Smacking his lips a few times, David Wright said, “Dad, this meat porridge is really delicious.”

Charles Wright wiped away some stains from the corner of his son’s mouth with a warm towel and said, “Although the village suffered quite a bit this time—even one of the houses was crushed by a black bear—the harvest was also great. Thirty-two black bears are a huge fortune, equal to a whole year’s income for the village. This meat porridge is made from bear meat. You were hungry, so of course it tastes even better.”

David Wright nodded carefully, doing his best to avoid aggravating the pain from the wound on his back with any big movements.

“Is Haotian awake?” came a deep voice from outside the door.

Charles Wright patted his son’s shoulder and said, “You rest for now, I’ll go see the village chief.”

David Wright responded, and after watching his father leave the room, a strange expression gradually appeared on his little face.

He was surprised to find that ever since eating the meat porridge, his stomach felt warm. It seemed this feeling wasn’t just from being full. The warmth didn’t stay in his belly, but began to spread throughout his whole body, making him feel a comfortable, cozy heat all over.

Soon, the sensation faded, but he seemed to have regained a bit of strength.

David Wright blinked his small eyes, very much doubting whether this was just his imagination.

Smacking his lips again, the bewildered boy slowly closed his eyes. Because of the blood loss, his body was still very weak. After getting some nourishment, he drifted off to sleep once more.

In the outer room, Charles Wright had already welcomed Jason Clark inside.

Jason Clark got straight to the point: “Charles, I’ve already asked around. The earthquake this time was widespread, affecting more than ten miles in every direction. Almost every village was attacked by wild beasts from the mountains, and many suffered heavy losses. The worst off didn’t even have a single survivor.”

Charles Wright drew in a sharp breath and said quietly, “There hasn’t been an earthquake on Bear Wolf Mountain for hundreds of years. For us to run into one now—just bad luck, I suppose.”

Jason Clark nodded slightly and asked, “How is David doing?”

“He’s fine, just lost a lot of blood. But young people have strong vitality. As long as he gets the right nourishment, he’ll recover in at most a month,” Charles Wright said without hesitation.

A look of relief appeared on Jason Clark’s face as he said, “David was injured by my William. Luckily, fate was on his side. Otherwise, I’d have gone home and given that rascal a beating.”

Charles Wright waved his hands repeatedly and said, “Village chief, you’re joking. William was brave in the face of danger and fought the vicious bear. If he hadn’t acted in time and struck the bear’s nose, blinding it, there would definitely have been casualties by the time we arrived.”

Jason Clark recalled the situation at the time and still felt lingering fear.

When they had dealt with the black bears ahead, the one with its eyes blurred by tears was stumbling around blindly. It was the strongest and most cunning of all the invading bears. If its nose hadn’t been injured by chance, it would have been very difficult to protect all the elderly, weak, women, and children.

With a long sigh, Jason Clark said sincerely, “Charles, the fact that our village survived intact this time is more than half thanks to you.” He paused, still shaken, and added, “Nineteen black bears fell into the trap, and only thirteen actually charged into the village. If it weren’t for that trap, if all the bears had gotten in, our village would have been wiped out.”

Charles Wright quickly offered some modest words, then smiled casually and said, “When I first designed that trap, people in the village thought it was a hassle. It was only because you insisted, village chief, that it was built. So half the credit is yours.”

Jason Clark laughed heartily. “Now that everyone’s benefited, no one will ever dare complain about it again.”

Although the trap designed by Charles Wright was very sturdy, it was set at the entrance and did cause some inconvenience for the villagers. Many had grumbled about it before, but from now on, no one would ever question or criticize it again.

Jason Clark pointed to the large leather bag he’d brought and said, “I’ll take the bear gall and bear paws to sell in town. This is the best bear meat—stew it for your child. He’s lost too much blood and needs a good supplement.”

A satisfied smile appeared on Charles Wright’s face. He only had this one precious son, so of course he was most concerned about the boy’s injuries.

Chapter Three: Gaining Strength

A month later, the aftershocks of the wild beast rampage caused by the earthquake had completely subsided.

Except for a few unlucky villages that suffered devastating blows, the rest, no matter how much damage they took, could only grit their teeth and keep living at the foot of Bear Wolf Mountain.

Dalincun was one of the few villages to escape unscathed. Not only did they not lose anyone, they actually gained a huge fortune.

Of course, none of this had much to do with the ten-year-old David Wright. During his month of recovery, the only change he noticed in his life was that his meals had gotten better.