Chapter 53

When Li Long got up, the sky was already turning light.

He had slept for more than eight hours, and he felt refreshed.

He got up, put on his clothes, and went out. Hearing movement in the west room, he pushed the door and went in, seeing his sister-in-law Liang Yuemei steaming buns.

"Why not sleep a little longer?" Liang Yuemei asked with a smile, "Anyway, there's nothing to do, and you've been tired for two days."

"Set some rabbit snares yesterday, plan to go over and take a look in a while."

"Uncle, Uncle! You set rabbit snares? When are you taking them? Can I go with you?" Li Qiang shouted from the inner room.

"No, it's too far, you can't walk that far."

"I'm not afraid of being tired!" Li Qiang was at an age of being active and curious, running out of the inner room and saying excitedly.

"Where did you set the snares?" Liang Yuemei asked.

"Red willow flat, have to walk one and a half kilometers."

"Then let him go, follow along to exercise. It'll be time to eat when you get back."

"Alright." Li Long nodded, turned his head to Li Qiang and said, "Wear thicker clothes."

"Mom, I want to go too." Li Juan suddenly spoke up.

"Alright."

Li Long took Li Juan and Li Qiang along the footprints from yesterday and headed east.

"Uncle, how many rabbits can we catch this time?" Li Qiang asked while walking. His pant legs were tied tightly to his padded shoes to prevent snow from getting in. Although walking was very troublesome, he was excited at this time and couldn't feel tired.

Li Juan followed at the end carrying a urea bag, not saying a word.

"Don't know, maybe not even one." Li Long said while walking. He had to take care of the speed of the two children, so he didn't walk fast.

The fields were a vast expanse of white, but reeds grew on the ridges. This plant has too strong a vitality; even if you dig out the roots and dry them outside for a few days, they can still sprout after a few days of being buried in the soil.

So, the most annoying thing about farming at this stage is this. Ten-plus years later, when a certain special herbicide comes out, you just wipe it, and the reeds die.

Li Long remembered that when he first came, he followed the tractor plowing the fields and picked up reed roots, peeling the white roots and chewing them; they were sweet, just like eating sugarcane.

It is said that it is also a traditional Chinese medicine.

His mind was wandering, and he didn't even hear Li Qiang's question.

"Uncle, Uncle! How much further?" After walking less than a kilometer, Li Qiang couldn't walk anymore.

"Look ahead," Li Long collected his thoughts and pointed to a patch of red willows ahead:

"That patch of red willows is the place."

"If you don't want to walk, then go back!" Li Juan didn't give her brother any face at all, "You were the one who wanted to come!"

"I don't want to go back, almost there." Li Qiang cheered himself up, "Maybe we can see rabbits as soon as we arrive!"

When they walked to the red willow flat, all three were panting.

Li Long took the urea bag and asked the two siblings:

"Are you going in with me, or waiting here?"

"I want to go in!" Li Qiang raised his hand, and Li Juan didn't speak, but also raised her hand.

"Alright, follow behind me, step where I step."

He followed yesterday's footprints inside and soon arrived at the location of the first snare. A bit disappointed, it was empty.

The second, third, and fourth snares were all empty.

Li Juan and Li Qiang could see the snares, and seeing nothing was also very disappointing.

Continuing to walk inside, Li Qiang couldn't help but say:

"Uncle, are we going back empty-handed today?" Not seeing any rabbits, full of disappointment, his voice already carried a crying tone.

Li Long wanted to laugh. The little guy endured the tiredness and followed with full hope, but didn't see a single rabbit; this disappointment was a bit big.

"Don't talk!" Li Juan habitually suppressed him, "What if you scare the rabbits away?"

Li Long's words of comfort were held back; having an older sister watching her younger brother really worked.

Li Qiang stopped talking and continued to follow silently.

"Rabbit, rabbit!" A moment later, Li Long stopped, and Li Qiang shouted excitedly seeing the rabbit that had already frozen stiff on the ground.

An adult gray rabbit weighing two or three kilograms was strangled by the snare and had already hardened.

Li Long untied it along with the wire snare and put the rabbit into the bag. "Uncle, Uncle, let me see!" Li Qiang said excitedly.

"Don't talk!" Li Juan, equally excited, didn't forget to pat Li Qiang, "What if you scare the rabbit away?"

Li Qiang was used to it; he didn't care at all, took the bag, pulled the rabbit out, and said:

"So heavy! Don't know how much meat there is..."

Alright, unlike children in later generations who see rabbits and say how cute they are, the first thing children now see when they see a rabbit is whether it can be eaten. Later generations don't understand, but now it's very normal.

In an era lacking meat and oil, wouldn't you eat whatever wild game you caught? At this time, there was no animal protection law.

Li Long continued to walk forward. Li Qiang was carrying the bag, and Li Juan wanted to take it, but he wouldn't give it to her.

"Another one, alive!" This time, Li Qiang's voice was even louder!

Under a large red willow, a gray rabbit was almost strangled to death, spitting blood foam from its mouth. Seeing someone coming, it struggled violently, and the more it struggled, the tighter the wire snare became.

Li Long went over, grabbed its ears, lifted it up, and after much difficulty untied the wire snare, then carried it to Li Juan and Li Qiang.

"Look, it's almost dead."

!.

It was smaller than the previous one, still spitting blood foam, but its vitality was still very strong. Li Long suspected its windpipe had been strangled open, but the blood vessels hadn't, so it was still alive.

"Uncle, can I hold it?" Li Qiang asked.

"No," Li Long hurriedly stopped him, "This guy is very fierce, and its claws carry diseases, you can't grab... touch it, touch the back of its head."

Li Qiang touched it immediately, then immediately pulled back, fearing being scratched.

Li Juan also touched it, and touched it again.

Li Long twisted the rabbit's head and put it into the bag.

Later, he found two more dead ones. This time, Li Long carried the bag himself; the four rabbits weighed almost ten kilograms.

When turning back, at the edge of the red willow flat, Li Long unexpectedly found another live one.

This one was jumping around, it must have just entered the snare. It was lying under the red willow root, pressed against the ground; if your eyes weren't good, you really wouldn't see it.

When Li Long arrived, it suddenly jumped up and kicked toward Li Long!

It actually attacked actively!

This was also the largest of these five rabbits. Li Long was quick-eyed and fast-handed, grabbed its ears, and lifted it up.

That rabbit was also experienced. Being lifted by Li Long, it actually bent its body and kicked hard toward Li Long with its hind paws!

"Uncle, be careful!" Li Juan saw it and shouted anxiously.

Li Long thought to himself, could I still be hurt by this rabbit brat? He held the rabbit's ears and smashed it hard toward the ground!

Because it was restricted by the wire snare, he didn't use much force. The rabbit was thrown, actually got up and prepared to escape. Li Long grabbed its ears again, swung it, and smashed it hard toward the ground!

This time, its soul was gone.

Only then did Li Long untie the wire snare, put the rabbit into the bag, and carried it home.

"Uncle, you're really amazing!" This time, Li Qiang said it sincerely.

Li Long smiled, feeling a bit proud in his heart.

Returning to the team, on the road, he met Xie Dafa, a neighbor from the front yard. Xie Dafa was two years older than Li Long and often let the young people like Li Long call him Brother Fa. Two years later, when "The Bund" was performed, Xie Dafa was often teased, but he didn't get angry, habitually saying: "Then I call it foresight—I came first, and then the TV came, okay?"

Brother Fa saw Li Long and the others returning with bags and asked from afar:

"Without Xiao Long, what were you doing so early?"

Before Li Long could speak, Li Qiang snatched the words:

"Uncle Dafa, my uncle took us to catch rabbits! Caught quite a few!"

Li Long thought to himself, Li Qiang, you big mouth!

Don't you know you should be low-key?

Brother Fa was both curious and surprised:

"Catch rabbits? How to catch?"

Li Long explained with a smile:

"Not catching, it was the snares I set yesterday. Looks like I was lucky last night and caught a few."

"Let me see." Brother Fa didn't quite believe it, reached out to open the bag mouth to look inside, and seeing the live rabbit, clicked his tongue in wonder:

"Without Xiao Long, you're amazing! Many people in our team have heard of these rabbit snares, but few people can make them. Didn't expect you not only made them, but also caught rabbits, amazing! Tomorrow, I'll learn from you."

"Alright."

Watching the three Li family members return to the courtyard, Xie Dafa sighed, this second Li son, is his luck too good!

The new round of recommendations will be out this afternoon, don't know if I can get the information for the second round of recommendations, feeling uneasy... Thanks for everyone's monthly tickets and recommendation tickets, thanks to Brother Fa for the reward, the small character has been sent out, please check!

(End of chapter)