Zhang Guoqing returned to the well with a bamboo basket filled with wild chickens and rabbits. He used hot water to pluck the feathers and clean out the innards, leaving four chickens behind. The rest were quickly tied up with a rope and hung under the eaves of the west wing, placing the wild chicken eggs in the small living room.
These wild chickens were meant to be cooked one per day for Zhou Jiao on the stove. The rabbits were conveniently hung to change up the flavor for Jiao Jiao.
He took four chickens outside and brought back four large mud clumps, casually placing them in two stove burners. Coincidently, that night, the family needed two pots for braising pig heads, tails, trotters, and elbows. By the time the pig heads were done, the beggar's chicken would be ready too.
Fortunately, Mother Zhang wasn't around, or she would have scolded him for wasting. Xi Zi followed him closely, watching his uncle put the chicken in the fire to bake, waiting by the stove.
