Our neighborhood has been transported again.

Chapter 49 Hot Tiao
Qin Ziwen remained silent throughout, simply watching her quietly.

He didn't know if it was a lingering effect of killing someone, but after encountering such a sudden event, his first reaction was to wish that she would shut up completely and never be able to speak again.

My mindset is completely different from when I had never killed anyone.

But he knew that doing so was not a wise move.

In crowded public places, especially in the relatively "safe" environment of a residential community, making a move in public will only arouse resentment and vigilance from other neighbors.

If everyone in the community were to merge into the forest, then we would be a group of highly intelligent wild beasts struggling to survive in the forest, and it would be fine for us to act according to the logic of wild beasts.

But now we have communities and homes, and although the rope representing civilization is in jeopardy, it is still there.

A decisive and ruthless person will be respected by others, while a cruel and bloodthirsty person will be hated and feared by others.

Just as Qin Ziwen was weighing the pros and cons, his younger brother stepped forward and pushed Xue E to the ground.

He then said coldly, "You've got some nerve. You're trying to extort us. Taking something without permission is stealing, and you still have the nerve to say such a thing."

Xue E sat blankly on the ground, looking around for help, but no one spoke up for her; everyone just stood by and watched.

Deng Guang looked away after meeting Xue E's gaze.

"mom!"

A boy rushed out from behind Xue E, squatted down, and held his mother's arm, whispering, "Mom, are you alright?"

Xue E turned her head and scolded, "Everyone else is pushing your mother, and you're still here watching the show. You don't even know how to help me. I've wasted my time raising you!"

Liu Zhuang glanced at Qin Ziwu, who was a head taller than him, and the courage he had finally mustered vanished. He lowered his head in fear.

Seeing her son so pathetic, Xue E felt a surge of anger again. "Help me up!"

Liu Zhuang quickly helped his mother up. The gazes of the onlookers made his eyes dart around and his breathing become rapid.

"All you do is bully a woman like me." Xue E said this and turned to leave. After a few steps, seeing her son still standing there, she scolded, "What are you standing there for! Like a block of wood! You've never been able to do anything right since you were little." Liu Zhuang's nose tingled, he lowered his head and quickly caught up with Xue E.

Qin Ziwen walked along the river after exiting through the east gate.

Seeing that Qin Ziwen remained silent after leaving, Deng Guang comforted him, "You don't need to blame yourself. No one could have predicted that Lao Liu would have an accident. It's all fate."

Xue E's personality is always like that; she has a loud voice and a quick temper. I live next door to her, and I often hear her scolding and hitting her children. Her children are most afraid of their mother.

Qin Ziwen, who was pondering the location of the cave, snapped out of his thoughts and smiled: "Brother Deng, I wasn't thinking too much. I was just wondering how to find more gray sweet potatoes. I found that they seem to only grow in the muddy areas by the river, but there aren't many of them."

Deng Guang realized what he meant and said, "Oh, the one you picked last time? Okay, I'll keep an eye out for it for you."

Along the way, they found eight more plants.

Three of the plants were found in the mud, while the other five were found in the grass on the bank. The plants and leaves were mixed in with the grass and were difficult to spot if one was not paying attention.

Compared to the fertile soil in the mud, the gray sweet potato tubers that grow in the moist mud on the riverbank are slightly smaller.

After walking for a while, we arrived at the location where the traps were set up.

Qin Ziwen went to check the rope trap first.

Yesterday, thanks to Lao Deng providing some rope, the number of rope traps increased dramatically to ten.

Each time you check the trap, it's like opening a blind box.

The first trap was empty, and the second trap was also empty.

After two consecutive empty loops, Deng Guang frowned, thinking that the rope he had provided might not be up to par.

The third trap: a familiar field mouse lay motionless on the ground.

The noose caught right over its head, and the field mouse's eyes rolled upwards.

Qin Ziwu remarked with delight, "It's still sticking out its tongue and acting cute."

Qin Ziwen chuckled: "That's rolling your eyes!"

Qin Ziwu chuckled: "Hehe, just kidding."

After saying that, he lifted the field mouse by its tail. The field mouse was limp and powerless, like a noodle, but Qin Ziwen noticed that its little leg twitched the moment it was lifted. "Eagle, get down."

Qin Ziwen clapped his hands, and the horn statue slid down from the tree branch in a gust of wind.

He stared intently at the field mouse.

The field mouse remained motionless until Qin Ziwen untied the rope.

The harpy eagle pressed its claws against the field mouse, but the field mouse remained motionless.

When the harpy eagle’s sharp beak began to approach, the field mouse could no longer keep up the act and struggled desperately, but its struggle was like an ant trying to shake a tree.

Qin Ziwen took the field mouse from under the eagle's claws and tossed it into the bucket.

The group then checked the fourth trap.

The trap contained a brownish-green lizard, with the noose positioned precisely at the junction between its head and the snare.

It is as long as two palms.

Upon seeing people approaching, the lizard opened its mouth wide and desperately tried to intimidate them.

Qin Ziwen patted the eagle's head. "Here, have it as a snack."

Lizards are hard to keep if you bring them home, and they don't want to eat meat, so let's just give them to the harpy eagles as a treat.

The harpy eagle pecked at the lizard, and the lizard instantly quieted down and fell asleep.

After observing the last ten traps, a total of four prey were captured.

A hare, two field mice, and a lizard.

The lizards were fed to the harpy eagles, while the hares and field mice were put into the bucket.

Qin Ziwen said to Deng Guang, "Brother Deng, you can take these two field mice home with you. You provided most of the rope."

Deng Guang waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, you set this trap, and you even taught me how to make one. These ropes are my tuition fee. It's your skill that you were able to catch it. Besides, I also took a lot of kiwis yesterday, about 10 or 20 pounds."

Qin Ziwen said seriously, "These are two different things."

Deng Guang got anxious: "It's the same thing! If you keep acting like this, I'll be too embarrassed to go out with you in the future."

Seeing this, Qin Ziwen didn't press the matter further, "Alright then."

Arriving at the riverbank, they pulled up the fish trap.

Before it was even pulled out of the water, the feel was noticeably different! It was heavy! The thing inside was still struggling desperately, and the force kept coming from the other end of the rope.

The green fish trap broke through the water's surface, and water jets shot out from the gaps in the holes.

Inside the cage, a two-meter-long, brown-black snake with a round head was struggling violently.

Qin Ziwen lifted the cage by the tail and swung it violently towards the ground, causing the large snake to fall out.

After falling out, the snake's first reaction was to run away. The horned eagle on the tree swooped down, hooked its claws around the snake, and lifted it into the sky.

The giant snake twisted its body, trying to entangle the harpy eagle's claws.

The harpy eagle gave a sharp peck, and the large snake was in great pain.

After flying to a height of over ten meters, the harpy eagle dropped the snake, then swooped down to pursue it. The snake, which had just landed and hadn't even recovered, had its scales cut open by its sharp claws.

The giant snake, unable to bear it any longer, swung its head and bit the harpy eagle. The harpy eagle flapped its wings to dodge, and while the giant snake was running away, it caught up again and stomped on the snake's head and vital spot with its claws.

With another fierce peck, the eagle tore off a large piece of scales.

After several rounds of teasing, the water snake turned into a plate of spicy strips.

On the other side, Qin Ziwen looked at the two small loaches stuck in the corner of the cage.

(End of this chapter)