Xiu Xi left the house early again, and when he returned at noon, he had two more bamboo rats in his hands. Bamboo rats are unlike common rats; they are fat and their meat is delicious, with the larger ones weighing several pounds.
Yesterday, Xiu Xi brought back pheasants and many people from the team saw it. Today, he brought back two bamboo rats, which drew even more attention.
Some, envious, stopped him to ask, "Xiu Xi, did you really just find these bamboo rats on the back mountain?"
Yesterday Xiu Xi had come back with two pheasants, and the day before with a roe deer. Everyone was curious about how he had gotten them, so some went to ask Liu Mei. Liu Mei, in a good mood after eating the pheasant, said that Xiu Xi had found them in the mountains.
Naturally, others didn’t believe this. Where could one just ’find’ so many pheasants and wild chickens these days?
Liu Mei herself didn’t believe it either, but she didn’t care how the meat came to be—as long as there was something to eat. She made up an excuse, saying that Xiu Xi had found them in the mountains.
Now, seeing Xiu Xi with bamboo rats, they naturally wanted to ask. If they really were just found, they too wanted to try their luck, even though there had been an incident in that area only a few days before.
But they were adults, and they weren’t afraid that the monkeys could carry them off.
Xiu Xi glanced at the person who had asked, his eyes shining with a green light that seemed to emit a chilling glow. The asker unconsciously touched his own arm, feeling the hair on his body standing on end.
The person took two steps back, and just when she thought Xiu Xi wouldn’t answer, she heard him say two words: "Caught them."
"You caught them?" another person immediately exclaimed with eyes full of amazement.
"My goodness, this kid is truly incredible," someone exclaimed.
Then someone else rolled their eyes and snorted, "I knew it. That Liu Mei is always spouting nonsense. How could there be so many things to just pick up these days?"
"Exactly, Liu Mei is really fortunate. Last time it was a roe deer, before it was pheasants, this time bamboo rats; who knows what it will be next."
"Xiu Xi is really capable."
"But I’ve never heard that this kid knew how to hunt..."
After hearing Xiu Xi’s words, everyone began discussing, one after another.
Xiu Xi sidestepped them and walked away.
When he got back to the Xiu Family, Liu Mei was in the yard hanging out clothes. Seeing Xiu Xi with the bamboo rats, she was taken aback.
Then she quickly reacted, broke into a smile, threw the clothes she was handling carelessly over the bamboo rod above her head, and hurried forward to greet him.
"My goodness, did you find these in the mountains too?" Liu Mei asked with a beaming smile as she quickly reached out to take the bamboo rats, afraid that if she was a moment too late, he would carry them off to the neighboring Ruan Family.
Thinking of the mountain chicken from the previous night that had yet to be finished, and now having bamboo rats as well, Liu Mei was overjoyed.
Her eyes darting around, who knows what she thought, she suddenly yelled out, "Wow, these bamboo rats are so big, so fat, we can eat for several meals again, Xiaoxi, you’re truly remarkable!"
Her voice was so loud that it could be heard by nearly all the nearby households. Several households even came out to see what the commotion was about, and some looked on enviously, thinking the Xiu Family had suddenly come upon good fortune.
However, the Ruanlin Family didn’t come out.
Liu Mei had shouted out loud just to make the Ruan Family, especially the Ruanlin Family see.
But she didn’t come out to see.
Unwilling to let it go, Liu Mei deliberately walked a bit towards the Ruan Family’s side and continued to shout, "Oh my, these bamboo rats are huge! For lunch, let’s have bamboo shoots braised with rat, Xiaoxi, doesn’t that sound good?"