7 – The Way of Liking Rabbits
Feng Shan returned after about half an hour, holding a gray rabbit by its long ears as he strode into the courtyard.
Seeing him return, Gu Pingting deliberately turned her head away, still sulking.
Feng Shan grinned, found a piece of hemp rope to tie around the little rabbit, and then brought it over to Gu Pingting. “Caught you a little thing to keep you amused.”
The little rabbit hopped around on the ground, plump and chubby. Its two long ears, held by Feng Shan for too long, drooped limply against its body.
Gu Pingting found it adorable and took the rope to play with the rabbit.
The rabbit tried to run, but Gu Pingting held one end of the hemp rope, causing the rabbit to hop in circles around her. Gu Pingting giggled with delight.
Seeing her smile, Feng Shan reached out and gently tapped her nose, saying affectionately, “You little troublemaker, you only get happy when someone coaxes and pampers you.”
Gu Pingting wrinkled her nose and huffed, “I never asked you to coax me.”
Feng Shan chuckled. Right, he was the one willing to do it.
He was the one eager to spoil her!
While Gu Pingting played with the rabbit, Feng Shan found a piece of wood, sat on a stone stool, measured its dimensions, and began sawing and planing.
Gu Pingting asked, “What are you making?”
“A crutch for you. You’ll be able to use it in a couple of days.”
Gu Pingting glanced at him. This man was quite versatile. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “Why are you the only one in your family? Don’t you have parents or siblings?”
Feng Shan paused. “My parents died early. I had an… older brother. He died five years ago.”
His voice suddenly grew low. Gu Pingting realized she had touched on a painful subject and quickly changed the topic. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
“You’re already twenty-four. Why haven’t you married yet?”
“I was in the military before. The war delayed things, so I never got around to marrying.”
Gu Pingting asked curiously, “You served in the army?”
Feng Shan replied, “Seven years ago, when our Chu Kingdom fought against Wu, which man didn’t go to the battlefield? If we hadn’t gone, our kingdom would have perished.”
Gu Pingting nodded. She knew about the Chu-Wu war seven years ago. Their Chu Kingdom was weak, and when Wu’s army pressed in, the entire kingdom fought back fiercely. It took four full years to win.
“You’re not young anymore. You should marry as soon as possible and not delay any longer.”
Feng Shan looked up at Gu Pingting. She sat in a rattan chair, delicate and elegant. He smiled and said, “Soon. I’ll definitely marry within this year, and next year I’ll surely have a chubby little son.”
Gu Pingting blinked. It seemed he already had a sweetheart in mind.
The two chatted a while longer until the sun grew stronger. Feng Shan carried Gu Pingting back inside.
With nothing else to do, Gu Pingting sat on the bed and embroidered. The needlework and fabric were things she had asked Feng Shan to buy for her.
Gu Pingting didn’t have many hobbies. When she was a princess, she spent her days studying music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs. In her free time, she loved embroidery the most. She was clever and skilled, and her embroidery patterns were always beautiful.
Sitting on the bed, Gu Pingting thought for a moment. To pass the time, she decided to embroider a little rabbit. Rabbits were so cute.
As Gu Pingting embroidered inside, she listened to the clattering sounds of Feng Shan making the crutch outside. The mountain village was quiet, and it felt as if the whole world consisted of just the two of them.
Once Feng Shan finished the crutch, he placed it by Gu Pingting’s bedside and went to prepare the meal.
Feng Shan finished cooking and brought the food inside. He ladled a small bowl of meat soup for Gu Pingting and handed it over, asking, “What are you embroidering?”
Feng Shan had bought her a small bowl, and Gu Pingting now ate on her own. She set down her needlework, took the small bowl, and said, “I plan to embroider a little rabbit. I really like little rabbits.”
Feng Shan settled her in place and walked over to the table to eat. “I quite like rabbits too.”
Gu Pingting picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth. The meat was tender and delicious. “I didn’t notice that. You, a big rough guy, also like little rabbits.”
Feng Shan smiled and ate the meat in big mouthfuls. “Everyone likes rabbits in their own way.”
Gu Pingting asked curiously, “In their own way? How do you like rabbits?”
“Eating them twice in three days, I love them the most.”
Gu Pingting: …
Gu Pingting didn’t know what to say. She glanced at Feng Shan and lowered her head to eat.
Today’s meat was tender and the soup was flavorful. Gu Pingting savored it carefully—the texture didn’t seem like pheasant or wild boar.
Gu Pingting stared at her bowl and asked, “What kind of meat is this?”
Feng Shan didn’t even look up. “Rabbit meat.”
“You killed that rabbit?”
Her soft voice suddenly rose sharply. Feng Shan looked up. “What’s wrong? Is that not allowed?”
Gu Pingting said angrily, “How can you eat bunnies? Bunnies are so cute.”
Seeing her puffed up with anger, Feng Shan didn’t understand why she was upset and couldn’t help but laugh. “But you were just eating it with great relish!”
Gu Pingting: …
Gu Pingting was speechless. She placed the small bowl on the bedside table, her little face flushed with anger.
His little wife was beautiful, and even when angry, she was a delight to look at. Feng Shan watched her with interest for a while.
This little face was so lovely—even her anger made people feel invigorated!
Feng Shan was happy, and his appetite was good. He ate four large bowls of food in one go.
After finishing his meal, Feng Shan came to coax Gu Pingting, but she ignored him no matter what he said. Feng Shan had no choice but to take his bow and arrows and go hunting in the mountains.
Gu Pingting was stubborn. She stayed angry until evening, and when Feng Shan returned from hunting, she was still wearing a stern expression.
Feng Shan strode to the bedside and was about to sit down to coax her when Gu Pingting shouted sharply, “Don’t sit on my bed. You’re filthy!”
Feng Shan looked at himself. He had been running around in the dense forest all day, and he was indeed quite dirty.
Feng Shan straightened up again, looked at Gu Pingting carefully, and pretended to sigh. “Alright, if you don’t want me around, I can’t keep pressing my warm face against your cold backside.”
His words were crude, and Gu Pingting blushed. She looked up and scolded him, “Ugh! Vulgar talk, don’t say that.”
Her little face flushed with embarrassment. Feng Shan raised an eyebrow and smiled. What kind of vulgar talk was this?
He had plenty of vulgar thoughts in his mind, and he planned to say them all to her in bed later. If she was already shy now, what would she do then?
Being scolded made Feng Shan feel incredibly pleased. He wished Gu Pingting would scold him a few more times.
But Gu Pingting had been angry for half a day, and Feng Shan didn’t want to deliberately provoke her again. So he continued, “Then I’ll go cook. But… I had bad luck today. I only managed to hunt rabbits this afternoon, so we’ll be eating rabbit meat again tonight. Will you eat it?”
Gu Pingting snorted and said haughtily, “I won’t eat it. You can eat it yourself if you want!”
Feng Shan nodded and strode out.
Gu Pingting sat on the bed playing with a tangram puzzle. When she got bored, she saw Feng Shan come in carrying a large plate.
As soon as he entered, the room was filled with the rich aroma of roasted meat. Gu Pingtíng sniffed the air—Feng Shan had roasted several rabbits, each with crispy skin and tender meat, glistening with a reddish hue that looked incredibly appetizing.
Gu Pingtíng hadn’t eaten much at noon, and now, smelling the food, she couldn’t help but feel hungry. When she noticed Feng Shan glancing at her, she quickly turned her head away.
Feng Shan chuckled quietly, pulled off a rabbit leg, and walked over to the bed. “Want some? It’s delicious,” he asked.
Gu Pingtíng swallowed her saliva, her stomach growling with hunger. She couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
When she was craving something, her eyes would widen, looking soft and adorable.
Feng Shan reached out and gently tapped her little nose, laughing. “No backbone, yet still putting on airs.”
He tore off a long strip of rabbit meat and brought it to her lips. Unable to resist the temptation, Gu Pingtíng opened her mouth and took a big bite.
The meat was fragrant and tender, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Gu Pingtíng lowered her head and mumbled, “Feng Shan, cute things really do taste delicious.”
Hearing this, Feng Shan burst into laughter.
His voice was loud, and his laughter rumbled from his chest. Gu Pingtíng couldn’t help but giggle along.
She really had no backbone…