After passing another village, it was nearly dusk.

They had planned to find a cave to rest in, but caves are not so easy to find.

Fortunately, they still had a horse-drawn carriage.

Eventually, they discovered a pond.

Even without caves, having a water source is still a good thing.

So they left the carriage nearby.

We ate some soft persimmons for lunch to stave off hunger. If we didn't eat something else, no one could guarantee that we would have the strength to escape if we encountered enemy troops again.

Considering what to eat for dinner, Qiu Yan and the others divided the work.

Qiu Yan gathered some firewood and started setting up a fire stand to prepare for grilling food later.

Qin Susu didn't know how to start a fire; she only helped gather firewood.

Ling Ba squatted down by the pond and began to gut the birds that Ling Qi had hunted that morning.

Ling Qi circled around the area and shot two more rabbits with the bow and arrows behind him.

These days, even people don't have grass to eat, let alone rabbits.

Therefore, the rabbits he hunted were thin and skinny, and looked less appealing than birds.

However, this is a pretty good result.

He gave the wild rabbit to Ling Ba and continued wandering around, looking for any other finds.

Qin Susu saw Ling Qi bring back the wild rabbit from afar, and her mouth kept watering.

"Xiaoyan, we're going to have rabbit meat to eat."

She put down the firewood and walked towards Ling Ba.

I meant to help, but I only made things worse.

Despite being rejected by Ling Ba, she didn't turn back. Instead, she went along the pond to see if there were any fish.

She was lucky; she actually found a few small fish.

She rolled up her trousers, ready to go into the water to fish, but was sternly stopped by Qiu Yan in the distance.

"Can you swim? Do you know how deep the water is? Don't you know that your old injury hasn't healed and you've caught a cold?"

"Uh..." Qin Susu's knees froze in mid-air.

She couldn't swim, and she was cold all over.

"Use this!" Qiu Yan tossed a thin tree trunk to Qin Susu with her bare hands.

Moreover, one end of the tree trunk had been sharpened by Qiu Yan.

Qin Susu reached out and took it, unable to resist praising it.

"Xiaoyan, you're the one who comes up with the best ideas."

After she finished speaking, her eyes scanned the pool, her target a crucian carp.

With a soft "plop," she stabbed a fish.

"Good aim," Qiu Yan praised from afar, making Qin Susu a little smug.

She casually tossed the fish to Ling Qi, then moved on to her next target.

The more the better. If we can't finish it, we'll save it for the road tomorrow.

However, all her good luck came from her first time.

It's a pity that these fish are so cunning.

Qiu Yan finished setting up the fire stand and walked towards the three of them.

Then, she found a flat stone by the water, carefully washed it, placed the food that Ling Ba had cleaned on it, sprinkled on the seasonings, and began to marinate it.

After finishing his work, Ling Ba came over to help Qiu Yan.

While the food was marinating, Qiu Yanling and the other two worked together to start a fire.

The firewood is a bit damp, so it's not easy to grow.

However, after some effort by the two, the fire was finally ignited.

Ling Qi caught another pheasant and returned, saying frankly that the game here was not easy to hunt.

Seeing that Ling Ba was busy with other things, he went to clean the pheasant.

Qin Susu watched Qiu Yan's actions; she hadn't expected her to bring seasonings and a tinderbox with her when she went out.

As darkness fell and the fish could no longer be found, she gave all the fish she had caught to Ling Qi, thinking that one for each of them would be enough.

Then she sat down in front of the fire, trying to warm herself up.

While warming herself by the fire, she kept dozing off because she was still recovering from her illness.

Following Qiu Yan's example, Ling Ba marinated the remaining three fish and the pheasant one by one.

Half an hour later, Qiu Yan, Ling Qi, and Ling Ba skewered the poultry, fish, and rabbit meat one by one.

Night had fallen, and they sat around the fire to start grilling their food.

Qiu Yan looked at the bright moon in the sky, "I wonder how he is doing there."