Xun Yi ultimately went to the woodshed and fetched the family’s old Firewood Chopping Knife for Shu Wanxiu.

He pointed at the rabbit in Shu Wanxiu’s bamboo basket, indicating for her to leave it behind.

“I’ll skin it and bring the meat up the mountain later.”

This was naturally no problem at all.

She had arrived carrying a rabbit, and though she left without it, Shu Wanxiu was truly delighted.

Gripping the Firewood Chopping Knife, she thought there was no time like the present and decided to go chop down a couple of trees that very day.

Not daring to leave Shu Shouyi alone at home again, she chose a spot closer to the house. By the afternoon, she had managed to fell three trees exactly as Xun Yi had instructed.

After dragging the trees out from the mountains, Shu Shouyi pattered off to fetch her some water.

“Aunt!” He called out happily from a distance, carefully carrying a full bowl of water as he walked. “The rabbit is back!”

Mistakenly thinking Xun Yi had arrived, Shu Wanxiu hurried over to greet him.

But there was no one in the half-collapsed shed. Instead, two items were placed separately on the stove counter.

On one side was their family’s bamboo basket, and on the other, a small lotus leaf package sat alone.

Hesitantly, Shu Wanxiu picked up the sachet and gave it a gentle squeeze.

She could feel it contained very fine, granular particles inside, resembling tiny crushed stones.

Puzzled, she opened it and immediately froze.

These irregular, granular particles… were actually salt!

After the initial shock wore off, she finally remembered to gauge its weight.

…Even by a conservative estimate, it was at least one or two liang.

Considering how someone had silently left such a substantial amount of salt here, especially at this critical time, Shu Wanxiu quickly deduced the identity of the donor.

Composing herself, she carefully wrapped the salt back up and then inspected their bamboo basket.

The plantain leaves were still piled on top, but when she pushed them aside, she found a layer of lotus leaves beneath, and only then the rabbit.

Shu Wanxiu realized Xun Yi was a thoughtful person he had likely placed a lotus leaf under the rabbit to prevent the raw meat from soiling the basket.

Even without its fur, the rabbit didn’t appear much smaller. She lifted it to gauge its weight, and perhaps because her arms were tired from chopping and hauling trees, it felt just as heavy as before it was skinned.

Xun Yi had only skinned it for her; he hadn’t gutted it.

Lowering her gaze, Shu Wanxiu contemplated how to prepare the rabbit.

Roasting it seemed like a good method.

She could simply use the Firewood Chopping Knife to handle the innards, clean the rabbit thoroughly, and then skewer it over charcoal to roast.

Roasted meat would also be easy to share she could directly tear off a plump hind leg and take it down the mountain for Aunt Chen.

She had everything planned out, but then she noticed the layer of lotus leaves at the bottom of the basket seemed unusually lumpy and bulging, as if something else was hidden underneath.

Lifting the leaves, she discovered a bone cleaver and a small oil-paper packet concealed below.

Shu Wanxiu incredulously ran her fingers over the blade of the knife, and when she opened the oil-paper packet, she froze once again.

Another packet of salt?!

…

The Shu family prepared their Evening meal especially early that day.

By halfway through the Shen hour, a fire was already lit in the Fire pit.

A cleaned pot was placed over the flames, heating up in no time. Squatting by the Fire pit, Shu Wanxiu timed it perfectly, adding the cleaned and diced rabbit meat along with the Sichuan pepper she had gathered in the mountains that afternoon.

The fire was strong, and as soon as the meat touched the hot pot, it sizzled loudly.

Not daring to delay even for a moment, Shu Wanxiu immediately grabbed the spatula and began evenly stirring the contents of the pot.

Before long, a unique aroma began to rise around the Fire pit.

This aroma carried both the fragrance of meat and the pungent spiciness of Sichuan pepper. The longer it was stir-fried, the richer and more far-reaching the scent became.

As the fragrance intensified, the meat in the pan had turned golden brown, reaching a slightly charred state.

Shu Wanxiu, who had been intently watching the pan, immediately issued a stern command: “Add water.”

Shu Shouyi had been standing by the fire pit with a ladle of water, ready and waiting. Upon receiving the order, he promptly poured the water into the pan.

“Good, stop!”

With the next command, he quickly withdrew the ladle, halting the flow of water.

Shu Wanxiu used a spatula to stir the meat at the edge of the pan and said, “That’s enough. Put the ladle back.”

Shu Shouyi’s tense shoulders instantly relaxed. He took a deep breath before placing the ladle back into the wooden bucket.

Returning to find Shu Wanxiu breaking twigs and stuffing them into the fire pit, he fetched a stool and sat down.

After the cold water was added, the once-overpowering aroma suddenly became faint.

Shu Shouyi sniffed the air, leaned closer to the pan to sniff, and finally lowered his head to sniff again. Realizing that his clothes had absorbed more of the fragrance, he couldn’t help but ask, “Aunt, will the meat still be fragrant when we eat it later?”

“It will, of course it will.”

A short while later, Shu Shouyi’s stomach rumbled. Patting his belly, he asked, “Aunt, how much longer until it’s done stewing?”

“Soon, soon.”

The broth in the pan had come to a boil, and the aroma began to waft through the air once more.

Shu Wanxiu stopped adding firewood and sprinkled some salt into the pan.

After simmering for another short while, during which Shu Shouyi couldn’t resist wiping his drool twice, the broth had reduced significantly. Shu Wanxiu added the peeled, washed, and chopped golden vegetable stems from the bamboo basket and continued cooking until the stems were tender on the outside but crisp on the inside. Then, she decisively removed the firewood from beneath the pan.

Though the fire pit was still filled with glowing red embers, the sudden removal of the fire caused the broth to bubble and simmer.

At that moment, Shu Wanxiu sprinkled in a handful of finely shredded Perilla leaves.

Shu Shouyi brought over the porridge that had been cooked earlier and waited eagerly nearby.

Shu Wanxiu took a moment to pat his head reassuringly and said, “Once I’ve served two bowls, we can start eating.”

Fortunately, Aunt Chen had given them a few bowls and plates earlier; otherwise, Shu Wanxiu wouldn’t have had extra dishes to serve the food in.

After dividing the meal into two portions, they finally began to eat.

Having grown accustomed to bland and tasteless porridge for so long, their taste buds had become exceptionally sensitive.

With just a small bite of meat, they could immediately savor its freshness, fragrance, numbing spice, and heat.

This was the most sumptuous meal the aunt and nephew had enjoyed in months. Their eating habits were identical they even sucked on the bones repeatedly, reluctant to spit them out until all the flavor was gone.

Mindful of the Boss’s advice, Shu Wanxiu dared not let herself or Shu Shouyi eat too much.

After each had eaten about four or five pieces of meat, half a rabbit head, and a few golden vegetable stems, she took the pan away.

Shu Shouyi didn’t fuss but stared longingly at the pan as he finished the remaining porridge in his bowl.

Naturally, Shu Wanxiu hadn’t eaten her fill either, but there was no other choice. If they fell ill, they wouldn’t even have the money to see a doctor.

After a moment of silence, she offered a small consolation: “This way, we can still enjoy two more meals tomorrow.”

“Mm! I’ll listen to you, Aunt.”

To deliver the meat down the mountain, Shu Wanxiu worried that the lingering scent from their meal might attract wild animals to steal the leftover meat. She carried the pot and the remaining uncooked piece of hind leg meat into the main hall, then secured the door with a straw rope.

She still carried a basket, again covered with items as camouflage, but now with more guilt than during the noon trip.

Fortunately, she had Shu Shouyi scout ahead while she followed cautiously, avoiding encounters along the way.

Seeing smoke rise from the Pang family’s chimney from afar, she confirmed upon arrival that Aunt Chen was cooking in the kitchen, with Chen Lian assisting by chopping vegetables and tending the fire.

The main hall door stood open, but no other family members were in sight.

The children were likely still playing outside, and the men hadn’t returned from their work in the fields.

Peeking into the kitchen doorway, she observed their busy figures and the cozy atmosphere filled with cooking smoke. Without a word, she quietly placed the bowl of meat reserved for them on the main hall table and slipped away.