Chapter 5: Rabbit Hunting

Qin Feng is the only son of his second uncle. He is five years older than Qin Xiangnuan and has a simple and honest personality.

When he was still young, he lived in the general's mansion and learned martial arts from General Qin. He was very strong and could easily carry heavy objects. He was very good at wielding weapons such as meteor hammers and tridents. When the property in the mansion was confiscated, Qin Feng almost cried when he saw the spears that were taken away.

Qin Xiangnuan thought that she should find a suitable opportunity to give him the spears in the space to make him happy.

In late autumn, the woods are bitterly cold.

Qin Xiangnuan rubbed his palms and exhaled hot air.

Seeing that her face was red from the cold, Qin Feng wanted to take off his coat and give it to her.

"Cousin Feng, my coat can keep me warm, but my palms are a little cold."

Qin Xiangnuan quickly stopped him and pointed to a few sturdy trees in front and said, "There should be some wild mushrooms there. Go look for them. Let's split up. If we're really lucky, we can find more."

Qin Xiangnuan tried to find a way to get Qin Feng away. After all, it was not easy to take things from the space if she was with him.

"That won't do. Daddy said that many of my uncle's enemies might chase us on the way. I can't be separated from you..." Qin Feng said seriously.

Qin Xiangnuan naturally understood his intentions, and she never let her guard down. The Seventh Prince was not a good guy and would definitely not let the General's Mansion go easily.

But they are still under the jurisdiction of the capital. If the Seventh Prince does not want to be reported, he will not take action against the General's Mansion. They are still safe for the time being.

Qin Xiangnuan thought about it and coaxed Qin Feng with a smile: "Cousin Feng, I won't be too far away from you. If there is any danger, I will call you and you will naturally come over."

"If we search separately, we can find more things, don't you think?"

Qin Feng listened to his little cousin's soft words without any suspicion. He told Qin Xiangnuan to stay where she was and not move. He picked up two branches and ran into the depths of the woods.

After he walked away, Qin Xiangnuan immediately covered the bracelet with her right hand, moved her mind, and entered the space.

She took out some candies and cookies that were easy to carry and hid them in her bag. Then she walked to the pasture where the animals were kept. She looked around and wondered if she could catch a domesticated pig in the woods. Wouldn't that attract attention? Thinking of this, she shook her head and set her sights on a few plump rabbits.

"That's you guys."

Qin Xiangnuan picked up the rabbit's ears with her hands, took out the eggs from the chicken coop, and nodded with satisfaction.

Whoosh—she threw the rabbit onto the grass next to her, hid it, and then shouted loudly, "Cousin Feng."

Qin Feng was only about ten feet away from her. When he heard her voice, he was so scared that he ran back. He took two steps at a time and squatted in front of her, asking with worried eyes, "What happened to my cousin? Did you encounter any wild beast?" He looked around vigilantly, holding a sharp blade made of a wooden stick in his hand to protect Qin Xiangnuan.

"I heard some rustling in the grass over there. I'm afraid it's some animal."

Qin Xiangnuan timidly pointed to where she had kept the rabbits. Qin Feng's eyes lit up when he heard it, and he ran over there. After a while, he shouted happily, "Cousin, we can have a full meal tonight! I caught a few wild rabbits!"

Crack! Qin Feng hurried back and didn't notice where he was stepping, so he crushed an egg.

Qin Xiangnuan's smile froze on her face. Stupid cousin, I finally got it out, but now one is missing.

The two of them put all the supplies in a bamboo basket. Qin Feng carried the things and hummed a little tune as he returned to the camp with Qin Xiangnuan.

"Grandma, Auntie, we can roast the rabbit!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone cheered.

Qin Feng handed the rabbit to Grandma Zhang who was cooking. Grandma Zhang cleaned the rabbit without saying a word, smeared a little salt on it, and started roasting it over the fire. Soon, the fragrance came out.

Qin Xiangnuan arranged for someone to send two rabbits to the officials.

The leading officer nodded to Qin Xiangnuan from a distance, and took the other officers to camp at a distance behind. He distributed the change given by Qin Xiangnuan to the officers. Fortunately, everyone still had a little kindness, so they did not take their things away and turned a blind eye.

A bonfire was lit at night and everyone sat around it. Two fat rabbits were meant to be shared among so many people, but in reality, only one bite was enough for each person.

Second Aunt Zou was a frugal householder. When she was in the General's Mansion, she also helped Liu manage all the affairs of the mansion. Now she put those eggs away and prepared to eat them when she could no longer bear it on the road.

"Sister-in-law, look, does this egg look like it was laid by a pheasant?"

Zou looked at the eggs in the firelight, feeling a little puzzled. She thought they looked like they were laid by domesticated chickens, but who would raise chickens in the deep mountains and forests? Liu also found it strange, but having already entered exile, who had the energy to think about so many details?

I just want to fill my stomach and reach the border safely to meet up with the general. That's enough.

Late at night, Liu and Qin Xiangnuan took a nap leaning against a rock. Qin Xiangnuan was not sleepy, she just opened her eyes and looked up at the starry sky. Even after some time, she still couldn't adapt to the environment of being in the general's mansion. The original owner's physical foundation was weak, and some of her martial arts skills were useless. Now it was really difficult for her to rely on her own strength to protect her family.

Fortunately, the journey was safe and there were no bandits blocking the way.

Qin Xiangnuan turned her wrist, wanting to practice secretly, but accidentally startled Liu who was beside her.

Liu opened her eyes and gently covered her with the thin blanket. She took out the little rabbit leg wrapped in oil paper from her bosom and stuffed it into Qin Xiangnuan's palm, saying, "Nuannuan, are you hungry? Mother didn't eat it during the day, so she saved it for you!"

"Mother..." Qin Xiangnuan felt a stir in her heart when she saw this, and warmth spread throughout her limbs.

Liu clenched her fist against her lips and coughed twice, then stroked Qin Xiangnuan's head tenderly and lovingly. "Don't be afraid, Nuannuan. Once we meet Dad, we'll be able to put our family's life in order. Although the border is cold and harsh, people are kind. We can find a good family for Nuannuan then, okay?"

Qin Xiangnuan sighed. Instead of a woman pinning her fate on her husband, it would be better for her to rely on herself.

However, she couldn't express these thoughts to Liu now. Otherwise, with Liu's thoughtful character, she would definitely be sad and mistakenly think that it was because of her family's decline that she gave up the idea of ​​love.

Thinking of this, Qin Xiangnuan fed the rabbit leg to Liu's mouth, "Mother, have a few bites too. You didn't eat well on the way, and you've lost so much weight in just five days. When father sees you, he will definitely be heartbroken."

"Mom, eat two bites, and Nuannuan can eat the rest."

Qin Xiangnuan coaxed Liu to eat some meat, and the sky was already getting brighter.

The officers guarding them on their way to the border urged them to leave as soon as possible. No one dared to delay and was about to leave the woods when they suddenly heard the women's screams from behind. A group of people gathered around and started talking about it.

"I'll go check it out!"

Qin Xiangnuan said something to Liu, then pushed through the crowd and squeezed in.

Uncle San was lying on the ground, with two sharp teeth marks on his calf and black blood flowing out.

"Snake?" Qin Xiangnuan recognized it immediately. She squatted beside her uncle and pulled out two hemp ropes from her body and tied them around his calves to stop the blood flow. Everyone around was in a panic. There was no doctor with them. When they were at a loss, Qin Xiangnuan whispered, "Cousin Feng, go find where the snake has gone, but be careful. Hit it in the weakest part. If it dies, wait for half an incense stick of time. Wait until it is completely still before approaching."

"Everyone else, spread out a little."

The air needs to circulate. Qin Xiangnuan squinted her eyes and could confirm that it was a poisonous snake.

She looked around and judged that it should be a species like the silver ring. There was anti-snake venom serum in the hospital in the space, so she just had to inject it into her uncle.

"Uncle San, please bear with it!"