The pheasant Xiao Man had been given weighed a little over two pounds. Grandpa butchered it, took out some dried wild mushrooms he had foraged and set out to dry, added a few slices of Chinese yam, and simmered a pot of wild pheasant soup.
Grandma made a point of scooping out two measures of white rice to cook. They didn't even need vegetables. As the family enjoyed their wonderful dinner, Xiao Man sighed contentedly, "I feel like I haven't eaten chicken this delicious in a hundred years!"
Grandma was delighted. Grandpa smiled and said, "We promised we'd buy a chicken so Xiao Man could have a drumstick, but I never thought we'd be eating a wild pheasant she caught herself first."
Xiao Man asked, "So does this mean I still get another one after we finish this pheasant?"
"Yes! Absolutely!" Grandpa said. "I've already asked around the village and arranged it. Right before we go to Wancheng, I'll have them catch the chickens and send them over. We'll keep one at home to eat!"
