Chapter 25: Zhang Qian Hunts Rabbits

Since there was nothing to do for the moment and the Chinese cabbage wouldn't be delivered until the afternoon, she changed direction and headed into the mountains, planning to gather some dry firewood.

An Yinan had just entered the mountain when she saw Zhang Qian carrying firewood, preparing to head down.

"Why are you up the mountain at this time?" Zhang Qian asked when he saw her, and this mountain was not the one they had climbed before.

There were three mountains behind their Educated Youth Station; they used to take the nearest one, but this mountain was a bit further away.

"I'm pickling sauerkraut this afternoon, and I figured I had some time, so I came to gather some firewood." An Yinan smiled, a large basket on her back that reached half the height of her body.

"I'll go with you." Zhang Qian placed his firewood under a tree to the side; once all the wood was piled there, others would know it was claimed, and few people came to this mountain anyway.

In fact, almost no one came to the entire Back Mountain. Quanshui Village was surrounded by mountains on all four sides, but the three large mountains behind the Educated Youth Station were exceptionally steep and all belonged to the Back Mountain.

Moreover, the elders had said that there were wild beasts deep in these three mountains, and many people had died there in the past, so the villagers basically never came to these three mountains.

The other three sides were also mountainous, but they were relatively much gentler, enough for the people of Quanshui Village to gather firewood and forage for mountain goods.

An Yinan did not refuse, "Then let's go."

The two walked along. Whenever An Yinan saw mushrooms, she would squat down to pick them up, while Zhang Qian was the one collecting the firewood. The two didn't say anything the whole time. Just as An Yinan was about to continue forward, Zhang Qian pulled her sleeve and pointed to the front right.

Over there, a gray rabbit was eating grass.

An Yinan looked up and saw Zhang Qian pick up a pebble from the ground, weigh it in his hand, and then throw it out fiercely. The rabbit didn't have time to react before its skull was shattered.

"Good skill," An Yinan praised.

"With your strength, it shouldn't be difficult either," Zhang Qian replied. His strength didn't even compare to An Yinan's; it was just that he had practiced shooting for a long time, so his aim was better than hers.

"Can I practice?" An Yinan asked.

Zhang Qian nodded, "Certainly. You first determine a center, slowly throw pebbles, and practice your aim."

An Yinan became interested, then used a stone to draw a circle on a tree. Afterward, she stood a meter away and hit it with pebbles; every single pebble landed inside the circle.

"Your aim is not bad. You can try standing a bit further away." Zhang Qian sat on the side watching. Being able to hit the circle from a meter away was quite good, but the distance was too close—what prey would let you attack from that close? It would have run far away long ago.

Afterward, she moved to three meters away and continued to hit the circle; only one out of five pebbles could hit it. Aim needed to be trained slowly. She picked up some pebbles and put them into her basket, preparing to practice more in her space.

Regardless of whether she could hit prey, it was at least a skill to have. Pebbles were also powerful weapons; she hadn't thought of it at first, but now that she had discovered it, she naturally had to practice.

The two continued walking up the mountain. Zhang Qian hit three more wild rabbits and incidentally taught An Yinan how to set traps.

Seeing that the sun was almost at high noon, the two went down the mountain and returned to the Educated Youth Station.

The wall of the backyard had already been blocked off. Over these past few days, Ershu Xie had dried quite a few mud bricks, and he would finish building the wall in these next few days. Moreover, a separate wooden door had been opened in the backyard, and An Yinan had put a lock on it to make it convenient to go to the Back Mountain in the future.

Returning to the courtyard, she sorted the picked mushrooms and laid them out to dry in the Erjin Yuan.

Just after mealtime, Brother Li pushed a cart of Chinese cabbage over, "Educated Youth An, my mother asked me to bring the cabbage to you."

"There is another cart in a while. My mother asked me to ask you, do you want white radishes?"

An Yinan helped unload the cabbage from the cart. The cabbage planted by Auntie Li was very large, and the damaged leaves had been removed from each head; it looked fresh and tender.

"Yes, whatever Auntie Li doesn't need, give it all to me." An Yinan smiled. She was just about to make kimchi, so she would use the radishes as a base, and next year she could add small chili peppers and long beans; the sour taste was incredibly appetizing.

Brother Li agreed, helped finish moving the cabbage, and went back to push the second cart.

Li Xiue hadn't gone to work today. Just after washing clothes, she saw An Yinan tidying up the cabbage and hurriedly wiped her hands to come and help.

"Why so much cabbage?" Li Xiue helped break off the damaged and rotten leaves.

The first step of pickling sauerkraut was to let the moisture evaporate a little, and Auntie Li had already helped with that.

The second step was to break off the flawed vegetable leaves; otherwise, it could ruin a whole vat of sauerkraut, which would be a loss that outweighed the gain.

An Yinan sat on the ground, also sorting the cabbage, "Hey, it's not like there's anything to eat in the winter. Even though it's about getting through the winter, I don't plan on going hungry, so I'm preparing a bit more vegetables in advance."

Li Xiue smiled and didn't try to persuade her otherwise. Educated Youth An was capable and earned many Work Points, so even if she ate three meals in the winter, she could afford it.

She didn't have much strength, earning eight Work Points a day on average, and with the money and coupons sent by her family every month, life was actually quite comfortable.

She had been sent to the countryside for three years now. Her mindset was very peaceful. Although her family didn't have major connections to let her return to the City, they hadn't given up on her either. Compared to most female Educated Youths, she was already considered well-off.

"There are few green vegetables in winter. Pickling sauerkraut is a way to always have some green leafy vegetables to eat." Li Xiue worked very nimbly; in a short while, the two of them had finished clearing away the bad leaves.

An Yinan moved the dining table out and took out the cutting board and kitchen knife. The Chinese cabbage Auntie Li planted was too big and had to be split in half before it could be put into the vat to pickle; otherwise, it would ferment too slowly and easily go bad.

"I'll cut it for you, you go boil some water quickly." Since there was nothing to do today, Li Xiue helped An Yinan.

An Yinan smiled and didn't refuse, "I still have to wait a while; Brother Li hasn't brought the other cart of cabbage yet."

Li Xiue paused. There was already nearly two hundred jin of cabbage in the courtyard, and there was another cart? Could these two siblings finish eating it all?

An Yinan saw Li Xiue's disbelieving expression and burst into laughter. She had a space where she could store things. Once the sauerkraut was pickled, she would throw it into the space at the most appropriate time, and she could even use it to wrap vegetable fillings in the summer.

"My family has quite a few relatives, so I want to send some to them to taste." When An Yinan said this, there were still three letters she hadn't replied to. Before, she was waiting for more mountain goods to send them all together, but now she actually wanted to hunt some game, make some air-dried meat and smoked meat, and send it all to her godmother.

Li Xiue nodded, "The Educated Youth Dormitory doesn't even have as much as one of your carts. You have a bit too much; you must keep a close eye on it so it doesn't go bad."

Since it was a kind reminder, An Yinan naturally accepted it.

Brother Li's movements were fast; the second cart had already been pushed over, and on the handle of the cart, there were two large bags of white radishes.

Li Xiue took over the job of cutting vegetables, and An Yinan helped Brother Li unload the cart. After unloading, she secretly slipped five yuan to Brother Li.

"My mother said it doesn't cost that much." Brother Li pushed two yuan back.