called out Ming Wei's name, urging everyone to quickly descend into the valley. While they were descending, Chen Lan stowed three of the goats in her system inventory. Otherwise, with these few women lacking strength, they would definitely not be able to carry all six wild goats back.
Ming Wei, Cui Qiao, Hu Yuzhen, and Zhao Xiaoyue hurried down into the valley. Seeing the plump wild goats, they excitedly discussed and rejoiced.
Chen Lan, seeing they weren't considering how to get these three wild goats back, decided to douse their enthusiasm a bit. She said, "Don't get too excited too soon. How to get these goats back is a big problem. No matter how strong I am, I can only carry one myself. The remaining two will have to be carried by two of you per goat. How about it? Any problems?"
The four of them responded in unison, "No problem, we can carry them. To eat goat meat, we'll drag them back even if we have to!" Su Dan Fiction Network
Chen Lan had them consolidate the items from their baskets into her own. Thus, carrying a full basket of game on her back, one wild goat slung over her shoulder, and with the two groups carrying the other two goats, she led the way back.
The group walked and rested, finally managing to get the three wild goats back. Everyone was exhausted, panting heavily. They put down the wild goats and sat there, reluctant to get up.
Those who were flipping and drying mushrooms and wood ear fungus saw them and became incredibly excited. They chattered animatedly, discussing how to best cook the wild goat.
Her mother-in-law exclaimed her catchphrase dramatically, "My heavens, such fat wild goats, truly rare!"
Saying that, she immediately called for Lin Mai, "Mai Zi, we're stewing wild goat meat for dinner tonight. See how to make it taste good and do just that. We have three of them! Since autumn harvest is starting tomorrow, let's have a goat feast today to nourish everyone in advance. Let's eat our fill!"
After speaking, she called Cui Mama, Liu Mama, and Lin Mai, and together they lifted the wild goats and went to the nearby stream to clean them.
That evening, everyone had their fill of the goat feast as they wished; there were braised goat, stir-fried goat, spicy goat, and twice-cooked goat, four large dishes.
The method for braised goat was: "Blanch the cleaned goat meat and ribs. Then stir-fry them in a pot with caramelized sugar until colored, then pour into a clay pot. Add ginger, scallions, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, licorice, cinnamon, fennel, dried tangerine peel, and other seasonings. Then add soy sauce, dried chili, wine, salt, and hot water. Braise over low heat for about two hours until cooked."
The method for stir-fried goat was: "Slice the goat meat thinly and marinate it with minced ginger, pepper, and other seasonings. Stir-fry it in hot oil, then add ingredients like onions and scallions, stir-fry, and add red chilies, garlic slices, soy sauce, salt, aged vinegar, and starch water. Continue to stir-fry and serve."
The method for spicy goat was: "Cut the goat meat into pieces. Add it to cold water along with Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves, scallions, ginger, and a little wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat and cook for about thirty minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steep for about twenty minutes, then remove. Heat oil in a wok and stir-fry minced scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant. Add the goat meat and stir-fry until the surface is golden brown. Add dried chilies and stir-fry. Then add ground Sichuan peppercorns and five-spice powder and stir-fry evenly. Add soy sauce and boiling water, and at the same time add chili oil and cover the pot. Simmer for about twelve to thirteen minutes, then it's ready to serve!"
The method for twice-cooked goat was: "Put the goat meat in cold water with wine, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and scallions. Boil it. When the goat meat is seven to eight parts cooked, remove it and slice it. Heat oil in a wok and stir-fry bean paste until fragrant. Then add dried chilies and goat meat, a little salt, and stir-fry for a moment. Serve."
By the end of the dinner, everyone had oily mouths, was completely satisfied, and very content. It goes without saying, everyone ate too much again today. Even the old lady, who usually paid more attention to health and didn't eat much in the evening, was stuffed and kept rubbing her stomach. Wen Kai, Wen Qi, and Ming Zhe were even more so, groaning, "Ah! Ouch!"
Seeing that this wouldn't do, Chen Lan took a basin from the kitchen and picked half a basin of hawthorn from the edge of the woods. She asked Lin Mai to boil water for everyone to drink and help with digestion.