Chapter 16: Braised Rabbit

“It really is!”

“Let’s set the traps here.”

Meng Ling finished speaking and began setting up the traps while Meng Shiqiao followed behind, learning.

She placed the traps in the ditches around the slope—rabbits like to run in such places.

After placing all eight traps, their feet were covered thickly with yellow mud, looking like actors wearing high boots.

The two walked downhill. The muddy path was wet and slippery, so they had to hold onto weeds and small trees along the roadside, carefully moving down; one wrong step and they’d fall.

“Slow down, be careful not to fall!”

Meng Ling’s warning was like a spell.

“Ah!”

Meng Shiqiao suddenly slipped.

Thud!

He fell heavily on his butt and slid down the slope.

He slid over two meters before grabbing a small tree beside him.

“Hahaha!”

Meng Ling hadn’t expected him to fall just after she finished speaking, and she laughed behind him.

“Ouch!”

Meng Shiqiao struggled to stand up, covered in yellow mud.

Seeing his sister laughing so hard, he also stood there grinning foolishly.

When they returned home, Meng Liang scolded his son, who was covered in mud, “Where were you? Look at yourself all covered in yellow mud!”

“Went up the mountain,” Meng Shiqiao replied quietly, not daring to move.

Meng Liang scowled, “Why go to the mountain on a rainy day? Go change your clothes!”

Just after scolding Meng Shiqiao, Meng Ling came in from outside.

“Don’t run up the mountain on rainy days, the road’s slippery,” Meng Liang whispered.

“Okay, got it.”

Meng Ling nodded and went to her room. Her pants were soaked with water droplets from the thatch roof.

Meng Shiqiao thought: Why am I always the one getting scolded!?

The next day, the rain stopped but the sky remained gloomy.

Early morning, Meng Shiqiao ran to Meng Ling’s door shouting, “Sister, let’s go up the mountain. We must’ve caught a rabbit.”

He was already wearing a bamboo hat and holding a stick, clearly eager to go.

Meng Ling opened the door and saw he was ready, saying, “You’re quite motivated!”

Meng Shiqiao looked up confidently, “There will definitely be rabbits today. Believe me.”

“Believe it!”

Meng Ling replied calmly and put on her hat, heading outside.

The path wasn’t as slippery as yesterday, and soon they reached the mountain.

Meng Shiqiao shouted, “Sister, it’s trapped!”

Meng Ling looked toward where the traps were set yesterday but saw nothing, annoyed, “Why shout nonsense? It’s so far, how can you see?”

Meng Shiqiao looked at her, “There’s definitely something there. Can’t you see it?”

“There’s a gray thing hanging in mid-air. That must be a rabbit.”

Meng Ling looked carefully again but still saw nothing.

After a while, she began to see clearly—a gray object was indeed hanging there.

“Sister, now you see clearly, right? I told you the rabbit’s trapped.”

He immediately started running, but his feet were too muddy and the soil soft, so he couldn’t run far and had to stop to rest.

Finally, both arrived at the “rabbit victim scene.” A rabbit weighing over three catties (about 1.5 kg) had bent the bamboo pole. Its gray fur and long ears drooped over its head, already stiff.

“We have rabbit meat for dinner!”

Meng Shiqiao hurried to untie the rope and held the rabbit by its hind legs, shaking it excitedly, nearly drooling.

Only one of eight traps caught anything; the rest were untouched.

Back home, Meng Shiqiao proudly showed the rabbit, “Dad, Mom, look what we caught!”

“Wow, a wild rabbit, and not a small one!”

They crowded closer—this was their first time seeing a wild rabbit up close.

Meng Ling stepped forward, “Erwa, go boil some water. We’ll pluck the rabbit’s fur later. Whether we can eat it at noon depends on you.”

“Okay!”

Meng Shiqiao was more motivated than anyone when it came to food.

Soon, the water boiled. Meng Ling dipped her hand gently in the water’s surface, feeling it was still hot. She added some cold water because water that’s too hot will cook the rabbit’s skin, but too cold won’t pluck the fur cleanly.

She put the whole rabbit in the hot water and plucked a few hairs as a test—it was easy. She quickly took it out.

She put the rabbit into warm water and got ready to pluck the rest.

“You pluck the fur!” Meng Ling directed her brother.

“Sis, rabbit fur is way harder to pluck than wild chicken feathers,” Meng Shiqiao complained.

“Pluck it cleanly, then you can eat more pieces later,” Meng Ling said.

Mentioning eating more gave him motivation again.

The rabbit’s fine, short fur was indeed hard to pluck. The skin was thin, so plucking too hard would tear it and ruin the look. Skinned meat isn’t as tasty as with skin, so Meng Shiqiao had to work hard.

Meng Ling cut the rabbit into small pieces and stewed it in a clay pot until tender, keeping some broth. She heated oil in a pan, added the meat, and stir-fried.

Sizzle!

The pan crackled, releasing a rich aroma. She added cooking wine, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. When the sauce thickened, she topped it with some mountain green onions.

Dish served!

“Smells delicious!”

Meng Shiqiao couldn’t help but pinch a piece from the bowl, blowing on it twice, then biting it with his head tilted back, blowing air out.

After two blows, it was still hot, so he took it out with his hand and blew again several times.

After repeating this twice, he finally ate it.

“You little glutton!” Meng Ling laughed and scolded.

“Hehe!”

He just chewed and grinned foolishly.

Meng Liang looked at the dishes on the table: braised rabbit, stir-fried small cabbage with pork fat bits, a small fried dried fish dish, and a plate of pickles.

Can life be this good?

Meng Liang recently felt his belly had grown. As the head of the family, he felt like he was just eating without much purpose or presence.

At the table, Meng Shiqiao was the most enthusiastic. Whenever his dad moved his chopsticks, he immediately acted. Before long, his mouth was full and dripping oil.

Meng Ling picked a piece and bit down. The meat was tender and springy against her teeth—firm but not dry. She chewed a bit more.

Eating a bite of rice and a piece of meat, the contrast of flavors created another delicious taste.

“Mmm, this rabbit meat is tasty!” Meng Liang praised after eating a piece.

Shen Yun also kept complimenting, praising her daughter’s cooking. She thought with such a capable daughter, she’d have no trouble finding a good marriage.

After lunch, Aunt Zhang came to visit.

“What delicious smells are coming from your place? It wafted all the way to my house.”

“Ah, no food at home, just caught a wild rabbit up the mountain to eat. Doesn’t compare to your place. I even saw your man bought some meat a few days ago.”

“That bunch of meat must’ve been two jin (about 1 kg), some fat, some lean,” Shen Yun laughed.

She moved a bench closer, and the two sat under the eaves chatting.

Aunt Zhang laughed, “That meat wasn’t bought, my man got it on credit. Who has money to eat meat? The kids were just craving it, so they made a fuss.”

Shen Yun replied, “You’re just teasing me. Your man is more frugal than us women; how could he buy meat on credit?”

Aunt Zhang said, “Oh, really, who’s fooling you?”

Meng Ling listened carefully, sensing there was more meaning behind their words, shaking her head secretly. She didn’t know how to say such things herself but knew she had to listen closely.

In the afternoon, the rain started again, and it was heavy. The crops in the fields had turned yellow and would be ready for harvest soon. This rain made people uneasy.

A couple of days later, the rain still hadn’t stopped, and the sky remained gloomy.

Meng Ling sat under the eaves stitching shoe insoles when someone walked in from outside the courtyard. He wore a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, appeared about forty years old, with a dark complexion and a mole on his chin.

“Uncle!” Meng Ling called out.

“Brother!” Shen Yun greeted.

“Uncle!”

“Quick, call him Uncle,” Meng Ling reminded Meng Qingqing.

“Alright, alright.”

Shen Dazhu nodded in reply.

“Come in quickly, come in,” Shen Yun shouted into the house, “Meng Liang, Brother Dazhu is here.”

They all gathered in the main room. Meng Ling brought a chair for her uncle and poured him some water.

“Hasn’t been long, but the kids have grown so much,” Shen Dazhu sighed.

“Almost a year. Kids are at the age to grow strong,” Shen Yun smiled.

At this moment, Meng Liang came out of the inner room and greeted Shen Dazhu, “Brother-in-law.”

They greeted each other with cupped fists.

“Yeah, Meng Liang, it’s been some time,” Shen Dazhu said with a smile.

Meng Liang replied, “Yes, quite a while.”

“You guys talk; I’ll cook!” Shen Yun saw the time and hurried to prepare the meal, and Meng Ling went to help.

They sat in the main room drinking tea, while Meng Shiqiao played outside with his sister.

“Meng Liang, I came this time because of something. Mom has been ill recently. We’re short on money for treatment and want to borrow some from you,” Shen Dazhu said directly.

“I know you’re in a tough spot too. I had no other choice but to come find you.”