Chapter 4: Prey

  Ding Chengye was startled and turned around to see Ding Hao standing there with a silly expression, and he couldn't help but scold him: "You rascal, what are you doing here?"

  "Reporting to Young Master, I caught a cold two days ago and was kindly allowed by the Old Master, Young Master, and the steward to take a rest for two days. With the New Year approaching and Young Master's travels to visit relatives and friends requiring my attendance, I didn't dare to lie idle, so I got up early and walked around to loosen up my limbs, hoping to recover soon and serve Young Master."

  Ding Chengye was taken aback, and Ding Hao's words were both a show of loyalty and gratitude, which made him unable to retort. At this awkward moment, he happened to overlook the fact that the usually foolish Ding Hao had suddenly become eloquent. With a hint of resentment, he turned his head to glance at Dongjia's daughter, a flash of malice in his eyes. He coldly laughed and pushed Ding Hao away, striding off with an air of superiority.

  His heart's desire unfulfilled, this spoiled brat grew more and more irritated, a vicious thought quietly rising to the surface of his mind: "You stinky girls, you won't let me have my way, I'll make you suffer, just wait and see, one day I'll make you kneel down and beg for mercy!" He walked on, thinking fiercely.

  "Thank you, Hao Ge, for helping me out of this predicament. The Second Master is a person who cannot be offended, and as someone from the Ding Manor who often accompanies him, you must be more careful in the future to avoid him intentionally making things difficult for you."

  Lu Dong'er spoke in a soft and gentle voice, and slightly bowed to Ding Hao. Ding Hao had only been looking at her figure before, but now he finally saw her true face.

  This Dong family daughter can't be considered a stunning beauty, with a few freckles on her pale face, but those delicate eyebrows, delicate eyes, and pointed chin of a melon-seed-shaped face, when she blushes, somehow exudes an enchanting charm that seems to emanate from within, and this charm is not at all showy, but rather subtle and elegant, like the misty rain of Jiangnan, making one feel that if they don't personally lift her "veil" and "bully" her a bit, it would be unbearable. This is probably what they mean by "troublemaker", referring to women like her.

  Lu Dong'er thanked him and saw that he was staring at her in a daze, so she couldn't help but look around, tilt her head to the side, and ask strangely: "What are you looking at?"

  The sunlight shone on her face, and her cheeks were as tender as jade. The delicate ears like small ingots glistened in the sunlight, with a hint of transparency, and the earrings revealed a faint pink color. Her eyes, like black gemstones, sparkled with light. Ding Hao couldn't help but exclaim: "Really beautiful."

  Lu Dong'er's face suddenly turned red, and she blushed as she said: "Everyone says you're stupid, always dull and honest. Now that you've been following that scoundrel young master for a long time, you've even learned to be so glib-tongued."

  Ding Hao smiled slightly and changed the subject, saying: "Look at what you're saying, after all he's a young master from a wealthy family, can't even get along with me, a lowly servant, over such a small matter? However... thanks for reminding me, Miss, I'll be more careful!"

  "Hmm...", Luo Dong'er raised an eyebrow, seemingly also somewhat surprised. Today, Ding Hao, who usually had the nickname "foolish", had a somewhat different performance. She glanced at Ding Hao and then bowed again, walking past him.

  She walked with a seductive gait, her slender figure swaying gently. Ding Hao watched her with narrowed eyes as she moved lightly, like a sparrow, until she disappeared from his line of sight. Only then did he look up at the sky and let out a silent sigh: "Actually, I also want to be a rich young master, with several lackeys by my side, teasing respectable women on sunny days..."

  A gust of wind came, blowing the snowflakes on the eaves into his collar. Ding Hao shivered and woke up from his reverie, quickly shrinking his neck and covering his hands as he headed towards the west wing...

  ※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

  Ding Hao returned to the west wing, Xue Liang had just finished feeding the mules and came back. As soon as he saw Ding Hao return, he immediately came over, raised his eyebrows and said: "Hey, brother got some good stuff today, I'll give you a boost later."

  "What's that?"

  Xue Liang smiled mysteriously and said, "Don't ask, just follow me later." He hastily went to fetch two bags of wheat, carrying one in each hand, and sent them to the mill. Then he came back and pulled on Ding Hao's arm: "Let's go, today we'll have some fun."

  Ding Hao followed him inexplicably as they walked to the edge of the large courtyard wall, where the high wall with blue bricks and glazed tiles was both thick and solid, at least two zhang high. At the top, there were many loopholes and arrow holes the size of a brick. According to his merged memories from the original Ding Hao, he knew that this was one of the necessary measures for large households to prevent bandits in times of chaos. Not only were the walls high and thick, but the buildings within the Ding family's courtyard compound were also layered, with houses connected to houses, and there were passageways, secret passages, or defensive positions on the rooftops, in the middle of the houses, and underground. In case of banditry, the servants would become warriors, using their familiarity with the terrain and the solidity of the walls and houses to launch a fierce counterattack against the enemy. The most troublesome thing for robbers and mountain bandits was this kind of siege warfare against the large households' compounds.

  In front of a corner door, Xue Liang opened the corner door and beckoned to him mysteriously. Ding Hao followed curiously, and a gust of cold wind hit his face, making him shiver uncontrollably. The down jacket he wore was old and tattered, and it had been years since the down filling had been replaced, making it heavy and hard. It could probably withstand swords and arrows like armor. As soon as the wind came in through the gap, it blew straight up his collar, chilling him to the bone.

  The sunset shines on the vast land, with a vast expanse of whiteness stretching out to the horizon. Outside the corner gate is an endless white landscape, where in winter all things are barren and lifeless, except for the endless snow and a solitary tree standing far away. More than half a mile from the manor house, there are stacks of hay and straw that resemble Mongolian yurts, left over from the harvest, each one covered with a layer of white snow.

  Xue Liang led Ding Hao over, brushed away the snow, and pulled out a bundle of straw from under the haystack. He took him to a dry ditch, sat down on the yellow soil slope with a thud, rubbed his frozen hands, and then moved a large stone beside him. Underneath the stone was actually a round hole. Xue Liang pulled something out from inside, which was icy hard and bloody, a small animal that had been skinned, it was unclear whether it was a sheep or a dog.

  Xue Liangxian said with a smile: "Today's luck is good, when I went out for a ride, I met a deer. This thing is stupid, if it hasn't been caught by people before, it doesn't know how to hide when it sees people, and it can be knocked down with one stick. You're just recovering from illness, your body is weak, eat some meat to nourish your body."

  He glanced at the skinned rabbit and swallowed his saliva, saying: "You know how good my brother is at roasting rabbits and field mice. Today I even asked for some salt from my mother-in-law, heh heh, I guarantee it'll be as fragrant as Dong's wife's cooking..."

  "Miss Dong's daughter? It seems that the pretty young widow is the dream lover of many men in the village." Ding Hao glanced at Xue Liang, and saw that he was already squatting by the river ditch, using a flint to ignite a fire, adding dry hay and twigs, and roasting the rabbit on a thick tree branch placed between two forked branches. As soon as the fire started, there was smoke, and Xue Liang's big black face leaned in, sniffing the smell of the smoke and fire, his face filled with happiness: "It smells so good! Normally, except for holidays and busy farming seasons, our bowls don't even see a single strand of meat, today is really a grand feast!"

  The meat had just been hung up, and the aroma hadn't even begun to waft out yet, but he was already salivating like crazy. Dīng Hào found it somewhat amusing. This man treated him with a brotherly affection that warmed his heart, so he also squatted down, picking up some damp straw branches to add to the fire, letting the boar focus on rotating the meat.

  Gradually, the rabbit meat started to cook, and the aroma wafted through the air. At this point, Ding Hao's fingers began to twitch with hunger. The two of them stared at the rabbit that was gradually turning a tempting golden yellow, just like starving ghosts who had caught sight of a beautiful woman, swallowing their saliva mouthful by mouthful.

  Xue Liang took out a small cloth bag from his bosom, crushed the salt and pepper grains inside, and then rubbed them onto the golden-brown rabbit meat bit by bit. Ding Hao squatted beside him, rotating the rabbit meat to cooperate, and reminded him: "Spread it evenly, spread it evenly, including the belly part. Ah, later when we're done with the hind legs, don't gnaw all the good meat away, I want...I want to leave some for my mother..."

  He thought of Yang's mother, who had just woken up and was crying silently while stroking her own body. Although she wasn't his own mother, he was borrowing the body of her son, and she still treated him like her own flesh and blood. Who is heartless? Ding Hao also had a deep affection for her.

  "Need you ask, Auntie treats me like her own son, how can I forget about Auntie?" Xue Liang said with a big smile on his face, carefully sprinkling the limited salt foam, while speaking with flying colors.

  Just then, a strange cry came from behind: "Hey! You two scoundrels, stealing the kitchen's prepared New Year's goods and roasting them here, what a big dog's gall!"

  Xue Liang was startled and his body leaned forward, he stretched out his hand to press down, the raccoon dog fell into the fire pit, burning with a sizzling sound...