Chapter 172 Rabbit Overpopulation

Qin Haifeng waved his hand in front of Lin Baozhu's eyes with a mischievous smile.

"Huh?" Lin Baozhu snapped back to reality, meeting his smiling eyes, and two red clouds immediately rose to her cheeks. She coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment and looked away: "What...what did you just say?"

“I said I’m free today and I’d like to go for a walk in the mountains.”

Qin Haifeng repeated, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of pleasure.

"Oh...then what are we waiting for?"

Lin Baozhu forced herself to remain calm, turned around and quickened her pace, almost as if she were fleeing in panic, "Then let's hurry up!"

Qin Haifeng's smile deepened, and without a word, he took the basket from her hands and easily followed her with his long strides.

In the early morning forest, dew hangs heavily on the tips of grass blades, and the air is moist and crisp. Birds chirp and sing among the branches and leaves, and walking among them, one's troubled mind seems to be cleansed by the rhythm of nature.

Lin Baozhu picked up a wooden stick at the foot of the mountain and flicked it against the roadside grass, both to scout the way and to scare away any snakes or insects that might dart out.

The two ventured deeper along the path, encountering few pheasants but frequently spotting rabbit burrows. Almost every ten steps or so, they found a hole dug by a rabbit.

Qin Haifeng's expression gradually turned serious. He stopped and pointed to the numerous caves scattered around them, looking worried:

"There are so many rabbit burrows! The soil has been hollowed out. What if a heavy rain comes along..."

He frowned and continued, "The risk of a landslide is too great! The villagers at the foot of the mountain will likely suffer..."

Lin Baozhu deftly tossed the rabbit she had just caught into her basket. Hearing this, she looked up, a shrewd glint in her eyes:

"Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise! We'll go find the brigade leader once we get down the mountain."

She spoke faster, with a confident air: "As long as we organize properly and act quickly enough, this rabbit plague can not only be solved, but it can also become a 'treasure trove' for the villagers! Let everyone have a prosperous and lucrative New Year!"

Qin Haifeng raised an eyebrow and looked at her: "You have a way?"

Lin Baozhu smiled confidently and counted on her fingers:

"This wild rabbit is a treasure from head to toe! The meat is firm, and smoked rabbit, dried rabbit, braised rabbit, spicy rabbit head... aren't they all hot commodities during the New Year? Once the rabbit skin is tanned, it can be used to make hats, gloves, and coats, which are windproof and warm, much better than cotton!"

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke of these things.

"You want the village to organize people to catch rabbits, process them, and sell them?" Qin Haifeng understood her intention.

"That's right!"

Lin Baozhu nodded vigorously: "Let's seize the opportunity before the other villages react! Who doesn't need meat for the New Year? Let's make the food, package it properly, and send it directly to the supply and marketing cooperative, or even the county town! I guarantee that everyone in the village will be rolling in fat this year!"

Qin Haifeng pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "Great idea! This is definitely feasible! We'll go straight to the brigade leader's house when we get down the mountain!"

"good!"

The two men carried their heavy haul—five fat rabbits and a pheasant—down the mountain.

Halfway up the mountain, a lush forest of wild toon trees came into view. Lin Baozhu suddenly stopped, her nostrils flaring as a unique, refreshing fragrance wafted towards her!

The blanched toon sprouts are a vibrant green and tender treat...

The golden, oily scrambled eggs with toon leaves are so delicious...

The rich, savory flavor of the toon sauce...

“Sha…”

She couldn't help but swallow, her eyes fixed on the glossy, fresh, and vibrant buds at the treetop.

Seeing this, Qin Haifeng put down his basket without saying a word, chose a sturdier Chinese toon tree, and climbed up with the agility of a monkey. He moved quickly, his slender fingers precisely pinching off the tenderest clusters of buds at the top of the tree and tossing them to the ground with a soft rustling sound.

Lin Baozhu bent down under the tree to pick up the plants, her eyes and hands moving swiftly. While Qin Haifeng wasn't looking, she secretly pulled out a small toon seedling, tucked it among the tender buds, and hid it deep inside her basket—she could plant it in her spatial dimension once she got home, and then she could enjoy toon freedom!

Seeing her greedy look, Qin Haifeng smiled and began to devour the food even more vigorously.

He picked almost every tender shoot within sight and reach. This good stuff has to be eaten fresh; once it's out of season, it becomes too tough to chew!

When they set off down the mountain again, their baskets were full and heavy.

Lin Baozhu walked briskly, a satisfied smile on her face, humming a tuneless but cheerful little tune, her clothes swaying gently with her steps.

Qin Haifeng followed half a step behind her, his gaze gently enveloping her back. Watching her joyful expression and listening to her off-key humming, a warm current quietly enveloped his heart, filling it to overflowing. His eyes were so soft they could melt the thin ice of early spring.

As soon as the two reached the village entrance at the foot of the mountain, they found it surrounded by layers of people, with a buzzing sound of discussion.

"Oh ho! Here comes another show!"

Lin Baozhu's eyes lit up, and she instantly perked up.

Before she finished speaking, she had already grabbed Qin Haifeng's wrist and pulled him into the crowd... Her eagerness made it seem as if she was afraid of missing out on some good show.

Before the two could even squeeze to the front of the crowd, You Yongsheng's shrill and piercing curses stabbed into their ears:

"Why are you kicking us out of the village?! Huh?! The police said it was those damned bandits who framed us! We suffered terribly inside! We finally got back, and instead of offering a word of comfort, you want to drive us away?! Don't you have any humanity left?! Huh?!"

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Xiaoyu's voice, tinged with grievance and vulnerability, rang out, cleverly drowning out her mother-in-law's roar:

"Captain, Party Secretary, fellow villagers!"

Her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened. "Think about it, if we were really in cahoots with the bandits, why were the bandits shot but we were released? Why did the government even compensate me with a job as a nurse at the county hospital?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in disbelief.

"A nurse? That's a secure job that money can't buy!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaoyu's gaze swept across the crowd, and her tone softened:

"From now on, if any of you villagers have a headache or fever, just come to the hospital and find me! As long as I, Zhao Xiaoyu, can help, I won't hesitate! In the past... Yuntao and I were young and ignorant, and we did some wrong things. Please, for the sake of our fellow villagers, give us a chance to make amends!"

After she finished speaking, she bowed deeply and formally in the direction of the brigade leader and the party secretary, her posture extremely humble.

Lin Baozhu stood on the periphery of the crowd, arms crossed, coldly watching Zhao Xiaoyu's vivid and expressive performance.

'Ha, what a clever tactic.' She sneered inwardly. Using her nursing job to whitewash her identity, and then dangling the promise of "free help," had indeed struck a nerve with many villagers.