"What you're saying is ridiculous. Did I stop you from going fishing?" He Tiantian retorted without any politeness.

Mrs. Cheng was taken aback; she hadn't expected He Tiantian to become so eloquent. Her words made everyone suddenly realize—yes, they could go fishing too!

But what did they use to catch fish? No one had ever caught fish in the winter before.

"Cough cough..." Zhao Tingzhang coughed twice, glanced at He Shi, and said to everyone, "He Shi is right, everyone can go to the back mountain to catch fish. In this famine year, every household is having a hard time, so it is good to be able to find some food."

The matter ended somewhat unhappily, with everyone thinking that it was impossible to catch fish in the dead of winter, and that He's success was just a fluke.

Cheng was known for her jealousy in the village; she would always make sarcastic and critical remarks whenever someone had something nice.

That evening, after Zhao Wanzi and Zhao Denglong had eaten their fill, He Tiantian had them wash up and go to sleep. In her hazy sleep, He Tiantian felt those eyes staring intently at them in the darkness.

She straightened up and inspected the place, thinking to herself that when she had money, she would definitely build a big house.

Living in this dilapidated temple with drafts on three sides, there is no privacy, and even the most basic personal safety cannot be guaranteed.

The next day, He Tiantian was awakened by the footsteps of the men in the village who were going to work. The sky was still overcast, and she could only vaguely see figures passing by on the road, but she couldn't make out what they looked like.

She leaned against the wall to get up, took the tattered fishing net from yesterday, and walked towards the riverbank behind the mountain in the dark.

The river had been frozen overnight, and ice had long since formed on top. He Tiantian spent a lot of effort breaking the ice back up, scattering some fish food she had bought from the mall, and then casting her fishing net back in.

The wait for the fish was long, so He Tiantian decided to go up the mountain to see if there was anything else of value.

Her feet crunched on the thick snow. He Tiantian walked slowly, covered in sweat.

However, she didn't seem to be so lucky today; Xu Shangcheng didn't remind her about anything valuable after they left. It seems that Changfeng Village is indeed very poor; just surviving the winter is already a stroke of luck.

It was almost noon, and He Tiantian was still hungry.

Just as she had given up and was about to turn back, she suddenly heard the notification sound from the online store.

[Ding! A nest of snow rabbits has been discovered.]

He Tiantian immediately opened her eyes wide and followed the mall's instructions to a dry thicket.

After searching for so long, I finally found one that was still breathing.

He Tiantian quickly dug away the thick layer of snow outside. The rabbit burrow was underground, but after she cleared away the weeds and branches around the burrow, she was immediately stunned.

A pure white rabbit lay there, with four baby rabbits beside it.

The four little rabbits huddled together for warmth beside their mother, with bits of hay nibbled nearby.

He Tiantian poked the rabbit mother with her hand, somewhat uncertainly. Her body was indeed cold, and it seemed that she had frozen to death.

He Tiantian felt a pang of sadness and touched her stomach.

It is said that maternal love is great, and even animals will give their lives for their offspring.

He Tiantian picked up the four little rabbits and hid them in her arms. The rabbits were still small and didn't move easily, so keeping them in her arms would help keep them warmer.

She stared at the dead mother rabbit, smacking her lips. Braised rabbit meat was the best. But she had saved four of its babies; surely it wouldn't be a problem for the mother rabbit to repay her debt with her body, right?

With that thought in mind, He Tiantian reached out her devilish claws, picked up the rabbit mother, and left.

The round trip took up most of the day. When He Tiantian reached the foot of the mountain, she went to haul in the nets. This time, hauling in the nets was a bit difficult, but He Tiantian was delighted, knowing that this time the catch would be quite good.

When they were all pulled up, they counted and found a total of four big fish in the net.

He Tiantian beamed with joy; the four fish would be enough for her and her daughter to eat for a long time. So, dragging the four fish in her right hand, carrying a large rabbit in her left, and with four small rabbits tucked into her arms, she struggled back home.

Upon reaching the village entrance, she inevitably attracted the attention of the village gossips, who all stared longingly at the fish and rabbit in He Tiantian's hands.

The more I look, the more envious I become; the more I look, the more jealous I get.

He Tiantian's eyes swept across the faces of the group of gossipy women. They looked at her as if they wanted to devour her whole.

The last thing I saw was Mrs. Tian, ​​who was holding a basin of clothes, cautiously glancing in my direction.

He Tiantian stopped in her tracks, remembering that her family had no staple food. So she approached Tian Shi with a smile, raised a large carp in her hand, and said, "Shuanzi's mother, I don't have any millet at home. How about I exchange this fish for ten catties of your millet?"

Tian opened her mouth in excitement as she looked at the large carp in front of her, which weighed at least seven or eight pounds. In previous years, fish in town would sell for twenty coins a pound, while millet was only ten coins a pound.

This deal seems like a good deal no matter how you look at it, especially since we haven't had any meat at home in a long time, and with the New Year just around the corner, the kids need to eat something nice...

Ms. Tian wanted to agree, but when she thought about how her mother-in-law was the one in charge at home, she said somewhat awkwardly, "This... could you wait a moment? I need to go back and ask my mother-in-law what she thinks before I can do this."

He Tiantian understood; Granny Yuan's extreme temperament was no less than that of the original owner's wicked mother-in-law.

"Okay, I'll go back first. Come find me when you've discussed it."

Ms. Tian grabbed a basin of dirty clothes and ran off in a flash, as if afraid that He Tiantian might change her mind at any moment.

The other women were extremely envious. With so many people here, how could this good deal have fallen into the Yuan family's hands?

The Lunar New Year is almost here, and which family's child or husband doesn't want to have some meat?

"If He Shi can catch fish, why can't we? What's there to brag about? I'm going to the back mountain right now, and I guarantee I'll catch more fish than He Shi!"

"Easy for you to say. Do you even have a fishing net? In the entire Changfeng Village, only the He family has one."

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, but in order to try their luck at the river behind the mountain, they were determined to experience the taste of meat, even without fishing nets.

Some people secretly regretted that they should have cultivated a good relationship with the He family earlier, so they wouldn't be embarrassed to ask for internet access now.

When Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi woke up in the morning, they started a fire to boil water.

Fortunately, I ate a lot last night, so I don't feel very hungry now.

"Mother's back... Rabbit, it's Rabbit!" Zhao Wanzi jumped and bounced around He Tiantian excitedly.

"This rabbit is dead, so we have to eat it." He Tiantian sighed helplessly as she looked at Wanzi's happy and expectant face.

“However, Mother has some more here.” As she spoke, He Tiantian carefully took out the four little rabbits from her arms.