"What's up, bro?"
Wang Tiancheng asked Wang Tianxiao in surprise, but the next moment he, like his brother, immediately tensed up.
The old jackal limped out of the bushes again, followed by another juvenile jackal, a little over a foot long.
Unlike the cunning old jackal, the young jackal immediately bared its teeth and growled when it saw the two brothers, almost pouncing on them.
The two noticed that the old jackal's eyes were fixed on the two cubs in Wang Tiancheng's arms.
It seems to have gotten into a stalemate with the leopard cat.
Suddenly, the jackal accelerated, its body contorted in a twisted motion as it rapidly approached, lunging straight at Wang Tiancheng's chest to bite.
Although it was lame, it still had great explosive power. By the time the two brothers reacted, the jackal had already pounced on them. At the critical moment, Wang Tiancheng was terrified. It was Wang Tianxiao who kicked the jackal in the side, knocking it away.
"Ugh!"
Seeing its parent jackal being kicked, the little jackal rushed over without hesitation, grabbing Wang Tianxiao's trouser leg and biting him. However, it was too small, and even with all its might, it couldn't do anything to Wang Tianxiao.
But it didn't give up, and kept making little noises.
The old jackal was kicked to the ground, then jumped up instantly, cried out in pain a few times, turned around and pounced again, its target still the two leopard cats in Wang Tiancheng's hands.
This time, Wang Tianxiao was prepared and shot it in the head as it pounced.
"Ugh."
The jackal, struck on the head, let out a low, miserable howl, struggled to its feet, and stared at the kitten with a sinister and terrifying gaze. The murderous aura that a carnivore had accumulated over the years was released without restraint.
He never intended to attack the Wang Tianxiao brothers.
"Brother, does this jackal have a grudge against the leopard cat?"
"Maybe."
Wang Tianxiao could tell that the jackal was also at its last gasp, and estimated that even if he didn't kill it, it wouldn't live much longer.
He kicked the little creature away, and it immediately ran to hide behind the old jackal, peeking out its little head and continuing to whimper at Wang Tianxiao.
For some unknown reason, the old jackal only wanted to kill the kitten, while the young jackal had a clear objective: to keep its sights on Wang Tianxiao.
"Tiancheng, take your things and let's go back."
Wang Tianxiao didn't want to be killed by the little jackal's gaze any longer.
Wang Tiancheng put the two kittens into his pocket, slung the rabbit bag over his shoulder, and was about to leave when a shrill scream came from behind him.
The jackal pounced again.
"puff!"
This time, Wang Tianxiao held back, hitting its belly with all the iron pellets, sending it flying and spitting blood, unable to get up again.
Its eyes remained fixed on Wang Tiancheng's pocket, its anger tinged with sadness.
Let's go.
He called out to his younger brother, but never looked at the old jackal again.
As the two emerged from the forest, they discovered the sun was already up. Wang Tiancheng stopped, looked into the forest, and asked, "Brother, will that jackal die?"
"He's probably dead."
The jackal's belly is very soft, and the iron pellets will directly rupture its internal organs, making it very difficult for it to survive.
“That…that little jackal…”
Looking at his younger brother's slightly sad eyes, Wang Tianxiao knew that he could no longer take him hunting.
Not everyone can bear to witness such separations of life and death. Seeing too many of these might leave a lasting psychological scar.
“Dicks are carnivores, and all young dicks have to go through this process. If they can get through it, they live; if they can't, they die. This is the law of nature, and no one can reverse it.”
"Then why do you think that jackal kept chasing the leopard cat? Even if it meant getting shot in the end."
Wang Tianxiao pondered for a moment, "I'm not sure of the specific reason, but leopard cats are carnivores, and it's possible that it hurt the jackal's cub. And jackals are the kind of animals that hold grudges, so they thought of killing the leopard cat cub."
Wang Tiancheng's eyes widened, and he was momentarily stunned by the complex and damaging relationship between them.
Wang Tianxiao patted his brother on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Nothing to be surprised about. Perpetrators are often perpetrated in turn. Aren't we humans the same? Let's go home quickly. I need to go to the city again today."
Wang Tiancheng glanced one last time at the little jackal crouching beside the old jackal, then silently followed Wang Tianxiao away.
Perhaps at this moment, some seeds have already sprouted in his heart, but when they will grow into towering trees is another matter.
Back at the pit-dwelling courtyard, the two parted ways. As Wang Tianxiao was carrying the bag back, he ran into his fourth brother's wife, Sun Xiaolan, who was emptying the chamber pot. She asked in surprise, "Second brother, you've been busy all night again."
Wang Tianxiao responded, said nothing more, and went into his cave dwelling.
While Xiao Wangfang was still sleeping, his wife Li Yali was making insoles. Looking at her husband, who was covered in dust from his journey, she said with heartache, "You've been working all night again. You're working too hard."
Wang Tianxiao put the bag on the ground and laughed, "It's nothing. I'm young and strong, this little thing won't tire me out." He paused slightly and then said, "Besides, the snow has almost melted, and we'll have to go into the woods to find rabbits, so we won't go for now."
"That's good... Oh, where did you get these two kittens? We don't even have enough to eat, let alone enough to feed them." Before Li Yali could finish speaking, she saw her husband pull two kittens, less than a month old, out of his pocket. She was surprised and slightly reproachful.
She's right. If it weren't for their family's support, they would be struggling to make ends meet, unable to save even a grain of rice, let alone feed the cats.
"This is not an ordinary cat, it's a leopard cat."
"A leopard cat?" Li Yali searched her memory for information about this cat, then suddenly panicked. "That's even worse! Leopard cats eat meat. We humans don't even have meat to eat, so what are we going to feed them?"
Wang Tianxiao smiled and shook the bag in his hand. "We live at the foot of the mountains, how could we not have meat to eat? I'm not raising them for nothing, they'll have to work for me when they grow up."
“Tch,” Li Yali scoffed, “What can they do? They’re so tiny, they probably couldn’t even catch a mouse.”
"Don't underestimate them, they can be quite fierce. Alright, let's keep them for now. Make them some millet porridge today, and when I get back I'll see if anyone has dairy goats and buy them some goat milk."
"Oh well."
Li Yali actually liked cats and dogs very much. Seeing her husband say this, she stopped objecting and gently touched the two kittens crawling around on the oilcloth with her fingers, finding it very amusing.
"I have to go to the city later. I'll come back to rest tonight and go back to my unit tomorrow."
Li Yali's fingers froze in mid-air. Her body trembled slightly as she whispered, "Okay, I'll pack some food for you to eat on the way."
"Just prepare some cornbread and carry a thermos of hot water, and I can go back. It's only a little over 100 kilometers."
"I know."
Wang Tianxiao was checking the rabbits in the bag one by one to make sure they were all alive. He didn't notice the change in his wife's expression and continued, "I've made up my mind, honey. I'm going to apply for my resignation at work this time."
"Oh... Ah, what?" Li Yali was lost in thought when she suddenly heard "resignation" and was quite surprised. "What did you say, boss? Resignation?"
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