bookrandom Chapter 363 Not happy anymore
Chapter 363 Not happy anymore
Hearing Li Xiangyang's words, Li Xiaoyun blushed and gently punched him: "Alright, stop being so cheeky. You just came back from the mountains, you must be tired, right? Do you want me to give you a back massage?"
"Not tired," Li Xiangyang shook his head and stretched. "Those few days in the mountains, I was thinking about coming back to see you every day. Now that I've seen you, how can I be tired?"
A blush crept onto Li Xiaoyun's face again, and she scolded playfully, "Your mouth is never serious."
"I'm just telling the truth," Li Xiangyang said with a smile, pulling her into his arms. "Honestly, I just missed you."
Li Xiaoyun leaned on his shoulder and whispered, "I miss you too, I miss you every day."
The two snuggled together, enjoying the warmth of their long-awaited reunion.
"Are you hungry? I'll go cook." Li Xiaoyun got up and prepared to go to the kitchen.
Li Xiangyang held her down: "Don't move, I'll do it. You need to rest now, let me take care of you."
"How can this be? You just got back..."
"It's settled then," Li Xiangyang said, standing up without allowing any further discussion. "You just sit there and wait for your meal."
Watching her husband bustling around, Li Xiaoyun felt a surge of warmth in her heart.
Li Xiangyang quickly started a fire to boil water, chopped vegetables, and stir-fried them. In no time, he had prepared several home-style dishes.
The two sat down to eat facing each other. Li Xiangyang kept putting food on Li Xiaoyun's plate, saying, "Eat more, you're eating for two now."
"You should eat too. You must not have eaten properly these past few days in the mountains." Li Xiaoyun picked up a piece of meat and put it in Li Xiangyang's bowl.
"Don't worry, the food is alright," Li Xiangyang said with a smile, without mentioning the dangers in the mountains.
After the meal, Li Xiangyang took the initiative to clear the table and let Li Xiaoyun rest.
After he finished tidying up, he saw that his wife had already made the bed.
"Go to sleep early, your eyes are all dark." Li Xiaoyun said with concern.
The two fell asleep in each other's arms, and Li Xiangyang listened to his wife's steady breathing, his heart filled with happiness.
The next morning, after Li Xiangyang got up, he saw that Li Xiaoyun was still fast asleep, so he quietly got up and went to the kitchen to start a fire to make breakfast.
When Li Xiaoyun opened her eyes, Li Xiangyang had already brought in steaming hot porridge and steamed buns.
"Awake? Here, eat while it's hot." Li Xiangyang smiled and placed the food on the table.
"You're up so early?" Li Xiaoyun asked, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.
"Yes, I want you to sleep a little longer," Li Xiangyang said softly.
After breakfast, the two sat in the yard basking in the sun.
The sun in late October is no longer so scorching, but rather carries a touch of warmth, perfect for lazily enjoying the time.
"Do you think we have enough money to get through the winter?" Li Xiaoyun asked with some concern.
Li Xiangyang comforted him, "That's enough. The money you earned from hunting before, plus your salary from the Forestry Bureau, and this bonus, will definitely be enough for winter."
Li Xiaoyun nodded in relief.
For the next few days, Li Xiangyang rested at home, talking to Li Xiaoyun and doing some housework within his ability.
After resting for a few days, Li Xiangyang decided to go hunting in the mountains.
At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, he got up and packed his things.
Li Xiaoyun also got up early to prepare some dry food for him: "Are you going with Er Gou?"
“Yes, it’s safer with two people,” Li Xiangyang replied while checking his hunting rifle, “and Er Gou’s marksmanship is getting better and better.”
"Then be careful," Li Xiaoyun instructed, handing him a cloth bag. "This is some dry food I made for you; it'll last you two days."
Li Xiangyang took the cloth bag, looked at his wife with emotion, and said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely be back on time."
After breakfast, Li Xiangyang slung his hunting rifle and bag over his shoulder, kissed Li Xiaoyun's forehead, and then went out to find Wang Ergou.
After meeting up with Wang Ergou, the two walked side by side on the path leading to the mountain forest.
Right now, the leaves have turned yellow and are falling down with a rustling sound when the wind blows.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the mountains and forests were shrouded in a thin layer of fog.
"The weather is getting colder and colder," Wang Ergou rubbed his hands together. "This winter is likely to be colder than usual."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Yes, that's why we need to hunt more to stock up on meat for the winter."
"Sigh, this year is tough. There's less and less prey around here. I'd be happy if I could catch a few rabbits, of course, if I were incredibly lucky and ran into a wild boar..."
……
As the two talked, they entered the forest.
After walking for about another hour, Li Xiangyang raised his hand to signal for quiet, and then carefully observed the traces around him.
Soon, he discovered some rabbit tracks and grazed grass roots.
“There are rabbits here,” Li Xiangyang whispered. “Let’s set a trap and see.”
He skillfully made several slipknots with wire and placed them in areas where rabbits frequently appeared, and then the two continued deeper into the mountains and forests.
After wandering around for a day, the two set up multiple traps in areas where prey might appear.
As evening approached and darkness fell, the mountain breeze grew chilly.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou squatted behind a protruding rock, staring idly at the trap.
All day long, they saw nothing but a few squirrels, and found no prey worth shooting.
“This mountain forest is becoming more and more barren,” Wang Ergou sighed, brushing the branch off his hand.
Li Xiangyang nodded, his eyes filled with worry: "Yes, there are indeed fewer prey animals around here. I suspect it's because the villagers hunted too fiercely a few months ago in their struggle to fill their stomachs."
"Shall we go back after we've checked the traps?" Wang Ergou asked, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
Li Xiangyang gazed at the distant, bluish-gray mountains, patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder, and said, "Let's go."
The two men retraced their steps to inspect the traps they had set.
The first, the second, the third...
It was completely empty, not even a hair was left.
"Looks like we're out of luck," Wang Ergou said disappointedly, kicking at the fallen leaves on the ground. "So many traps, and we didn't fall for a single one."
Just as the two were about to give up, a slight noise came from afar.
"Shh—" Li Xiangyang immediately became alert and raised his hand to signal Wang Ergou to be quiet.
"Is there something big?" Wang Ergou asked in a low voice, slowly taking the hunting rifle off his back.
Li Xiangyang held his breath and listened carefully to the source of the sound.
Then he pointed to the bushes not far away: "The sound is coming from over there; it looks like there's something in the trap."
The two approached cautiously and, sure enough, found a plump wild rabbit struggling in the last trap.
This rabbit is quite large, weighing at least seven or eight pounds, and its fur is of excellent quality.
Despite the gains, Wang Ergou couldn't be happy, because he still had an eagle to raise at home.
Although the little golden eagle has the ability to hunt on its own, its hunting skills are still lower compared to wild golden eagles, and as it grows older, its appetite also increases...