Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, and Hunting

Gu Qinghuan truly didn’t care. She and Xu Huaian were never a real married couple to begin with—they were just living together out of convenience.

Xu Huaian promised he would do his best, but whether or not he could find any wild game would be up to fate.

After enjoying a satisfying meal, the two children walked happily ahead of them on the way home.

Suddenly, Xu Huaian asked nervously, “You’re not angry, are you?”

“Angry about what? The wild game? What’s there to be angry about? If we can’t get any, we’ll just make do. It’s not like they can force you to go hunting!”

“That’s not what I meant. I was talking about the wedding banquet. I said we don’t need to have one… You’re not upset, right?”

“That’s even less of an issue. We’re only living together temporarily anyway, so what’s the point of a banquet?” Gu Qinghuan replied, completely unconcerned.

Xu Huaian felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him, chilling him to the bone.

Her intentions hadn’t changed—she just wanted a partnership for daily life. But he, on the other hand, had quietly fallen for her.

When he was sick before, he thought he shouldn’t hold her back and only hoped she could help take care of the children. Now, though, he found himself wanting more—he really was greedy.

Of course he wanted a wedding, wanted to give her the grandest ceremony, to marry her with pride and celebration. But not together with Xu Meiling, and not now—the timing wasn’t right.

Well, since she didn’t care at all, it was fine.

Xu Huaian’s face was full of disappointment, but unfortunately, Gu Qinghuan didn’t notice.

That afternoon, they started preparing dinner. Gu Qinghuan was the head chef, with Xu Huaian helping out.

Zhong Zijun was happy to have it easy, teaching the kids to recognize characters in the yard. They didn’t even need paper or pens—just used a firewood stick to write in the dirt.

The ingredients at home today were more plentiful than ever: pork, beef, big prawns, mandarin fish, and plenty of vegetables.

Gu Qinghuan planned to make a sweet and sour squirrel-shaped mandarin fish—a dish that was both delicious and beautiful, perfect for all ages.

The prawns would be simply boiled and served with dipping sauce, to best highlight their natural sweetness.

She’d also make twice-cooked pork, fish-fragrant eggplant, and tomato-egg soup. Four dishes and a soup—more than enough.

Gu Qinghuan’s hands moved swiftly and skillfully. With a few quick strokes, she scored the fish, coated it in homemade batter, and rolled it in hot oil. Once plated, it took on the shape of a squirrel.

Finally, she poured on a bright red sweet-and-sour sauce—it looked stunning.

Xu Huaian was amazed. “Did you learn this somewhere?”

This squirrel-shaped mandarin fish wasn’t your average home-cooked dish. Without professional training, it was hard to make it look so effortless.

“I learned a little,” she replied.

The other dishes were all home-style and came together quickly.

That evening, as usual, they ate in the main room. Ever since Xu Huaian had recovered, they’d stopped eating on the heated brick bed—though in winter, the bed was still the warmest place.

The family wished each other a happy holiday, then started eating.

The squirrel-shaped mandarin fish was a hit. Even Zhong Zijun, who had tasted many delicacies, couldn’t help but praise it.

Xu Huaian wasn’t fond of sweets, but he still tried a few bites.

The kids were even more enthusiastic. Beibei, eager to flatter, exclaimed, “Mom, you’re amazing! This is the best fish I’ve ever had!”

“Really? Then you’d better eat plenty,” Gu Qinghuan smiled.

Zhong Zijun’s hands weren’t nimble enough to peel the prawns, so she hadn’t taken any. Gu Qinghuan, busy chatting and eating, forgot to help her.

Instead, Dabao noticed. Quietly, he peeled a few prawns, dipped them in sauce, and placed them in Zhong Zijun’s bowl.

Dabao wasn’t as expressive as Beibei, but he was more attentive and considerate.

At that moment, Zhong Zijun’s eyes grew moist.

Fate between people can be truly mysterious.

A little kindness is always repaid with sincerity.

“Thank you, Dabao. You eat too,” she said.

At first, she just pitied the two children and felt obliged to care for them. Now, she truly saw them as her own juniors and loved them dearly.

After all, who could refuse such a thoughtful child?

Gu Qinghuan felt a pang in her heart. This child was so considerate—he must have suffered a lot to become so sensitive.

From now on, she would treat them even better, so they could be surrounded by love.

After dinner, the family sat in the yard, admiring the moon and eating mooncakes—a rare moment of leisure.

—

The day after the holiday, Xu Huaian was ready to go back to work, but Gu Qinghuan stopped him. His leg still wasn’t fully healed, so he shouldn’t do heavy labor yet. He should rest a few more days.

Since he couldn’t go to work, they decided to go up the mountain to gather wild goods and maybe do some hunting.

As for the two kids, they’d been called away early in the morning by Erdan. With the autumn harvest underway, children would go out in groups to “glean the fields”—it was quite lively.

Gleaning meant picking up leftover grain in the fields after the harvest. No matter how careful the adults were, some grain was always left behind, and the kids would collect it to bring home as food. It was an unspoken tradition—every family’s children could do it.

Zhong Zijun stayed home to watch the house.

Gu Qinghuan slung a water bottle over her shoulder, and Xu Huaian carried a basket as they set off.

Xu Huaian knew the mountains around Xujiatun like the back of his hand. Relying on his experience, he led Gu Qinghuan down a little-used path.

“You always come out early in the morning to get these things? What are they?” Gu Qinghuan asked curiously, eyeing the dusty wooden blocks in his basket.

“These are hunting tools,” Xu Huaian replied. He’d found them in the Xu family’s storage room—they were all things he’d used before.

These items had been tossed in a corner, gathering dust like trash—just like him, never cherished.

“You really know how to hunt? Who taught you?” Gu Qinghuan was surprised—she hadn’t known he could hunt.

“I know a bit. I learned from an old hunter in the village and practiced martial arts for a few years too.”

So that was it.

As they spoke, they reached a patch of forest. Xu Huaian set down his basket.

“There are many kinds of hunting tools—bows and arrows, darts, hunting rifles, ground cages, nets, and other things like hooks, clamps, and foot traps.

Today we brought ground cages, clamps, and foot traps—all commonly used tools.

The most common is the foot trap. Whether you’re an old hunter or a beginner, you can’t do without it.

Of course, besides tools, hunters usually set traps and train hunting dogs to chase prey. Today, we’ll just try our hand with these tools.”

When it came to his area of expertise, Xu Huaian seemed to glow—focused and gentle.

Gu Qinghuan’s heart skipped a beat.

Xu Huaian looked around the forest, poked around with a stick, then picked a foot trap from his basket and carefully set it at the entrance of a rabbit hole, covering it with fallen leaves.

A foot trap is made of serrated iron and a spring. You hide it on the ground, and when an animal steps on it, the spring snaps shut, clamping the animal’s leg."