At this time, there were many people surrounding the academy's vegetable garden.
Li Haihuai looked at the stiff white rabbit, then glanced at a pile of cooked but undercooked beans in an inconspicuous corner.
Was it intentional or accidental?
When Wu Ningde arrived, he noticed that the dead rabbit was a white rabbit. He breathed a sigh of relief, as long as it wasn't Xiao Wanli's rabbit.
Ren Pingsheng found a veterinarian and had him cut open the rabbit's stomach. They needed to find out the cause of the rabbit's death. If it was indeed poisoned by eating vegetable leaves from the garden, then they would have to report the matter to the authorities.
Li Haihuai looked around. Everyone's expression was the same. They all wanted to know the real cause of White Rabbit's death. Of course, some people disapproved of what the veterinarian was doing.
Someone said, "This is really terrible. I can't understand why that person would raise rabbits. If you're going to raise them, you should keep them properly. They all run outside. Now, even if the rabbits die, they still won't have peace."
"That's right. This time it even went to the vegetable garden. If it hadn't died from eating something unclean, who knows if the vegetables in the garden would have been harmed."
In this vegetable garden, students were tilling the soil with hoes, bending over to pull out the weeds, catching the insects one by one, and carrying buckets of water to irrigate it.
"Don't say anything more, I've seen this rabbit at Mr. Li's place."
"Isn't that the female student?"
"No, her rabbit isn't white."
Many students secretly glanced at Li Haihuai, who was standing in front, watching closely as the veterinarian used a knife to gut a rabbit.
Li Haihuai remained silent; he had kept the rabbit locked up properly.
Today, the rabbit broke through the bamboo basket and escaped on its own, which was something he hadn't expected.
Yang Cuie hid among the many students, somewhat afraid to look at the disemboweled rabbit.
No one would have imagined that Yang Cuie, who usually seemed innocent and harmless, had long been entangled in the vines of jealousy. In the past few days, the resentment and bitterness in her heart had surged out like a tidal wave.
She was jealous of Xiao Wanli's top ranking in the provincial examination and resented that Xiao Wanli had not continued to write letters to Wu Ningde.
Therefore, she wanted Xiao Wanli to also experience the taste of pain.
But she didn't have the guts to do anything immoral, so she just wanted to teach Xiao Wanli's rabbit a lesson.
She quietly scattered some uncooked beans along the edge of the vegetable garden.
As it turned out, she hadn't expected the rabbit to be so fragile; it died after eating some beans.
At this point, the veterinarian stopped what he was doing and removed some crushed beans from the rabbit's stomach. He said, "We've found the cause of the rabbit's death: these uncooked beans."
Ren Pingsheng took it, even smelling it to confirm it was a bean. He asked the veterinarian, "Will it have any effect on people?"
"Won't."
The veterinarian shook his head and continued, "Rabbits have sensitive and delicate digestive systems. Undercooked beans or spoiled beans are poisonous to rabbits."
Li Haihuai then walked to the side, half-squatting down to pick up the beans from the corner. They had a sour smell, as if they had been left out for a long time and were emitting a sour, foul odor.
The veterinarian came over as well. He looked at Li Haihuai's hand and then at the beans on the ground. He said, "It doesn't look like someone accidentally spilled them."
Li Haihuai clapped his hands, stood up, and said, "I wonder if the vegetables in the garden are still edible?"
After thinking for a moment, veterinarian Liu Shi said, "For safety's sake, I suggest we don't eat it for now."
Ren Pingsheng stood to the side, frowning upon hearing this. The weather was getting cold, and there were very few vegetables available to eat.
He wouldn't agree to dig all the vegetables away.
The other students, knowing that the rabbit had been poisoned by eating beans, not by the vegetables in the garden, all dispersed.
Because it was just a rabbit that died, and it was a rabbit that accidentally ate beans, no one thought to investigate the matter further.
Ren Pingsheng did not have anyone dig up the vegetables in the garden; instead, he allowed them to continue growing.
Ren Pingsheng's thinking was simple: regardless of whether it was poisonous or not, he would just water and fertilize it more, and the vegetables would continue to grow, and the unclean things on them would evaporate.
Ali stood at the back watching what was happening. After the crowd dispersed, she noticed that Li Haihuai put the white rabbit in a cloth bag and headed towards the back mountain.
Ahri followed.
In a corner of the back mountain, Li Haihuai dug a hole with a hoe, put the rabbit in it, and started filling it with soil.
Ali walked over to Li Haihuai, looked at Xiao Tubao, and whispered, "Please accept my condolences."
Suddenly, Li Haihuai raised his hand and pointed to several steps of the pavilion, saying, "Beans have also been dumped over there, just like over in the vegetable garden."
"so?"
Li Haihuai turned to look at Ah Li, "So, someone is targeting you."
In the entire academy, he and she were the only ones who raised rabbits.
He rarely brought his rabbit out on weekdays; only her rabbit would be let out by her from time to time.
Ah Li wanted to laugh; this person was being far too serious and earnest.
"This is not funny at all. Now you need to think about it, have you offended anyone?"
Do you think I'll offend anyone?
Li Haihuai answered very seriously: "No."
Her life was very monotonous. Apart from her husband's lectures, she would either practice calligraphy in her room, find a place to practice the piano, or walk her rabbits.
Ahri walked to the side and chatted with the flowerbed that was now covered in withered leaves, which was quite strange.
Li Haihuai followed Ali and continued, "You must not be careless. Either you've offended someone, or someone is jealous of you. You're too outstanding, like getting first place in this provincial examination, and..."
"Sir, are you very worried about my safety?"
Upon hearing this, Li Haihuai stopped.
Just then, a gust of wind blew, ruffling their hair, stirring their clothes, and scattering some dead leaves.
Ah Li raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair that had been blown across her cheek behind her ear, cupped her hands, and said, "Student Xiao Wanli is here. Thank you for your concern, sir."
To her, he was just a gentleman.
A barely perceptible hint of hurt flashed in Li Haihuai's eyes, but he concealed it the next second and said, "The world is full of complex people. Practicing calligraphy, playing the zither, and raising rabbits are all ways to cultivate your character, but don't forget that the human heart is the most difficult thing to fathom. You still need to be more cautious."
Ali said, "I will keep your teachings in mind. I will not cause trouble, but I am not afraid of trouble either."
"That's excellent."
A faint smile appeared on Li Haihuai's lips, but he knew he was only putting on a brave face.
"Then, sir, I'll be going now."
"Um."
Ahri didn't stay any longer; she left along the stone path covered with fallen leaves.
Li Haihuai looked at the hoe in his hand. To her, he was just a teacher, perhaps not even a friend.
And what about him?
He simply admired her musical skills and found her to be a good person, but he felt very uncomfortable hearing her address him so formally as "sir."
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