Chapter 3: Going Home and Cooking Meat for You

  When she was still a senior artisan, a good friend came to her for help with making a crossbow and showed her the design drawings.

  The crossbow she made at that time was indeed a top-notch product, with a long range, great power and a beautiful appearance. However, when she tried it out with her friends, they found there was still room for improvement.

  Although there are no specialized tools in hand now, and modern materials cannot be found, Jiuniang still made the bow and crossbow.

  Although it's just a simple crossbow, far inferior to the one I made before, it has been improved with modern technology. Whether it's accuracy or arrow firing power, it is far superior to the bow and arrow on that young man's waist!

  The most powerful thing is that it can be fired simultaneously and continuously.

  Jiuniang herself admitted that her skills were not good and she didn't dare guarantee a precise hit with one shot, but firing several shots in succession would definitely have some hits.

  Since that young man with a bow and arrow can hit the rabbit, Jiuniang believes she definitely can too!

  Jiuniang finished preparing the bow and crossbow, then rummaged through a storage room to find a bamboo basket. She put the bow and crossbow in the basket, walked to the side of the road, casually picked up some leaves and threw them into the basket to avoid letting the villagers see her bow and crossbow.

  Jiuniang had never been to the mountains before and had never hunted, so she didn't know where rabbits liked to appear.

  She turned around on the mountain for a few rounds and didn't even see any rabbit hair, let alone a rabbit!

  Jiuniang walked tiredly and sat down beside a clump of bamboo to rest, touching the bow and arrow in her hand. This thing was made of wood and was heavy as dead weight; carrying it on her back for several rounds had left her exhausted.

  Jiuniang rubbed her sore and swollen legs, wiping away the sweat, and couldn't help but think: I'm so exhausted, could it be that I'll end up with nothing, returning empty-handed?

  It's already late at night and there's nothing left to eat, can't just go hungry, right?

  Jiuniang looked up at the sky, and now the sun was setting in the west, the sunset was red and bright, it was already dusk, and it would be dark soon.

  Why don't we pick some wild vegetables to take back?

  Jiuniang looked around and indeed saw many tender green shoots, but she didn't recognize wild vegetables and didn't know which ones were edible. What if she ate them and then vomited or had diarrhea?

  Her eyes suddenly swept across several nearby peaks, and Jiuniang's heart was filled with joy.

  Bamboo shoots!

  Next to it was a clump of bamboo, which was probably just the time when the shoots were coming out, and several shoot tips emerged from the ground.

  Stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat slices is a dish she likes very much, although there's no meat now, but stir-frying them alone can still fill her stomach.

  Jiuniang took out a hatchet from the bamboo basket and walked towards the few bamboo shoots that had emerged.

  One, two...... When she dug five, Jiuniang suddenly heard a faint rustling sound coming from behind her, and vaguely there was a squeaking sound similar to that of a mouse.

  Jiuniang stopped her actions, perked up her ears and listened carefully for a while, then quietly turned around to take the bow and crossbow from the bamboo basket, held it in front of her chest, aimed at the source of the sound, and held her breath waiting quietly.

  Under this clump of bamboo, there was a hole slightly larger than a fist, with a small pile of new earth at the edge of the hole. At this time, a black mass suddenly appeared at the entrance of the hole and began to move.

  Although she didn't see the whole of the black object, Jiuniang could roughly guess what it was.

  Bamboo rat!

  Bamboo rats like to eat underground stems and bamboo shoots of bamboo, so they dig holes under the bamboo forest. They breed all year round, with two to three litters per year, each litter having one to five young, mostly three.

  Jiuniang was suddenly excited, if she could catch this bamboo mouse, plus these few bamboo shoots, the warmth and fullness of the next two days would not be a worry, and she could even eat meat!

  The first bamboo rat has already come out of the hole, with a round and fat body. Wild bamboo rats have relatively large heads, and this one weighs about 7 catties, which is an adult bamboo rat. So, there must be young rats inside.

  Jiuniang made a concerted effort to suppress her urge to shoot, waiting for the second one.

  After waiting for a long time, the nine girls did not disappoint, and indeed came out with a second, third... a total of four mice, each weighing about two pounds.

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

  Three arrows were fired in succession, and the first adult bamboo rat was hit by two arrows. It ran a few steps before falling down due to unbearable pain. The other four young rats scattered in all directions, and Jiuniang continued to aim and fire with her bow.

  The bow and arrow were quite heavy, and Jiuniang's physical strength was greatly consumed, so she only shot two young mice, the other two ran away, and she had no strength to chase them.

  "It's not bad to catch three!" Jiuniang put down her bow and arrow, and happily walked towards the largest bamboo rat.

  She bent down and reached out to pick up the bamboo rat, which was indeed very heavy.

  Just as she was about to pick up the second one, a rustling sound came from not far away, the sound of leaves swishing.

  At this time, the dusk had already enveloped everything, and the sky was almost dark.

  There won't be any wild beasts in this small hill, will there?

  Jiuniang's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly rolled onto the ground to re-embrace her bow and crossbow, quietly hiding in the thicket, making aiming movements. As long as she confirmed it was a wild beast, she would shoot without hesitation.

  Scenes like this ambush in the wild are not uncommon on TV shows about special forces, and at the time, I thought snipers were really cool and impressive. Now that I'm the main character, Jiuniang's heart is racing so fast it feels like it's going to jump out of her mouth.

  The sky was gradually darkening, and there was no one around. From time to time, strange bird calls came over, and Jiuniang's palms began to sweat.

  Just then, a tall figure appeared in sight, leaning on a long stick and walking with a limp.

  Jiuniang let out a heavy sigh, and it turned out to be Chu Dongyang.

  She didn't want Chudong Yang to see the bow and arrow in her hand, so she casually hid them in the bushes, then stood up and walked out, picking up the bamboo mice one by one into the bamboo basket.

  "The sky is already dark, how come you're still staying on the mountain?" Chu Dongyang's stone in his heart was finally put down when he saw Jiuniang safe and sound, but his anger rose up again, and he said indignantly: "You woman are getting stranger and stranger! Aren't you afraid that wolves or something will snatch you away? You don't let people worry about you at all!"

  Jiuniang strained to put the bamboo basket on her back, and when she heard Chudongyang's words, her hands paused for a moment. She raised an eyebrow, turned around, and looked at him with a faint smile, asking: "So, you don't trust me now, that's why you came out to find me?"

  Chu Dongyang let out a cold hum and didn't plan on answering her, but her next sentence almost made him so angry he spat up blood.

  She glanced at his legs with a calm and unhurried expression, smiling and saying: "Even if jackals came to bite me, with your appearance, can you drive away the jackals?"

  Under the dark sky, Chu Dongyang's face was still quite unsightly.

  "You, you don't know what's good for you!" Chu Dongyang clenched his fists and made a cracking sound, holding back for a long time before finally saying this, then turned around and stormed off.

  Jiuniang laughed and quickly caught up, with a bamboo basket on her shoulder, and reached out to hold his arm, saying: "I was just joking with you earlier! Don't be angry, come home and I'll cook meat for you!"

  "You shameless woman, stop pulling me!" Chu Dongyang glared at her with disgust, his voice low and rude, but one hand had already reached out to take the bamboo basket on her shoulder.