I was approached by a cat-eared girl.

Riding the electric scooter onward, they reached a river in the suburbs, said to be a tributary of a larger river, where the fishing was said to be good. Chen Shuo planned to take her fishing there.

It's a bit far, about 20 kilometers away, but my little electric scooter was fully charged last night, enough for a round trip.

Half an hour later, the electric car drove out of the city and into the suburbs.

At this moment, Bai Xiaoqi, who had been sleeping soundly on his back, finally woke up and realized that they hadn't arrived yet, and the area on both sides was becoming increasingly desolate. She couldn't help but ask, "Aren't we going fishing?"

"We're going fishing, but this time we're going to a different spot."

Why change locations?

Chen Shuo spoke frankly, "Because I can't catch any fish there."

"Do you think you can catch fish just by changing the location?"

"Of course, I'm sure... wait, I feel like there's something hidden in your words."

"..."

Chapter 137 Let's Eat It

The river in front of us was larger than the one we had visited before, but only by a small margin, at most twenty meters wide, as it was just a small tributary.

The trees on both sides of the road were so thick that the car couldn't be driven in, so we had to find a more open space to park it.

The location is indeed quite remote. Although it's called the suburbs, it's more like the wilderness. There's no one living for miles around, and the word "deserted" is a very apt description.

Fortunately, there was a warning sign by the river that read "Deep water, dangerous, electrofishing prohibited." Chen Shuo perked up as soon as he saw it; this godforsaken place really did have fish.

The two found a spot, set up their small stools, picked up their fishing rods, and officially began their fishing trip for the day.

The location he chose seemed random, but it wasn't. Chen Shuo had done his homework before coming. He chose a place with swirling water, which meant the water was deep. Deep water meant that the water was rich in aquatic plants and that most of the fish were concentrated in this area.

Half an hour passed, and Bai Xiaoqi looked at the still fishing float and suggested, "I think we should go back to the place we were fishing before. We can't catch anything here."

If it were in the same river as before, there would definitely be fish catching it by now.

"Don't jump to conclusions. It's only been a short time and you're already saying you can't catch anything. Fishing tests your patience. There are definitely plenty of fish in this area. I've done my research."

Chen Shuo was incredibly calm; it was normal for him to go four or five hours without catching any fish. It had only been half an hour, so what was the rush?

Another half hour passed. Bai Xiaoqi got tired of sitting and was also a little hot. It was around three o'clock in the afternoon, and the riverbank was exposed to the sun without any shade.

She put the fishing rod on the ground, asked Chen Shuo to watch it for her, and stood up to find a place to cool off and take a stroll.

There's a river in front, a grove of trees on the left, and low bushes on the right. The opposite bank is similar, but you can see rolling mountains in the distance. They look close, but they're actually quite far away.

Seeing her turn and walk towards the woods, Chen Shuo instructed, "Be careful not to get lost. Come back after a while."

"understood."

Bai Xiaoqi put her hands behind her back, took a few steps, and strolled into the woods.

She didn't go too far inside, but found a shady spot under a big tree. There happened to be a large rock under the tree, so she blew on it and then sat down.

This is a great spot; not only can you enjoy the cool shade, but you can also see Chen Shuo in the distance.

Chen Shuo turned his head to look and found that she was still within his sight, so he felt relieved, wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued to stare at the river.

About ten minutes later, the float suddenly sank. He quickly lifted the rod, which bent at almost a 90-degree angle, and the fishing line was taut. Just by the force transmitted from the water, he could tell it was a big one.

They've taken the bait! They've taken the bait!

The thrill of reeling in a fish after a long wait is simply unparalleled.

Chen Shuo didn't consider himself a fishing enthusiast, but he was incredibly excited at the moment. He tried to lift the rod, but found it difficult and couldn't lift it.

Fish have incredible strength when they are in the water; there's a saying that a pound of fish has the strength of ten pounds.

If you're a seasoned angler and you encounter a big fish like this, you'll definitely play it slowly and use skillful techniques to wear it down.

But Chen Shuo wasn't even an amateur; he just gripped the fishing rod tightly and wouldn't let go, struggling with the fish in the river for a long time. When he felt the fish's strength gradually decreasing, he suddenly jerked the rod and flung the fish out of the water.

This is a carp, judging by its size alone, it must weigh about two or three pounds. It was still jumping around after being brought ashore.

Chen Shuo had just grabbed the fish and was about to turn around to share his joy, but the excitement on his face froze the moment he turned his head.

Where is my little cat?

The area under the big tree was empty; Bai Xiaoqi, who had been sitting there, was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Shuo put the fish into the bucket and was about to go look for it when he saw Bai Xiaoqi emerge from the woods, carrying something in her hand.

When he got closer, he could see clearly that it was a rabbit, orange-gray with black spots on its body. At first glance, it looked a bit like a tabby cat.

The poor rabbit was being pinched by its ears, its hind legs were thrashing about, and its whole body was struggling violently.

"Look, I found a rabbit." Bai Xiaoqi said excitedly, showing him the rabbit in her hand.

Chen Shuo had reservations about her statement. It was clearly not something she had picked up; she must have caught it in the woods, and just by looking at the extent of its struggle, he knew it was a wild rabbit.

Rabbits are often perceived as having a gentle nature, but that only applies to domesticated rabbits; wild rabbits are definitely not like that.

When Chen Shuo was a child, his grandfather caught a wild rabbit for him, which he took home to raise. However, the rabbit refused to eat or drink and just gnawed on the cage every day. Eventually, it starved itself to death.

At the time, Chen Jianwen was filled with regret and deep sorrow. According to him, this rabbit was extremely rare and possessed the integrity of Su Wu and the spirit of Boyi and Shuqi.

Anyway, they praised that rabbit as if it were a paragon of integrity, like the legendary Chinese philosopher Wen Tianxiang. Later, he ate three large bowls of it with tears in his eyes.

But actually, all wild rabbits are like that; they have a fierce temperament and are basically impossible to raise.

"These wild rabbits can't be kept alive, so I suggest you release them..."

"Let's eat it tonight."

"?"

Chen Shuo was stunned, sensing something was wrong with the script's development. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "You didn't plan to raise it?"

"Why do we need to raise one?" Bai Xiaoqi asked in surprise. She and he were still saving money to buy a house for their wedding. Wouldn't raising a rabbit just add another mouth to feed?

"..."

Chen Shuo had no answer to this. Anyone who saw a cute girl holding a rabbit would assume that she was going to keep it as a pet.

But the little cat ended up wanting to eat it.

"Uh, I was just asking casually."

Chen Shuo looked at the rabbit in her hand again. "Are you really going to eat it?"

"correct."

Bai Xiaoqi nodded vigorously. She had seen videos of braised rabbit on Bilibili before, and it looked incredibly delicious.

I was thinking of buying her a couple of pounds to try because she was craving it, but when I searched on Taobao, I found that a pound of rabbit meat cost twenty or thirty yuan, which is enough to buy two pounds of pork, so I didn't buy it. I never expected that today...

Thinking of this, she picked up the rabbit in her hand again to look at it, and gave thanks for the gift of nature.

Chen Shuo wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought he saw her swallow a little. Now he was sure that the little cat really wanted to eat the rabbit.

Did you catch this?

At this moment, Bai Xiaoqi finally noticed the carp in the bucket. When she asked about it, Chen Shuo immediately became arrogant and retorted, "If I didn't catch it, how could it have swum up on its own?"

"I told you long ago, that river we used to go to was no good, there was definitely something wrong with it. We only caught tiny crucian carp, not even enough to fill a tooth gap, just enough to make a soup to taste the saltiness. Look at what I caught this time... tsk tsk..."

Chen Shuo clicked his tongue twice and continued, "Not to mention stewing soup, even braising is no problem."

"Yes, you're the best."

Bai Xiaoqi had already learned to be perfunctory; she felt that if it were her, she could definitely catch a fish even bigger than this one.

Looking at the time, it was already past four in the afternoon. Chen Shuo had had his fill of fishing, and Bai Xiaoqi had also caught a rabbit. Both of them were very satisfied, so they didn't linger and rode their electric scooter back home.

Chen Shuo got home at exactly 5:30, and as he watched the rabbit still thrashing about, he belatedly realized a problem.

What should we do with this?

Chapter 138 Cruel, Not Too Tempting

According to Bai Xiaoqi, the carp can be kept in a bucket and eaten tomorrow; the main dish tonight is rabbit.

Chen Shuo did not object to this, but the problem was that the rabbit was alive.

Standing in the kitchen, looking at the rabbit in her hands, Chen Shuo asked, "Are we going to kill it?"

"What else can we do?" Bai Xiaoqi asked, somewhat puzzled. She picked up the rabbit to examine it. "How can we eat it if we don't kill it?"

"No, I mean how to kill it. I've never killed a rabbit before. Have you?"

Bai Xiaoqi seemed not to hear him. She simply picked up the kitchen knife and held it to the rabbit's neck, asking, "Should I cut its neck first and then bleed it?"

"Bleeding is a method used to kill chickens... wait, you mean you're going to do it?"

"So, do you want to kill it?" She handed over the knife and the rabbit together.

"I..."

Chen Shuo hesitated. This rabbit looked to weigh five or six pounds, which was considered one of the larger rabbits, much bigger than a chicken.

He had never even killed a chicken; the largest creature he had ever killed was a fish, specifically a small crucian carp that he had caught. In fact, he didn't even need to kill it; he could just cut open the fish's belly with scissors and start processing it.

"Wait a minute, let me Google it and see how to kill a rabbit."

As he spoke, he took out his phone and searched online. He found that killing rabbits basically falls into three categories: beating with a stick, slitting the throat, and breaking the neck.

"Bloodletting is indeed an option, but I think breaking the neck is better."

"Broken neck?"

"Yes, break their necks..."

Before Chen Shuo could finish speaking, Bai Xiaoqi grabbed the rabbit's head, twisted it to the side, and with a crisp snap, the poor rabbit's hind legs kicked upwards, then it went silent.

"Is that so?" she asked, looking up.

"Uh, probably." Chen Shuo's eyes twitched a few times. When this girl snapped the rabbit's neck, she did it so quickly and ruthlessly, and it seemed like she didn't even use much force.

"What do we need to do now?"

"The internet says it involves skinning the animal and then removing its internal organs."

Chen Shuo's lips were a little dry. Just thinking about it was incredibly cruel. He felt he couldn't bring himself to do it, but this was a job he definitely had to do. After all, Xiao A Miao was a girl.