bookrandom Chapter 294 You can go in peace.
Chapter 294 You can go in peace.
Just as dawn was breaking, Li Xiangyang was gently woken up by Li Xiaoyun.
"Get up, stop pretending to be asleep," Li Xiaoyun said firmly. "You have to go out today. Stop hanging around me; it's embarrassing if people see you like this."
Li Xiangyang opened his eyes and looked at his wife helplessly: "I was just worried about you."
"What are you worried about? I'm fine. Wait for me, I'll prepare some provisions for you, my dear husband. You're so capable, hurry up and hunt some game for me, it's good for your health. Oh, and it would be best if you brought back a deer. I was so envious of the clothes you made for Xiaohua out of deer hide."
As Li Xiaoyun spoke, she got up, put on her clothes quickly, started washing up, and then went to the kitchen.
Seeing his wife's resolute attitude, Li Xiangyang slowly got up, muttering as he dressed, "We might not be able to hunt that deer, but I promise I'll bring you some good food."
"Okay, okay, as long as you don't keep chasing after me, I'll be happy with whatever you get."
A short while later, Li Xiaoyun finished cooking and eating, then pushed Li Xiangyang out the door, making the two girls giggle.
The village was quiet in the morning, with only a few roosters crowing and sporadic voices.
Li Xiangyang, carrying a gun, walked slowly along the village road, watching the smoke rising from the chimneys of every household, his heart still filled with thoughts of Li Xiaoyun at home.
"Oh, are you going hunting?" A familiar voice came from behind.
Li Xiangyang turned around and saw Wang Ergou grinning at him.
“No, I was just wandering around the village,” Li Xiangyang sighed, “but Li Xiaoyun kicked me out.”
Wang Ergou laughed heartily: "I knew it! Your wife couldn't stand you like that. Like a mother hen protecting her chicks, I'd be annoyed too."
Li Xiangyang was a little embarrassed: "This isn't my first time being a father, so I'm always worried something might go wrong."
“I understand,” Wang Ergou patted him on the shoulder, “but this might not be a good thing. Think about it, won’t we need even more money after the baby is born? My eagle is growing bigger every day, and just feeding it meat is almost too much for us. We need to hunt more.”
Li Xiangyang thought for a moment and nodded: "What you said makes sense."
"How about this," Wang Ergou's eyes lit up, "I'll have my mom come over and take care of your wife. She's had experience raising three children."
Li Xiangyang quickly waved his hand, somewhat embarrassed, "No need, no need, that would be too much trouble."
"What's there to be shy about? We're like family," Wang Ergou laughed. "If you're embarrassed, just ask your older sister. Women have things to talk about, and it's easier for her to take care of you."
“That’s a good idea,” Li Xiangyang’s eyes lit up. “My older sister is experienced and can take good care of Li Xiaoyun.”
As they talked, they arrived at Li Guihua's doorstep.
Li Guihua was feeding the chickens in the yard when she saw them arrive. She smiled and asked, "You're here so early?"
Li Xiangyang explained his purpose somewhat embarrassedly.
After listening, Li Guihua smiled and shook her head: "I knew it, Xiaoyun definitely couldn't stand you always doting on her. Okay, don't worry, go ahead. From now on, whenever you're not home, I'll come over and look after her. Is that alright?"
Li Xiangyang was relieved: "Then I'll have to trouble you, elder sister."
"Don't mention the trouble, we're family." Li Guihua waved her hand. "Go hunting, bring back lots of good stuff to nourish Xiaoyun."
After leaving Li Guihua's house, Li Xiangyang felt much more relaxed.
With his older sister taking care of Li Xiaoyun, he could go to the mountains with peace of mind.
“Let’s go hunting,” Li Xiangyang said to Wang Ergou. “I also wanted to see how your eagle is doing.”
Wang Ergou clapped his hands: "Great! I was just thinking of hunting some game to feed my eagles."
The two first went back to Wang Ergou's house to retrieve his hunting rifle and tools, and then went to see the golden eagle that was growing rapidly.
The golden eagle had grown quite a bit, its feathers were becoming fuller, and its eyes were sharp. When it saw Li Xiangyang, it recognized him and affectionately flew to his shoulder.
"It looks good," Li Xiangyang nodded in satisfaction. "In a little while, we can start training it to hunt."
Wang Ergou said proudly, "That's right, I fed it and trained it strictly according to what Master Zheng taught me, it's very smart."
The two chatted as they walked outside.
Just then, a barking sound suddenly came from afar.
A group of children followed closely behind, shouting, "Catch it! Catch it!"
Li Xiangyang looked up and saw that it was Xiao Hu, being chased by a group of children.
On the courtyard wall, the black cat followed at a leisurely pace, looking disdainfully at the little tiger being chased by the child.
"Cough, cough, stop chasing them." Li Xiangyang raised his hand to stop the excited children. "These are hunting dogs. If they really run, you won't be able to catch them."
Upon hearing Li Xiangyang's words, the children stopped and looked at Xiaohu, who was huddled behind Li Xiangyang, with disappointment on their faces.
One of the older boys said, "Uncle Li, we just wanted to touch it, who knew it would run so fast."
Wang Ergou laughed, "It's just touching, you must be tired after chasing us for so long. Come on, with your Uncle Li watching over things, touch as much as you want."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hu immediately knew he was in trouble. He was about to run away when Li Xiangyang stopped him.
Xiao Hu reluctantly let the child touch him. Upon seeing this, Xuan Mao, as if his tail had been stepped on, immediately jumped onto the roof and ran far away.
The children played happily with Xiaohu for a while before reluctantly leaving.
After the children had left, the two called out to the black cat on the roof and set off on their way into the mountains.
The mountain road winds along, with dense trees on both sides. Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
"What are we going to fight today?" Wang Ergou asked.
Li Xiangyang thought for a moment and said, "Wild pheasant, I'd say. Its meat is delicious and would be good for nourishing Li Xiaoyun."
"Still thinking about your sister-in-law, huh?" Wang Ergou laughed. "Alright, let's hunt some pheasants then."
As they ventured deeper into the mountains, their steps became lighter, and their voices lowered.
Li Xiangyang's hunter's instincts gradually took over, and he focused all his attention on searching for the prey's tracks, temporarily putting aside his worries about home.
“Look, the bushes over there moved,” Li Xiangyang whispered, pointing ahead. “It should be a pheasant.”
Wang Ergou nodded, and the two quietly approached each other.
Li Xiangyang slowly raised his hunting rifle and aimed at the bushes.
Suddenly, a gray figure with a flowery tail took flight.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and the pheasant fell to the ground.
"Excellent marksmanship!" Wang Ergou exclaimed.
Li Xiangyang walked over, picked up the pheasant, and nodded in satisfaction: "This one's quite plump."
Over the next few hours, the two hunted several more pheasants and a rabbit.
With the sun already high in the sky, the two decided to take a break and eat some dry rations.
Li Xiangyang found a clean, large rock to sit on and took out the dry food that Li Xiaoyun had prepared for him that morning from his bag: two boiled eggs, a few pancakes, and a small jar of pickled vegetables.
"Your sister-in-law is so good to you," Wang Ergou said enviously, looking at the carefully prepared dry rations. "Even when she's kicking you out, she doesn't forget to prepare food for you."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Who says otherwise? By the way, you don't have anything else to say, right? Before I left, Xiaoyun told me she wanted me to hunt a deer and bring it back to make clothes."