Chapter 12: Selling Live Poultry
Yue Feng climbed the hillside with steady steps. Opposite was a large gentle slope, with the forest mainly composed of mixed coniferous and broad-leaved trees. Ground vegetation was low with few bushes, making it very open and considered a good hunting ground by hunters.
From at least thirty to forty meters away, Yue Feng spotted traces of Flying Dragons.
Five or six Flying Dragons with speckled plumage were eating and playing under the trees next to the mountain ridge.
The success rate of Falconry is very high with chicken flocks that haven't encountered hawks much. Yue Feng pretended to be nonchalant, using the cover of tree trunks to get as close as possible. This small flock of Flying Dragons didn't seem too afraid of people. Yue Feng had slowly approached within thirty meters, but the rooster in the flock only occasionally glanced over, still going about its business.
The Northern Goshawk in Yue Feng's hand was already eager to go, trying several times to break free from the restraint of Yue Feng's fingers, but Yue Feng didn't let go.
When he got within twenty meters, the flock became wary. Yue Feng knew he couldn't get any closer and decisively released the hawk.
Once in the mountain forest, the Eurasian Sparrowhawk's full capabilities were displayed to their fullest. After being released with initial speed, it accelerated in a straight line, skimming over the ground and grass tops, rushing silently towards the flock of Flying Dragons like a ghost.
Zizizi!! The rooster's sharp warning cry sounded, but it was too late!
The Northern Goshawk grabbed one of the Flying Dragons and pinned it to the ground. The captured Flying Dragon flapped its wings and struggled fiercely, but to no avail.
By the time Yue Feng quickly walked over, the Northern Goshawk, after adjusting its talons, had basically finished the battle, returning to the classic posture of one talon on the chicken's head and the other gripping the base of the Flying Dragon's wing.
The Northern Goshawk, with a full weight of only about seven and a half liang, caught a Flying Dragon that weighed at least one jin, but besides the initial brief struggle, it didn't exert much effort.
Yue Feng quickly covered the prey with his glove, took out a dead Sand Grouse from his pocket to swap for the live Flying Dragon, and let the Da Qing Yao tear at the flesh and blood to eat.
The Da Qing Yao ate a few mouthfuls of meat, standing on the incomplete body of the Sand Grouse, while Yue Feng had already put away the complete Flying Dragon.
He stuffed a Flying Dragon into a broken sock, tied the opening gently, and the bird became still and unable to move. Yue Feng shoved the spoils into his satchel, took the hawk, and continued on his way.
He walked along the mountain ridge all the way down the mountain but didn't encounter another opportunity for a strike. Yue Feng took out his water bottle to give the hawk a little water, then followed the mountain path straight home.
Walking back to the village from the mountain ridge north of the small River took about half an hour. Yue Feng carried the hawk and hummed a tune, descending the mountain without realizing it.
Around noon, everyone was home eating and resting, so he didn't meet anyone on the road. Yue Feng entered the house, tied up the hawk, and went into the east room with his satchel.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back! Look, this is today's haul!"
Nine sock tubes of different colors, either green or black, were lined up along the edge of the heated brick bed. Yue Feng's face was full of pride.
"Caught so many in one morning!! This is enough for several meals!" Meng Yulan was full of joy seeing her son's harvest.
"Is the hawk steady now?" His father, Yue Lei, also cast a look of approval.
"Yeah! Today I used the technique of releasing the string and letting go! I released the hawk in circles around those flocks of Sand Grouse in the small woods by the River! Oh, right, on the way back, I ran into a small flock of Flying Dragons. I carried the hawk close and caught one!"
After saying this, Yue Feng placed the Flying Dragon, which was noticeably larger, forward.
"This stuff is good. Make soup with it, and the flavor is so fresh you could swallow your tongue!" His mother exclaimed again.
Yue Feng nodded: "Let's keep two Sand Grouse for ourselves. As for the rest, I'll go into the city early tomorrow morning to see if I can sell these live Sand Grouse and Flying Dragons for some money or grain coupons!!"
"You want to go to the Ghost Market by the Mining Bureau?" Hearing the implication, his father immediately knew what his son planned to do.
Yue Feng didn't hide it, nodding and saying, "I heard that the Ghost Market isn't managed much before dawn. I want to give it a try and find a market for the game!"
Yue Lei seemed to think of something, frowning slightly and saying, "Although Sand Grouse and Flying Dragons are considered mountain delicacies, I heard from Hunter Chen in the village that they are hard to sell for a good price in the city. And secretly selling things can be quite troublesome if you get caught. Not only will you be fined, but in severe cases, you might even end up in jail!"
"What you're talking about being hard to sell for a good price is the dead ones caught by traps or snares! The temperature is high this season, and they won't keep, so the price will naturally be suppressed! What we caught with the hawk are all live ones. If you're willing to take care of them, give them some water and food, keeping them for ten days to half a month is not a problem!
Furthermore, Flying Dragons and Sand Grouse that are killed and cooked on the spot taste and feel much better than the dead ones!
As for the risk of selling things, I only have this much. If someone comes to catch me, at worst I'll just abandon the goods and run. If I'm smart, they won't catch me!"
Yue Feng hit the nail on the head with that sentence. This was also the key reason why he chose Falconry for small game instead of setting traps or snares.
Regular hunters from down the mountain who set snares or traps on the mountain, if they are diligent, at most check them once a day. The prey caught by traps or snares, except for larger ones like Roe Deer and wild boar that occasionally survive, are usually long dead by the time the hunters check the next day.
Dead chickens or Rabbits, etc., haven't been bled. While they won't spoil, their flavor and texture when cooked are far inferior to freshly killed live chickens.
At this stage, the Northeast countryside was basically still in the production team era. Although ordinary workers in the city had slightly higher wages, earning dozens of yuan a month, there were few ordinary people who were willing to spend money on these mountain delicacies outside of holidays.
Who are the customers truly willing to eat these high-quality live game animals? They are either coal mine guesthouses or Forest Farm small canteens. These units were rolling in money at the time. The existence of the Ghost Market is actually directly related to the specific needs of these particular groups of people, it's just that the intricacies aren't convenient to state explicitly.
After a brief conversation with his parents, Yue Feng's judgment was approved. Early the next morning, just past three o'clock, Yue Feng scrambled out of bed.
Walking from the village into the city was a journey of twenty to thirty li one way. Yue Feng got dressed, put on his leggings, slung his bag over his shoulder, carefully packed the Sand Grouse and Flying Dragons into the bag, and quickly disappeared into the night.
His twenty-year-old body was in peak condition, and Yue Feng's legs were fast. It only took him a little over an hour to reach the old urban area of Feng City from his memory.
At this time, it was just getting light. Yue Feng quickly oriented himself on the street and walked straight towards Fushun Street, east of the Mining Bureau.