Volume One, Chapter Two: Catching a Wild Rabbit

Turning around hurriedly, he plunged both hands into the sleeves opposite him like two little birds eagerly seeking a warm nest. Glancing around, then at the direction of the pheasant’s footprints, he stepped toward an oak tree.

“Roosting spot!” This was where the wild pheasant nested.

Beneath the oak, the soil was loose and showed signs of being scratched, forming a clear little nest scattered with a few wild pheasant feathers.

A “roosting spot” is where a wild pheasant digs a small pit beneath a tree or in a place sheltered from the wind and warmed by the sun. In the cold outdoors during winter, this nest helps conserve heat by using feathers and the pit itself to reduce heat loss and maintain body temperature.

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the air, and not far off came the fluttering noise of birds taking flight.

Lin Xiao turned to see a male wild pheasant land nearby, staring intently at him. It occasionally clucked twice, a tone that seemed to carry a hint of provocation.

When Lin Xiao first joined the military, he was assigned to a border defense company as an ordinary soldier. His daily duties consisted of patrolling and standing guard in the mountains. He often encountered wild pheasants, rabbits, boars, deer, and muntjacs, as well as some fiercer animals, and thus grew familiar with their habits.

After two years of rigorous selection, he was transferred to the special forces and eventually became a team leader. Leading his team on frequent missions deep into the wilderness was commonplace. Survival skills in the wild were fundamental for special forces soldiers, so Lin Xiao was well versed in the flora and fauna of the wild.

The fact that the pheasant did not flee upon seeing him suggested there were more pheasants nearby, and that the one watching him just now was male. The one that flew off was a male, so this must be a female pheasant.

Unfortunately, today was just a scouting trip. If only he had a slingshot, he could have taken the bird down with a single shot.

Lin Xiao thought he should head back to make a slingshot. If nothing else, shooting a wild pheasant would at least bring back a roasted meal for his mother and sister.

With that thought, he turned slowly and quietly slipped away, knowing full well that once disturbed, wild pheasants would not return to this spot for weeks.

As Lin Xiao snapped off a branch, testing if it was suitable for a slingshot, a faint “squeak” came from nearby.

Suddenly, another pheasant burst into flight, slicing through the sky.

Lin Xiao knew the “squeak” was not from a pheasant—it sounded more like a rabbit.

He tiptoed toward the source of the sound and spotted a brown shape. Its head and two large ears were on one side of a tree branch, while its body and short tail hung on the other.

Its two hind legs thrashed wildly against the snow, emitting intermittent squeaking sounds.

Indeed, it was a wild rabbit, probably weighing four or five pounds. An unexpected catch.

Looking around, Lin Xiao realized the rabbit wouldn’t have gotten stuck on the branch by chance—it must have been chased or frightened into a panic.

After observing and hearing no further unusual sounds, Lin Xiao bent down, picked up a slender stick about the thickness of his wrist, and tested its sturdiness.

Creeping up behind the rabbit, he swung the stick at its back of the head.

As he swung, a sudden flash of memory crossed his mind—how his own experiences strangely mirrored those of this rabbit.

He pushed the thought aside, stuck the branch intended for the slingshot into his cotton trousers at the waist, grabbed the rabbit by its ears with one hand, and pulled it off the tree branch with the other.

Goodness, it was quite heavy—his previous estimate of four or five pounds was an understatement.

“Brother, what are you carrying?” Before Lin Xiao could reach the cabin, his little sister Lin Xi called out in her tender voice from the front of the wooden house.

“Guess,” Lin Xiao replied, quickening his pace.

“A rabbit, a rabbit! Mom, come quick! Brother brought back a rabbit!” Lin Xi exclaimed as she ran into the cabin.

“You child, you worry your mother to death! You go out to play and don’t come back until afternoon,” their mother scolded with concern as she stepped out of the cabin.

Lin Xiao had already reached the courtyard—a fenced-off area made from gathered branches, though it had been neglected for some time and many posts were rotten.

“Where did this rabbit come from? Did you go up the mountain again? I told you not to, but you wouldn’t listen!” his mother scolded, mixing reprimand with worry.

“There are all sorts of animals up there. Your uncle just said the area isn’t safe anymore. Wolves are roaming about...” she continued, speaking to herself.

“Uncle came by? Where is he?” Lin Xiao shifted the topic and asked about his uncle.

“Brother, here, eat this.” Lin Xi handed him a steamed bun.

Seeing his sister approach, Lin Xiao quickly gave the rabbit to their mother and said, “Mom, let’s eat rabbit meat tonight! We’ll roast the hind legs—should be delicious.” Then he picked up his sister.

“All right, all right! Good, good! We’ll eat it just as you say,” she replied.

“Meat, meat to eat!” Lin Xi shouted happily.

Lin Xiao knew his sister’s excitement was no surprise. Although the original Lin Xiao occasionally managed to catch a few birds or other small game by chance, there was never nearly enough for the three of them to share.

Their mother always prepared everything meticulously, but Grandpa, Grandma, and Father ate first, followed by their eldest son Lin Mu. By the time it was Lin Xiao, his mother, and sister’s turn, there was often no soup left.

Now five years old, Lin Xi had never tasted meat before. Yet even the little meat they brought back was met with their grandmother’s complaints and sometimes even their father’s harsh punishment.

“Xi, where did you get this steamed bun?” Lin Xiao asked deliberately, holding his sister in his arms.

“My uncle brought it. I wanted to give it to you, but I couldn’t find you!” Lin Xi looked very upset.

Even someone so young was already thinking of her brother. Although the original Lin Xiao’s fate was poor and he had no special talents, he was blessed with a good mother and sister.

Lin Xiao, as an only child, had never truly understood the bond between siblings. Thinking of this, a pang of sadness tugged at his heart.

“Where is Uncle?” he asked.

After talking with their mother, he left.

“Your uncle just came by, brought ten jin of cornmeal and twenty steamed buns,” their mother said after hearing the siblings’ conversation.

The original uncle’s name was He Qingshan. When their grandfather named him, it was meant to symbolize carrying on the legacy of the elder uncle, protecting the green mountains and clear waters of their homeland.

But after the elder uncle took him hunting in the mountains and they encountered a bear, He Qingshan was so frightened that he never dared return.

This time, He Qingshan came to their cabin to bring food, sneaking quietly without informing their grandfather.

Their grandfather, He Yulin, had been the production team leader—an honest and straightforward man well respected by the villagers.

He Qingshan did not dare tell He Yulin that the three women had already left their so-called home, fearing that the old man, in poor health, might recklessly try to confront them.

Lin Xiao and his sister chatted quietly, occasionally giggling.

“This place doesn’t even have a knife. How are we supposed to deal with this rabbit?” their mother muttered to herself.

Though her voice was low, Lin Xiao heard it clearly.

“Mom, wait a moment. I’ll check the woodshed to see if the old man left anything behind.”

The woodshed was a small shelter made long ago from freshly cut, fairly straight branches.