That night, Su Sanmei told Su Sanlang about what happened.
"Father, let's separate the bad gray rabbit. He's plucked so much of their fur."
Su Sanmei was a little angry. The rabbit didn't dare when she was watching, but as long as she looked away, the gray rabbit went to pluck other rabbit fur.
Su Sanlang was also worried. If he wanted to raise them separately now, he wouldn't have any extra cages.
Madam Zhao vaguely heard their conversation. She had a guess in her heart, so before Su Sanlang could say anything, she shouted from inside the house, "Sanlang, come inside. I have something to tell you."
When Su Sanlang heard Madam Zhao's shout, he put the rabbits' problems aside and immediately turned around to enter the room.
In the room, Madam Zhao looked at Su Sanlang and said, "Sanlang, I might know what's going on with that rabbit, but I'm not too sure if it's true. I just heard from others that when rabbits are about to give birth, they would pluck fur to make a nest. That rabbit might be about to give birth to a bunny."
Su Sanlang was surprised. "So what should we do?"
Su Sanmei followed him into the room and listened quietly. When she heard that it might be giving birth to a bunny, she was a little excited. She said, "Father, let's raise it. This way, we'll have a lot of rabbits in the future. I can pull a lot of grass for the rabbits to eat."
Su Sanlang was a little surprised too. If they had a nest of little rabbits, wouldn't they have a big group of rabbits in the future?
"Sanlang, whether there is or not, let's raise that rabbit separately first. It doesn't matter if there's no cage. Use the basket to cover it first."
There was also light in Madam Zhao's eyes. Although she was unsure, the thought of it made her feel very good.
Su Sanlang nodded. "Okay. Whatever you say."
When Su Sanlang went out to separate the four rabbits, he specially weighed rabbits in his hand. The gray rabbit that could possibly be pregnant was heavier than the other rabbits. Moreover, it was fierce. It even kicked its legs when he picked it up.
Su Sanlang laughed as he separated it.
Perhaps because they had expectations, the family was in a good mood. They ate their rough meals happily.
Su Sanlang thought that they could not afford to eat the cured meat every day, so most of the time, he cooked dry vegetables to eat.
He used water to boil vegetables with poached eggs and pretended that there was meat.
The food was not good, but all three children enjoyed it. They chewed slowly as if they were eating delicious delicacies. Su Sanlang thought to himself that life would get better.
The next morning, Su Sanlang specially made a new cage for the rabbit.
Su Sanmei brought her two brothers and caught the insects for Su Sanlang to put in the traps.
After doing all this, Su Sanmei brought her two brothers to pluck grass and feed the rabbits.
When Su Sanlang returned from checking the traps, he was carrying another dead pheasant.
Su Chong and Su Hua surrounded him and watched eagerly. They didn't ask, but their eyes were clearly asking, "Father, are we eating that?"
Su Sanmei had the same question. If it died, should he sell it or eat it?
Su Sanlang seemed to see the children's doubts and said with a smile, "This pheasant is dead. If we try to sell it to the city people, they'll think it's not fresh. Let's boil water and clean it up. I'll make chicken soup for you guys tonight."
"Yay!"
Su Chong and Su Hua were overjoyed.
Su Sanlang patted the three children. This pheasant weighed four catties, and even after removing its internal organs, it weighed nearly three catties. He chopped it into small pieces and stewed half of it.
As the chicken simmered, Su Sanlang went to flip the soil.
The fragrance of the chicken soup was so strong that Su Sanmei felt like she was floating. When she went into the house to help Madam Zhao change Su Xiaolu's diaper, Su Sanmei even sniffed and teased Su Xiaolu, "Su Sanmei, do you smell it? This is meat. It's a pity that you're still young. Otherwise, I would have fed it to you."
Madam Zhao smiled and said, "It smells so good."
Su Sanmei nodded seriously. "Yes, yes. It smells so good. I've never smelled anything like it."
Never had anything like it either, she thought.
Perhaps remembering the bad times, Su Sanmei lowered her eyes.
Madam Zhao sighed and reached out to stroke Su Sanmei's hair. "When the chicks hatch in the future, we'll eat chicken once a month."
Su Sanmei looked up at Madam Zhao with a smile in her eyes. She nodded. "Okay."
Su Xiaolu kicked her legs happily. She was free whenever they changed her diapers every day and had the chance to move around more.
After changing the diaper, Su Sanmei pinched Su Xiaolu's little hand and pressed it against her face.
Madam Zhao said, "Be careful, Simei might scratch you."
Su Sanmei leaned against Su Xiaolu and said with a smile, "No, Simei won't scratch me. Simei smells so good too. She's sweet like the candy Aunt gave me."
Speaking of candy, Su Sanmei hadn't finished eating the piece from yesterday yet. Yesterday, she didn't have time to take it out. Su Sanmei took out a paper bag from her pocket and opened it. She handed the candy to Madam Zhao. "Mother, eat this."
Madam Zhao was caught off guard and was almost moved to tears. She held it in with great effort and said in a choked voice, "My dear, why would Mother eat candy? Hurry up and eat it yourself."
Su Sanmei shook her head. "I want Mother to eat it. It will nourish your body."
Su Sanmei looked at Madam Zhao. Over the past few days, Madam Zhao's complexion had improved a lot, but she was still very afraid that Madam Zhao would become as pale as the day she gave birth to Simei.
Su Sanmei would never forget the strong smell of blood that day. It was also at that moment that she suddenly understood what it meant to die. She knew that if her mother died, she would no longer have a mother.
She did not want to be without a mother. Su Sanmei stuffed the candy into Madam Zhao's mouth and got up to take the diapers out to wash them.
Madam Zhao held the candy in her mouth, and tears flowed down her cheeks.
She sighed and gently squeezed Su Xiaolu's little hand. As she wrapped her up, she said, "Sime, God is so good to me. I met your daddy and had such sensible children. I must take care of my body so that I can watch you grow up and marry a good person…"
Su Xiaolu looked at Madam Zhao closely and smiled at her.
She definitely would. When she grew up, she would contribute to the family. She would personally choose a good partner for such a good third sister.
As for her two silly brothers, if they were cured, they would naturally have a good marriage. If they couldn't be cured, she would raise them for the rest of her life. She will be a doctor in the future. Her two brothers could be her assistants and help with the drying of medicine. They could live a good life on their own.
After being wrapped up by Madam Zhao, Su Xiaolu began to fall asleep. She was still a baby at this point, so she should sleep obediently.
Seeing that Su Xiaolu had fallen asleep quickly, Madam Zhao leaned over and kissed Su Xiaolu's forehead. "Simei, you're so obedient. Sleep well. I'll make clothes for your father, brothers, and sister."
Madam Zhao quietly made clothes in the house. While Su Sanmei washed the diapers, the chicken was cooked. She put off the fire and let the soup slowly simmer on the stove.
Then, she ran out again to pull grass and catch insects to feed the chickens and rabbits.
As the sky gradually darkened, Su Sanlang looked at the half-acre of land he had dug and felt a sense of accomplishment.