Chapter 3: Three Steps
In this era, the density of wild animals in the mountains far exceeded that of later generations. There were pheasants and rabbits at the edge of the village fields, and more mountain delicacies like Sand Grouse and flying dragons at the River and foot of the mountains.
Deep in the Red Pine Forest, there were also Gray Dog (squirrels) and Weasel (weasels) with very valuable fur. In the depths of the forest, there were even Purple Sable, all of which were treasures that could be sold for a lot of money.
Most villagers of this era were timid and conservative. In an age before the Market economy opened up, any wild game they caught was mostly used to improve their family's meals, and they dared not take it to the city to sell.
Even the most economically minded would only discreetly go to the Market to exchange for some goods to improve their lives.
However, Yue Feng, having been reborn, knew that the individual economy in the city had already begun its early sprouts, and the state's control over the Market economy was gradually becoming formalized.
In this era full of opportunities, as long as one was bold, earning money was not difficult.
Hunting small game with a Falconry might not be as exhilarating as hunting wild boars or Black Bear with a Dog Gang, but if done well, the money earned over the autumn and winter seasons would be more than enough to buy a 16-gauge shotgun.
Once he had a gun, he would have the capital to confront wild boars and Black Bear. Then, he would acquire a few hunting dogs, and his foundation as a mountain hunter would be initially established.
Yue Feng took the 'antique' treasures from the storeroom into the yard and inspected them. The situation was slightly better than he had expected.
The net for catching small eagles was well preserved. Apart from a few broken threads at the corners where mice had gnawed, the overall damage was not severe and did not affect its use.
It had only been a few days since White Dew, which was precisely the season when raptors began their southward migration.
If he was lucky enough to catch a strong Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) (female Eurasian Sparrowhawk), then small prey like Sand Grouse, flying dragons, and Gray Dog active around the village would all be among Yue Feng's hunting targets.
The net was still usable, so there was no need to re-weave it for now. However, Yue Feng still lacked something to go to the River forest to set the net and catch eagles.
He searched through the storeroom again and found a coil of thin iron wire under some miscellaneous items.
Yue Feng broke open the iron wire and skillfully wove a cage.
This iron wire cage was cylindrical, only about ten centimeters in diameter, but its length exceeded thirty centimeters. It looked somewhat disproportionate and not aesthetically pleasing, but Yue Feng was very satisfied with his work.
Once the cage was made, Yue Feng found a roll of thick cotton thread, used for stretching quilt covers, from his mother's sewing basket.
Since her son had just recovered from a head injury, his mother did not bother Yue Feng about what he was doing.
Yue Feng busied himself in his room for a long time, weaving a complete set of Falconry equipment from cotton thread.
Speaking of Falconry, the tools used here need a special explanation.
Falconry culture has been passed down from ancient times to the present, and the tools have undergone countless iterations and improvements. Therefore, the inherited tools, including their manufacturing methods and usage, are already very mature.
This set of equipment for tying the Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Female) included two leg straps, each over twenty centimeters long, formally called 'two-splits'.
Near one end of the 'two-splits', an eyelet was left when weaving the rope for cinching. Below the eyelet was a flat, leek-shaped wrap for the leg, about six centimeters long. At the outer cinching point of the leek-flat, an eyelet was also left.
This way, when putting the leg straps on the hawk, the 'two-splits' could be simply and conveniently secured above the hawk's talons by wrapping twice and then back-threading through the inner eyelet.
Below these two 'two-splits' leg straps, Yue Feng tied an 8-shaped connector. This thing was formally called a 'toad', with one end connected to a swivel and the other end allowing the 'two-splits' to be back-threaded and cinched, securing the 'two-splits' of the leg strap at the connection point.
Below the swivel was an eight-braid, round-ridged 'five-foot' rope, over 60 centimeters long.
According to the traditions of old Falconry masters, this long rope was called a 'five-foot'. It was over a meter long and used folded in half. When perching or tying a hawk normally, grasping the 'five-foot' allowed the hawk to be firmly held in hand.
There wasn't much thick cotton thread at home, so Yue Feng didn't dare to waste it all. Therefore, he only wove about sixty centimeters, which would certainly be enough for tying a small hawk.
At the beginning, there was no need to pursue those details; being sufficient was good enough.
It is worth mentioning that even though he hadn't done it for decades, the two-split, toad, and five-foot special three-piece set for small hawks that Yue Feng wove was still very durable.
The leek-flat part of the leg strap was dense yet soft, and the eyelet for back-threading and securing was appropriately sized. Towards the latter half of the two-split, it became round-ridged.
Pinching the rope end at the bottom of the two-split, the hand-woven rope, several tens of centimeters long, could stand up easily. Even if a newly tied small hawk pecked at it with its beak, it simply couldn't bite through it.
After bustling for half the afternoon, the Falconry three-piece set was done, and the sky slowly darkened.
Jingjing, the youngest in the family, came home from school. The family of four ate dinner peacefully around the kang table in the east room.
It must be said that the family's meals at this time were truly poor. Yue Feng and Yue Lei, being injured, each had a two-grain steamed bun, while the others ate cornmeal Steamed bread .
On the table was a basin of stewed potatoes with little oil, plus a dish of pickles. Adding a bowl of corn grits porridge per person made up their dinner.
While eating, Jingjing, the youngest sister, kept glancing at the two-grain steamed buns in Yue Feng's and Yue Lei's hands.
Seeing this, Yue Feng broke his bun in half and handed one half to his sister.
"Here, eat it and grow big! You eat the Steamed bread!"
"Thank you, Brother!" His sister took the bun and thanked him sweetly, taking a big bite.
The so-called two-grain steamed bun was made by steaming white flour mixed with cornmeal. In those days, fine grains were precious, and the family's staple food was generally corn-based.
The small amount of white flour the family had was exchanged for rice, and it was rarely eaten on weekdays except for making dumplings during New Year and holidays.
"Jingjing, don't snatch your brother's bun, your brother has a head injury!" Mother Meng Yulan reprimanded in a low voice.
"It's okay, let Jingjing eat it! I'll just eat some Steamed bread! I'm not hungry anyway!" Yue Feng patted his sister's head.
The little girl looked at her mother, then at her brother, and then put the bun in her hand in front of Yue Feng, tears of grievance falling uncontrollably.
This scene made Yue Feng feel a pang of sadness.
In this era, resources were scarce, and the family's life was difficult. His poor little youngest sister was so tempted by a coarse grain bun that she cried.
"Be good, don't cry! The bun is for you! In a couple of days, Brother will catch Sand Grouse for you to eat!" Yue Feng gently patted his sister's forehead, coaxing her tenderly.
"Really?" Hearing "Sand Grouse," Jingjing's eyes lit up, even though she had been crying just a second ago.
"Really, at most a week, I'll definitely let you eat Sand Grouse!" Yue Feng said with great certainty.
"Second Brother is so good!" Hearing that there would be chicken to eat, Jingjing stopped crying and hugged Yue Feng's arm, shaking him excitedly.
"But let's agree first, if you want to eat chicken, after you finish your meal, come with me to the yard to do some work!"