After the family split up, my stepmother and scumbag father begged me to come home.

Lin Qianqian was busy at the stove. She cut the rabbit meat into small pieces, marinated it with salt and ginger slices, and then took out the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns she had bought that day, dried them in a pot, and then crushed them with a pestle.

Ah Long squatted by the stove, helping to stoke the fire; the firelight made his little face turn red.

The room was filled with the pungent aroma of chili peppers, which made him sneeze repeatedly, but his eyes sparkled: "Sister, it smells so good!"

"Doesn't it smell good? It'll taste even better later." Lin Qianqian said, pouring a spoonful of oil into the pot. Once the oil was hot, she first sautéed ginger and garlic until fragrant, then added rabbit meat chunks and stir-fried them quickly over high heat. When the rabbit meat changed color, she sprinkled in chili powder and Sichuan peppercorn powder, stir-fried it evenly, and finally added a little water to simmer and let it absorb the flavors.

The aroma of spicy food instantly filled the entire room.

Lin Yulong sniffed, his mouth practically watering: "Sister, when did you learn to make this?"

"I've seen my mother do this before," Lin Qianqian replied casually, her hands still moving.

"Mother?" Lin Yulong was stunned. He didn't remember the Lin family ever making rabbit meat.

There was a moment of silence in the room. Neither of them spoke again when their mother was mentioned.

The fire crackled in the stove, and the rabbit meat in the pot bubbled and steamed.

Footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by Ding Xiaohu's voice: "Sister Qianqian! I'm here!"

Lin Yulong immediately jumped up and went to open the door: "Brother Hu, come quick! It'll be ready soon!"

Ding Xiaohu entered the house and handed the cloth bag to Lin Qianqian: "Sister Qianqian, my mother asked me to bring this."

Lin Qianqian opened the package and found half a bag of coarse flour, a small jar of pickled vegetables, and a piece of cured meat. She paused for a moment, then looked up at Ding Xiaohu: "How can this be? Keep it for your own family."

"My mother said that if you don't accept the money, I can't eat here," Ding Xiaohu said firmly.

Lin Qianqian couldn't help but smile at his earnest expression and didn't refuse any longer: "Alright, I'll accept it then. Please thank your mother for me when you get back."

She carefully put away the cured meat, poured the coarse noodles into her own noodle jar, and opened the pickled vegetables to smell their tangy aroma.

"Ah Long, get the bowl."

Three children sat around a low table. A large bowl of spicy rabbit meat was placed in the center, glistening with red oil. The rabbit pieces were coated with chili and Sichuan peppercorn flakes, making one's mouth water just looking at it. Beside them were a dish of pickled vegetables and a bowl of clear soup.

"Eat up." As soon as Lin Qianqian finished speaking, two pairs of chopsticks were extended.

The spicy and savory flavors exploded in his mouth, numbing, spicy, and scalding hot. Ah Long hissed and gasped for breath from the spiciness, tears welling up in his eyes, but he couldn't stop eating. Ding Xiaohu ate until he was covered in sweat, shoveling several mouthfuls into his mouth.

"Sister Qianqian, this is so delicious!" Ding Xiaohu said indistinctly.

Lin Qianqian picked up a piece and chewed slowly. The rabbit meat was tender and smooth, and the spicy flavor had seeped into the bones; it was indeed delicious. She remembered when her mother made this dish when she was little, her father would always drink a couple of glasses of wine, saying that this spicy rabbit was the perfect accompaniment to alcohol.

"Sister, eat more." Ah Long put the biggest piece of food into her bowl.

"Alright, you guys eat, I'm watching." Lin Qianqian lowered her head, took a bite of rice, and suppressed the tears welling up in her eyes.

After dinner, it was already getting dark. Ding Xiaohu helped clear the dishes and then insisted on washing the pot before wiping his mouth and going home.

Lin Qianqian carefully collected the remaining rabbit meat, storing it in a clean earthenware jar to eat tomorrow. A-Long was already nodding off, so she told him to go to sleep and covered himself with the blanket.

I sat on the stone stool by the door and, using the last bit of light, picked the wild vegetables.

Tomorrow I'll make some wild vegetable porridge and serve it with the leftover rabbit meat—that'll be another meal.

A few barks came from the distant village; the smoke from the chimneys had long since dissipated, and the village was pitch black.

Lin Qianqian looked up at the sky, and stars began to appear one by one.

She thought that things would eventually get better.

At least today, she and Ah Long were both full, with oily and flavorful stomachs and plenty of energy.

Tomorrow I'll go up the mountain again and gather more fruit, and then I'll get some cloth to make a new dress for Ah Long. The child has grown taller; the sleeves are too short now.

As Lin Qianqian pondered, a smile curved her lips. She carried the selected wild vegetables into the house and gently closed the door.