Everyone was delighted to see the wild rabbit.
Fang Zhiyuan praised his father enthusiastically, “Dad, you’re amazing! We haven’t even finished the pheasant, and you’ve already caught a rabbit! I’m definitely going to learn hunting from you and become as skilled as you!”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Having one hunter in the family is enough. Once I’ve saved enough money, I’ll send you to school. I’m counting on you to bring honor to the Fang family,” Fang Youwei said, patting his son’s bottom.
Li took the rabbit and examined it. “This rabbit is completely unharmed. We can keep the pelt and make a pair of knee pads for Mother. The old pair from previous years is already worn out.”
Jiayin also looked at the rabbit and asked curiously, “The rabbit isn’t injured. How did you catch it?”
Fang Youwei smiled at her and explained, “When I went to cut branches, I set a snare made of thin hemp rope in a grassy spot. As long as the rabbit steps into it, the rope tightens around it. The more it struggles, the tighter the rope becomes.” As he spoke, he demonstrated by tying a knot with the rope.
Jiayin looked amazed. She stuck her hand into the loop and tried it out—sure enough, the more she struggled, the tighter it got. This was truly magical, just like her mother’s immortal-binding rope!
She took the rope and mimicked Fang Youwei’s movements, tying the knot successfully on her first try.
“Jiayin is so clever! You learned it in one go!” Fang Youwei praised her, patting her little head.
Jiayin felt wonderful from the compliment and looked at Fang Zhiyuan with a proud expression.
Fang Zhiyuan thought she was waiting for his praise and quickly said, “Yes, Jiayin is really amazing! You must learn everything quickly. Unlike me—I can never remember, even after Dad taught me several times.”
Hearing this, Jiayin lifted her head even higher and straightened her back even more. Yes, not bad. If you have more to say, keep talking! She loved hearing nice things like that.
“Dinner’s ready! Come eat!” Li’s voice interrupted their flattery.
Fang Youwei placed the tree stump he had brought back on a flat surface to serve as a table.
Li set the pot directly on the stump. Everyone took a coarse grain pancake and used their chopsticks to pick meat out of the pot.
When they had fled, they had only brought bowls, no plates. The main reason was that their plates at home were all broken. Before they could go to town to buy new ones, the heavy rain had started, and soon after, the flood came.
“After dinner, I’ll saw off a slice from this stump and carve a plate out of it.”
Jiayin looked at him curiously. “Uncle, you can carve plates too!”
Fang Youwei laughed heartily. “It’s just carving out a hollow in the middle. I can’t do anything fine or delicate, but a rough one like that is no problem.”
Jiayin nodded as if she understood and decided to wait and see how he made the plate.
After dinner, Li went to wash the pot, bowls, and chopsticks. Fang Youwei took out his saw and cut a three-inch-thick round slice of wood. He then used a small knife to hollow out the center bit by bit, while Jiayin and Fang Zhiyuan squatted nearby, watching.
Old Madam Yang moved the fire from inside the shelter to the outside and swept the area with a branch. The ground inside the shelter was now very dry and still warm. At night, they would spread some dried leaves on the ground, then lay out their mats and bedding.
Before long, the plate was finished. Fang Youwei found a rough-surfaced stone and vigorously rubbed away the splinters on the surface of the wooden plate.
“All right, this can be used to serve dishes from now on.” He washed it with water and handed it to Li.
Li took it with a smile and placed it together with the pot, bowls, and ladles.
Jiayin, however, looked at it with disdain. “It’s so ugly~ So many bumps on it.”
Fang Zhiyuan nodded in agreement. The wooden plate was rough and uneven, completely lacking any aesthetic appeal. It couldn’t even compare to the scraps left over from his cousin’s carving work.
Fang Youwei touched his nose and cleared his throat awkwardly. “This is my first time making one. I’ll get better with more practice. All right, Grandma has already made the beds. Go inside and sleep.” With that, he picked them up, one in each hand, and plopped them inside the shelter.
He then covered the belongings on the cart with oilcloth and tied them down with rope.
He piled firewood at the entrance so he could easily add more to the fire at any time. Only then did he take off his shoes, crawl into the shelter, and lie down on the outermost side.
Jiayin and Fang Zhiyuan were squeezed in the middle. Fang Zhiyuan had fallen asleep as soon as he lay down and was already snoring softly. Old Madam Yang and Li were also breathing steadily.
Jiayin lay there with her big eyes wide open, not feeling sleepy at all. She thought about how her personal spirit space was gone, and a wave of sadness washed over her. Her lips pouted, and her eyes filled with tears. All the treasures I looted from Father are gone… boohoo…