Chapter 16: The Rabbit

During the drought, people were tense. Coupled with infrequent handwashing and food that wasn’t as clean as before, diarrhea was a frequent occurrence.

After waiting a while longer and seeing no one else coming, Xu Lizheng announced that everyone should set off.

The Mu family elders were heading to Mu Valley Mountain and Mu Valley Spring.

Mu Valley Mountain had only three daughters.

Originally, Mu Valley Spring’s son was supposed to go as well, but Mu Dehong worried about the danger. If anything happened, the second branch would have no heirs, so he firmly refused.

The plan was to send the sons first; if it was safe, the grandsons would go along later.

Seeing Yu Jinzhen carrying a bucket at the back, Mu Guyshan deliberately mocked her, “Hey, today’s group is all men, and you’re just a girl. If danger comes, don’t expect us to save you. After all, you’re not even my niece; I have no obligation to help you, right?”

Yu Jinzhen ignored her for the moment, but Mu Yiyue couldn’t hold back and glared angrily at Mu Guyshan.

“Yiyue, don’t lose your temper,” someone cautioned.

Fuming, Mu Yiyue retorted, “Sister Jinzhen is capable. She doesn’t need your help.”

Mu Guyshan snorted, “We’ll see about that!”

Suddenly, Yu Jinzhen spotted a wild rabbit ahead. Swiftly, she took out a slingshot from her space and aimed directly at the rabbit’s head.

In an instant, the rabbit collapsed unconscious.

As an heir of a martial arts family, Yu Jinzhen trained daily, either practicing martial arts or traveling to train.

She was not only skilled in combat but also practiced with various legal self-defense weapons from her previous life.

A small tool like a slingshot was easier for her to handle than eating a meal.

Everyone watching was dumbfounded.

After such a long drought, the grass at the mountain’s base was gone — how could there be a rabbit?

And yet, Yu Jinzhen had effortlessly knocked it out.

Some tried to seize the opportunity, but just as they lifted their feet, Yu Jinzhen was already by the rabbit’s side, picking it up. She taunted Mu Guyshan, “You’re all men and probably wouldn’t value prey caught by a girl like me. But don’t expect me to offer you any either. After all, you’re not my uncle; I have no obligation to provide for you, right?”

Mu Yiyue and Mu Eryue burst into laughter.

Others openly joined in with laughter.

Even Xu Lizheng chuckled.

“You little brat,” Mu Guyshan was humiliated, wishing she could disappear. “So petty! You’ll never get married if you keep this up!”

Yu Jinzhen placed her hands on her hips, “Don’t worry. Even if I don’t marry, I’ll live better than you. Just look at my hunting skills. Instead of talking to me, you should spend more time with your wife figuring out how to have that son you’re so desperate for.”

Mu Guyshan’s face flushed red, and she was about to step forward to reprimand Yu Jinzhen.

Everyone in the village knew she had given birth to three daughters considered a burden.

Finally, the fourth child was a son, but he was stillborn.

Knowing she had no son was a deep pain for her, making Yu Jinzhen’s deliberate mockery especially cruel.

If Yu Jinzhen knew her thoughts, she would surely say, “I wasn’t mocking you on purpose. I’m a girl; how could I look down on girls? It’s you who have a preference for sons.”

At that moment, Xu Lizheng interjected, “Mu Guyshan, if you keep wasting our time, you can go back on your own. We don’t want someone here holding us back.”

Mu Guyshan had no choice but to give up on teaching Yu Jinzhen a lesson.

Yu Jinzhen snorted, openly tied up the unconscious rabbit, and tossed it to Mu Yiyue.

Some were envious — meat was a rare treat these days.

For a while, most people either focused on the journey or scanned the surroundings, hoping to find prey like Yu Jinzhen.

Mu Yiyue’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the slingshot in Yu Jinzhen’s hand. “Sister Jinzhen, what’s that? It looks powerful.”

Yu Jinzhen liked his adaptable nature and patiently demonstrated. “This is a slingshot. You put a stone or some hard object here, aim, let go, and watch — the stone shoots out.”

She fired a stone that hit a tree trunk with a sharp crack.

Mu Yiyue and Mu Eryue were filled with admiration.

“Sister Jinzhen is amazing.”

“The slingshot looks fun.”

Yu Jinzhen happened to have extra slingshots and handed one to each of them. “These are for you, but don’t practice on good people.”

Mu Yiyue asked, “So, it’s okay to practice on bad people?”

Yu Jinzhen nodded. “Dealing with bad people isn’t practice; it’s justice.”

Mu Yiyue nodded blankly.

Those overhearing exchanged glances.

Is it really right to teach children this way?

Some who had seen the slingshot’s power eyed the weapons greedily.

If they had one, could they hunt rabbits too?

Mu Guyshan and Mu Guyshui wanted to snatch the slingshots but couldn’t because of the crowd, so they gave up.

Soon, Yu Jinzhen repeated her feat, knocking out another rabbit. Now Mu Yiyue and Mu Eryue each had one.

Seeing all eyes on her, Yu Jinzhen looked at Mu Guyshan and said, “These two rabbits are male and female. I heard rabbits have litters every month, so we’ll have endless rabbits to eat.”

Her two younger brothers’ eyes lit up.

Mu Guyshan’s face darkened.

Mu Guyshui sneered in envy, “It’s drought now; there’s no grass at the mountain’s base. What do you think you’ll feed the rabbits?”

Mu Guyshan regained her confidence. “There isn’t enough food for people, so how could you possibly raise rabbits? Kids and their tall tales.”

No sooner had she spoken than Yu Jinzhen, without a running start, nimbly climbed a tree.

She kicked down a tree trunk as thick as an adult’s waist.

Jumping down, she declared proudly, “I have this kind of strength. Moving safely in the forest shouldn’t be a problem.”

Mu Guyshan and Mu Guyshui glanced around. The area was full of plants rabbits could eat, and their smugness faded.

Having learned from the previous experiences, the two brothers dared not speak rashly again, lest they be mocked by Yu Jinzhen.

Unexpectedly, by the time they reached the Tianlei Pond to fetch water, Yu Jinzhen had caught a total of six rabbits, each weighing at least four pounds.

The others didn’t even see a single prey. Without delaying the group, they gathered wild vegetables instead, and even Xu Lizheng began to envy her luck.

For most in the village, this was their first time coming here.

Due to the drought, many animals stayed near Tianlei Pond to drink, avoiding other places.

When the people from Pine Mountain Village arrived, the nearby wild beasts scattered like startled birds.