Chapter 608: Chapter 608: A Bountiful Harvest Chapter 608: Chapter 608: A Bountiful Harvest “Thud,” the arrow tip hit the grassland but missed its target. However, it startled a nearby pheasant which cackled and flapped its wings, crazily dashing forward.
Shu Yu felt disappointed, twisting her wrist, indeed sensing that her touch was off.
Seeing that the arrow had veered slightly, Fang Xiyue, who was beside her, feared Shu Yu would be upset and hurriedly comforted her, “It’s alright, you were so close. This was only your first arrow, and you’re already quite impressive. My dad says that when you’re not familiar with a bow, it’s normal for the arrow to be off if the weight is just a bit incorrect. Don’t be discouraged.”
Shu Yu, noticing her eager attempt to console and encourage her, couldn’t help but smile, “I know, I didn’t expect to hit the target right from the start. Let’s go, let’s see if we can catch up to it.”
It was uncertain whether they would be able to catch up with that pheasant again.
Fang Xiyue nodded vigorously, picked up the arrow from the ground, and continued to lead the way.
However, wild pheasants and rabbits were not so easy to come across. As Shu Yu walked, she simply found a target and practiced shooting a few arrows at it.
Now that she had completely regained her feel for it, when Fang Xiyue once again spotted the trail of a pheasant, Shu Yu pulled the bow, notched the arrow, aimed, and shot in one smooth motion, and the pheasant fell to the ground on the spot.
Fang Xiyue cheered, “You got it!”
Shu Yu also exhaled a breath of relief, and the two walked up with smiles on their faces.
The time had barely passed, and having achieved success so soon, their confidence soared.
They were still midway up the hill, their prey not very large, but with this catch, their results were quite pleasing.
With one pheasant down, there came the second and third.
Shu Yu and Fang Xiyue worked together, neither one a delicate lady, running through the woods without any hindrance and growing more thrilled as they did.
By noon, they had three pheasants and a rabbit in hand.
In just one morning, they had completed their task quota and then some.
Shu Yu found a flat stone to sit on and prepared to have something to eat.
Since they had gone up into the mountains, she could only bring some water and dry food; having someone deliver a meal was out of the question.
Holding a rice ball with egg in her hand, although it had grown cold, it still tasted quite good.
Fang Xiyue also took out her dry food, which compared to Shu Yu’s was much plainer.
In fact, it was somewhat scant, mere coarse bread, though her water skin was full. She was prepared to drink water if she wasn’t satiated.
Fang Xiyue sat behind Shu Yu, and from the moment Shu Yu took out her food, she deliberately turned away.
Otherwise, she worried she might drool.
Rice balls wrapped with shredded meat and eggs—how long had it been since she had eaten such food? She feared she couldn’t restrain herself; it would be embarrassing.
Fang Xiyue ate slowly, the coarse bread was choking, and eating slowly meant she wouldn’t feel hungry as quickly.
So, when Shu Yu finished eating, Fang Xiyue was still slowly gnawing with her back turned to her.
Just as she was about to finish her last bite, a hand reached over her shoulder from behind, and Fang Xiyue, thinking it might be some snake crawling over, was startled and immediately stood up, retreating a couple of steps.
Shu Yu, “…”
It seemed she should have made a noise first. Look how frightened Fang Xiyue became; it would be bad if the scare caused some mishap.
Shu Yu cleared her throat and extended the rice ball forward, “Here, take it.”
Fang Xiyue blinked and then frantically shook her head, “No, no, that’s not necessary.”
“Take it,” Shu Yu insisted, “My Grandmother prepared a bit too much for me, and I can’t finish it. Just think of it as doing me a favor.”