"He’s fine. Grab the hemp ropes. Miles Vaughn, Nathan Xavier, Drako, and Chet Lawrence, come with me. The rest of you, take care of the cave entrance."
"Wait a second." Quincy grabbed Evelyn Ford’s arm. "Did you really kill a bear?"
"Yeah, a black bear. It’s huge. We’re having a feast tonight."
Evelyn Ford handed the knife to Quincy and led the small group back into the woods.
The path through the woods was rather complex. If no one led the way, they would waste time getting lost.
"Evelyn, Ronan Kendrick isn’t hurt, is he?" Miles Vaughn was still a little worried.
"He’s fine."
Nathan Xavier and Drako were both shocked. That was a black bear, and possibly one driven mad by hunger. ’Was it really that easy to take down?’
Although Chet Lawrence was shocked, he didn’t show it, just quietly followed behind.
When they reached their destination and saw the black bear lying on the ground, Miles Vaughn couldn’t stay calm.
"Oh my god, it really is a black bear."
Miles Vaughn went forward to inspect it closely. "Took down a black bear in three strikes. Ronan Kendrick, you’re incredible."
The others crowded around the black bear, marveling at it. Ronan Kendrick took the hemp ropes and, with Ethan Dawson, tied up the bear. Then everyone worked together to carry it back to the cave.
Evelyn Ford cleared the path ahead. The ten-minute journey took them a full half-hour while carrying the black bear.
Back at the cave, everyone was cold and tired, but the sight of the black bear was enough to sweep away their exhaustion with excitement and elation.
"I can’t believe there are still living black bears. I thought all the animals outside had gone extinct."
"This black bear is so fat. It seems like it hasn’t been short on food these past few months."
Evelyn Ford had everyone butcher the black bear. After months of eating pumpkin and cabbage, they could finally have meat today.
"What should we do with the leftover meat? Smoke it or refrigerate it?"
"Store it in the wooden barrels. The weather is cold now, so the meat can be stored for a long time without spoiling."
"Okay."
The cave was filled with a festive atmosphere, as if it were the New Year. This was the happiest day they’d had in months.
"Even black bears are out and about. It looks like there are other animals outside. We can go hunting from now on," Austin Moss said, full of ambition.
"Forget about it. Do you have Ronan Kendrick’s skills? Forget a black bear, I doubt you could even handle a wild boar."
Hearing Chet Lawrence’s words, Austin Moss looked embarrassed.
"Yeah, if it were me, I probably couldn’t even bag a wild chicken. Hunting doesn’t just take luck, you also need weapons and skill." After speaking, Paul Pence scratched his head, a little sheepishly.
The hide they skinned was completely intact, probably enough to make three pieces of clothing. But since Ronan Kendrick was the one who killed the bear, no one dared to covet it.
Ian Yates approached Ronan Kendrick and just stood there, staring at him without a word.
Since waking up, he had become somewhat introverted. He didn’t like to talk, rushed to do chores every day, didn’t dare speak nonsense in front of Evelyn Ford, and no longer called her by her first name.
Ronan Kendrick didn’t plan on paying him any mind, but Ian Yates coughed, looking a bit reserved.
"You’re very skilled."
After saying that, he walked away.
Evelyn Ford saw this scene as she came out.
"What did he say?" Evelyn Ford had thought Ian Yates was provoking Ronan Kendrick again, but unexpectedly, Ronan just smiled.
"He said I’m very skilled. It seems he knows his place after all."
Evelyn...
"He really said that?"
"Mhm. Otherwise, I would have thrown him out long ago." Ronan Kendrick wiped his fingers with a handkerchief. The hands that could kill a black bear were not only long and fair but also completely free of calluses.
Evelyn Ford took a White Rabbit creamy candy from her pocket, unwrapped it, and offered it to Ronan Kendrick.
He smiled, bent down slightly, and took the candy with his mouth.
"You’ve worked hard. I’ll make you some barbecue tonight."
Ronan Kendrick raised an eyebrow. "It’s been a while since you’ve rewarded me."
Evelyn Ford leaned close to his ear. "I’ll reward you in secret later. We’ll have grilled fish."
Meanwhile, the others had already finished butchering the black bear. Tonight, there would be no pumpkin, no daikon radish or cabbage—only meat, enough for everyone to eat their fill.
At dinner, Quincy raised a cup of plain water to toast Ronan Kendrick.
"This wasn’t easy. We actually get to eat meat today! Let’s give Ronan Kendrick a round of applause to thank him."
The others clapped excitedly. Evelyn Ford felt too embarrassed to watch, lowering her head to hide a smile. Ronan Kendrick, expressionless, gave a slight nod, accepting everyone’s gratitude.
"But still, if something like this happens again, try not to be so reckless. When I heard the black bear roar, I almost pissed myself. I was terrified it was going to eat you."
Wyatt Vaughn shot him a glare. "Don’t talk about shit, piss, and farts while we’re eating."
Quincy retorted, "I only said one of them, you said all three."
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Evelyn Ford coughed to quickly put a stop to the battle.
"I know what I’m doing," Ronan Kendrick said, signaling for him to shut up. Quincy just chuckled foolishly and drank his water.
"Everyone, hurry up and eat."
"Yeah, eat up. It’ll get cold if we don’t."
For dinner, they made a large pot of stewed meat and a pan of stir-fried meat. After the main meal, there was barbecue. To cut through the richness, everyone nibbled on tomatoes and radishes while eating the barbecue.
Evelyn Ford moved a little farther away from the people eating radishes. Eating too many radishes causes bloating and makes one gassy.
Everyone got a bowl of blood pudding made from the bear’s blood. After eating it, their stomachs felt a little warm. That night, lying in bed, Evelyn Ford tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She felt like that bowl of blood pudding was to blame.
"I feel all jittery. Could it be that the blood pudding wasn’t cooked through?"
"I doubt it. Eating animal blood can indeed make one agitated." Ronan Kendrick seemed perfectly calm. Apparently, a bowl of blood pudding had no effect on him.
Evelyn Ford was about to enter her space to do some work, but Ronan Kendrick stopped her.
"A calm mind cools the body. Sleep. I’ll lull you to sleep." With that, he pulled Evelyn Ford into his arms and began to pat her back.
"Let’s save the grilled fish for tomorrow night. I ate too much tonight, I can’t eat anymore. Tomorrow, we’ll have king crab, swimming crab, tuna..."
Ronan Kendrick watched her with a smile. "Making me empty promises?"
"Of course not! I’m serious. Fish is your favorite, I remember."
"How about fish with pickled mustard greens, steamed fish, or braised fish in soy sauce?"
"Quite the rich menu."
"Of course. What else do you want to eat? Name anything. As long as I know how to make it, I’ll show you what I can do."
As Evelyn Ford spoke, her brow furrowed. "I really ate too much tonight. I’m a little bloated. Can you rub my stomach?"
Evelyn Ford took out some digestive aid tablets from her space and swallowed two of them directly.
Ronan Kendrick had been about to scold her a little, but when he saw her pained expression, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
"It’s not that you ate too much, it’s that you drank too much water. You had five or six glasses tonight."
Evelyn Ford sighed. "We haven’t been making special meals for ourselves lately, just eating pumpkin with everyone else. Maybe after eating so much pumpkin, the meat just seems too rich."
Evelyn Ford took Ronan Kendrick’s hand and stared at it for a long time.
"What’s wrong?"
Evelyn Ford kissed the back of his hand. "I like your hands."
It was all that bowl of blood pudding’s fault. Now, just looking at Ronan Kendrick’s hands, Evelyn Ford found it hard to control herself.
’I’m going to go crazy.’