The slingshot in Chen Yang's hand was of average power. At most, it would only give a bump the size of a peanut on a person's head. But that's enough. That kind of force is too much for a wild rabbit to handle.
Just as the hare snapped the vine, one of the three pebbles Chen Yang shot hit the hare hard on the head. The hare immediately stiffened and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Chen Yang did not choose to tie the wild rabbit with branches. Unlike pheasants, wild rabbits have sharp teeth, so they could not be tied up at all.
So Chen Yang picked up a suitable-sized branch from under a nearby tree, held it in his hand, and walked over to the unconscious rabbit.
Without saying a word, he grabbed the stick in his hand and struck the rabbit hard on the back of the head several times.
Like domestic rabbits, wild rabbits have a large number of nerve centers located on the back of their heads.
A powerful blow could be fatal!
After only a few taps, the rabbit stopped breathing. Chen Yang picked it up and weighed it in his hand.
Good heavens, this wild rabbit weighs five or six pounds, it's very fat!
That's a pretty good result. However, it had taken almost two hours in the afternoon to catch just one wild rabbit.
Setting up the trap again and waiting for the next rabbit to take the bait would take at least two more hours, and there's no guarantee that a rabbit would even appear.
Knowing that it would take time to descend the mountain, Chen Yang didn't want to linger too long.
He put his harvest into his basket, then picked up his sickle and haphazardly cut some wild vegetables in the woods before carrying the basket down the mountain.
"Hey, isn't this Chen Yang?"
"Is this the Chen family's idle youngest son? Has he been possessed by an evil spirit?"
Chen Yang came down from the back mountain, unusually carrying a basket on his back, along with a sickle and a hoe.
The villagers who were passing by were shocked when they saw it. When had they ever seen Chen Yang look like this?
A villager walked up to Chen Yang and peeked into his basket. Chen Yang was prepared and covered his prey with wild vegetables.
"Chen Yang, did you dig up so many vegetables on the mountain?"
"Oh, there's no food left at home."
Chen Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face bearing a carefree and unrestrained expression.
The villagers stared at the basket with suspicion, as if they had seen something amazing.
"Chen Yang, did you steal something from home again and lose at the card table?"
"No."
"Tch, who are you trying to fool? You must have gotten a beating from your old man, otherwise why would you be obediently going up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables?"
"Ah? Hahaha... I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Shh, keep your voice down!"
Chen Yang immediately scratched his head, making an embarrassed expression as if he had been caught out.
While idle people are certainly disliked, those who turn over a new leaf are not necessarily well-liked either.
After all, it's easy to feel jealous when good things happen to someone else.
This has been the case from ancient times to the present.
The villagers were satisfied and left when they saw that Chen Yang still had that same carefree and irresponsible attitude.
Chen Yang returned home with a full load of goodies. Upon entering the courtyard, Chen Yang went into the kitchen and first glanced at the pheasant soup in the pot. There wasn't much left. It looks like the family ate quite a bit at lunchtime.
I wonder if Lin Anyu ate it or not?
Chen Yang glanced into Lin Anyu's room. The door was open, and his mother's figure flashed inside. Seeing this, Chen Yang felt somewhat relieved.
With an hour to go before dinner, Chen Yang ladled the chicken soup out of the pot, placed it in a basin, and then washed the pot.
When washing the pot, he saw a string of dried chili peppers hanging on the earthen wall of the kitchen and immediately had an idea.
He took a pheasant out of the basket, boiled water again to pluck its feathers, cleaned it, removed its internal organs, and then cut it into pieces.
He then rummaged through the counter and found the rapeseed oil that had been pressed before the New Year. There was only a little more than half a bottle left. Chen Yang poured it all into the pot and then gathered firewood to start a fire.
Once the oil was hot, he grabbed a handful of dried chilies, threw them into the pan and stir-fried them, then added scallions and garlic.
A burst of spicy and oily aroma immediately filled every corner of the kitchen.
While the fire was still hot, Chen Yang poured the chopped chicken pieces into the pot and stir-fried them. Soon, the aroma filled the garden.
Liu Shufang came out of Lin Anyu's room and walked into the kitchen, her mouth agape in astonishment.
"You little brat, when did you learn to stir-fry... Oh, you brought another pheasant?"
In Liu Shufang's memory, her son had absolutely no idea how to do kitchen work. But I must say... the aroma of the chili oil is so enticing that it makes your mouth water.
"Anything else?"
Chen Yang kicked the basket next to him.
Liu Shufang quickly squatted down, peeled back the layer of wild vegetables covering the basket, and saw a pheasant and a rabbit underneath.
Did my son bring these from the mountain again?
These mountain products are not easy to obtain!
Liu Shufang still remembers that around this time last year, her husband, along with several other villagers, went up the mountain to trap wild roe deer.
As a result, he was stuck there for three days and two nights. The group of grown men, apart from being covered in mosquito bites, didn't even see a single roe deer hair.
After returning home, he was even scolded by a group of wives for not getting to eat meat and instead having to donate blood.
Liu Shufang looked up at her son.
The son's tall figure was squeezed into the small kitchen.
His undershirt was covered in mud, and his trousers were smeared with moss. It's clear that a lot of effort had gone into acquiring these mountain products.
Thinking of this, Liu Shufang's nose suddenly stung with tears.
I could only sigh inwardly, after what happened last night, it seems that it wasn't all a bad thing.
At least the son learned his lesson and knows how to contribute to the family.
But how long can it last?
So far, Chen Yang's performance has pleased Liu Shufang, but she also knows that old habits die hard. Therefore, Liu Shufang still has doubts about her son's future performance.
"Son, have you used up all the cooking oil in the house?"
"Oh, there's just a little bit left, enough for another plate of stir-fried wild vegetables."
"This pot of chicken is enough! You've used up all the cooking oil, what are we going to eat tomorrow?"
"And this chicken you stir-fried... oh dear, why did you put so much chili? Chen Yang! Do you think you're a landlord?"
"Mom, you can go out first. I'll go to town tomorrow to get some seasonings."
Chen Yang swung the spatula around so loudly that it made a clanging noise, trying to drown out his mother's nagging.
Although Liu Shufang felt bad about wasting that little bit of rapeseed oil and chili, she couldn't go against her son's wishes, so she pouted and turned to leave the kitchen.
In the evening, Chen Yang placed the stir-fried spicy chicken and a plate of green wild vegetables on the table.
Chen Yuanchao also returned from the fields.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he smelled a pungent chili pepper odor.
"Honey, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
Chen Yuanchao asked casually, walked to the water vat, scooped up a handful of water, and washed his face.
He had been digging sweet potatoes in the field all day and was starving.
People who do physical labor love chili peppers the most.
The aroma of spicy food filled the garden, and as it entered Chen Yuanchao's nose, it whetted his appetite.
"Of course it's good stuff."
Liu Shufang handed over a towel, a mysterious expression on her face.