Chapter 22: The Dispute Over the Wild Rabbit

Su Tangxue looked at that small figure, feelings churning inside her. Her father had really raised her too well.

She had just sat down under a tree to rest when Lu Shan came running over, face full of excitement.

Judging from his look, something good had clearly happened. Sure enough, her fourth brother pulled a few little rabbits out of his pocket.

Seeing those fluffy little rabbits made Su Tangxue’s heart melt.

“Fourth Brother, you’re the best!”

With his little sister praising him, Lu Shan couldn’t hide the smug expression on his face. He scratched his head proudly.

“Of course! You know your fourth brother—invincible across the land!”

Su Tangxue couldn’t help but laugh at her brother’s exaggerated boasting.

“Fourth Brother, why’d you catch the baby ones?”

Lu Shan looked a bit sheepish at her question. “Little sister, your fourth brother used strategy this time. I caught the babies first—now their parents will have to come out and take the bait!”

Su Tangxue glanced at the bunnies and crushed his illusion. “Brother, rabbits aren’t that dumb.”

Lu Shan scratched his head. “Really? I thought they’d come back to rescue their babies!”

“It’s fine, little sister. I’ll go again and make sure to catch the fattest one for you. Just wait here.”

With that, Lu Shan tossed the baby rabbits to Su Tangxue and disappeared back into the grass.

Watching her playful brother, Su Tangxue could only shake her head helplessly.

Now she had not only baby birds to care for, but also baby rabbits—she was going to be busy.

The rabbits were relatively calm. Even without grass, they didn’t cause trouble. It was the birds that fussed—one touch and they’d start chirping like mad.

The baby birds must be hungry. Su Tangxue looked around but saw no bugs.

Just as she was feeling troubled, Gouwa suddenly ran over.

“Big sister, I caught a few bugs while I was cutting grass. You can use them to feed the birds.”

He opened his small palm to reveal three green caterpillars wriggling in the center. He had seen the nest of baby birds in her hands earlier and deliberately looked out for bugs while gathering pigweed.

Su Tangxue felt a bit squeamish at the sight of those soft, wiggling creatures.

“Thank you, Gouwa. Can you feed them to the birds for me?”

“Sure.”

She watched as Gouwa skillfully picked up the bugs and fed them to the three baby birds—one bug for each bird.

“Want to sit down and rest a bit? You’ve been working for a while.”

Gouwa glanced back, looking a bit conflicted.

Su Tangxue noticed his hesitation and pulled him down gently by the arm.

“Don’t worry, they’re resting too. It’s fine if you take a short break.”

Gouwa only relaxed once he saw Zhang Yunlan sitting down. Then he finally took a seat.

Su Tangxue found the little boy in front of her so obedient it made her heart ache. She remembered the milk candies she brought from home for lunch and handed him two pieces.

Gouwa had never tasted milk candy before, though he had seen other kids eating them. He also heard they were expensive.

Su Tangxue had already unwrapped one and popped it in her mouth. When she turned her head, Gouwa was still holding the candy, staring blankly.

“They’re really tasty. Try one.”

Reason won over temptation, and Gouwa shook his head, holding out the candies to Su Tangxue.

“Big sister, these are too expensive. I can’t take them.”

Su Tangxue frowned. “Just eat them! I’ve got more in my pocket. Think of it as payment for finding bugs for me.”

Gouwa looked at her, eyes hot with emotion. Since his father passed, no one besides his mother had treated him so kindly. The village kids always mocked him for being fatherless.

“Don’t cry! Come on, eat it—these candies are delicious.”

Afraid he’d keep crying, Su Tangxue quickly unwrapped another and popped it in his mouth.

The sweet milky flavor melted in his mouth, and just like that, Gouwa stopped crying.

He had never eaten anything so sweet.

Seeing the happy smile on his face, Su Tangxue couldn’t help smiling too.

But before she could finish smiling, a commotion came from nearby. Listening closely, it sounded like her fourth brother.

“Why should I give it to you? It hit me and died, so it’s mine!”

“Well, I was the one who shot it first. If it weren’t for my arrow, it wouldn’t have run into you and died! So give it to me. That rabbit is mine!”

Lu Shan pointed to the rabbit in Zhang Yunlan’s arms.

“No way. It ran into me, so it’s mine. Why should I give it to you?”

Zhang Yunlan hugged the rabbit tightly, refusing to let go. She had been cutting pigweed when the rabbit suddenly ran into her. She reacted quickly and stepped on it.

In the village, any wild rabbits or pheasants caught on the mountain could be taken home to eat. The team leader wouldn’t pursue it.

Just when she was relishing the idea of eating rabbit for dinner, Lu Shan came chasing over, saying the rabbit was his. Of course she wouldn’t accept that.

Lu Shan saw the shameless look on Zhang Yunlan’s face, and the veins on his arms bulged with anger. He had fallen and worked hard to catch that rabbit, only to have someone else take it.

And the worst part? The thief was a woman—he couldn’t just snatch it back by force.

“Fourth Brother, what’s going on?”

Su Tangxue arrived with Gouwa.

As soon as he saw his little sister, Lu Shan’s tone turned aggrieved, and he explained everything to her.

Listening to her brother and glancing at the rabbit in Zhang Yunlan’s arms, Su Tangxue noticed it indeed had an arrow wound.

“Zhang Yunlan, is that rabbit yours? You’re really just going to steal it?”

Zhang Yunlan hid the rabbit behind her with a self-righteous expression. “What a joke. I stepped on it—it’s mine.”

“Are you blind or what? Look at that bloody hole in its body. Without my brother’s arrow, could you have stepped on it and killed it?”

“Well if I hadn’t stepped on it, it would’ve escaped. What does it have to do with you then?” Zhang Yunlan rolled her eyes.

Su Tangxue was so irritated by her shamelessness that she laughed in disbelief. To deal with someone like Zhang Yunlan, you had to play hardball.

Her gaze turned toward Liao Haimei, who was resting nearby.

“Comrade Liao, you’re an experienced educated youth. Please come and be the judge—whose rabbit is it really?”

Being called out, Liao Haimei looked startled.

She had been hoping Zhang Yunlan would win the argument so she could eat rabbit tonight.

She didn’t expect Su Tangxue to drag her into it.

Still, she stood up, glanced at the fat rabbit behind Zhang Yunlan, and said:

“Comrade Su, you and Comrade Lu already have a litter of baby animals. You can raise them and eat them later. Why fight with Comrade Zhang over this one and hurt the harmony?”

Liao Haimei tried to smooth things over, but Su Tangxue just sneered coldly.

“I thought an experienced educated youth like you would be fair. Turns out you’re just trying to play both sides. If no one here can be fair, then we’ll go find the team leader and let him decide who’s right and who’s wrong.”