Chapter 27: Caught a Rabbit (Please Add to Favorites)

Chapter 27: Catching a Rabbit

Usually, Xu Yi rarely scans the ground, as it requires moving slowly and keeping his head down constantly, which would look quite suspicious. If the livestream audience were to discover his secret, it would be troublesome. Looking around at the surroundings, however, is natural and reasonable.

"Let’s walk softly so we don't scare it away," Xu Yi whispered to Su Keke before lightening his footsteps.

Following Su Keke, Xu Yi spotted the small burrow. He didn't think it was a mountain rat's hole; it looked more like a rabbit's.

"I suspect a rabbit dug this, so we need to search the area to see if there are other exits," Xu Yi whispered to Su Keke, mindful of the audience as well.

Upon hearing it was a rabbit, Su Keke’s eyes lit up. Rabbits are substantial; small ones weigh two or three pounds, while larger ones can reach seven or eight. Furthermore, rabbit fur is useful and can be collected.

It was indeed a rabbit. Xu Yi spotted it huddled inside the burrow, looking agitated. It had likely heard their footsteps or caught their scent. Using his X-ray vision, Xu Yi quickly located three other exits. This rabbit was quite cunning, having dug four openings.

Xu Yi took off his shirt and pants to plug two of the holes. Then, he went to fetch some fire.

"Keke, you use the smoke at the entrance to fan it inside, can you do that?"

Su Keke nodded vigorously, saying confidently, "I can! We used to catch rabbits this way before."

"Good, I'll leave that to you. Dad is going to the last hole to catch it and see what we’ve got."

With that, Xu Yi grabbed his stone axe and headed to the fourth opening. He gave Su Keke an "OK" gesture, then crouched down, ready to strike. Seeing the signal, Su Keke brought the fire close to the entrance, added some leaves, and began fanning the smoke inside.

[No. 1, you should use your clothes to catch it. If you’re too slow, it’ll get away!]
[Keke looks so cute fanning the fire. No. 1, make sure you catch a big one so Keke doesn't go hungry!!]
[I’ll bet 100 bucks that No. 1 won't catch it this way. That thing will bolt out too fast for him to react. I’ve seen others use their clothes to block the hole so it can’t escape.]
[I’m worried it might be a snake. If it’s a venomous one, No. 1 is in trouble...]
[Then he’ll truly earn the title of "Snake Slayer."]
[What a nickname! But to be fair, No. 1 has killed more snakes than anything else.]

A snake? Not a chance. There was only a rabbit inside.

It moved! Xu Yi saw the rabbit fleeing from the smoke, darting toward another exit—the one he had already blocked. It would either suffocate or turn back toward him. Either way, he knew exactly where the rabbit was; there was no chance of it escaping.

After bumping against the blocked exit a few times, the rabbit retreated and turned, bolting straight toward Xu Yi. It was incredibly fast, reaching him in an instant. Xu Yi swung his stone axe.

"I got it! I got it!" Xu Yi quickly reached in and grabbed the rabbit by its ears. "It’s a grey rabbit. Look, it’s quite a plump one."

Xu Yi held the rabbit up happily to show the audience. Su Keke ran over, cheering, "Dad, you’re amazing! We caught a rabbit!"

"Dinner is sorted, and with a rabbit this big, we’ll have breakfast for tomorrow too."

Xu Yi carried the rabbit to a tree and, since it wasn't quite dead, delivered a few more blows with the stone axe to its head. "I don't enjoy killing animals, but for the sake of survival, there’s no other way. Now, I need to clean it."

He decided to let the snake skin react with the wood ash for now and would smoke it properly after dinner. Using a stone chisel, he cut the rabbit’s throat and skinned it in one piece. "I plan to keep this pelt; it should be very useful." He set the skin aside, then gutted the rabbit, tossing the entrails into the fire. These had to be burned to avoid attracting predators, as he wasn't strong enough to deal with them yet.

Although the campfire provided protection, the appearance of wild animals would only frighten Su Keke. Any mishap would be a serious matter.

Su Keke helped rinse the rabbit with water and vines, and Xu Yi carved a small branch to skewer it for roasting. The rabbit was indeed large, and as it roasted, a savory aroma began to fill the air. Su Keke kept her eyes locked on it.

Once the rabbit was on a makeshift rack, Xu Yi took off his watch and handed it to Su Keke. "Keke, could you turn the rabbit every five minutes?"

He needed to gather dry wood and brush to smoke the snake skin. The two spots were about 20 meters apart and within sight of each other. If anything happened, Xu Yi could rush back instantly.

"I can do that! Leave it to me, Dad." Su Keke took the watch and picked up her spear.

Xu Yi patted her head and left with his stone axe. Along the way, he cut some brush and dragged it to the site of the snake skin. He wedged branches into the soil, propped them up, and tied them with bark to create a frame for the skin. The snake skin had been split open; when spread out, the widest part was a meter across, and the narrowest was about 60 centimeters.

[I’ve never seen a snake skin this wide.]
[You could probably make a tent out of this, right?]
[Or maybe some snake-skin satchels; those would be more practical.]
[It has plenty of uses, it just depends on how No. 1 utilizes it. Compared to the others, No. 1 is gaining more of an advantage, and I’m becoming more optimistic about him.]
[Yeah, he has foresight. I think No. 1 can help Keke make it to 100 days.]

Xu Yi collected enough firewood and added the freshly cut brush to the fire, which created thick smoke, making the curing process more effective. Once done, he returned to Su Keke. He had checked on the rabbit once before; it was already cooked, and he had instructed Su Keke to move it aside to cool down.

He was now back to enjoy the roast rabbit. When he arrived, Su Keke had already torn off a leg and was happily eating.