That day, Jiang Xi and Yan Zheng had just returned from weeding in the field. Yan Zheng was carrying firewood on his back, while Jiang Xi was carrying a basket on her back.
The basket on her back contained fresh wild grass that she had picked. The two-legged rabbits and ewes at home usually ate these wild grasses, in addition to sweet potatoes.
Of course, they mostly eat grass, since they're quite far from the cliff where they dug for sweet potatoes. A cartload of sweet potatoes, a round trip of that, would barely be enough to feed the three of them, two rabbits, and a fawn for a week.
In addition, both of them were injured, and the potatoes in their home were almost gone.
Yan Zheng put the firewood in the yard, and Jiang Xi threw a clump of grass into the rabbit hutch. Hearing her voice, the two rabbits immediately jumped out of the house.
It seems I already know her.
Rabbits have three-lobed mouths, and when they eat grass, their three lobes move adorably. Jiang Xi said while shaking the grass, "Eat lots of grass!"
Hmm, you've gained weight?
She suddenly stopped, observed for a few seconds, and then excitedly shouted, "Yan Zheng, come and see!"
Yan Zheng, who was in the courtyard, heard this and hurried over.
Jiang Xi pointed to the slightly larger rabbit and said, "Don't you think it's gotten a little fatter than before, especially its belly?"
After listening to her, Yan Zheng also leaned over the wall to observe carefully.
Indeed, one of the lighter-colored rabbits has gotten a bit fatter than before, especially its belly, which has become much larger.
The two exchanged a knowing glance. Then, Jiang Xi happily hugged Yan Zheng's neck and excitedly said, "Great! We have a little bunny!"
She was genuinely happy; her face was radiant, and her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter.
Yan Zheng laughed along with him.
Yan Jing'an, who was cooking porridge in the kitchen, came out when he heard the noise. Seeing the two of them laughing so happily, he shouted over the courtyard wall, "What's the good news? Tell me so I can have a laugh too."
Hearing his voice, Jiang Xi quickly turned around and called out to him, "Come and see, a rabbit is pregnant."
Is she pregnant?
Upon hearing this, Yan Jing'an forgot all about starting the fire.
His hands were covered in charcoal ash, and he was about to wipe it on his pants when he remembered that they were new. So he simply patted them off casually and ran over.
So it became three people lying against the wall, watching the two rabbits eat grass.
Jiang Xi looked around and asked every now and then, "Isn't the nest too small?"
A moment later, he added, "We need to gather more hay for them tomorrow."
After saying that, she seemed to remember something, and her eyes darkened.
Yan Jing'an, who was standing nearby, said, "That's great, now we won't lack meat in winter."
Yan Zheng and Jiang Xi, who were standing beside him, glanced at him sideways.
Even though it's reserve grain, there's no need to be so blunt about it.
After a while, when the wild grass was gone, Jiang Xi went to the kitchen and got two sweet potatoes for the mother rabbit.
This marks the first real addition to their family since they came to this place.
It was a very auspicious day, and in the evening Jiang Xi even took out a piece of smoked bacon to celebrate the good news.
Yan Jing'an cooked the cured pork for dinner. Ever since Yan Zheng injured his arm, Jiang Xi wouldn't let him touch any of the kitchen work. On the contrary, since Yan Jing'an's head got better, he's been going to the kitchen all the time.
Sometimes when they came back from the fields, the food was already on the table. Although he always said that his cooking skills were just average, everyone has their own style of cooking, and the taste is different for each person.
Yan Zheng and Jiang Xi found the dishes, which tasted different from before, quite novel.
After dinner, Jiang Xi sat in front of the oil lamp as usual, crocheting clothes. With summer just around the corner, she planned to make several more pairs of pants to change into.
Tonight is another full moon night. The silvery moonlight shines on the courtyard and the hills, accompanied by the low chirping of crickets. The courtyard seems to have been washed by the moonlight, and it is brightly lit.
"Little Black, sit down... Great job, handshake."
The little leopard, not even half a year old and with its teeth not yet fully grown, followed Yan Jing'an around, its little bottom wiggling. It would sit when told to sit, and shake hands when told to shake hands.
Yan Zheng, who was twisting rope nearby, said irritably, "You've turned the leopard into a dog."
Yan Jing'an squatted on the ground, his hands still busy, and replied, "You don't understand, do you? You have to learn all skills when you're young. If you don't teach it to behave now, how will it listen to you in the future?"
But he said it with such conviction that no one could refute it.
Yan Zheng, standing to the side, shook his head helplessly.
After a while, Yan Jing'an came in and said in a serious tone, "I need to go into the forest again tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xi's hand holding the crochet hook trembled slightly, and Yan Zheng beside her also frowned.
The memory of their previous injury still lingers.
Jiang Xi said, "Your injury hasn't fully healed yet."
She didn't really want him to go. If there were no fruits, so be it. Anyway, there was already a fig tree and a jujube tree in the yard. Whether or not they ate raspberries or apricots didn't matter.
The reason we sent him last time was because we thought he was skilled and could handle things well in the forest, but we didn't expect him to get so badly injured.
He still wants to go even though his injury has just healed a little.
Jiang Xi glanced at Yan Zheng.
His eyes were full of disapproval.
After a long silence, he said, "You can go. Wait a few more days until I recover, then I'll go with you."
Yan Jing'an wanted to say something more, but he glanced at Jiang Xi and swallowed his words.
He only nodded slightly.
Before going to bed, while Jiang Xi went to wash her face, Yan Jing'an went to find Yan Zheng.
It's unclear what the two talked about, but when Jiang Xi returned, Yan Jing'an also went back to his bedroom.
Jiang Xi glanced at Yan Zheng, her face clearly saying: I'm not happy.
She straddled Yan Zheng, pinched his nose, and asked fiercely, "Tell me, are you plotting something?"
Yan Zheng chuckled softly, then sat up with a powerful thrust of his waist and abdomen. He supported Jiang Xi's lower back with both hands, their noses touching. Yan Zheng looked into her eyes and said meaningfully, "This is a secret between men."
Jiang Xi blinked: "You guys are definitely planning something behind my back."
After saying that, he put his arms around Yan Zheng's neck, placed all his strength on his shoulder, and murmured, "Actually, I don't really need to know anything."
"But please don't always treat me like a girl who needs protection. If I don't know your intentions and plans, I will be even more afraid and passive if something unexpected happens."
Her tone was sincere, and her voice was genuine and relaxing. Yan Zheng stroked her back, sighed, and said, "It's not that I'm hiding anything from you, but we're not entirely sure right now. I promise you, if anything changes, I'll tell you immediately."
Jiang Xi tightened her grip around his neck.
The two hugged each other for a long time before Yan Zheng said, "Haven't you always wanted to learn some skills?"
"Come practice swordsmanship with me tomorrow."
Yan Zheng patiently explained, "Fencing can greatly improve your agility and balance. First, build a solid foundation for your body. Then, learn some skills from Yan Jing'an."
Jiang Xi wasn't very knowledgeable about sports, and felt that whatever Yan Zheng said was right, so she obediently nodded.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com