“Mother, what happened?”
Wu Cui Niang rushed over, carrying a basket of vegetables, anxious and flustered. Her foot slipped, and she nearly fell.
Cheng Luan Luan quickly steadied her. Her eldest daughter-in-law was pregnant, and her belly was already slightly showing. The original owner had been too stingy to find a doctor to check her pulse, so they didn't know exactly how many months along she was.
But no matter how far along she was, she shouldn't be climbing the mountain anymore. If she accidentally fell, she might not be able to keep the child.
“Si Dan caught a rabbit.” Cheng Luan Luan lifted the grey rabbit. “Today, we’re eating rabbit meat.”
Wu Cui Niang’s face was filled with joy. It had been at least a year since the family had eaten meat. Such a small rabbit certainly wouldn’t be enough for her, but just being able to smell the aroma of rabbit meat, and drinking a mouthful of leftover millet porridge from the morning, would be enough to satisfy her… Before, she hadn’t even had a mouthful of porridge; wild vegetable gruel was barely enough to fill her stomach. These past two days felt like a dream…
She couldn’t help but say, “Mother, I know how to skin a rabbit. If the pelt is removed perfectly, I can make you a collar.”
As soon as he heard these words, a bloody scene immediately flashed through Zhao Si Dan’s mind.
He finally couldn't control himself, and tears streamed down his face.
Wu Cui Niang was startled. “Si Dan, what’s wrong?”
Zhao Si Dan wiped his tears with the back of his hand, unable to utter a single word. Mother liked eating rabbit meat, and she even wanted to use the fur for a collar. If he didn't agree, would Mother turn back into her old self...? He liked eating until he was full, and he liked his current gentle mother. He was afraid that if he didn't let Mother eat rabbit meat, she would get angry and give all the good food in the house to his maternal uncle...
Cheng Luan Luan reassured him, “Si Dan, you caught this rabbit. Later, you’ll get two more pieces of meat than everyone else.”
Zhao Si Dan cried even harder. If Mother liked to eat it, then she should eat it! He wouldn’t eat any, no matter what!
Cheng Luan Luan simply assumed he had been scared by Zhang Da Gang and his group, and planned to return home early to cook the rabbit and treat the boy.
The group of three made their way back home.
Wu Cui Niang’s basket was overflowing with wild ferns, Zhao Si Dan’s basket was full of chicken mushrooms, but Cheng Luan Luan’s basket was completely empty.
Wu Cui Niang silently thought, *Mother-in-law really did come to supervise their work...*
All the way down the mountain, they ran into quite a few villagers. The original owner had a terrible reputation in the village and wasn't well-liked, which ironically saved them a lot of trouble.
By the time they arrived home, the sun was high in the sky; it was already midday.
A bucket of water sat in the courtyard. It must have been left there by the second son after he carried it back, before going to fetch more water.
“Mother, I’ll go skin the rabbit first.” Wu Cui Niang moved briskly.
Cheng Luan Luan said with a straight face, “Pregnant women shouldn’t see blood; it’s not good for the child in your belly. You go boil some warm water first.”
Ridiculous. She just wanted to go to the system store to exchange for a bigger rabbit. If her eldest daughter-in-law skinned it, she wouldn’t be able to act in secret.
Wu Hui Niang was somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.
After she became pregnant, she had done all sorts of heavy labor. Half a month ago, she had even killed the last chicken in the house herself. Her mother-in-law had never once considered the child in her belly... She felt that her mother-in-law had truly changed; the look in her eyes vaguely revealed a gentle warmth...
Cheng Luan Luan carried the rabbit to the backyard and quickly swapped it for a plump seven-catty rabbit. This buying and selling transaction even earned her 12 *wen* coins.
While Wu Hui Niang was still lighting the fire, Cheng Luan Luan dispatched the rabbit with a single knife, then began to skin it.
She was adept at business, but skinning was another matter. Turning it over and over, she couldn't get a single piece of skin off, and the rabbit's grey fur was soon covered in blood…