After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

"Dashan, after you finish eating, clean up that wild rabbit. Stew half of it tonight, and carefully smoke the other half to save for later." Chen's mother instructed as she cleared the dishes. The wild rabbit that Su Xiaoyin had accidentally "kicked" into the kitchen that morning was now lying in a bamboo basket in the corner of the kitchen.

Chen Xiaohe's eyes lit up. He moved closer to Su Xiaoyin and gave her a thumbs up: "Sister-in-law, you're amazing! You kicked a rabbit with one kick! I'll go check the fish traps in the river again tonight. If there are any big fish, we'll have another dish!"

Father Chen also got interested and puffed on his pipe, saying, "I'll go check out the traps I set later and see if I'm lucky." Since the wasteland at home was cleared out and life became more stable, he picked up his old skills of setting traps and snares in the mountains and occasionally added some wild game to the family's meals.

Chen Dashan swallowed the last bite of his pancake and said calmly, "Dad, I'll go with you after I've finished dealing with the rabbits. I set a few traps this morning, and I also dug two deeper ones in the back hill gully. I'll go see if we've caught anything."

After lunch and a short rest, the family got back to work. Chen Xiaohe, carrying an empty bucket and a spare fish basket, excitedly headed to the riverbank. Chen Dashan deftly skinned, gutted, and cleaned the wild rabbit. He rubbed the skin with wood ash and let it dry in the shade. He chopped the rabbit meat in half; one half was lightly salted to prepare for stewing that evening, while the other half was hung up to be smoked. Chen's father had already prepared the basket and rope.

After packing up, the father and son slung their baskets over their shoulders and headed out the door towards the back of the mountain. They first checked the snares that Chen's father had set in the bushes and along the rabbit trails. Luckily, one snare caught a plump gray rabbit, and another caught a brightly feathered pheasant that was flapping its wings. A satisfied smile spread across Chen's face. He tightly bound the still-struggling pheasant's wings and legs, and together with the lifeless rabbit, stuffed them into the bottom of the basket. He then thickly covered them with several handfuls of fresh, tender pig feed he had gathered along the way—even though they were neighbors, having too much prey was conspicuous, so it was better to keep a low profile.

"Dad, your skills are still as sharp as ever," Chen Dashan said softly, looking at the harvest.

Father Chen chuckled, saying nothing more, but a hint of smugness shone in his eyes. The two continued deeper into the forest to check the traps Chen Dashan had set. Several of his snares were empty, clearly no prey had fallen for them. But when he parted a thick patch of ferns to reveal the camouflaged pit beneath, both father and son held their breath.

At the bottom of the pit, a grayish-brown wild rabbit lay curled up, lifeless. In another, more concealed trap, dug near a sunny slope, a rather large roe deer was trapped! The roe deer weighed about thirty or forty pounds, its yellowish-brown fur glossy. It was anxiously trying to jump up from the bottom of the pit, but one of its front legs had obviously broken in the fall, leaving it unable to exert any force, and it could only emit a low, mournful cry, similar to that of a sheep.

"It's a roe deer!" Mr. Chen exclaimed, both surprised and delighted. Roe deer are much more valuable than wild rabbits and pheasants, especially alive!

Chen Dashan's eyes lit up. He quickly surveyed his surroundings, making sure there were no other dangers, before cautiously sliding down into the trap. His movements were swift and steady, avoiding the roe deer's hind legs that might kick, and he swiftly used the prepared thick hemp rope to lasso the deer's neck and front legs, tying a secure slipknot. The father and son worked together to pull the struggling prey out of the trap. Chen Dashan then examined the deer's injured leg; it was broken, but the wound wasn't too serious. If it could be sold or treated in time, it might survive.

Besides the prey, Chen Dashan also found a small patch of wild, bright red raspberries by the roadside. They were ripe and translucent. He picked them and filled his small bamboo basket with them, intending to take them home for his family to enjoy.

The harvest far exceeded expectations, and the father and son dared not linger. Chen Dashan threw the dead rabbit into the basket and covered it, while he gritted his teeth and carried the heavy, struggling roe deer on his shoulder, with his father helping to support it from behind. The two hurried down the mountain.

By the time they got home, the sun was already setting. Chen's mother and the Su sisters had just finished processing the green beans, eggplants, cucumbers, and other vegetables they had picked from the field—slicing and drying some, blanching and drying others—and the yard was filled with the fresh scent of vegetables. Seeing the "trophies" Chen's father and Chen Dashan had brought back, especially the live, whimpering deer, Chen's mother was both surprised and delighted. She quickly helped unload the deer and temporarily tied it to the jujube tree in the corner of the yard.

"Oh my! What a huge roe deer! And it's alive!" Mrs. Chen circled the deer, her eyes shining. "This thing is so rare! All those rich gentlemen in the city love to eat wild game. A live one like this definitely won't be cheap!"

Chen Dashan wiped his sweat and nodded, saying, "That's what I think too. Mother, let Xiaohe go to the county town and take this roe deer to Manager Wang. He runs a restaurant, so he should take it. Even if he doesn't need it right away, or tries to lower the price, let Xiaohe take it to the area in North Street where the rich people live and ask around. Maybe some family will want it."

Mr. Chen agreed: "Xiaohe is quick on his feet and has a sharp tongue, so it's suitable for him to go. He can go early and come back early; it's not safe on the road after dark."

Just then, Chen Xiaohe returned carrying two palm-sized crucian carp, still thrashing about, his face beaming with joy: "Mom! There's fish in the basket! These two are the biggest!" Upon entering and seeing the deer under the jujube tree, he jumped up excitedly, "Wow! Big brother, Dad, you caught a deer? That's amazing!"

Without delay, Chen's father and Chen Dashan quickly re-tied the deer more securely to prevent it from struggling and breaking free or getting more seriously injured on the way, then lifted it onto the cart. Chen's mother stuffed two more flatbreads into Chen Xiaohe's arms and instructed him, "Be careful on the road, go straight to Wang's Restaurant. Sell it if the price is right, don't be too stubborn. If Manager Wang doesn't want it, go to North Street, but don't linger too long, safety first."

"Hey! Don't worry, Mother!" Chen Xiaohe replied, pushed the cart loaded with "valuable goods," and sped off towards the county town.

Back home, Mr. Chen and Mr. Chen began processing the remaining game. Two rabbits and a pheasant were neatly prepared. The rabbit skins and chicken feathers were cleaned and dried, while the meat was cut into pieces. Looking at the pile of fresh offal (heart, liver, lungs, intestines) and two fish, Mrs. Chen calculated, "There's quite a lot of offal; enough for a big stir-fry. Stir-fry it with chili peppers—it'll be perfect with rice. We'll stew the two fish with tofu tonight; it'll be delicious. As for the rabbit and chicken, I think we should smoke them slowly with cypress branches. They'll keep well, and later, during busy farming seasons or when guests come over, they'll be a main dish."

Su Xiaoyin, who was helping to clean the internal organs, nodded upon hearing this: "Yes, I'll listen to Mother. We'll eat slowly once it's smoked; that will put my mind at ease."

Chen's mother glanced at the sky again and said to Su Xiaoqing, "Xiaoqing, go to the tofu shop at the village entrance and exchange two pieces of tofu for eggs." The family's hens had started laying eggs regularly, and they could occasionally exchange eggs for something.

The setting sun cast its golden rays across the courtyard, and the air gradually filled with the distinctive aroma of burning cypress branches, mingling with the savory scent of fish soup simmering in the pot. Although Chen Xiaohe hadn't returned yet, the family was already filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest and anticipation for dinner. The jujube tree stood quietly to one side, its branches rustling gently in the evening breeze, as if it too were rejoicing in the good fortune of this hardworking family.