Chapter 36: Northern Goshawk Hunts Gray Dogzi
Yue Feng rode his bike home just past seven twenty. Meng Yulan had steamed mixed-grain steamed buns in the morning, stir-fried pickled mustard greens with lard, and cooked a large pot of corn porridge. The Zhang family brothers and the Li Family had eaten their fill and headed up the mountain early with their Hunting Eagles.
Yue Feng pushed his bicycle into the yard, carried all the supplies he bought today into the house, and then handed the copy of the purchase order issued by the canteen today, along with the expenses, to his Mom.
Even though Mom didn't finish junior high, simple accounting was no problem for her. After Yue Feng briefly explained, Mom immediately went into the inner room with a serious air, took out a notebook Jingjing used for writing, and began recording diligently.
The accounts for selling goods in town were settled daily, so keeping records didn't have much practical significance. However, seeing that Mom took it quite seriously, Yue Feng didn't discourage her and let her busy herself.
There was still warm food left in the pot for Yue Feng. Yue Feng ate two large steamed buns with the stir-fried pickled vegetables and drank a bowl of corn porridge to wash it down. After eating his fill, he first returned the bicycle, then stuffed two steamed buns and some pickled vegetables into his satchel, and entered the mountain slightly later with his Hunting Eagle.
Both groups entered the mountain from Erjiazi Gully. Yue Feng wouldn't be able to catch up to the mountain ridges at the foot of the mountain near his home, nor did he plan to continue competing with his companions for the Hunting Eagle grounds close to home.
The prey caught by the two groups would definitely be enough to deliver to the coal mine's Second Canteen. Yue Feng planned to walk a few more mountain ridges towards the deep mountains and wander around in a Red Pine Forest he remembered.
The forests on the mountain were of different types. Some were mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests, some were mostly hardwood shrubs, and some mountain peaks were entirely Red Pine Forest. The deeper one went into the mountains, the more large trees too big for one person to hug there were.
Ground that was too cluttered with too many miscellaneous trees and poor visibility significantly impacted early stage Hunting Eagle. Whether it was Yue Feng himself or his advice to the rest of the team, the suggestion was always to try and find brighter, cleaner grounds for Hunting Eagle to be more efficient.
Yue Feng's idea was simple. He knew the eight gullies, ten ridges, and twenty-three mountain ridges around his home like the back of his hand. He would leave the grounds with relatively simple terrain for Xiao Tao and the Zhang family brothers to use their Hunting Eagles. The Da Qing Yao in Yue Feng's hands had the best hunting instincts, so he would go to slightly more distant places to hunt.
Although the terrain in new grounds might be more complex, risk came with opportunity. The density of small chickens in the depths of the mountain forest was definitely higher and easier to catch than near home. Additionally, Yue Feng was also thinking about the Gray Dog in the red pine forest.
Yue Feng entered the mountain with his satchel and Hunting Eagle. He didn't stop at any nearby mountain ridges, but followed the mountain spine all the way north, crossing a full six peaks before stopping.
By this time, it had been over an hour since he entered the mountain. Yue Feng was busy hurrying and hadn't caught any prey, but he wasn't worried at all.
Because as soon as he entered the red pine forest, Yue Feng heard the chirping sounds of squirrels playing and frolicking on the ground from a distance.
In this forest, there were two common types of squirrels. One type had mostly gray-black fur, locally called Gray Dogzi. The scientific name for this creature was Pallas's squirrel, and after the millennium, many areas kept them as pets.
Another type of squirrel was called Red Dogzi. Some people also called it the 'hanging mouse'. Its most distinctive feature was the reddish fur on its belly. Its scientific name was Red-bellied squirrel, also called the Rufous-bellied squirrel.
Using the trunk of a large tree for cover, Yue Feng slowly moved towards the direction of the chirping sounds. He quickly spotted two Gray Dogzi on the ground, currently fighting over a Pinecone that had fallen from a tree.
Yue Feng naturally wouldn't miss such an opportunity. He immediately released his Hunting Eagle.
Just as he was slowly approaching, the Da Qing Yao had already begun to feel eager. When Yue Feng released it, it flew low to the ground through the Red Pine Forest. It could easily adjust its flight path and bypass trees along the way simply by slightly moving its tail feathers.
It wasn't until it flew in front of the fighting Gray Dogzi that the two squirrels noticed the presence of the Hunting Eagle.
Immediately, a piercing scream rang out, and the Da Qing Yao and the Gray Dogzi rolled into a ball on the ground.
Seeing that it had hit its target, Yue Feng immediately stretched his long legs and ran at full speed. By the time he arrived, the battle was already nearing its end.
This squirrel looked slightly larger than a Weasel, but only by handling it would you know that much of its perceived size was a visual illusion caused by its tail. The actual body part was less than half of its total length.
The Da Qing Yao held the squirrel's head with both talons. Blood was seeping from the Gray Dogzi's mouth. Yue Feng knew without looking that the squirrel's cheek area had been scratched by the Da Qing Yao's large, curved talons.
For the first squirrel caught in the mountain, Yue Feng wasn't stingy. He directly took out a small knife and made a vertical cut below the squirrel's neck. He held it upside down by the tail to let it bleed, then carefully broke open the fur to let the Da Qing Yao eat a few bites of flesh and blood.
After a few simple gestures, Yue Feng took the squirrel off and put it into his backpack.
Catching this Gray Dogzi, the pure profit was quite a bit higher than for a Flying Dragon.
A full-quality pelt could sell for at least six to eight yuan. Squirrel meat was also delicious; if sold, it was worth at least fifty cents to one yuan. Even if not sold, taking it home, chopping it up, and stewing it with potatoes was a good dish.
Having dealt with the first Gray Dogzi, Yue Feng was in a great mood. The Da Qing Yao's performance in catching squirrels was even better than Yue Feng expected. Unless it encountered an old fellow weighing over a jin and nearly half a meter long, the Da Qing Yao should not face too much pressure.
When the Da Qing Yao suddenly appeared flying low to the ground just now, the other fighting squirrel hadn't gone far. It immediately fled up a tree, hiding behind the trunk, observing what was happening.
Yue Feng was very familiar with the habits of these little creatures. He pretended not to notice, put the first squirrel he had killed into his backpack, and then continued on his way.
After walking for less than ten minutes, Yue Feng circled back with his Hunting Eagle.
The other curious Gray Dogzi had already returned from the tree at this moment and was furtively observing the recent battlefield.
The Pinecone full of Pinecones was still on the ground, unmoved. This little Gray Dogzi clearly valued wealth over life!
Same formula, same taste. In less than half an hour combined, the second Gray Dogzi was once again pinned under the Da Qing Yao's talons.
This time, Yue Feng didn't immediately kill and bleed it. Instead, he used the body of the first one to swap for the second live one, pinching the Gray Dogzi's neck to temporarily control it.
The next second, Yue Feng took out a folding wire cage from his satchel. After a few simple adjustments, the cage door was propped open. Yue Feng pinched the Gray Dogzi's neck and stuffed it into the flat cage.
This flat cage was specially woven from wire by Yue Feng's father, Yue Lei, to hold squirrels. When extended, it was about thirty centimeters long. By pulling a switch on one side, a small separate space could be created. Once a squirrel was put in, it couldn't even turn around, preventing it from struggling wildly inside the cage.
Having dealt with the second Gray Dogzi, Yue Feng's task for the day was already half complete.