At night, the crickets and frogs made their voices heard.
Suddenly, with a chirp, something dashed through the bushes, and Xia Xiao immediately tensed up, but Gao Jiaxing had already swiftly fired a shot at the moment there was movement in the bushes.
With a bang, Xia Xiao felt as though something in the bushes had fallen, and she quietly asked, "Brother Gao, what is it? Did you see it?"
Gao Jiaxing shook his head, "We’ll see when we look."
Xia Xiao couldn’t help but feel anxious, "It’s not a person, is it?"
Gao Jiaxing suddenly laughed, "What are you thinking about? Sometimes you seem so smart, and now you’re baffled. Such low bushes can’t even hide a person, let alone allow someone to move that quickly through them."
Xia Xiao shook her head and looked towards the bushes, realizing how silly her question was. She gave a sheepish smile.
Gao Jiaxing said, "You stay here; I’ll go check."
"No, I want to come with you." Xia Xiao didn’t feel safe letting Gao Jiaxing go alone, especially since they didn’t know if the thing in the bushes was dead.
At this moment, Xia Xiao let Shitou out, and as Gao Jiaxing walked forward, she quietly asked Shitou, "Is there anyone else around here?"
"Just the two of you."
With that reply from Shitou, Xia Xiao felt relieved and asked, "Then what’s in the bushes?"
Before Shitou could answer, Gao Jiaxing had already lifted something out and toward Xia Xiao, "It’s a plump rabbit."
"Brother Gao, your luck is truly incredible," Xia Xiao said with a laugh.
Gao Jiaxing was also delighted, not expecting to accidentally hit a rabbit. It was indeed a fortunate gain.
"Let’s go home, and have mom cook rabbit meat. You haven’t tried Mom’s rabbit meat, it’s really delicious."
"Sure," Xia Xiao nodded, and then she saw Gao Jiaxing crouch down with the rabbit.
Xia Xiao laughed and automatically leaned onto Gao Jiaxing’s back, letting him carry her home.
Then Shitou said, "Gao Jiaxing is really good, Xia Xiao. You’ve picked the right person."
Xia Xiao did not respond, but her smile couldn’t be hidden. Gao Jiaxing was indeed wonderful, and she felt her whole being brimming with sweetness.
As they neared the village entrance, Xia Xiao said, "Brother Gao, put me down. Let’s walk back slowly."
"No need, I’ll carry you back," Gao Jiaxing said.
But Xia Xiao insisted, "Even though it’s dark, it still wouldn’t look good if someone saw us. Please put me down; I can walk."
By this time, it was already past eight in the evening. Xia Xiao thought everyone would be asleep by the time they returned, but Zheng Xianghong was actually waiting for them.
"You’re back. Where did you go?" Zheng Xianghong asked.
"We went to the back mountain," Gao Jiaxing replied, handing the wild rabbit to Zheng Xianghong, "Mom, it’s your turn to show your cooking skills."
Zheng Xianghong’s eyes brightened, but she still disapproved, "You went into the mountains to hunt wild rabbits? That’s quite dangerous."
"Mom, we didn’t go hunting; we just happened to come across it," Xia Xiao said.
Zheng Xianghong laughed and was about to enter the kitchen, but then she stopped and turned to Gao Jiaxing, "You have a classmate named Yong, right? He came looking for you this evening. Ah, I forget his full name."
"Mom, I know. I bumped into him, and that’s why I ended up going to the back mountain," Gao Jiaxing said.
"What happened? Aren’t you close?" Zheng Xianghong asked.
Gao Jiaxing quietly whispered something into Zheng Xianghong’s ear, making her frown, "Why did he come looking for you?"
"Mom, don’t worry about it. Just leave the rabbit in the kitchen, go sleep, and deal with it when you get up," Gao Jiaxing said.
Zheng Xianghong shook her head, "That won’t do. I’ll handle it now; it will stink by tomorrow."
"Mom, let me help you," Xia Xiao said.
Zheng Xianghong shook her head, "There’s still hot water in the kitchen. You guys go wash up and sleep early; you don’t need to help." Saying that, Zheng Xianghong quickly entered the kitchen, planning to make some meat and soup, hoping her son and daughter-in-law might drink some before they went to bed.