Tang Xiaonan swung her arms, warming herself up a bit. She tried to console herself. ’Jacqueline Spann is only ten right now. At most, she can only stir up some minor trouble. I’ll just deal with whatever comes my way. What the hell is there to be afraid of!’

"What’s wrong?"

Amanda Chapman came down carrying a large basket of pigweed. She saw Tang Xiaonan standing there in a daze, so she walked over and felt her forehead. Her temperature was normal, which put Amanda at ease.

"It’s nothing. I just ran into Jacqueline Spann. She called out to me, but I ignored her."

Tang Xiaonan wanted to go up and get her own basket, but Amanda Chapman stopped her. "I already carried the rabbit food home."

"Then let me carry it." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Tang Xiaonan felt rather embarrassed. She was an adult, after all; she couldn’t bully a young girl.

"You’d never be able to carry this. Come on, let’s go. My mom has dinner ready."

Amanda Chapman hitched the basket higher up on her back, refusing to let Tang Xiaonan carry it. She even took her by the hand and started walking. After a few steps, she added, "Don’t pay any attention to Jacqueline Spann. That girl is bad news. She was eavesdropping on us just now."

Tang Xiaonan was startled. "Just now, when we were pulling weeds? Where was she?"

"She was crouching sneakily down the slope. I found her after you left. She even claimed the mountain was public land and anyone could be here. Hmph. She’s just as shameless as that vixen mother of hers."

Amanda Chapman’s cheeks were puffed out. Right now, Jacqueline Spann and her mother were the people she hated most on Millstone Peak—bar none.

Tang Xiaonan’s brow furrowed. They had been talking about the rabbits. Jacqueline Spann must have heard everything. Thinking back to the sinister look in Jacqueline’s eyes, Tang Xiaonan’s unease grew stronger.

"Amanda, do you think Jacqueline Spann will report us for raising rabbits?"

Amanda Chapman was stunned for a moment before the question registered. She said doubtfully, "I doubt she would. Where would she even go to report it? We’re a long way from town."

"Besides, nobody’s enforcing the rules right now. Aren’t people in the city not allowed to raise chickens? My mom and the neighbors all have them, and nothing’s happened." Amanda Chapman wasn’t too concerned. It was just a few rabbits. Who would have nothing better to do than meddle in this kind of business!

Tang Xiaonan also felt a little relieved. ’I’m probably overthinking it. No matter how bad Jacqueline Spann is, she wouldn’t be bored enough to do something like this, would she? The Jacqueline in the book was a formidable and influential woman. Would she really stoop to such a low-down trick that harms others without even benefiting herself?’

Still, just to be safe, Tang Xiaonan decided to move the rabbits’ hutch. Keeping them in the chicken coop was too conspicuous. After dinner, she called Jim Thorne over to help her move the rabbits to the back of the house. The pigsty and the outhouse were back there. They built a new hutch out of bricks and stones, covering the top so it wasn’t obvious at first glance. Plus, a small path behind the house led to the back mountain, providing an escape route just in case.

"Nobody’s going to come and check. Lots of families in the village are raising more than they’re supposed to. Who has nothing better to do than report someone?" Jim Thorne said dismissively, thinking Tang Xiaonan was worrying for nothing.

But even though he grumbled, his hands never stopped moving. He did whatever Tang Xiaonan asked, and the new rabbit hutch they built was actually quite nice. The six rabbits seemed very pleased with their new home.

The kitchen was right next to the back of the house. Raina was inside washing dishes and cooking pig feed. She stuck her head out and yelled, "Jim, take this bucket of slop and feed the pigs!"

It was a huge, steaming bucket of pig slop. This year, Raina had gotten an extra piglet, so she was raising two in total. Goldie Thorne needed to get married, her four grandsons had to go to school, and if one of them got ridiculously lucky and tested into a university, they’d have to throw a celebratory banquet. Everything cost money.

Raina wanted to save up more money in the next few years while she was still able to work. For an old country woman like her, raising an extra pig was the only way she could think of to earn more. She also raised extra chickens and ducks, since she could sell the extra eggs for cash.