“I’ve survived so long, becoming the big boss of this area… and now if I’m eaten, all the other rabbits will laugh at me—waaah!”
The big white rabbit continued whining pitifully, but the human child ignored it. Eventually, it gave up struggling altogether.
Ye Anran approached Third Uncle Ye San.
“Dad, can we not eat the fat rabbit, and not sell it either? I want to keep it as a pet.”
Ye San frowned, but then considered—why not? After all, both rabbits were caught by his daughter. She’d already allowed them to eat the gray rabbit; if she wanted to keep the fat rabbit, so be it.
He pulled out a prepared cloth and tied up the fat rabbit, then tried to tuck it into his arms. On the way, if they ran into villagers, it would look bad, so he planned to keep it hidden.
Meanwhile, the two boys had already gathered all the quail eggs into a bamboo basket—completely full.
Ye San saw the abundant harvest and glanced at some tree bark on the ground, about to pick it up.
Ye Anran stopped him.
“Dad, let’s leave this. We don’t eat tree bark—later we can find other things to eat.”
Ye San nodded. Skipping the bark wouldn’t upset Grandma anyway; after all, they already had a full basket of eggs. Even if she didn’t know what kind of birds laid them, it would last the family quite a while.
Plus, with the gray rabbit, they could sell it in town if needed, converting the money to black wheat flour for food.
Ye San handed the tied-up fat rabbit to his daughter.
“Here, you carry it—you’ve got the strength.”
Ye Anran lifted the fat rabbit carefully, holding it in her arms. The rabbit squealed loudly:
“Don’t grab my ears! My ears will snap off!”
Ye Anran realized the rabbit’s ears couldn’t handle its own weight, so she adjusted her hold, cradling it properly as she followed Ye San back home.
On the way, they met some villagers.
Ye San quickly had the three children run ahead, keeping Ye Anran safe with the fat rabbit in her arms. With him shielding her, she vanished from sight in an instant.
The villagers glanced at Ye San’s basket.
“What’s in there? Looks like some branches too.”
Ye San sighed.
“Times are hard. Went up the mountain and grabbed some bark—ground into flour to mix with black wheat to make porridge.”
The villagers all nodded in understanding, sharing the same struggles. Ye San waved them off.
“Alright, I have to go home. These kids are everywhere—won’t let them roam and play.”
The children reached home first. Ye Anran dashed in with the fat rabbit, and Grandma Ye spotted it immediately.
“Ah! Your dad is reckless! How could he let our little darling carry such a heavy rabbit? It might hurt her!”
She wanted to scold Third Uncle, but Grandpa Ye quickly closed the courtyard gate.
“Wife, keep your voice down—don’t let anyone hear.”
Grandma Ye chuckled.
“Who would dare take anything now that they’re home?”
She patted Ye Anran gently.
“You’re amazing! Went up the mountain and caught such a fat rabbit. I’ve never seen one so big in my life. Must be delicious cooked!”
The fat rabbit struggled again in Ye Anran’s arms.
Why did humans all seem to get excited, eyes sparkling, saliva dripping, as if they wanted to devour it raw?
Ye Anran shook her head.
“Grandma, can we not eat this fat rabbit? It grew so big—it’s hard to come by! I want to keep it as my pet.”
Grandma Ye looked at her son, then at Ye Anran, and thought for a moment. Since it was the little granddaughter who caught it and didn’t want to eat it, why not let her keep it?
“Alright, alright. Keep it to play with. But tie it up—you know how wild rabbits can dig a hole and escape.”
Ye Anran nodded.
“Okay, thank you, Grandma.”
Grandma Ye figured the rabbit might not survive anyway. If it died, they could still eat it later; if it lived, let Ye Anran enjoy it. Even though it would have been worth quite a bit, it was her granddaughter’s catch.
Ye Qingcheng tugged on Grandma Ye’s sleeve.
“Grandma, you don’t know! Sister is amazing! She caught two rabbits at once, and found so many bird eggs in the grass—an entire bamboo basket! Dad will be back soon and see how much there is.”
He held up his hands behind his back to show just how many.
Grandma Ye slapped her thigh.
“See? I knew you were lucky!”
She believed that as long as she treated Ye Anran well, the old Ye family would have a good future.
The fat rabbit, tied by all four legs, wriggled a few times before lying still, like it had given up.
Ye San returned from outside, full of excitement. He described in vivid detail how blessed his daughter was.
“Mother, you were right! Our daughter is truly lucky. Every day, so many people wander the mountain, yet none have her fortune—finding so many eggs and this fat rabbit.”
Grandma Ye, listening, couldn’t help but smile.
Meanwhile, Ye Anran went into her room, closed the door, and began testing her wood-based abilities.
After a short while, strange noises came from outside. Ye Anran ceased her use of the ability, unaware that the wild chickens in the forest, sensing her summon, had flown down.
Because she had withdrawn her powers quickly, the chickens landed on the house and courtyard walls.
Ye Qing’an just came out from the main room, and upon seeing the scene outside, was stunned. After a moment, he shouted loudly:
“Grandma, come see! Chickens! So many chickens! Grandma!”
Grandma Ye, hearing him, had no idea what had happened, and stepped outside, mumbling:
“Qing’an, why are you making such a fuss? Chickens? When did we raise chickens?”
Qing’an turned to her.
“Grandma, you have to see this!”
Then he called out to Grandpa Ye in the main room:
“Grandpa! Come quickly! Grandpa!”