The next day, unexpectedly, the village organized seven or eight young men to go hunting in the mountains, seemingly because they were tempted by the rabbit meat that Qin Qing had made the day before.
By the time Qin Qing found out, it was almost noon…
She had just finished lunch and, having nothing to do, decided to go for a walk. Wang Yan also planned to go ice fishing by the lake, and the two of them went out together.
As soon as I came out, I heard several women chatting in a courtyard.
"Sigh, I wonder when they'll be back. It would be great if they could catch a rabbit, but if not, catching a field mouse would be fine too."
"Yeah, thankfully it's sunny today and a bit warmer than yesterday, so it should be easier to catch."
The women chattered excitedly, occasionally mentioning the delicious aroma of the rabbit meat Qin Qing had made yesterday, which made them incredibly hungry!
"What? They went up the mountain?"
Just then, a surprised voice interrupted their conversation. The group turned around and saw Qin Qing. Because they were not familiar with her, they did not answer her.
Qin Qing was speechless at the sight, because she saw Aunt Zhang from yesterday in the crowd. She figured that Aunt Zhang must have said a lot of bad things about her, which was why these women were ignoring her.
However, she still spoke, her expression solemn.
“It snowed heavily yesterday, and it’s definitely frozen today. The mountain roads will only get more and more difficult to walk on. It’s very dangerous to go hunting in the mountains at this time. I advise you to let them come back as soon as possible... If it gets cold in the afternoon, they may not be able to come back even if they want to.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the group of women paused for a moment, then looked at each other, none of them taking her words to heart. Aunt Zhang was even more disdainful and made a sarcastic remark.
"Some people, just because they've had a few more years of education than us, they're incredibly smug! They know we're just ordinary farmers, especially honest and easily fooled... so they use twisted logic to deceive us. They're shameless..."
All the women fell silent, glancing at Qin Qing with unmistakable intent.
Qin Qing remained silent. Anyway, she had reminded him, so whatever!
Wang Yan, standing beside her, reached out and took her hand, offering silent comfort. His gaze swept coldly over the group, causing Aunt Zhang to freeze in fear. At that moment, they had no idea what it meant to be filled with menacing aura!
After Qin Qing and the other person had walked away, they started chattering and complaining again...
After a long while, Qin Qing and the other man had chosen a spot on the lake and dug a hole. Wang Yan was very curious about this so-called ice fishing. Then he saw Qin Qing take a net, clear away the broken ice inside, and finally let Wang Yan put the bait in.
The two were dressed thickly, lacking the glamorous attire of protagonists in TV dramas, but while appearing bulky, they were certainly very warm. Some villagers passing by the lake were surprised and anxious upon seeing their seemingly reckless behavior.
"Hey! You two, it's dangerous up there! Come back quickly, or you might fall!"
Even from a distance, Qin Qing could hear the man's worry. He thought to himself, "Although Aunt Zhang and that green tea bitch named Arui are around, the village should be pretty good overall!"
"Don't worry, sir! We'll be careful and head back right away!"
After saying that, she noticed the tools in the hands of the group, and something flashed through her mind. She then looked at Wang Yan, who was standing to the side.
"I'm going over there. You stay here and watch the fish. Don't move around, understand? If we don't catch any fish today, I'll stew you!"
The threatening tone did not frighten Wang Yan at all, but he cooperated by putting on a serious expression and nodding solemnly.
Seeing this, Qin Qing smiled and walked towards the shore. Several men carrying tools saw Qin Qing coming and quickly pulled her away, afraid that she would listen to their advice and run back onto the lake.
Qin Qing didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the sight of that expression on her face, which looked like she was afraid the girl might do something drastic to commit suicide!
"Brothers, there's no need for that. The lake is frozen solid now, and we'll be careful!"
The group persisted, insisting that Wang Yan return as well. Meanwhile, the man in the distance remained motionless, as if frozen in place, which amused Qin Qing. Hmm... so obedient!
"Where are you guys headed with those things? The snow on the mountain is frozen over, very slippery, and the road is extremely difficult to walk on... What are you doing here?"
Upon hearing this, the honest-looking man who had just called them back smiled.
"Oh, we're from the south of the village. I heard that a man and a woman went up the mountain after the snow yesterday and were so lucky that they caught a wild rabbit and picked a lot of winter bamboo shoots. Being able to eat meat in this season is just a pipe dream! Not to mention, if they sell it, the meat from one rabbit can be exchanged for a lot of food. Maybe they can survive this winter on this."
The group of people nearby shouted for a long time, but the man on the frozen lake remained unmoved, and they were getting a little angry.
"Alright, if they won't listen, there's nothing we can do. Old Deng, let's hurry up the mountain, the road will probably be even more difficult to travel if we wait any longer!"
The man who was talking to Qin Qing was Old Deng. Upon hearing this, he quickly waved his hand and prepared to turn around and leave, but Qin Qing strode in front of them and shook his head.
"You can't go!"
The group was also annoyed. They were already quite far from the mountain path, and if they set off late, they probably wouldn't be able to catch anything! This was just delaying things!
Despite the crowd's confusion and anger, Qin Qing refused to move aside.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to leave, but the villagers at the edge of the village set off before noon. You were already late, and now the mountain roads are almost frozen over, making it even harder for you to set off! Going there would just be a wasted trip…”
The group was stunned...
"What? The village chief is unreliable! He said we'd leave at noon!"
Qin Qing was taken aback upon hearing this, then realized something and said with a wry smile.
"You said you set off at noon? The village chief really did set off at noon, but it takes about half an hour to get from the south of the village to the village entrance. You're only getting here now. Did you only leave from your homes at noon?"
Upon hearing this, Old Deng's face turned pale. The others exchanged glances, finally realizing that they might have gotten the time wrong...
Qin Qing almost burst out laughing when she saw this. If the people in front of her hadn't looked so unhappy, she definitely would have laughed out loud.
Then, seeing the wire mesh and tools the men were holding, my eyes lit up!
"Alright, since there's no time to go up the mountain, you certainly don't want to go back empty-handed, right? Why don't you come fishing with me? The fish is tender and rich in protein, and it will be delicious to make soup when we get back."
The group hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the motionless man in the middle of the lake who was still fishing.
"Girl, it's not that we're cowards, it's just that several people thought the same thing last year, and they all ended up falling in, and they weren't even found. We... all have wives and children!"
Qin Qing nodded.
“I know what you mean. How about this, you stay on the lake shore and I'll borrow your nets. We can split the fish we catch. There are only two of us, so we can't eat that much anyway.”
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