Chapter 1326: Chapter 1327: The Young Widow of the Courtyard 54 Zhang Yu took a rabbit out of the bag, quickly resolving it with a single cut. Then she skillfully skinned it, and in about ten minutes, Zhang Yu had cleaned a rabbit; in an hour, she had cleaned three rabbits. Initially, everyone thought Zhang Yu hadn’t handled rabbits before, and they could help process them in exchange for half a rabbit as compensation. Watching Zhang Yu’s swift movements, everyone felt grateful for not speaking up earlier; otherwise, they would have been thoroughly embarrassed. Auntie Wang, eyes aglow at the sight of the rabbit skins, knew asking for meat was out of the question, but she considered the rabbit skins were worth discussing. “Xiao Zhang, what are you planning to do with these rabbit skins?” Auntie Wang asked expectantly, “Can we trade them?” Thinking it over, Zhang Yu was not the naive person she used to be, so getting something for nothing was out of the question. “I need the rabbit skins for myself.” If someone wanted them for free, Zhang Yu wouldn’t hesitate to refuse rudely, but speaking politely, she couldn’t show a bad attitude. “Cotton is hard to come by now, so I’m thinking of putting rabbit skins inside clothes to make fur-lined garments.” Besides eating the meat, Zhang Yu was also keen on the rabbit’s fur. Indeed, why hadn’t they thought of using it this way? “We should consider going up the mountain this weekend.” They didn’t believe that Zhang Yu could be so lucky. Excelling at fishing and having good harvests in the mountains, even though she was a widow, unlucky for men. Original content can be found at N0v3l.Fiɾe.net Zhao Lei’s expression soured upon hearing others were planning to catch rabbits in the mountains too. After processing the rabbits outside, Zhang Yu went home to prepare a simple marinade to dry them. Fortunately, the temperature was rising, and the wind was good. Watching Zhang Yu calmly handle the rabbits, Zhao Lei asked, “Mom, what did you tell them? I see they plan to go to the mountains this weekend.” Zhao Hong was also unhappy, pouting. “If they want to go, they will go, whether I mention it or not.” “Seeing our harvest, they’re already tempted.” Zhang Yu knew rabbits would definitely impress people, many of whom would be intrigued. “Even if we block them and express our reluctance for them to catch rabbits in the mountains, do you think they will give up?” “You went with me today; did you find it easy?” Even with her experience, Zhang Yu was quite tired. The siblings shook their heads, “Not easy.” “Exactly, we looked around for ages to catch three rabbits. Do you think they can catch them easily?” Zhao Lei thought for a while and shook his head, “They probably won’t find it that easy.” “So, no matter how much we advise them, they’ll only settle down once they hit a wall.” “Look, previously they kept saying they wanted to go fishing; now who’s still fishing?” Zhang Yu thought they’d have confidence after seeing her catch such a big black fish. But who knew they persisted for just two weeks before giving up. “If there’s a yield, they’ll definitely keep at it; but without one, will they continue?” “We have a bike, and we can ride there directly, but they don’t, so how will they get there?” “Borrowing a car costs money, taking the bus costs money.” “If there’s a yield, these expenses are necessary outlays.” “Once out there and without any harvest, they won’t keep going to the mountains.” “For reaching the closest mountain, they’d need to walk for over an hour.” “With more people, how could there still be rabbits around?” As numbers increase, and without digging deep, most animals would relocate. Zhao Lei thought, “Mom, you often go fishing; so many people fish, yet your catch is bigger than theirs.” “Exactly, so there’s no need to be timid.” “Alright, today we’ll eat half a rabbit.” Having caught rabbits, they had promised to let the kids eat rabbit meat. After marinating, the rabbit meat tasted great; with some simple cooking by Zhang Yu, the two kids at home were soon entirely enchanted. Not just the kids, even the neighbors from the compound and surrounding compounds were captivated by the aroma. Once again, with the fragrance of Zhang Yu’s family’s cooking, everyone ate dinner pitiably. Everyone thought that next weekend, they must go rabbit hunting in the mountains, “I don’t believe I won’t catch a rabbit.” Such talks were heard in many households, including the neighbors of the nearby courtyard. Some people were eagerly rushing to rent cars, since just walking wasn’t enough to leave the city, especially if they had large yields. Regrettably, a consensus emerged where car owners claimed they needed their vehicles and weren’t willing to lend them out. And so, everyone knew that next weekend, many would head to the mountains. If a household had older boys, they were planning to skip school during the weekdays to check the mountains. But their parents immediately rejected the idea. It’s not that they had high academic expectations for the children, but they knew that getting a junior high diploma was essential, even for temporary factory jobs. Zhang Yu and her two children contentedly ate rabbit meat, “Delicious.” Admittedly, rabbit meat was tastier than fish. They ate quickly, having worked outside all day and eager to rest early. “Mom, during summer vacation, I plan to go fishing.” Zhao Lei knew that Zhang Yu was busy preparing to stock the small cellar below. As a considerate kid, Zhao Lei was determined to lighten his parents’ burden. “Okay.” Zhang Yu knew Zhao Lei could swim, and he was growing up. She couldn’t stop him, even if she tried, it’d be better to let him fish. “I want to go too.” Upon hearing Zhao Lei was going fishing, Zhao Hong quickly raised her hand indicating her interest. Both wanted to fish, “You must listen to your brother.” “Otherwise, you can’t go.” Zhang Yu knew Zhao Hong was a sensible girl, “And you know fishing is very boring.” “I’ll keep brother company.” Zhao Hong thought and resolved to accompany Zhao Lei, “Otherwise, he’d be lonely.” Well, what could Zhang Yu say? Her little girl was indeed very considerate. “But you can only go for half a day.” While there was tree shade, they would still be exposed to the sun. She didn’t want her children’s faces to be sunburned before school started. “Okay.” Zhao Lei hadn’t planned on staying all day; he had studying to do, preparing to start middle school come September. As for Zhao Hong, Zhao Lei intended to lay a foundation for her, allowing her to decide later whether to skip a grade.