35.Catch the Rabbit
Su Lin's body was like a broken instrument, each note accompanied by a harsh grinding and subtle cracking. Under the almost obsessive care of his companions, he managed to regain some strength, at least enough to eat on his own and, with Lei Qing's support, slowly walk around the house. But the deep-seated weakness, like a malignant tumor, never left. His face remained pale, his lips pale, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.
The food, after all, was completely gone. The last bit of tuber soup had been shared yesterday evening, but that meager calorie, like a pebble dropped into a frozen lake, created only a faint ripple before being quickly devoured by boundless hunger. Empty stomachs began to ache, a searing pain that reminded everyone of the harsh reality.
The world outside was indeed quietly changing. The blizzard, which had raged for countless days and nights, was gradually weakening. The snow was no longer the blanketing, heavy flake of snow, but rather a lazily falling stream of fine, icy crystals. The wind had lost its former fury, now whimpering and feeble. Though the sky remained leaden gray, a faint glow could be discerned behind the clouds. A crust began to form on the surface of the snow, crackling crisply when stepped on.
Hope slowly emerged, like the melting of ice and snow, but with it came a deeper anxiety. When the snow stopped, they would have to leave. Leaving meant unknown dangers, a long journey, and how to accommodate and protect the weakened Su Lin.
That morning, when Su Lin woke up, Lei Qing wasn't there. He struggled to sit up, his arms still limp. A Yan immediately came over from the other side of the room, holding a glass of warm water—the only thing they had an unlimited supply of right now.
"Where's Lei Qing?" Su Lin took the cup of water, his voice hoarse from waking up in the morning.
"Inspecting outside." A Yan answered briefly, his brows furrowed. His eyes swept over Su Lin's thin cheeks, and there was uncontrollable irritation and worry in his eyes. "He said the snow will stop soon, so we need to prepare in advance."
Su Lin sipped the water, the cool water running down his throat, temporarily suppressing the nausea brought on by hunger. He looked out the window, the dead white world. In his eyes, it was both a hope of liberation and a gateway to even more cruel trials.
After a while, the door opened, and Lei Qing walked in, a chill emanating from him. His expression was more solemn than in the past few days, and his stubble seemed thicker. He took off his heavy coat and stood by the fireplace for a moment to dispel the chill before walking over to Su's bedside.
"How is it?" Su Lin asked.
Lei Qing shook his head silently and took out a few frozen, yellow grass roots from his pocket. "This is the only thing we can dig up nearby. There's nothing in the trap." His voice was low, with a hint of imperceptible fatigue.
Those few shrunken grass roots couldn't even be called food. A sense of despair, like an icy tide, silently flooded everyone's heart.
Xingchen huddled in a fur huddle in the corner, hugging his knees, his small body trembling slightly from hunger and cold. He looked at the solemn faces of the adults, at Su Lin's frail form, and an unprecedented panic gripped him. He was terrified, terrified of losing this hard-earned home, terrified of losing these brothers who treated him like family.
At this moment, the boy's eyes accidentally swept across a pile of snow below the window, near the corner of the wall. There, something seemed to move very slightly...
Xingchen blinked, thinking he was hallucinating from hunger. He held his breath and looked carefully.
Another movement! A small handful of snow fell from that spot.
A strange impulse drove Xingchen. Instead of shrinking in fear or immediately asking for help from adults as usual, he quietly and inched his way to the window, pressed his face against the cold glass, and tried to peer out.
In that inconspicuous corner, at the gap between the snow and the stone foundation of the house, he saw a... small opening. The snow around the edge of the opening showed signs of being gnawed, very fresh. Then, a furry, grayish-white head cautiously poked out, looked around, and quickly retreated.
It was a rabbit! A mutant angora rabbit! Many of the rabbits they had domesticated had fled or frozen to death when the snowstorm began, but they hadn't expected there were still some survivors, right near their house!
Xingchen's heart suddenly began to beat wildly, not out of fear, but out of a strong desire to do something. Brother Su Lin had nearly died for everyone, and Brother Lei Qing, Brother A Yan, and Brother Mu Lin had all given their all. He couldn't just be a child being protected and fed anymore!
He took a deep breath, turned around, tried to make his voice sound steady, and pointed out the window: "Outside... in the corner of the wall, there's a rabbit hole."
This sentence, like thunder, instantly made the dead air in the room flow.
Ah Yan was the first to rush to the window. He looked in the direction Xingchen had pointed and, as expected, saw the inconspicuous hole and the fresh traces. His face instantly erupted with ecstasy, and he turned around and rushed out, "Great! I'll go catch them all!"
"Wait!" This time it was Stardust who spoke.
Everyone looked at him in surprise. The boy stood up straight. Although he was still thin, his eyes had a firm light that had never been there before.
"Brother Ayan, you're moving too fast and will scare them away." Xingchen's voice was still a little childish, but his logic was clear. "I know how to catch rabbits. I did it before... when I was wandering around." The painful experience that he didn't want to recall has now become a valuable experience.
He looked at Lei Qing, his eyes pleading, yet also filled with an undeniable seriousness. "Brother Lei Qing, give me a little time. I can try. I know which route they usually take, and where to set the trap to least likely be discovered."
Lei Qing's deep gaze fell on Xingchen, with scrutiny and a hint of subtle approval. He did not agree immediately, but looked at Su Lin.
Su Lin looked into Xingchen's eyes, sparkling with determination and wisdom, and a complex warmth welled up in his heart. The child he needed to constantly protect was growing at an astonishing rate. He nodded gently and said to Lei Qing, "Let him try."
Mu Lin also came over. He sensed Xingchen's mental state and found that although the boy was nervous, he was emotionally stable and clear-minded. He nodded, "Okay. But you must ensure safety. We will meet you at the door."
Ah Yan looked at Xingchen, patted his shoulder firmly, and grinned, although the smile was a little forced due to hunger: "Good boy! You've got it! Go ahead, I'll support you!"
A plan was quickly formulated. Xingchen donned the thickest clothes he could find and wrapped rags around his hands and feet to prevent frostbite. Lei Qing handed him a simple lasso made from tough vines and discarded wire and quickly explained its use. A Yan and Lei Qing stood guard at the door, ready to respond at any moment.
Su Lin was supported by Mu Lin and came to the door. He wanted to see it with his own eyes.
Xingchen took a deep breath of the cold air, pushed the door open a crack, nimbly slipped out, and then gently closed the door. His movements were unexpectedly agile and cautious, like a small animal stalking in the snow.
The people in the house held their breath and looked outside nervously through the cracks in the door and windows.
Instead of approaching the cave entrance directly, Xingchen carefully observed the surrounding snow, identifying several faint footprints, nearly covered by fresh snow. Crouching, he followed the tracks in a small circle, finding a narrow, seemingly natural passage nestled between a few rocks and withered bushes. This was one of the routes rabbits must take to and from the cave.
Kneeling in the snow, despite the biting cold, he meticulously set the noose in the center of the passage, cleverly camouflaged with snow and dead branches. His fingers were red from the cold, but his movements were steady and precise. Once set, he quickly retreated behind a distant snowdrift from which he could observe the noose, completely concealing himself except for his eyes, which remained fixed on the target area.
Time ticked by. The wind outside blew cold, and the hearts of those inside were in their throats. Su Lin's hand unconsciously clenched around Lei Qing's sleeve. Lei Qing, in turn, grasped his cold fingers, silently transmitting his strength. Ah Yan licked his cracked lips anxiously, wishing he could just rush out.
It felt like a century had passed, and just when Stardust was about to freeze to death, the little gray head poked out of the cave again. It was extremely alert, sniffing around, ears erect.
Stardust held his breath and remained motionless.
The rabbit observed for a long time, and seemed to confirm that it was safe, then it jumped out of the cave carefully and hopped forward along the familiar path.
One step, two steps... it approached the narrow passage.
Everyone's heart stopped beating.
The rabbit stepped into the trap area without noticing.
Just as its front legs touched the disguised lasso, Stardust suddenly pulled the vine connected to the other end of the lasso in his hand!
Whoosh! The lasso tightened instantly, accurately catching one of the rabbit's hind legs!
The rabbit was frightened, screaming shrilly and struggling desperately, but Stardust had tied a slipknot, and the more it struggled, the tighter it got.
"Got it!" Stardust jumped up from behind the snow pile and shouted excitedly, his voice trembling with cold and excitement.
The door was immediately flung open, and A Yan rushed out like a tiger from its cage, quickly subduing the struggling rabbit. Lei Qing quickly followed, checking the lasso and Stardust.
When Stardust walked into the house carrying the fat mutant angora rabbit that was still kicking its legs, he was greeted with incredible ecstasy and relief.
"Stardust! Good job!" A Yan rubbed the boy's hair hard, his words incoherent with excitement.
Mu Lin immediately took the rabbit and handled it skillfully, which could provide them with valuable food and fur.
Lei Qing looked at Xingchen's little face, which was red from the cold but full of pride and excitement, reached out and patted him on the shoulder, saying in a deep voice, "Well done." This was high praise.
Su Lin leaned against the door frame, watching this scene, his eyes slightly warm. He reached out to Xingchen.
Xingchen ran up to him, raised his face, and his eyes sparkled as if filled with stars. "Brother Su Lin, I caught it! We have food now!"
Su Lin grasped the boy's cold but powerful little hand, pulled him into his arms, and held him gently. "Well, Xingchen has grown up and can protect everyone." His voice was choked with relief.
At this moment, Stardust's growth is like a glimmer of light in the darkness, illuminating hope in a desperate situation. This rabbit is more than just a meal; it is a symbol—every member of their family is fighting and growing with all their might for survival and for each other.
Mu Lin quickly cleaned the rabbit meat, chopped most of it into small pieces for soup, and left some buried in the snow to freeze for future use. The rabbit skin was also carefully peeled off and tanned to be made into warm items.
When the long-lost, meaty steam rose from the pot, the long-pressed atmosphere in the room finally began to loosen. Although the road ahead was still unknown and Su Lin's body was still fragile, Xingchen's courage and success were like a shot of adrenaline, injecting into everyone's hearts.
They sat around the dying fireplace, sharing the hard-earned, piping hot rabbit soup. There was only a pinch of salt in the soup, no other seasoning, but everyone ate it with great care, as if they were savoring the most exquisite delicacy in the world.
Outside the window, the snow had almost stopped, with only a few scattered ice crystals still falling. The grayish-white light filtered through the window, illuminating the tired yet resolute faces.
Heading south to find a new home was no longer a matter of discussion, but an inevitable action. And at this moment, because of a rabbit and the growth of a young boy, the flame of hope in their hearts seemed to burn even brighter.
As the night deepened, Xingchen leaned against Su Lin and soon fell asleep out of exhaustion and satisfaction, with a faint smile on his lips. Su Lin gently stroked the boy's soft hair and looked up at Lei Qing who was sitting opposite him.
Their eyes met in the dim light, communicating silently.
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