Valery nodded and stood up, intending to discuss things with Daria. The two women who were selecting vegetables also mentioned that they had no meat at home and planned to contribute a little money. Old Russian calculated: "I have two portions, Ivan has one, and Tamina and Nadezhda have two."
With that, they only needed to choose one fawn, but the price would likely be higher because fawn meat is delicious, while the adult reindeer grow quickly. Killing a fawn would be wasteful, so naturally, the price would be higher.
Including our three families, Gennady and Victor got out of the car, both covered in grass clippings, probably just having unloaded hay. Victor patted Ivan's arm and turned to Valery, nodding: "I'll cover one portion, Gennady Family will take two. That way, we can directly slaughter a young stag, and we can enjoy some Big Soup."
"Sounds good," Valery smiled. "Then let's drink at my place tonight. I'll have my wife stew some soup, and we'll eat grilled meat."
After saying this, he headed to the office on the second floor. Daria wasn't there; only Zhuo Ya was curled up on the sofa scrolling through her phone. Her long legs were propped up on the coffee table, shaking continuously. "Is there something you need, Uncle Valery?"
"I'm planning to buy a young deer with Gennady and Victor. Once we finish weighing it later, I'll report the amounts from each family. You can just deduct it from our budget for next month."
"Okay."
Just as Valery was about to leave, Zhuo Ya called out to Old Russian. She got up from the table and opened a display rack, taking out a pack of Tian Ye cigarettes and stuffing two packs into his hands. "Uncle, could you help us slaughter one too? We’re out of deer meat at home. Also, please take care of a Beef Cattle; just pick one that's about a year old."
"Sure."
Old Russian looked at the good cigarettes in his hands with delight, putting one pack away while opening the other as he went downstairs. Everyone was chatting; he shared the cigarettes around before heading with Larry and Ivan to the deer shed. "Gennady and Zhuo Ya asked for help to slaughter a Beef Cattle; the yearlings are in Cattle Shed No. 3 and No. 4. You guys pick one to process."
"Alright."
Gennady and Victor took their cigarettes and got back in the car to head to other Cattle Sheds on the ranch. Valery followed Yegor as they strolled around the deer shed, tying ropes around the antlers of two robust stags and luring them out with fodder.
Yegor swiftly plunged a knife into one stag while several strong men held it down firmly until it stopped breathing. Once processed, they wrapped the stag in its hide and loaded it onto the truck. The innards that no one wanted were cleaned and packed into bags for the cafeteria lady to stew for Caucasian.
Some larger stags were deboned into sizable chunks; each portion included leg meat and belly meat. Everyone was satisfied with their share; Valery took note of everything in the office while Zhuo Ya recorded details before turning off the air conditioning and shutting down her computer. She went downstairs with Old Russian.
Driving Anna's matte black SUV home alone required no assistance as she carried two pieces of deer meat and beef into the kitchen while keeping one deer leg and one beef leg aside. She also carried a barrel of well-fermented beer from the cellar.
She packed various fruits as well before heading to Daria's yard. After several trips back and forth, she was covered in the smell of meat and sweat. After showering and changing clothes, she pulled out her phone to open a group chat: "Little Hoofs come over to my aunt's house for deer meat and beer tonight; let’s have some fun!"
Soon several girls arrived laughing as they entered the wooden cabin.
"Xiao Lisa wants to see if you've gained weight," said Zhuo Ya while frying meat patties.
With a smile, she set down her tongs, turned around, and hugged a little girl tightly with her seemingly delicate yet strong hands that made the girl blush: "Sister Zhuoya, you're so naughty!"
"Hehe, wait until tonight; I’ll show you just how naughty I can be."
Zhuo Ya smiled mischievously, then withdrew her hand to continue cooking the venison and beef steaks. Lisa opened the refrigerator, took out a few bottles of chilled Coconut Milk, and headed to the living room, chatting and laughing with her friends.
Once the food was served, Zhuo Ya wiped her hands and made a phone call: "Irina, are you still playing mahjong?"
Just then, Irina had just drawn an eight of characters and frowned at the cards in front of her. "Hmm, this round is almost over."
"Just waiting for you to finish eating, hurry up."
"I know!" Irina hung up the phone impatiently. She had just drawn an East Wind tile when Anna gleefully declared a win against her. In the end, it was Yuliya who called out a winning hand, making Irina pout in frustration. "Auntie, I'm your opponent!"
"Uh, just practice more," Yuliya replied awkwardly with a smile. Irina stood up and handed over some money. "I’m going to eat first; Zhuo Ya called for me."
"Wait, take me with you!" Yuliya said cheerfully as she got up and left the room with Irina. Just then, Little White had just been rinsed off by Xu Li and was ready to take them home. As they entered the living room, Little White sniffed the aroma of meat and naturally opened its mouth wide. Zhuo Ya tossed it two pieces of grilled meat.
Little White devoured the grilled meat in a few bites and then leisurely made its way to its own yard. Meanwhile, Zhuo Ya and the others chatted happily as they ate. After dinner, the girls washed the dishes while Daria prepared the sauna.
The eight of them donned small straw hats and sat inside, staring at each other as they watched the thermometer's numbers slowly rise. No one wanted to give in until finally Lisa was the first to escape. "I can't take it anymore!"
She dashed out of the sauna room, tossed aside her straw hat, and dove into the indoor pool. Once there was one, there were soon others following suit; eventually, it was Zhuo Ya who emerged last, holding her head high like a victorious general. "A bunch of little weaklings!"
Yuliya smiled at Zhuo Ya as everyone swam a few laps in the pool before showering and changing clothes. In the cool relaxation room, they had arranged chilled fruits. Zhuo Ya sat on the floor drinking wine and eating meat while discussing various TV show plots with the girls.
Outside, darkness fell as Irina entered with a smile, closed the door behind her, and raised an eyebrow at Zhuo Ya. "Did you just call me a little weakling?"
Zhuo Ya scoffed dismissively.
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