Chapter 46: I Got Beaten Up, But I Must Train This Eagle!
"Erhai Ge, I don't think this will work! Wait for me, I'm going home! I'll cut some cowhide and come back!"
Wang Xiaonian said hello and ran home, returning in less than ten minutes with a piece of cowhide cut from the upper of a broken cowhide boot.
Cowhide was also a rare item in that era. Village children who wanted to make slingshots needed cowhide for the pouch that held the stones. Many kids had the slingshot fork and rubber band, but were stuck on the cowhide pouch.
Wang Xiaonian was thin and small, and the reason he could hang out with Zhu Erhai and that crowd was because he was smart enough.
It was hard to tie the Great Eagle's leg with rope. If they cut the cowhide to a suitable length, punched holes in it, and threaded the rope through to fix it, wouldn't that solve the problem?
After the two brothers messed around for a bit, they finally managed to install the cowhide version of the Great Eagle's jesses!
After tying the Great Eagle securely, Zhu Erhai couldn't wait to imitate Yue Feng and try to perch the Great Eagle.
But after just one attempt, he let out a painful wail.
Although this poop eagle was poor at catching prey, it was still a bird of prey. The talons on its claws weren't just for show. With just one grip, it tore four bleeding holes in Zhu Erhai's right arm.
The two brothers realized this wouldn't work and hurriedly rummaged for work gloves. They put two gloves on together, but the thickness was still no match for the poop eagle's talons. Their hand web and the back of their hands were scratched again.
According to the tradition of Falconry, old-time falconers didn't use protective gear like gloves. They used falconer's sleeves or armguards.
Armguards were generally used for training large birds of prey like eagles, while the most common and practical was the falconer's sleeve, a device similar to an oversleeve.
This thing was sewn from cotton cloth, filled with several layers of cotton or other materials that were difficult to pierce, and carefully stitched together with needle and thread.
Those who were a bit more particular would stitch diamond-shaped patterns, inherited styles, and even high-end versions with decorative patterns like cloud motifs on the sleeves.
Zhu Erhai didn't have a falconer's sleeve, but he had the 'Sleeping Dragon' Wang Xiaonian by his side. With Wang Xiaonian's suggestions, Zhu Erhai found his younger brother Zhu Sanhai's padded trousers from the cupboard, took out scissors, cut off one trouser leg, and then used a large needle and thread to clumsily sew it up.
And honestly, with this falconer's sleeve made from a trouser leg, the poop eagle really couldn't scratch his hand anymore. Zhu Erhai also successfully perched the Great Eagle on his hand as he wished.
The moment he successfully perched the Great Eagle on his hand, Zhu Erhai's face showed a satisfied expression of overcoming difficulties and being on the verge of success.
All difficulties are paper Tigers!
"Xiao Nian, I've got the Great Eagle perched now, what should we do next?" Zhu Erhai wasn't happy for long before he ran into trouble again.
His understanding of Falconry wasn't even hearsay; he was completely ignorant.
Wang Xiaonian wasn't much better than Zhu Erhai, but he had heard scattered remarks from older generations.
"To tame this Great Eagle, you have to 'boil the Great Eagle'!!" Wang Xiaonian said with a very certain tone.
"'Boil the Great Eagle'?" After Wang Xiaonian's reminder, Zhu Erhai also reacted.
In the dialect of the Northeast, there is actually a word 'boil the Great Eagle', which refers to staying up late at night and then having a reversed day-night schedule. At this time, the elders in the family would say, "So-and-so, you're not sleeping at night, are you 'boil the Great Eagle'?"
"Yes, 'boil the Great Eagle'!! It means not letting it sleep at night, the person and the Great Eagle stare at each other until the Great Eagle gives in and listens to the person!"
Wang Xiaonian, based on hearsay, added his own embellishments, speaking with certainty, and it really sounded plausible!
"Okay, then starting tonight, I'll stay up with it! If I can't do it, I'll pull in my dad and my brother for shifts, I'm sure I can wear it down!"
"Yeah, Erhai Ge can definitely wear it down until it surrenders!"
With the initial plan agreed upon, the two brothers happily admired the Great Eagle perched on their arms.
This poop eagle was a three-year-old adult Great Eagle. After being caught in the net and handled by people, its first reaction was definitely fear.
At this moment, it was in a state of strong stress, its face showing panic, its beak slightly open, half of its tongue sticking out, its feathers pressed tight against its body, and its wings drooping on either side like a general carrying a sword. With the slightest rustle of leaves, it would struggle to escape.
What was most eye-catching was its pair of fleshy, dirty talons. Perhaps because it had caught frogs or something in the mud, there was a lot of black mud in the patterns and crevices of its talons, making its already not-so-great appearance look even worse.
But Zhu Erhai and Wang Xiaonian, who knew absolutely nothing about birds of prey, thought that was just how a bird of prey's talons were. They didn't think anything was wrong.
After all, the bleeding holes on their hands were also caused by this big darling; it did have some power.
The two brothers admired the Great Eagle on their arms for a while longer, then Zhu Jianshe and his wife returned from picking mushrooms on the mountain.
"Dad, Mom! I got a Great Eagle!" Zhu Erhai presented it like a treasure, approaching Grandpa.
Zhu Jianshe hadn't gotten angry yet, but his wife, Niu Guihua, got angry first.
"That sleeve on your hand, isn't it San'er's padded trouser leg? Second Young Master, you've even got a Great Eagle perched, do you want to ascend to heaven?"
The next second, the punishment from the old mother arrived.
Niu Guihua grabbed her second son's ear, picked up the broom by the kang, and started hitting him relentlessly.
In his panic, Zhu Erhai also couldn't bother with the Great Eagle. The poop eagle accidentally got free and flew in circles around the roof, while Niu Guihua swung the broom and kept hitting him.
The entire Zhu family was in complete chaos.
Logically speaking, when there were guests at home, parents would usually save face for their children, but when Niu Guihua saw that her third child's padded trouser leg had been ruined by Erhai, her anger flared up instantly and shot straight to the top of her head.
Wang Xiaonian saw things were bad, didn't even say goodbye, turned around and ran.
After a thorough beating, Zhu Erhai's cheeks were swollen from being hit, but this time he didn't give up, because he wanted to do something big.
"It was my fault for cutting San'er's padded trousers, and I accept the beating, but this Great Eagle, I must train it!" Zhu Erhai said stubbornly with his neck stiffened, very forcefully.
"What the heck? Are you trying to defy heaven?" Hearing his son's words, Zhu Jianshe, who hadn't made a move until now, felt a little provoked and subconsciously reached for his leather belt.
"Dad, I'm this old now, can't you listen to my idea before deciding whether or not to hit me?" Zhu Erhai was quite afraid of his father's belt, and his eyes were clearly much clearer at this moment.
"Alright, I'll listen and see what kind of ivory comes out of a pig's mouth!"
"Second Young Master Yue from the village..."
Zhu Erhai added fuel to the fire and told his dad the news he had heard from his third brother again.
When he heard that live wild game caught by hunting with the Great Eagle could be sold for money in the city, the murderous intent in Zhu Jianshe's eyes finally faded a little.
Unconsciously, it's almost 100,000 characters. I heard there's smart recommendation after 100,000 characters. I wonder how much follow-up reads and collections I'll gain!
Currently, the new book ranking is not yet on the list, and the urban ranking is around fortieth place. I still want to climb higher, so please follow and vote!