Shen Jinhe's eyes widened instantly, like two copper bells. She jumped up from the ground and scrambled over to her.

Carefully cradling the pile of warm wild eggs in both hands, one, two...

There are nine eggs in total, each one round and plump, with a light fuzz on the shell.

She held it as if it were a rare treasure, her lips curving upwards uncontrollably, stretching all the way to her ears, her smile almost overflowing.

But as her excitement subsided, the smile on her face gradually faded, her brows furrowed slightly, and her expression became complicated.

"What's wrong?"

Su Qingzhi looked at her and asked calmly.

Shen Jinhe lowered her head, looked at the pheasants huddled together in the basket, still flapping their wings, and lowered her voice, tinged with sullenness: "Sister-in-law, if we only caught one or two, that would be considered good luck, and no one would say anything. But these fifteen..."

The village has a rule: if you hunt more than five animals, you have to report it and the spoils will be divided among the villagers. If I'd known it was like this, I shouldn't have caught so many…”

Shen Jinhe is not a stingy person.

She usually helps her neighbors, and she never hides her good things from them.

But the thought that she had worked so hard and risked her life to catch these pheasants, and that she would have to give some of them to Wang Chunhua's family, made her feel as if a heavy stone was pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

We risked our lives chasing after them, our knees were bruised from falling, and we risked being bitten by snakes to get into the mountains. Why should we give away the best things to those guys who bully others and take advantage of us all the time?

"You really don't want to share it with the villagers?"

Su Qingzhi asked her again, her tone still indifferent, but her eyes were sharply fixed on her face.

“It’s not that I don’t want to at all,” Shen Jinhe slowly shook her head, her voice a little hoarse. “A few years ago, in winter, Li Laosan hunted a wild boar in the mountains. The whole village got a share of the meat, and our family got a big piece too. We made a pot of soup and ate it for several days. I was grateful at that time. But Wang Chunhua’s family… I really… I really didn’t want to give them even a bite.”

What she disliked most was Wang Chunhua.

That family was selfish and mean-spirited; they always liked to take advantage of others because they had a large family.

Last time, in order to seize an old tree on the edge of the land, he actually tried every means to scheme against his sister-in-law's parents, which made the old man so angry that he was sick for half a month.

Their hearts are harder than the stones in the mountains, cold and devoid of warmth.

Are we giving them such good pheasants now?

It's like feeding food to wolves.

She felt a tightness in her chest, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe.

"Then let's not split it."

Su Qingzhi spoke decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

Shen Jinhe was taken aback, blinked, her eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty: "You really can't give it to me? Won't that offend someone?"

"We caught the chicken ourselves. It took a lot of effort to chase it out of the mountains. So how we divide it is up to us."

Su Qingzhi raised the corners of her mouth and answered with a smile, her eyes revealing a firmness and composure.

Shen Jinhe burst out laughing, her face beaming with a bright smile: "Sister-in-law, I knew you were the best! I'll go and call Uncle Village Chief right now!"

Su Qingzhi quickly looked around and saw that the hillside was open and no one in the distant fields was looking this way. She then lowered her voice and cautiously reminded her, "Don't rush. Take this nest of wild eggs home and hide it well. It would be troublesome if someone saw it."

"Okay!"

Shen Jinhe's eyes lit up, as if she had received an important mission, and she nodded excitedly.

She carefully picked up the nest of wild eggs, which were still warm, as if she were holding a fragile treasure.

Then, she circled half the mountain, avoiding village roads and field ridges, and slipped in through the path behind her house, her steps light but careful, as if afraid of disturbing anyone.

She hurriedly told Shen Zhiyu about finding a pheasant nest on the mountain, told him to guard the eggs and not tell anyone, then turned around and ran back up the mountain, panting as she rushed back to where she started.

When she returned, the village chief, Su Wanshan, had already arrived. He was standing by the mountain road, leaning on a bamboo cane, looking around with a furrowed brow.

When Su Wanshan saw the several plump, glossy pheasants in the basket, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his face filled with disbelief.

He rubbed his eyes hurriedly, then squatted down and reached out to touch the chicken feathers, feeling their thick and smooth texture.

The feel is real, not an illusion.

"Ning girl, this... did you and He girl really catch this?"

His voice trembled, filled with disbelief, shock, and a hint of excitement.

"I was lucky enough to find a chicken coop."

Shen Jinhe lowered her head and smiled shyly, as if this was just an unexpected bonus, "If we hadn't happened to pass by that forest, we wouldn't have encountered such a good thing."

She knew perfectly well that the pheasant suddenly flying into her arms, as if it had come to her willingly, was something she couldn't mention at all.

These days, anyone who talks about supernatural phenomena or has encountered strange or supernatural events will be considered crazy and gossiped about behind their back.

At best, they'd be made a laughingstock; at worst, they'd be kicked out of the village—there have been precedents of that.

“Uncle Village Chief,” Su Qingzhi stepped forward, her voice soft yet authoritative, “Achuan’s injuries haven’t fully healed yet; his wounds bleed every day, and he’s very weak. He really needs to be nourished. Could we perhaps save one of our chickens?”

Su Wanshan pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two baskets, then looking at Su Qingzhi's slightly pale face, and finally nodded: "Alright. You two each take one back to make soup. If anyone dares to gossip or spread rumors, then no one will get a piece of the chicken."

“There’s something else,” Su Qingzhi hesitated for a moment, lowering her voice even further, a hint of caution in her eyes, “Could we… not say that we caught the chicken? Let’s just say that we found a chicken coop, ran back to call you, and you brought people to help, and in the end, everyone worked together to surround and catch the chicken?”

Upon hearing this, Su Wanshan narrowed his eyes and thought about it carefully. After a moment, he understood what she meant—it would not offend anyone, but also preserve their good fortune and achievements, and gain the trust of the villagers.

He waved his hand, a smile spreading across his face, revealing deep wrinkles: "Alright, I'll cover for you. Just say that everyone surrounded the area together, and you two were just responsible for leading the way. You'll get credit for it too."

"Thank you, Uncle Village Chief!"

Su Qingzhi quickly thanked him sincerely, bowing deeply, finally feeling relieved.

Then, Su Wanshan called his son, Su Weiye, over.

Su Weiye had just finished chopping firewood behind the house, still clutching the axe in his hand, when he heard his father call him. He quickly wiped the wood shavings off his hands and hurried over.

When he saw the pheasants with their colorful plumage and intact wings, he froze on the spot, unable to lift his feet.

The pheasants were all very energetic. Some had their necks tucked in and their eyes wide open, while others were flapping their wings and struggling. But they were all tightly bound with hemp rope, clearly having been captured alive.

This is no ordinary wild animal. These days, the pheasants in the mountains have been hunted to near extinction. It's rare to see even a single pheasant, let alone a nest of a dozen or so.