Chapter 5: Caught a Nest of Rabbits

“Then, Aunt, how do you propose we divide the land? Should we give our share to your family?” Sheng Wanqiu rolled her eyes and said.

“You child, is this any place for you to speak?” Liu Juan immediately scolded.

“What’s wrong with that! Why shouldn’t my girl Wanqiu be allowed to speak? Since the second son is gone, she is the head of this household. Liu Juan, don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

“Aren’t you just afraid that after I pass away, this land will fall into the hands of Wanqiu and the others?”

“Let me tell you, I still have two daughters. After I die, whoever wants this land can pay to buy it, and the silver from the sale will be split equally between my two daughters!”

“The house doesn’t have to be divided among the daughters, but at least it’s property that your father and I earned; I’ll give it to whoever I please!” Old Mother Sheng’s face was stern, and she spat directly into Liu Juan’s face.

“Mother, how can married daughters take a share of their maiden family’s silver? There’s no such rule!” Liu Juan shouted loudly, while pinching Sheng Dashan, who was keeping quiet.

“Just because you favor sons over daughters doesn’t mean everyone is like you. You don’t treat your own three daughters like human beings; do you really think others are the same as you?”

“You’d like to get your hands on your own maiden family’s silver, but are you even able to get any?”

“Eldest! If she keeps nagging, divorce her! Mother will find you another fresh, young maiden!” Old Mother Sheng asserted her authority.

As soon as Liu Juan heard her mother-in-law threatening to divorce her, she didn’t dare to speak another word. Her own maiden family was much like her second sister-in-law’s; she figured that if she were divorced, her father would probably marry her off to someone else the very next day just to get more silver.

And so, the family was divided!

Old Mother Sheng was a woman of action, doing things with great vigor. That afternoon, she went to find someone to cut bamboo from the mountain, wove it into a fence, and partitioned the courtyard directly.

Once the courtyard was separated by the bamboo fence, the small kitchen and the pigsty were also partitioned off by her grandmother, and the belongings were divided among the families.

The sound of Liu Juan, the eldest aunt, throwing things around came from the neighboring yard. Although the noise wasn't loud, everyone in the courtyard could hear it clearly.

“Grandma, I’m taking Huai’an out for a walk!”

They had only eaten coarse grain buns at noon; one bite had almost broken her front teeth.

Sheng Wanqiu couldn't stand a meal without meat; her whole body felt wrong. Looking at the towering mountains in the distance, she, a person with dual supernatural abilities, didn't believe she couldn't get some meat to eat.

Sheng Wanqiu set off with Sheng Huai’an. Huai’an thoughtfully carried a basket on his back, thinking his eldest sister was going to dig for wild vegetables, unaware that his sister had completely changed on the inside and was a person who couldn't live without meat.

The two siblings chatted as they walked. Sheng Wanqiu learned that the dynasty she was in was called the Great Yue. Regardless, she racked her brain until it ached, but she couldn't recall what dynasty this was; it didn't seem to be in history books. It was probably a fictional dynasty.

Looking at the villagers' attire, it seemed similar to the Song Dynasty. Whatever, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since she was alive, she might as well live well. At the very least, the mountains were beautiful, the water was clear, and the air was fresh—it was much easier to survive here than in the apocalypse.

“Sister, are we going up the mountain? Grandma doesn’t let us go up there, saying there are wolves and tigers!”

Seeing Sheng Wanqiu walking straight ahead with the intention of climbing the mountain, he hurriedly tried to dissuade her.

If their grandmother found out they had gone up the mountain, she would definitely hit them on the head with a stick when they returned.

“Wolves?!” Sheng Wanqiu’s eyes lit up.

“If you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, how would Grandma know? Or do you want to snitch?” Sheng Wanqiu looked at Sheng Huai’an with suspicious eyes.

“Sister, I won’t snitch, I’m just afraid there’s danger on the mountain.”

“As long as you listen to me and follow your sister, I guarantee you’ll have meat to eat and won’t be in any danger. Don’t worry!”

After saying this, Sheng Wanqiu took Sheng Huai’an’s hand and dragged him up the mountain.

Sheng Huai’an’s little face turned red instantly. Looking at the hand his sister was holding, he felt a bit shy; this was the first time his sister had ever held his hand.

He felt his sister was acting strange today, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Perhaps it was because their mother had left and his sister was traumatized.

It seemed there were still bold people who climbed the mountain, as a small path had been worn into the grass. Walking along the mountain trail, the trees on both sides were lush and green.

The closer they got, the fresher the air felt. Sheng Wanqiu took a few deep breaths!

The two walked until Sheng Wanqiu saw messy animal tracks in the grass, at which point she stopped.

“Huai’an, can you climb trees?” Sheng Wanqiu turned and asked.

“I can! Sister, have you forgotten? We used to climb trees to get bird eggs!” Sheng Huai’an’s voice was filled with excitement. Could it be that his sister wanted him to climb a tree to get bird eggs? Their grandmother used to forbid them from climbing trees for fear they would fall and break their legs.

“Good, then you climb up and wait. I’ll go look around and be back in a moment.” Sheng Wanqiu was afraid it wouldn't be safe for him to be alone here, so she had him climb the tree to wait for her.

“Sister, let me go with you. I’m worried about you being alone!” Hearing her say this, Sheng Huai’an hurriedly expressed that he wanted to stay by her side.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Why would you follow me? Get up there now, and stop nagging!” Sheng Wanqiu glared, and Sheng Huai’an was a bit scared. He couldn't handle his sister when she got feisty, so he decided to listen to her.

Seeing the young boy climb the tree using his hands and feet, Sheng Wanqiu nodded with satisfaction.

“Sister, come back early. If you encounter danger, remember to run fast!” Sheng Huai’an shouted to Sheng Wanqiu, who was already walking away.

“Got it, don’t worry!” Sheng Wanqiu didn’t even look back, just waving her hand in the air as a response.

Having shaken off her little tail, Sheng Wanqiu soon discovered a rabbit warren during her carpet-style search. She was so happy her eyes narrowed into slits!

She snapped her right fingers, releasing a faint bolt of lightning that wiped out the entire rabbit family.

There were seven rabbits in total—two large and five small. The large ones weighed four or five pounds when picked up, and the small ones were two or three pounds. They were probably sleeping in the nest; now they had all been wiped out in one go.

Putting the rabbits into the basket, Sheng Wanqiu carried it back. On the way, she discovered a prickly ash tree. Since it wasn't the season for them to be ripe, she could only pick some leaves and flowers to take back. When they matured, she would come back to harvest the peppercorns.

From far away, Sheng Huai’an saw his sister looking very relaxed, with a piece of foxtail grass hanging from her mouth.

“Sister, why are you back so soon?”

“Huai’an, we’re eating rabbit tonight!” Sheng Wanqiu winked playfully at Sheng Huai’an.

“Really?” Sheng Huai’an jumped down from the tree, trotted over, and peeked into the basket.

He was so shocked his eyes widened.

She caught all these?

“Seven in total, two big ones and five small ones. Sister will cook tonight, and I’ll let you all have something good to eat!”

“Let’s go! We’re heading down the mountain!” Sheng Wanqiu couldn't wait any longer.

(End of chapter)