Chapter 25: Recruiting Members
"Mhm, I understand!"
Although Xiao Tao is a bit reckless, he has one advantage: as long as he approves of the person or matter, he is very receptive to advice.
Yue Feng analyzed so much for him, and he nodded repeatedly, without a trace of displeasure.
Over the next two and a half hours, Yue Feng and Xiao Tao crossed two more gentle slopes, adding six Flying Dragons and two Sand Grouse to their bags.
Unconsciously, the sun reached the top of their heads. As Yue Feng and Xiao Tao walked along the path, their stomachs started to rumble.
"I'm hungry! Let's find a place to rest for a bit! Pick up some dry wood and start a small fire! I brought dry food!" Yue Feng called out.
"Okay, watch me!"
Upon receiving the command, Xiao Tao immediately got busy, wandered around, and came back with a bundle of dry branches.
The fire was quickly started. Yue Feng took out the dry food his mother had packed for him that morning from his satchel.
Inside the oiled paper package were three large pork buns, and next to them were two large mixed-grain steamed buns. The quality of this food for going up the mountain was definitely top-notch, even compared to the entire village.
"Come, sharpen a few branches and put the buns and dry food near the fire to warm them up!" Yue Feng took out one meat bun for himself and handed the other two buns from the oiled paper package to Xiao Tao.
Seeing the white flour buns, Xiao Tao was stunned, even before he had eaten them.
"White flour buns?" Xiao Tao asked.
"Just eat it when I give it to you, why so much drama! You're my younger brother, you've followed me since we were kids, when have I ever let you suffer a loss!" Yue Feng's Brother power instantly maxed out.
When the buns were lightly roasted by the flames and emitted the fragrance of grease and green onions, Xiao Tao's mouth instantly watered.
There are five people in the Li Family. Xiao Tao has two younger sisters below him. Xiao Tao's mother developed a chronic illness when she gave birth to the third child and couldn't do heavy work. Even though Dad Li Wentong was the tractor driver for the production team, the Li Family's life was only slightly better than ordinary villagers.
Only after the first snow fell each year, and Old Li and Yue Lei started going into the mountains to set traps, would the family's food quality improve. The wild animal meat and animal fat saved from hunting in the winter barely lasted until spring before being eaten up.
After being simply heated, the cold meat buns from the morning had slightly yellowed skins. Xiao Tao couldn't wait to take a bite, and instantly, the aroma filled the air. He wished he could swallow his tongue.
"It's pure pork and green onion filling!" Xiao Tao said, his eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, three mao each. I bought them this morning when I went into town, at the State-Owned Restaurant!" Yue Feng said while arranging the dry food.
"Three mao each? So expensive, where did you get the money!" Xiao Tao's heart sank when he heard the price. Such expensive buns were too luxurious for him.
"Wouldn't you have money if you went into town to the Ghost Market and sold the Flying Dragons! A live, perfect, undamaged Flying Dragon is one yuan and one mao each, and a live Sand Grouse is seven mao each!
Yesterday alone, I caught 18. Then I gave five to your family and the Village Secretary's family, and sold the remaining thirteen!
You think the buns are expensive, but one Flying Dragon can buy almost four buns. Calculating it this way, do you still think it's expensive?" Yue Feng told Xiao Tao exactly how he made money.
"I only knew this Flying Dragon was worth some money, but I didn't expect it to be this valuable!"
After hearing Yue Feng's words, Xiao Tao's breathing quickened.
Yue Feng's words had a much greater impact on him than catching a Weasel that morning whose fur could sell for twenty to thirty yuan.
Weasels are hard to find, and people in the Northeast mostly have taboos about them. But Sand Grouse and Flying Dragons are not rare in the mountains; you can basically encounter them wherever you go.
"Now the crackdown on speculation and profiteering in the city has relaxed a lot. In the Ghost Market, there are people secretly selling grain, tickets, meat, oil, fabric, all kinds of goods. But most ordinary villagers and hunters still don't dare to take the risk!
Therefore, the supply of wild game like Flying Dragons and Sand Grouse is very small. It's a seller's market, an exclusive trade, so naturally, they can be sold at high prices! And we use hawks to hunt, so what we catch are alive, which fetches even better prices!"
"By now, we've caught eight Flying Dragons, three Sand Grouse, plus one Weasel. If we calculate according to the prices you mentioned, wouldn't that sell for thirty to forty yuan??" Xiao Tao counted on his fingers, his expression becoming even more excited.
Earning thirty to forty yuan in just one morning is more than Xiao Tao's Dad's income as a tractor driver in the production team for two years.
"Right! I also know a Master Niu responsible for procurement at a coal mine. He said he'll take as much of this sought-after wild game as there is, he'll buy it all!"
Xiao Tao took a big bite of the meat bun and said thoughtfully, "It's a pity only you can train this young hawk. If we could train a few more hawks and find more people who know how to handle hawks to go up the mountain and catch Flying Dragons, that would be great!"
Hearing Xiao Tao say this, Yue Feng knew the time was right. He smiled and said, "Why do you think I brought you up the mountain and taught you how to handle a hawk hand in hand? How about it, work with Brother. We brothers will join forces and make this money together!"
"Really! Brother, are you really willing to teach me how to handle a hawk?"
Hearing Yue Feng say this, Xiao Tao instantly felt like even the large meat bun wasn't fragrant anymore.
"If you're willing to do it, tomorrow I'll find a few young hawk nesting sites and catch a few more hawks. Then we'll make this money together!"
"Of course, I'm willing! A Flying Dragon sells for over one yuan. Even if I get twenty percent, that's still two mao! Ten will be two yuan, twenty will be four yuan! If I'm diligent, I can earn several yuan a day. In a month, that's more than Forest Farm workers earn!" Xiao Tao said very clearly.
"Okay, go home and discuss it with Li Shu. Oh, and also ask the brothers Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu. You're close friends with them, I'm not wrong about that, right!"
"You're willing to bring the brothers Xiao Wen?"
Hearing Yue Feng say this, Xiao Tao's gaze towards Yue Feng completely changed.
Xiao Tao's mother and Xiao Wen's mother were cousins, so the two families were distant relatives and lived in the same village. The children of the two families had a good relationship since childhood, but at this point in time, Yue Feng and the brothers Xiao Wen didn't interact frequently; they were just nodding acquaintances.
In his previous life, he only truly became familiar with them after Yue Feng's father passed away unexpectedly and Yue Feng started hunting in the mountains later on.
"My Dad said they value loyalty and are reliable. As the saying goes, 'a fence needs three posts, a good man needs three helpers.' If we want to do something big, we definitely need to build our own team!" Yue Feng said very solemnly.
"Their family does have a hard time. But your Grandpa is right, both Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu are loyal! I'll go talk to him when I get back today. They'll definitely agree when they hear this news!"
"Then it's settled! Hurry up and eat. Once you're full, we'll switch to another mountain ridge and head back before dark!"
"Okay!"
Having finalized the members for the Hawk Hunting Team, Yue Feng was in a great mood. The two brothers filled their stomachs with water from the kettle and then continued to hunt, flying their hawk.