Xiao Changyi didn’t even glance at those people and went straight home. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard noises from the kitchen and knew his wife was in there, so he immediately headed to the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, he lifted the rabbit in his hands and called out to An Jing, who was busy by the stove, "Jing Er, look what I brought back for you."
An Jing’s eyes lit up when she saw the large white rabbit, her delight evident; then her face fell, and she didn’t smile at all.
Xiao Changyi knew she had misunderstood and quickly went over to explain, "I didn’t go hunting; this rabbit ran into our field, and I just caught it and brought it back."
The field was on the hillside, surrounded by mountains, so it was quite normal for rabbits to be around.
Understanding, An Jing tiptoed up and pecked Xiao Changyi on the lips with a smile, "Husband, you’re amazing. A trip to the field, and you’ve even brought back a rabbit for me."
Seeing that his wife no longer misunderstood and had even kissed him, Xiao Changyi’s lips curved into a slight smile.
An Jing took the rabbit and weighed it in her hands, "This rabbit is heavy; it weighs six or seven catties, doesn’t it?"
"Then let’s sell it for money. Rabbit meat is much more expensive than pork, twenty coins a catty, and since this rabbit is alive, maybe we can sell it for even more." An Jing said excitedly.
Xiao Changyi shook his head, "We won’t sell it, you eat."
An Jing felt both warmth and sweetness in her heart but still said, "I won’t eat this; let’s sell it for money first. It can sell for more than a hundred coins."
Xiao Changyi still shook his head, insisting firmly, "We won’t sell it, you eat."
Every time her husband got stubborn about something, it was so hardheaded that she didn’t know what to say, and she had no way to persuade him. Even though she logically disagreed with eating it, her emotions ultimately overpowered her reason.
With a tiptoe and another peck on Xiao Changyi’s mouth, An Jing finally said with a smile, "Alright, for me to eat; we’ll eat together~"
Xiao Changyi then nodded, "Mm."
Since they were going to kill and eat it anyway, An Jing went on, "It’s a hassle to raise rabbits; let’s just kill and eat it today. Go to the riverbank to do it; it’s too water-consuming to kill at home." The water at home was all fetched from the well, and if it ran out, they’d have to fetch it again, which was not only tiring but also troublesome.
"Mm." Xiao Changyi had no objections.
"Right, don’t throw away the fur you peel off the rabbit; bring it back so that I can make a fur glove later. It will definitely keep us warm. On second thought, I’ll just come with you."
And then, the two went to the riverside to slaughter the rabbit.
Quite a few people from Jiuping Village were washing vegetables by the river. Seeing Xiao Changyi and An Jing process the rabbit, especially such a big one, they were envious and green-eyed.
It wasn’t until Xiao Changyi and An Jing had killed, cleaned, and left with the rabbit that those people started gossiping—
"Having someone at home who can hunt is great; you get to eat meat occasionally. I don’t even remember the last time I touched meat; I’m practically tasting birds in my mouth from the blandness."
"They’ve also opened up an acre of mountain land; how nice, my family has only one acre of land too."
"As you mention it, I remember their rice; it grows quite well. I originally thought that raising so many fish in their paddies would kill the crop."
"It’s still too early to talk about that now. Perhaps their crop will fail later. Just like how people have moments of resurgence before death, maybe the rice is the same—looks good now, but later, heh..."
"I also think that their rice will end up ruined by the fish."
If they can’t have it, they only wish for bad outcomes to make themselves feel better.
Pitifully, they aren’t even aware of their own bitterness.