Chapter 121: No Serious Harm to the Body

There was no large game to be found, but small creatures like rabbits or rats were still available on the mountain.

Furthermore, the trees harbored birds' nests and roosting birds. Gu Xiaoyao was quite nimble at climbing, so whenever she spotted a nest, she would ascend to investigate.

She could not afford to overthink things now; although the previous hunt had yielded a fair amount, there were many mouths to feed, and they could consume quite a lot in a single sitting.

With two patients in the house, she could not expect them to skimp on their rations, and Gu Xiaoyao had no intention of letting them suffer through such hardships.

"The villagers don't have much grain left, yet these little creatures on the mountain are all plump and well-fed."

Looking at a rabbit not far away, Gu Xiaoyao muttered to herself before unleashing her supernatural ability. A burst of vines shot out and ensnared the creature.

She showed no pity for the struggling rabbit; once she had stunned it, she tossed it into her wicker basket.

After spending half an hour on the mountain, she had harvested three rabbits and some rats from their burrows. She had even dug out the grain stored inside the rat holes.

It had to be said that these rats were quite clever at hiding things, and they had stashed away nothing but unhulled millet.

Chu Chengjin woke up after an hour of sleep. He gazed at the ceiling with a dazed expression, then slowly came to his senses.

He pushed himself up from the kang, clutching his forehead. How could he have slept so deeply, and for so long during the day?

He rose, put on his shoes, and stepped out of the room, only to be greeted by a rather bloody scene: Gu Xiaoyao was using a wood-chopping knife to slit a rabbit's throat.

"You're up. How are you feeling? Do you feel a bit better?"

Seeing him awake, Gu Xiaoyao scrutinized his complexion. He looked much better, lacking the pale, sickly pallor he had displayed on the kang earlier.

"Yes, much better. You went into the mountains?"

Chu Chengjin still did not quite understand why he had fallen into such a deep slumber. Perhaps it was because he felt a sense of security here.

He pulled over a stool, smoothed his robes, and sat down, watching her skillfully drain the blood from the rabbit before beginning to skin it.

"That's right, I went into the mountains. Hurry up and get well so we can have roast rabbit. By the way, there is food in the kitchen; if you're hungry, help yourself."

Looking at the three plump rabbits, Gu Xiaoyao felt an impatient craving for roast rabbit. At the mere thought of a whole rabbit served on the table, her eyes lit up with anticipation.

"Don't worry about me. If you want to eat, you should roast one. It is my own inadequacy that forces my wife to work so hard."

Having cast aside his inner self-doubts, Chu Chengjin returned to his usual habit of teasing her with every other sentence.

"It's not just for your sake; it’s mainly because my mother hasn't fully recovered and can't eat roast rabbit. However, there will be quite a few people eating at home today, so I need to prepare something good to treat them."

Seeing him starting to act mischievous again, Gu Xiaoyao expressionlessly reached out and pinched his cheek.

Chu Chengjin took hold of her playful hand and stroked it gently, giving Gu Xiaoyao goosebumps.

"My wife, you are being naughty."

"It's mostly because my husband is so excessively handsome that I can't help but want to tease you."

Once she had finished processing all three rabbits, Gu Xiaoyao decided that roasting two would be sufficient.

She urged Chu Chengjin to stop wandering about and return to his room to rest. Then, she checked on Lady Li, and seeing her sleeping with a healthy, rosy complexion, she felt relieved.