Chapter 82: Delivering Rabbit Heads

Qin Ying lowered her head and looked at An An, softly asking, “Bao’er, do you want to take your mother’s surname, or your uncle’s surname?”

An An’s eyes shifted, and she boldly said, “I want to take Uncle Zhou’s surname!”

“You child!” Aunt Zhao exclaimed, stretching out her arm to cover An An’s mouth. “Why do you blurt out everything like that? What would your mother do if others hear this!”

An An dodged her hand, sticking out her tongue, and waved her hand to signal, “I won’t say it anymore! I won’t say it!”

Qin Ying couldn’t bring herself to scold her, but she still seriously said, “An An, this world has very strict expectations for women. This isn’t something we can easily oppose as just one or two people.”

“Under such circumstances, we must be extra cautious in our actions and behavior.”

“Unless one day, we gain the power to speak freely.”

Zhao Hu looked confused. Though An An understood, she still pretended not to and, like her uncle, looked at her mother.

Qin Ying said seriously, “What this means is that women need to stand high enough, have enough power, and speak and act in a way that no one dares to oppose them. Only then can this world make way for us.”

Zhao Hu muttered, “That sounds too difficult…”

“Recently, I’ve been reading,” Qin Ying said with a calm expression, “and I often come across the saying ‘Nothing in this world is difficult if one is determined.’ Only by enduring hardships others can’t bear can we achieve results others can’t achieve.”

“Of course, I don’t have grand ambitions right now. I just want to do my best to improve our family’s life and make sure no one dares to make trouble for us, openly or secretly.”

An An clapped her hands enthusiastically: “Mom! You’re amazing! Mom is the best!”

Qin Ying couldn’t help but lean over and kiss her on the cheek. “It’s An An who gives me the most confidence.”

Aunt Zhao tapped the table with her chopsticks: “Hurry and eat, or it will be cold!”

Qin Ying smiled softly: “Yes, let’s eat quickly. The main points have been covered, and if Lord Zhou finds it feasible, he will add some details. We just need to wait for his good news.”

Meanwhile, next door, Zhou Yun didn’t rush to eat. He took out his handwritten “Rabbit Raising Overview” and passed it around for everyone to read. The group couldn’t help but clap and praise it, exclaiming, “If this method is promoted, soon the whole Qin County won’t worry about having enough meat or struggling to survive the winter!”

But Zhou Yun wasn’t carried away by the praise. He waved his hand and said, “To completely solve the meat shortage and winter clothing problems in all of Qin County, raising rabbits alone isn’t enough.”

“Rabbit meat is delicious, but it shouldn’t be eaten all the time, and there are many food taboos. Its nutritional value is not as high as chicken or duck.”

“But for now, we don’t have a better option, so we can give rabbit farming a try.”

“Miss Qin has already explained the difficulties and troubles that come with raising rabbits. Now we just need to help set it up.”

“In a year or two, when the situation in the countryside improves, we can help them raise pigs and sheep.”

Someone raised a disagreement: “Lord, raising sheep is fine, their meat is delicious, and their wool can be used for warmth.”

“But pigs… they’re dirty, and the meat isn’t tasty…”

Zhou Yun smiled and shook his hand: “You don’t know this yet. If pigs are raised well and cooked properly, they are very delicious.”

“As for the dirtiness… how they are raised is up to people. If you put them in a dirty place, they will naturally be unclean; but if you keep them in a clean environment, they can’t be dirty.”

“Also, raising pigs is very important for fertilizing the land in the countryside.”

“We just need to be careful and make sure there’s no pig plague, and educate the people that animals that have suffered from the plague must not be eaten.”

Zhang Jin Zhi smiled and said, “Lord, you really think ahead! But the most urgent thing is to cure our cravings for food!”

The group laughed, and Zhou Yun followed with a smile, picking up his chopsticks.

Qin Ying didn’t rush to deliver the marinated rabbit heads to Uncle Chen and Grandma Wang because they needed more time to fully absorb the flavor.

But the strong aroma of the stewed rabbit meat spread all through Tongshu Village, making many people envious, with tears of longing dripping from the corners of their mouths, but no one dared to say anything negative.

By afternoon, when the marinated rabbit heads were ready, Qin Ying scooped them out and packed them. She had Zhao Hu deliver them.

Zhao Hu specially took a basket, carrying An An, and set off.

Along the way, he even lifted the lid of the jar to let the aroma of the marinated meat spread everywhere.

They hadn’t gone far when a villager stopped them, peering into the basket while asking, “Huzi, what are you doing? What’s that smell? Why is it so fragrant?”

“We’re delivering meat to Uncle Chen and Grandma Wang!” Zhao Hu smiled, “My sister made marinated rabbit heads! We slaughtered rabbits today to celebrate An An and my safe return. We also sent one to Lord Zhou and the others.”

“Our family has a big appetite, so we didn’t have much left, but we specially marinated these two rabbit heads to send to Uncle Chen and Grandma Wang. Aunt Si, look, they’re stewed until very soft, perfect for them to eat.”

“Even the brains are flavorful!”

An An, sitting on Zhao Hu’s shoulder, swung her short legs and said in a babyish voice, “It’s delicious! It’s super delicious!”

Aunt Si wanted to look more closely, but Zhao Hu quickly put the lid back on, “It’s still hot, it won’t taste good if it cools down! Aunt Si, I don’t have time to chat. I’ll be going now!”

With that, he carried An An and walked away quickly.

Aunt Si swallowed and waved her hand, muttering, “Has Huzi grown taller? He looks like a big boy now…”

“Hey, the Zhao family looks like they’re about to prosper!”

After meeting a few more people, Zhao Hu said almost the same thing to everyone. Soon, they reached Uncle Chen’s house, where Zhou Yun was also present. Zhao Hu didn’t say anything else and simply left the jar, carrying An An and running off.

An An knew Zhou Yun and Uncle Chen had business to discuss, so she didn’t insist on staying, happily waving goodbye to them.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at Grandma Wang’s house.

Grandma Wang was sitting in the yard, mending clothes by the fading sunlight, while Wang Tiezhu, who was on duty to go down the mountain, was chopping firewood.

Before Zhao Hu even entered the yard, he called loudly, “Grandma Wang!”

“Grandma Wang!” An An echoed, “We’ve come to bring you something delicious!”

Grandma Wang put down her sewing basket, smiling and inviting them in, ruffling An An’s little head. “Ah, it’s been a few months, and An An has grown quite a bit!”

Wang Tiezhu stopped his work, grabbed a bunch of wildflowers, and handed them to An An with a silly smile, saying, “I knew you were coming back today, and since it’s my turn to go down the mountain, I picked this bunch of flowers.”

An An hugged them tightly, taking a deep sniff, and exclaimed, “Wow! It smells so good! Thank you, Grandpa Tiezhu!”

Grandma Wang laughed, “Oh, this little girl knows how to count her elders, huh? Incredible, incredible! You’re definitely going to grow up to be someone successful!”

Zhao Hu handed the jar to Grandma Wang, saying, “Try this. It’s great with steamed buns! If it’s not enough, you can add some radishes or potatoes and stew them together.”