"We'll have to wait for Dad to fix this water jar when he gets back. Luckily, you hit the top; if it were any lower, the water inside would probably have spilled out."
Shen Qingju looked at the small hole on top of the water jar, feeling quite helpless.
Shen Qinglan didn't say a word, sitting in the courtyard, propping her head with her hand, staring blankly ahead, lost in thought.
It took about half an hour before Shen Qingzhu and Shen Qingping brought back the processed game.
Behind them were Shen Shan carrying a hoe and Dong Yao with a wooden bucket.
Dong Yao put down the wooden bucket and asked, "Qinglan, I heard from Qingzhu and Qingping that you hunted this game. Is it true?"
Shen Qinglan nodded.
Dong Yao excitedly said to Shen Shan, "Since Qinglan woke up, she's not only recovered but also learned to hunt. Could it be what the elders say, 'Great misfortune brings great blessing'?"
Shen Shan nodded, agreeing joyfully, "Yes, our Qinglan is a blessed child from now on!"
Shen Qinglan's mouth twitched a little, but she didn't argue.
Dong Yao said, "Qingju, go fry the rabbit and bird meat. Later, take some to your grandparents. We'll keep the chicken for dinner tonight."
Shen Qingju responded, and just as she was about to take out the bird and rabbit meat from the basket to cut them into pieces, Shen Qinglan had already beaten her to it.
"Wasn't this water jar perfectly fine this morning? How did it get a hole? Who did this?"
Just as Shen Shan was about to scoop water to wash his hands, he noticed the hole in the jar and frowned.
Shen Qinglan honestly replied, "I made it."
"You did?"
Shen Shan was surprised, "How did you do it?"
The hole looked quite neat, and there weren't any cracks elsewhere; it was really curious.
Shen Qingping bragged, "Dad, the jar was cracked by our third sister with a stone. She's really amazing!"
Shen Qinglan: ...
Vandalizing property, is that something to brag about?
"With a stone? Is our Qinglan really that skilled?"
Shen Shan was even more amazed.
Shen Qingping nodded emphatically, boasting as if he had been the one to make the hole.
Shen Qinglan's stomach started protesting, leaving her with no time to deal with them.
She began scooping water to wash the cutting board and knife, then went inside to fetch a large bowl, washed it, and set it aside for use.
"Qinglan, let me cut the meat."
Fearing Shen Qinglan might hurt herself, Shen Qingju stepped forward to take the knife but was avoided by Shen Qinglan.
Shen Qinglan said, "Wash the pot, light the fire."
Shen Qingju hesitated for a moment, and seeing her "tap, tap, tap," slicing most of the rabbit meat neatly and evenly in a short time, couldn't help but be a bit shocked.
Seeing her slice skillfully, Shen Qingju no longer worried and went off to wash the pot and light the fire.
After slicing the meat, Shen Qinglan looked up and asked Shen Qingzhu, who was standing nearby, "Is there any ginger or garlic?"
Shen Qingzhu nodded, "Yes, Second Brother will get it for you."
Shen Qingzhu ran into the kitchen, soon coming out with a few cloves of garlic and a small piece of ginger.
Shen Qinglan washed them with water, smashed the garlic, sliced the ginger, and then carried them with the meat back to the kitchen.
Looking at the almost uniformly sized pieces of meat in the bowl, Shen Qingzhu couldn't help but praise repeatedly; his third sister's knife skills were probably no less than the chefs of the big hotels in town.
Seeing her come in, Shen Qingju reached out, "The pot is just hot, give me the meat."
Shen Qinglan backed away a step, shaking her head, "I'll do it."
"You will?"
Shen Qingju was stunned, then said sternly, "This is meat, you have never cooked before, you can't waste it."
Shen Qinglan, hearing this, very much wanted to throw those words right back at her.