When Qi Ya heard her mother, she couldn’t contain her excitement and jumped up. “Brother, rabbit meat must be delicious! I haven’t had meat in such a long time,” she said, swallowing hard at the thought.
“Then tonight, Qi Ya, you eat plenty, so you can grow tall,” Liu An replied tenderly, looking at his sister with concern.
“No, Brother, you have to eat more—you’re the pillar of our family!” Qi Ya said, puffing up like a little grown-up.
Xiao Chen couldn’t help but smile, happy to see her children caring for each other. Ever since Liu An was born, her days had been filled with joy, and with such an obedient son, life seemed perfect.
“Where did this rabbit come from?” Aunt Sun asked, curious as Xiao Chen returned with the children, carrying the rabbit. The other sisters stared hungrily at it as well.
“This is An’er’s doing—he knocked it out with a stick! Tonight we’ll have rabbit meat,” Xiao Chen explained with a laugh.
Everyone praised Liu An. “Wow, An’er, you’re amazing!” Aunt Sun and the sisters exclaimed. Liu An scratched his head bashfully. “I just got lucky. That’s all.”
“Even his luck is incredible!” Eldest Sister Liu Ya added warmly, and the other sisters nodded in agreement.
Xiao Sun suggested, “Put the rabbit in the basket and let Eldest carry it. It looks better than everyone holding it by hand.” Xiao Chen agreed. The years of drought had made the harvest poor, so simply having enough food was a blessing—meat was even more rare.
Xiao Chen carefully placed the rabbit in Eldest’s basket and covered it with some vegetables. She and Xiao Sun each carried a bundle of firewood, while the children carried their baskets and headed home.
“Grandma! We’re back!” Liu An called as soon as they entered the yard.
“Oh, my dear little grandson! You’re back! Were you tired? Thirsty? Grandma missed you so much!” Grandmother Liu exclaimed, rushing over to touch his arms and fuss over him.
“I’m not tired, Grandma! Going up the mountain was so much fun. Look, we found a rabbit—tonight we can stew rabbit meat for you!” Liu An whispered eagerly in her ear.
Grandmother Liu was momentarily stunned, thinking he was joking. But Eldest came forward, whispering, “Grandma, my brother really did find a rabbit. Look!”
“Come inside and tell me properly,” Grandmother Liu said, ushering everyone in.
They set down the firewood and vegetables. Eldest carried the basket, and Liu An held his small basket, following Grandma into the kitchen.
As Eldest unloaded the vegetables, the rabbit stirred, attempting to jump out. Grandmother Liu quickly grabbed it by the ears and lifted it up. “Goodness! I thought my grandson was joking, but you really caught such a big rabbit! Tonight, we’re in for a treat. An’er, how did this happen? Tell Grandma.”
Liu An proudly recounted how he had knocked the rabbit out and brought it back. Grandmother Liu laughed with delight. “What luck my dear grandson has! You all are benefiting from it—make sure you treat him well from now on.”
She used this as an opportunity to drill one principle into everyone: from now on, Liu An is the family’s pillar. Whatever he says, everyone should listen. Surprisingly, no one felt this unreasonable; they all nodded in agreement.
Liu An was used to this by now and thought to himself how lucky he was to have such a caring family. He also harbored a secret ambition: he wanted to find a way to earn money to study. In this era, without passing the imperial exams, he would remain at society’s bottom, powerless and vulnerable. To live well and protect his family, he had to study and succeed in the exams.
But given the family’s finances, it wouldn’t be easy. Through casual conversations with Grandma, he had learned they could only save a few taels of silver per year, assuming a good harvest. His father and uncles worked odd jobs in town, and he had already spent ten taels of silver on illness—leaving only two taels now.
With the rabbit secured, the children were thrilled at the prospect of tonight’s dinner. They only ate two meals a day: breakfast and dinner. Lunch wasn’t customary unless one was from a wealthy household.
Liu An looked at the bracken he had picked and held up his small basket. “Grandma, could you stir-fry some of this cat’s paw plant for me? Just a simple sauté.”
“Oh, my clever grandson, the chickens don’t really like these plants. Are you hungry? Don’t worry, Grandma will make rabbit meat for you soon,” Grandmother Liu said.
“I want some, Grandma. Please, just stir-fry a little for me,” Liu An said, adopting the tone of a five-year-old asking for a treat.
As expected, the family couldn’t resist his charm—especially Grandmother Liu. She thought: if my little grandson wants it, I’ll make it. If it doesn’t taste good, the three sons can eat it. No wasting oil and salt!
Seeing her approval, Liu An beamed. “Grandma, you’re the best! I’ll help you with the fire.”
“No, no, you’re dirty from playing. Go outside, Grandma will have it ready for you soon,” she said, unwilling to let her precious grandson work.
“Yeah, Brother, go play with Qi Ya. I’ll help Grandma with the fire,” Liu Ya chimed in, entering the room with a smile.
“Thanks, sister! Then I’ll go out now,” Liu An said, smiling as he stepped into the yard to wait for his grandfather, uncles, and father to return.
Liu An’s eldest aunt Cuihua was skilled in the kitchen. In just a few swift motions, she skinned the rabbit, cut it into pieces, and blanched it with hot water. Seeing the time was right, Grandmother Liu finally brought out the oil jar. She first added a small spoonful of oil, then glanced at the rabbit meat, looked at her little grandson in the yard, steeled herself, and added a bit more oil to the pot.
“Eldest Daughter-in-law, you’re talented. You cook the rabbit, and throw in some vegetables too—there’s not enough meat for everyone to have more than a taste,” Grandmother Liu instructed.
“Alright, Mother,” Xiao Cuihua replied quickly. Cooking was her passion, but the family’s poverty rarely gave her the chance to show her skills. Today, with meat available, she was thrilled and ready to shine.
“It smells amazing! Mother, we can eat rabbit now!” Si Ya and Wu Ya, daughters of Aunt Sun, exclaimed.
Xiao Sun smiled tenderly at her daughters. “Yes, thanks to your little brother An’er, you get to eat rabbit. Remember to protect him and make sure he gets plenty too,” she said, continuing to weave a little while it was still daylight.
“Don’t worry, Mother! I’ll learn to weave like you, sell the cloth, and buy meat for Brother!” Si Ya shouted.
“Me too! I’ll sell my clothes to get meat for brother Liu An!” Wu Ya added loudly.
“You’re both good kids, but you’re still young. Wait until you’re ten before learning properly, or it will strain your eyes,” Xiao Sun said, smiling at her obedient daughters.
Xiao Sun also wanted to spoil her daughters, but after giving birth to Wu Ya, her body had been damaged and she could no longer have more children. Fortunately, with the arrival of their nephew Liu An, the family regained hope. Both her husband and mother-in-law treated her kindly, not blaming her for not bearing more children. For the daughters to have a good future, Liu An had to thrive first—that’s why both the first and second branches of the family, like Grandmother Liu, adored him unconditionally.
Luckily, Liu An already had an adult’s mind; otherwise, this constant doting might have spoiled him. Soon, the rich aroma of cooking filled the yard. Liu An licked his lips eagerly. It wasn’t just that he hadn’t eaten meat in a long time—this rabbit smelled irresistible. Everyone else also swallowed hard at the scent.
“Father, Mother, what’s cooking today? It smells so good!” Liu Dazhuang exclaimed as he entered the yard, sniffing the air.
Before Grandfather Liu could answer, Liu An ran ahead, smiling. “Grandfather, Uncles, Father—you’re back! Wash your hands and come eat!”
“My little grandson! Did you have fun in the mountains today? Come, let Grandpa hold you,” Grandfather Liu said with a beaming smile.
Seeing his grandfather’s hands covered in dirt, Liu An quickly stepped back with a laugh. “Grandpa, wash your hands first!”
Grandfather chuckled, teasing the tidy little boy. “Does my An’er dislike his grandpa?”
Seeing his grandfather playfully disappointed, Liu An considered letting him hold him for a moment. But Grandfather laughed at the boy’s conflicted expression, and soon everyone around joined in the laughter.
“You old man, always teasing my little grandson! An’er, come over—don’t let your grandpa eat all the good food alone!” Grandmother Liu scolded her husband, though she was smiling.
Grandfather sheepishly grinned. Then he scolded their three grown sons, “Stop laughing! Wash your hands and come eat!”
Liu Dazhuang, Liu Erzhang, and Liu Sanzhuang, who had been chuckling at their father, quickly sobered and obediently went to wash their hands.
Watching his grandfather and uncles, Liu An thought, “Every problem has a solution… like using brine to flavor tofu.”
Tofu! He suddenly realized he could have his uncles and father make tofu to sell. Excited, he jumped with joy.
Grandmother Liu, thinking Liu An was thrilled at the thought of eating rabbit, said with a laugh, “An’er, come, Grandma saved a rabbit leg just for you.”
The family stared at the steaming pot of braised rabbit, mouths watering. Only at Grandmother Liu’s command—“Eat!”—did they start.
Although everyone was eager to eat, each only took a small portion. Xiao Cuihua and Xiao Sun, as well as Liu An’s mother Xiao Chen, initially didn’t take any. Liu An noticed and whispered, “Grandma, Aunt Cuihua is the best cook, but why isn’t anyone eating? Don’t they like her cooking?”
Everyone quickly reassured him, “No, it’s the best, really!”
Grandmother Liu laughed and said, “Don’t waste my little grandson’s concern. Eldest daughter-in-law’s cooking is perfect. Eat up! Am I, an old woman, supposed to serve you all?”
Reluctantly, everyone began to eat, savoring the rich flavors of the braised rabbit. Liu An took a bite of the rabbit leg, feeling completely satisfied—it was exquisite. He then tried the lightly stir-fried cat’s paw greens. “So fresh and delicious!” he exclaimed.
Hearing Liu An praise the greens, the others tried some as well. Grandmother Liu tasted a bit and said, “This cat’s paw vegetable is surprisingly tasty when stir-fried, though it uses quite a bit of oil.”
“Grandma, it’s also good as a salad. If we dry the leftovers, we can eat it in winter,” Liu An suggested.
“Grandma, it’s so good! Tomorrow I’ll take Brother to gather more!” Qi Ya shouted excitedly.
After tasting the greens, everyone agreed—they were even better than other wild vegetables. Grandmother Liu, now even more fond of her little grandson, said, “Since these are so good and grow all over the mountain, you kids will gather them starting tomorrow. If there’s extra, follow my little grandson’s advice: dry it for winter.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Liu An’s eyes sparkled with an idea. Seeing everyone happy, he added, “Grandpa, Grandma, since cat’s paw greens are so delicious, can we gather a bit every day and sell some in town? Then we can earn money to buy meat!”