Chapter 11: Wild Pheasants and Rabbits

The siblings crouched furtively behind the large tree, half-hidden, half-exposed. Fortunately, the trunk was thick enough to conceal their small, slender bodies.

They hadn’t waited more than fifteen minutes when they heard the familiar rustling sounds again. Both lit up with excitement—Ping’an’s eyes practically gleamed, and his fingers unconsciously clenched tighter around the tree trunk.

Qiao Nian widened her eyes, staring intently at the patch of underbrush where the sound came from. The next moment, the two wild pheasants from earlier burst out and headed straight for the trap they had set.

“A-Jie, it really worked!” Ping’an whispered excitedly.

Qiao Nian quickly grabbed his arm, worried he might get too excited and rush out, scaring the pheasants away.

Drawn by the sweet, alluring scent, the two pheasants leapt a few times and landed right at the trap. Eagerly pecking at the bait, they both tumbled into the pit.

In an instant, the siblings sprang into action, moving even faster than the pheasants had.

Once they reached the trap, each grabbed one bird, pressing down its flapping wings and lifting it out of the pit. Thankfully, the trap was deep enough, and the branches and grass covering it helped block the birds’ escape—otherwise, they might’ve flown off.

“Hahaha! A-Jie, we caught the pheasants!” Ping’an cheered.

Their joyful laughter, mingled with the pheasants’ frantic squawking, startled a flurry of birds from the nearby woods.

Qiao Nian pulled off a handful of tough grass and used it to tie up the pheasants’ wings and feet. Only then did she lift them in hand. She told Ping’an to restore the trap—they still had to dig for Chinese yam at the base of the hill. Maybe they’d get lucky again tomorrow.

Although catching the pheasants had delayed them, they worked quickly. There was plenty of Chinese yam on the hillside, and within an hour, both their baskets and back-carriers were full. With the pheasants in hand, they started heading down the mountain.

As they tugged each other up to the top of the slope, they suddenly heard a commotion from the direction of the trap. Without hesitation, they dropped their heavy loads and rushed over.

When they got there, they were stunned to see two rabbits and another wild pheasant fighting inside the trap. Most of the dry grass and leaves that had originally covered the pit had already been knocked into it.

The siblings stared in disbelief. Rabbits and pheasants… fighting? They’d never heard of such a thing.

Qiao Nian guessed silently that they were probably fighting over the spiritual spring water. But she kept a straight face and reached into the trap to grab the most aggressive pheasant, while Ping’an quickly pulled out the two rabbits. Then he looked up at Qiao Nian and asked, “A-Jie, aren’t rabbits supposed to eat grass? Why were they fighting pheasants for worms?”

Qiao Nian’s expression cracked for a moment—how was she supposed to explain that? She fumbled for an answer and finally stammered, “Maybe… maybe the rabbits were trying to eat the grass on top of the trap, and they fell in. Then a pheasant dropped in too, and that’s how the fight started?”

Ping’an looked at her with a face that said, Don’t try to fool me. But then he relented, muttering, “Well… I guess there’s no better explanation.”

Qiao Nian sighed inwardly with relief, then immediately scolded herself—what was she feeling guilty for? How was she supposed to know what animals were thinking? It was Ping’an who’d thrown her off with all the questions.

She quickly tied up the pheasant’s wings and the rabbits’ legs, then called for Ping’an to hurry down the mountain. They had been in the mountains a little too long this afternoon. If they didn’t get back soon, Grandmother would start to worry.

As they neared the foot of the mountain, the siblings took a small side path home. If the villagers saw how many pheasants and rabbits they had caught, someone would definitely start grumbling—and some thick-skinned folks might even try to ask for a share. Qiao Nian had no interest in dealing with any of that.

Their home sat on a small slope at the edge of the village. Normally, there was a narrow path leading up the mountain that only their family used when going into town. Behind the house, another trail had been gradually worn into the earth—using this back path, they could avoid the village entirely and reach the road to town directly.

Unless they were taking an ox cart, that is. At the village entrance stood a centuries-old locust tree, and every day, the Village Chief’s second son would gather passengers beneath it. Those wanting a ride would have to meet there.

The siblings followed the winding path around a bend, and sure enough, they saw Hua Guixiang standing at the gate, peering anxiously in their direction. When she caught sight of them, she hurried over.

“Why are you two back so late today? You didn’t run into any trouble in the mountains, did you?” As she spoke, her eyes fell on the pheasants and rabbits dangling from their hands. She was so stunned that it took her a moment to form a proper question.

“Where did all these pheasants and rabbits come from? You two caught them yourselves?” Hua Guixiang’s mind raced—she couldn’t think of anyone who would gift them so much wild game, but she also couldn’t quite believe the siblings had caught them on their own.

“Grandmother, A-Jie and I set traps on the mountain and caught them!” Ping’an beamed, showing a full set of teeth. Despite the weight of everything he was carrying, he didn’t seem tired at all.

Hua Guixiang looked at the two in disbelief, then instinctively glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. Quickly, she took the game from their hands and said in a hushed voice, “Let’s talk at home. You’re both carrying so much—aren’t you tired? Come on, let’s go.” With that, she ushered them quickly down the path toward their house.

When the three arrived home, Hua Guixiang had the siblings wait outside for a moment while she slipped into the Courtyard. Peeking over at the western wing and seeing no one around, she immediately called them in and led them straight to her room.

Behind her, Qiao Nian couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the sweet, cautious old woman. She thought to herself how inconvenient it really was having two families live in the same Courtyard.

Inside, Hua Guixiang helped them set everything down before finally asking, “Now tell me everything—what exactly did you two get up to this afternoon? How did you manage to catch so many pheasants and rabbits? And this grass in the basket—is it for feeding the rabbits?”

Before Qiao Nian could reply, Ping’an eagerly launched into a full recounting of their afternoon—digging for medicinal herbs, setting traps, and all. When he finished, he blinked up at her with starry eyes, clearly fishing for praise.

Even after hearing the whole story, Hua Guixiang could hardly believe it. She swallowed hard before asking, “You really caught these with traps? And those weeds… they’re really medicinal herbs? You can sell them?”

Truthfully, Qiao Nian wasn’t entirely certain. Everything here still felt foreign to her, though countless memories floated around in her mind. It was a strange sensation, as if she had seen it all unfold a hundred times on high-definition video, and now she was stepping into it herself—both unfamiliar and eerily familiar.

“Grandmother, I plan to take these herbs into town tomorrow and ask around. If any of the physicians are willing to buy them, then it’ll be another source of income for us. If not, we’ll just consider it a day’s effort and won’t bother again in the future.”

Hua Guixiang nodded thoughtfully. “Alright. Tomorrow, go ask at the medical halls in town. Do you want me to come along?”

Qiao Nian shook her head slightly. “It’s alright, Grandmother. Ping’an and I can handle it.” She had originally planned to go alone, but realizing she wouldn’t be able to carry everything by herself—and that she couldn’t stash any of it into her space in front of others—she had no choice but to bring Ping’an along.

Speaking of which, she mused inwardly, With all those supplies tucked away in my space, when will I finally get a chance to use them?