Chapter 055: Going into the Mountains to Hunt
The men in the Gu family volunteered one by one to accompany Ye Qing into the mountains.
Ye Qing was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry:
"Uncle, Brother Dazhi, why don't you guys go? We are just going into the mountains to collect herbs. We won't go into the deep woods. There won't be any danger."
"And Gu Weidong, don't you know what's wrong with your leg? You're still going into the mountains with us. You don't want your leg to get better, right?"
Having said this, Ye Qing looked at Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei:
"You two should be familiar with this area, right? It should be no problem for you to lead the way?"
Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei nodded immediately:
"That's definitely no problem. We've been running around in this mountain range since we were young. We started going into the deep forest to hunt with a large group of troops two years ago. We can walk through the nearby mountains even if we close our eyes."
That's all. Ye Qing didn't allow anyone else to object and made the final decision:
"Then it's settled. The three of us, plus Meng Jia, will just take a quick walk around the back mountain tomorrow and come back."
Seeing that the remaining few people in the room seemed to still want to object, Ye Qing couldn't help but show the silver needle box in her hand:
"It's really okay. If they encounter any danger, they will be able to protect themselves. I can fight against a group of wild boars with a box of silver needles and a knife. If any beast comes to find us, it's just food. Don't worry, we will definitely come back safely."
If others say this, it is arrogance, but Ye Qing says it is very convincing.
Gu Weidong recalled how Ye Qing had picked wild fruits in the dense forest of Sheshan Mountain in the middle of the night and had quietly killed two vicious spies. He suddenly didn't know what to say.
Miao Cuilan also recalled the scene not long ago where Ye Qing single-handedly killed five wild boars. With Ye Qing's agile skills and extraordinary fighting ability, once she entered the mountains, she was like a tiger returning to the forest. Wild animals had to stay away from her, otherwise they would easily lose their lives.
The Gu family looked at each other, and none of them could find a reason to object. Only Gu Zhenxing was still a little worried, and hurriedly emphasized:
"I'm going to borrow another hunting rifle from the old Party Secretary's house. Tomorrow, you two will take Mu Cang into the mountains. Don't play around and be alert. Regardless of whether you have collected herbs or not, you must hurry down the mountain and go home around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Don't waste time in the mountains. Do you remember?"
Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei nodded obediently.
Both of them understood that this season was the time to gain weight in the autumn. There were many kinds of wild fruits in the forest, and the animals that came out to forage did not distinguish between day and night. They were all racing against time to store up food for themselves, so there was a high possibility that they would encounter danger if they went into the mountains at this time.
When Ye Qing heard about bringing a hunting rifle, her eyes immediately lit up. She wanted to ask Gu Zhenxing to lend her one as well. She also wanted to satisfy her urge to hunt in the woods with a hunting rifle.
As if he had seen the restlessness in Ye Qing's eyes, Gu Weidong cleared his throat twice, sneaked over, and asked in a low voice:
"Can you use a hunting rifle?"
Ye Qing was stunned, but he didn't hide it. He shook his head honestly and explained:
"No, but I have used a pocket cannon, □□, have you heard of it?"
The order of the end of the world was in chaos, and a survivor base seized the official arsenal, so the wooden warehouse naturally leaked out. Later, Ye Qing was lucky enough to pick up a piece of equipment when he went out to hunt in the wild. He asked a soldier who was on duty in the hospital at that time and learned how to use the hand wooden warehouse.
Because she had awakened her wood-related abilities, Ye Qing's five senses were clearly much better than those of ordinary people. Plus, she had practiced flying needles for many years, so she could easily master the accuracy when using the Mucangzhi. I wouldn't say her hit rate was 100%, but at least nine out of ten times she would be able to keep the chain intact.
However, because she didn't pick up many bullets, she didn't open the wooden warehouse very often in the apocalypse, and she rarely took out her last trump card unless it was absolutely necessary.
Gu Weidong was quite surprised. He had actually heard of him. He saw it in the newspaper. That was the real hunter Mu Cang. He had a strong and beautiful appearance and was extremely powerful, but the power he emitted was not something that ordinary people could control.
As a hand-grabbed cannon, □□ was sought after and loved by gun enthusiasts all over the world as soon as it came out. Gu Weidong was certainly no exception, but he had already retired that year. When he saw the relevant reports about □□ in the military newspaper, he had no chance to come into contact with this equipment.
Unexpectedly, Ye Qing had even used that thing. Gu Weidong was filled with envy and hatred. As an ace elite of the special forces, he was immediately intrigued by Ye Qing. He couldn't wait to pull Ye Qing to discuss it. He wanted to know more parameters about □□ and wanted to dig out all the details that Ye Qing knew in his head.
Ye Qing is a medical worker, how could she pay attention to these things? Even the wooden box was picked up by accident. After it fell into her hands, she has been hiding it. She doesn't have many opportunities to show it, let alone let her disassemble the wooden box and explore its specific parameters and design details. She is not a military fan and has no hobby in this area.
So when Gu Weidong looked at her with a burning gaze and asked her a series of questions, Ye Qing's eyes instantly turned into mosquito-eyes, her brain became a mess, and she couldn't answer a single question.
"I can only tell you about the specific process and feelings when I used it myself. Also, the teacher who taught me shooting mentioned the design principles and data of the wooden karaoke. I vaguely remember some of it, but not completely."
In fact, Ye Qing's memory has always been good. When it comes to things that interest her, as long as she has made an effort to remember them, she will rarely forget them. But she really didn't take the matter of Mu Cangzhi seriously. After all, who could have foreseen that one day she would be able to travel back a hundred years ago and use a point of knowledge that she had never been involved in?
Fortunately, although Gu Weidong himself had never touched the real □□, he had privately collected a lot of relevant reports and information about □□ because of his interest, so he actually remembered most of its parameters.
While chatting with Ye Qing, the elder brother found a pen and paper and started writing and drawing in the notebook. By the time Ye Qing had poured out everything she knew, Gu Weidong had also finished drawing the gun's shape, the internal principle structure diagram, and even the details of various parameters.
Ye Qing watched from the side, and was so surprised that his mouth could almost fit an egg.
Wow, she even has the design drawings ready? Could it be that she wasn't talking about user experience just now, but directly reported the specific detailed parameters?
This skilled sketching technique has brought the essence of the □□ to life on paper. How did this big brother end up working as a security guard in a steel factory in his previous life? Isn't this a waste of talent?
Ye Qing almost knelt down before this big shot. She swallowed her saliva and asked:
"With your blueprint, can we directly copy this equipment?"
Gu Weidong shook his head with some regret:
"We are still missing some internal core data. It's a pity that you are not in our business. You have touched the real thing, why don't you take it apart and take a look?"
Although this guy complained, his eyes kept shining as he looked at the picture he had just drawn. After a while, he stroked his chin and chuckled:
"Never mind, let's get the blueprints up there and let those old guys worry about it. I've drawn it in such detail. If they still can't find someone capable enough to research the core data, then we deserve nothing from this equipment!"
Ye Qing nodded and thought this made sense.
During this period, all industries in China were in the stage of crossing the river by feeling the stones, especially the military field, where many equipment were copied and improved from obsolete products discarded by other developed countries.
When Gu Weidong's blueprint is submitted, the superiors may not be able to manufacture the □□ exactly as it is drawn, but they may get other inspirations from it and create a Greedy Wolf and Po Jun that is unique to the Xia Kingdom, or even directly overtake others on the curve.
Thinking of this, Ye Qing's heart was filled with excitement and he couldn't help but give Gu Wei Dongshu a thumbs up.
"Take my hunting rifle and go into the mountains tomorrow. I'll take it out tonight to do some maintenance and adjust its accuracy. You can pick it up tomorrow morning."
Gu Weidong suddenly spoke to Ye Qing.
Ye Qing was stunned. Before he could say anything, Gu Weinan had already heard what his elder brother said. He immediately came over, looked at the two of them with ambiguous eyes, and sighed meaningfully:
"Hey, did I hear you right, big brother? Isn't your wooden cannon the most precious thing to you that you won't let anyone touch? When I was a kid, I just touched that thing of yours a few times, and you spanked me so hard that it broke. Now you're actually giving your wooden cannon to my master? Don't you think you're a little too partial?"
Not to mention Gu Weinan, everyone else in the room looked at Gu Weidong in surprise.
Everyone in the family knew that the hunting rifle in Gu Weidong's hand was left to him by his deceased grandfather. Gu Weidong valued the hunting rifle very much, and no one else could touch it except himself. Ever since he joined the army, the rifle had been kept locked in a box, and even the Gu family didn't know where the key to the box was hidden.
Now Gu Weidong is so generous as to lend the hunting rifle to Ye Qing. This is simply the sun rising from the west.
Gu Weidong glared at the startled Gu Weinan with an unpleasant look:
"Why are you yelling and screaming? You were a little kid and you were so impetuous. How could I let you play with the wooden warehouse? What if it accidentally went off and hurt someone? I beat you to make you remember the lesson. I'm afraid you will hurt others and yourself because of your playfulness!"
Gu Weinan would have no idea that she believed such high-sounding words. She curled her lips and sneered, retorting:
"Now that I'm grown up, I've gone hunting in the mountains with my father, brother-in-law and others several times in the past two years. You should be relieved now, right? Then can you lend me your wooden warehouse and let Master use the wooden warehouse of the old branch secretary's family?"
Gu Weidong immediately said without question: "No!"
Seeing the younger sister's expression of "as expected", Gu Weidong added:
"You already have a lot of experience using wooden warehouses. You can quickly familiarize yourself with any hunting rifle. If there is any problem, you can debug it yourself."
"But Ye Zhiqing has never touched a hunting rifle. Tomorrow morning, after I have adjusted the wooden warehouse, I will teach her a few tricks so that she can get started. She won't be able to adapt quickly if she uses someone else's wooden warehouse."
Gu Weinan was speechless for a moment. She felt that her elder brother was clearly making excuses, but she could not find any evidence to refute him.
Her eyes were like searchlights, scanning Gu Weidong and Ye Qing. She always felt that the aura between the two was a bit strange.
Especially her eldest brother's attitude towards her master was a bit too attentive.
Is this still the cold and old-fashioned big brother she remembered? This is not right!
Ye Qing didn't care what the two siblings were planning. As long as she thought that she could go into the mountains to hunt tomorrow, she would be excited and looking forward to it. She hurried home to prepare the things she would need for tomorrow.
Early the next morning, Ye Qing had just gotten up and was about to make breakfast when Gu Weidong came over.
He brought a hunting rifle that he had polished to a shiny finish. After arriving at the yard, he hung a straw target on a nearby fence and began to demonstrate to Ye Qing how to shoot with the rifle.
"This is a double-barreled hunting rifle. The recoil is quite strong. You must pay attention to the technique when using it, otherwise your shoulders may not be able to bear it."
Gu Weidong loaded a blank bullet into the gun, then took aim at the straw target and fired a shot, hitting the red plate right in the center of the target.
"You try it!"
Gu Weidong handed the wooden warehouse to Ye Qing, who immediately picked up the wooden warehouse pole nervously.
After Gu Weidong helped her adjust the height and posture several times, Ye Qing finally fired the first shot at the straw target.
It was just as Gu Weidong said, the recoil of this double-barreled hunting rifle was even greater than that of a rifle. She was unable to keep the gun steady with her first shot and missed the target directly.
"There are six blanks in it. You have four more chances."
Gu Weidong reminded at the right time.
Ye Qing was a person who refused to admit defeat. Even though her shoulder was sore from the recoil of the gun butt, she did not frown. Instead, she learned from her first experience and began to use her core strength to control her arms to keep them still, so as to avoid losing her accuracy when shooting.
The second wooden warehouse missed the target again, but this time it almost hit the straw target.
The third wooden warehouse was hit, but it has not hit the heart board yet.
In the last two shots, Ye Qing made no mistakes and hit the bull's eye with two consecutive bullets. His strong understanding and adaptability surprised Gu Weidong.
"You are truly a natural born shooter. Have you ever thought about pursuing a career in the military? I think it would be great for you to be a sniper. With your amazing talent, this career definitely has a bright future!"
Gu Weidong couldn't help but persuade.
Ye Qing's face was expressionless. Even without lifting her clothes, she knew that her shoulder blade must have been bruised. At this moment, she secretly used the wood power on her shoulder while saying expressionlessly:
"Thank you for the invitation. I'd better just be a doctor."
Hunting guns is fun, but it is definitely not suitable for her.
Seeing Ye Qing rubbing his shoulders with a grin, Gu Weidong couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth and took something out of his pocket and handed it to Ye Qing.
Ye Qing was stunned: "What?"
"Shoulder pads are used to cushion shoulders and reduce shock." Gu Weidong said concisely.
Ye Qing suddenly felt embarrassed. It seemed that Gu Weidong had seen through the fact that her shoulder was injured by the recoil just now. As a result, she was still pretending to be calm and trying to cover up the situation. In fact, she didn't know how Gu Weidong was laughing at her in his heart.
She quickly changed the subject and said with a dry laugh:
"So there is such a thing as a shoulder pad? This is the first time I've seen one."
As he spoke, Ye Qing picked up the shoulder pad, looked at it carefully, and then tried it on his shoulder blade.
You know what, this shoulder pad is very delicately made. Not only is the stitching fine, it's neither too big nor too small and quite soft. This size is just right for Ye Qing's petite body.
Ye Qing thought that Auntie Gu had made it specially for her, and immediately forgot about the embarrassment and said happily:
"This thing is so well made, isn't it? Auntie Gu is so kind to me, how could she be so thoughtful? I have to thank her later, this shoulder pad is really perfect for a weakling like me!"
Now it was Gu Weidong's turn to feel embarrassed. He touched his nose and cleared his cough uncomfortably.
"Well, I made this myself, so no need to thank me. Just think it's useful."
Ye Qing: ???
Imagine a 1.9-meter-tall, broad-shouldered figure, holding an embroidery needle and doing needlework in a serious manner. No matter how Ye Qing thought about it, he felt that it was a bit like Zhang Fei Embroidery and almost laughed out loud on the spot.
Seeing the smile that Ye Qing couldn't hide in his eyes, Gu Weidong's usually calm face showed a rare hint of embarrassment:
"It is basic training for soldiers to learn needlework. When they join the army, they have to learn how to do housework. Sewing clothes is a compulsory course in training. Putting a sewing kit in the combat pillow is common sense. In the past, when fighting, soldiers would sew their own clothes while fighting."
This made Ye Qing's smile fade away instantly, and she quickly apologized to Gu Weidong:
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you. It's just that this is the first time I've seen a man as big as you actually sew. I find it quite surprising and interesting."
"But I really think you're amazing. Although this shoulder pad is not big, I can tell from the stitches that you have a solid foundation. You're much better than me. I can't even sew a pair of socks."
Ye Qing's praise made Gu Weidong a little proud again. He raised his chin and said proudly:
"What's so great about a shoulder pad? I can even make cotton-padded clothes, cotton-padded trousers, quilts and shirts. My craftsmanship is no worse than that of Ms. Miao Cuilan. If you don't mind, I'll make a set for you to try later!"
Ye Qing finally realized that this guy really didn't need to be flattered. She felt that if she coaxed him a few more times, this big brother would immediately take the initiative to take over all the work of making clothes, shoes, socks and quilts for her in the future.
"Brother, if we don't mind, can you make a set for us siblings as well?"
Gu Weidong was just showing off his skills like a peacock when two ignorant troublemakers interrupted him. Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei were grinning and peeking over the fence, then came up to him tactlessly.
Gu Weidong's slightly cocky expression disappeared in an instant, and he returned to his serious and stern look. The speed was even faster than the face-changing in Sichuan Opera.
"puff--"
This time Ye Qing couldn't help himself and laughed so hard that he fell backwards.
After breakfast, Meng Jia came over after finishing feeding the pigs and cows as usual. Ye Qing filled the kettle with water, took the meat cakes she had fried in the morning as dry food, prepared a hoe and a machete, and then the four of them each carried a rattan basket woven by Ye Qing herself, took their hunting rifles and headed towards the mountains.
Kaoshantun is located at the southeastern end of Changbai Mountain. It can only be regarded as the remnant of a broken mountain range. It is dozens of kilometers away from the southern foot of the main peak and Tianchi Lake in the middle section of Changbai Mountain. Walking along the mountain range, there are endless mountain ridges and boundless forests that seem to have no end in sight.
As the group walked inside, Ye Qing was told various stories and legends about Changbai Mountain.
According to them, the various production teams in the surrounding area would basically arrange for hunters to go hunting in the mountains after the busy farming season was over every year. After the prey was killed, they would return to the village and distribute the meat to each household.
One year, their eldest brother followed the hunters in the village into the mountains. Unfortunately, he got lost and walked for half a month without finding his way out. It is said that he finally found the way down the mountain with the help of the fox fairy.
This is not surprising. The more you go into the more deserted the more primitive forests there are over 2,000 square kilometers, and it is normal to lose track of direction when the mountains are blocked by heavy snow in winter.
This is also the reason why Ye Qing does not dare to enter the mountain easily and needs the local natives to act as her guide. The vegetation in the mountain is too dense. Once you enter the mountain and lose your way, you may wander around in there for several months without being able to get out.
Fortunately, the vegetation in the forest is complex, which means that the products are also abundant. For example, there are countless mushrooms, wild vegetables, and wild fruits. There are also various small animals, such as rabbits, pheasants, badgers, and roe deer. In short, there are endless good things in the mountains, whether they are animals or plants, and the number of collectible types is beyond Ye Qing's imagination.
Anyway, as soon as the few people entered the mountain, Ye Qing was like a person with a speed bump. She wanted to pick and dig everything she saw, just like when she watched all kinds of short videos about those anchors going into the mountains to fight in the wild in her previous life. She never straightened her back.
In just one or two hours, the baskets of several people were filled with a lot of things, from mushrooms and fungus to wild berries and the medicinal herbs that Ye Qing was looking for, etc. They also used flying needles and rattan whips to catch a pheasant, which was quite fat, weighing at least three or four pounds.
However, after wandering around for two hours, Ye Qing discovered that she had found most of the herbs she was looking for, but there were still two less common ones that could not be found anywhere in the nearby area.
Ye Qing was a little worried whether there was any rabbit in the mountain, and was hesitating whether to go a little further inside. Unexpectedly, at this moment, the brother and sister from the Gu family found a rabbit hole in the woods, and they were about to dig into the rabbit's nest with their butts sticking out.
Perhaps hearing the noise, the rabbit jumped out of another hole and dashed into the bushes in one leap.
Upon seeing this, Gu Weinan became furious and rushed in with his hunting rifle on his back, chasing the rabbit relentlessly.
Seeing this, the others had no choice but to follow.
After chasing for about seven or eight minutes, Gu Weinan came out of the woods, holding a fat wild rabbit in her hand. When she came in front of the people, she laughed and said:
"I was originally planning to use a wooden warehouse, but who knew it was so stupid? It hit the tree post and knocked me out. I got nothing for nothing!"
As he said this, Gu Weinan took the rabbit and shook it in front of the three people, grinning:
"Look, this rabbit is so fat. I happened to bring a sand pot with me. Why don't we roast the rabbit meat in the mountains? The dirty inside can be used to stew mushroom soup. But we have to keep the rabbit skin. After it's tanned, I'll make you a rabbit scarf or gloves. It's very warm to wear in winter!"
As he said that, Gu Weinan picked up the rabbit and went to find Shanxi to kill it.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a hand suddenly came over from the side and stopped her:
"Wait, let me see that rabbit!"
Gu Weinan didn't understand why, but he still handed the rabbit to Ye Qing obediently.
Ye Qing grabbed the rabbit and reached into its belly. After touching it twice, she shrugged regretfully at Gu Weinan:
"There is a lump in the rabbit's abdomen. It is estimated that there are several cubs in its belly and it is about to give birth."
As soon as these words were spoken, the three people who were excitedly waiting to eat the feast felt as if a basin of cold water was poured over their heads.
Although everyone was greedy, they were not so hungry as to kill a pregnant rabbit.
"Then...let it go?"
Gu Weinan was a little disappointed. He didn't expect that the rabbit he caught with so much effort turned out to be inedible.
"Why let it go?"
Just when Gu Weinan was about to let the rabbit go, Ye Qing suddenly spoke again.
The three of them looked at Ye Qing in surprise. Didn't she say she was pregnant and had several babies in her belly? She couldn't be so cruel, could she?
As soon as Ye Qing saw the expressions of these people, he knew that they had misunderstood, and said with a smile:
"Just because we can't eat it doesn't mean we have to let it go. We can catch it and raise it after it gives birth! It grows and reproduces very quickly. In a year at most, we'll be able to eat rabbit meat freely!"
At this point, Ye Qing began to read out the recipe for rabbit meat.
"Braised rabbit meat, spicy rabbit head, cold rabbit, hand-shredded rabbit, spicy rabbit pot, Gong Bao rabbit cubes..."
A series of dishes were announced, causing the three people present to stare with wide eyes and almost drool.
When they thought of so many kinds of delicious food waving at them, the three of them looked at the female rabbit in Ye Qing's arms with their eyes glowing green, and immediately shouted:
"Take it back! From now on, the rabbit-raising job will be ours!"
"Yes, I have to feed the cowshed and pigsty every day anyway, so a few more rabbits are not a big deal, it's just a matter of cutting an extra basket of hay!"
"I can help too. I'll take advantage of the holiday to dry some hay and store it for the rabbits for the winter!"
Faced with the desire for delicious food, the three of them had surprisingly consistent attitudes and were very proactive in volunteering to feed the rabbits.
Ye Qing smiled immediately, and was very satisfied with the three people's understanding. Not to mention these three people, she herself was also very fond of rabbit meat. Last time, the rabbits sent by the Wong Tai Sin group were cooked into cold rabbits and spicy rabbit heads by her, and she was not satisfied at all.
Wild rabbits are more lively than domestic rabbits and have very strong jumping ability. This female rabbit was dizzy from hitting the wooden stake before, but now she has come to her senses. She immediately became restless in Ye Qing's arms, struggling and rushing around, apparently looking for an opportunity to escape.
If this thing wasn't noticed, it would probably run away into the woods immediately. Ye Qing had no choice but to hide it under a basket and cover it with densely packed dead branches, leaving only a space that was just enough for it to move.
"Okay, now you can't run away."
Ye Qing patted his backpack, raised his head and looked at the three people. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind and he suggested with a smile:
"You can't eat rabbit meat, but don't forget that I caught a pheasant. The pheasant meat can be made into beggar chicken and stewed into chicken and mushroom soup. It seems that it will be good."
As soon as these words came out, the three people's eyes lit up.
Ye Qing could see that the three people who came out with her were all in the same mood for an autumn outing, and they went into the mountains just to get some meat to eat.
She took out the knife she had confiscated from Song Huilian from her bag and motioned for Gu Weinan and Gu Weibei to lead the way:
"We need to find a place with water. We need to kill this pheasant and pluck its feathers before we can make a caller chicken."
Gu Weinan immediately said, "There is a mountain stream nearby. I'll take you there!"
The group hurried towards the stream, and soon they heard the sound of gurgling stream.
After staying in the woods for more than two hours, they were all a little tired. When they saw the clear stream, they were a little excited and quickly squatted down to wash their faces.
"There are fish in here!"
Ye Qing also saw several fish in the stream. Perhaps because someone was approaching, the fish were frightened and swam very fast, disappearing in a flash.
Gu Weinan smiled and said:
"It should have come down from the mountain. Follow this stream up, there is a mountain pond about ten kilometers away. This stream was formed by flowing down from that pond. The fish you see is called trout, a species unique to our Changbai Mountain area. It grows very slowly, but its meat is very delicious. It is said that it was once a special tribute to the palace."
When Ye Qing heard that these were ingredients for the nobles in the royal family, he immediately became interested.
She wanted to see how delicious this salmon was that even the emperor could not forget it so much!
Without saying a word, Ye Qing took out her fishing equipment from her bag and handed the task of slaughtering the pheasants to Gu Weinan and Meng Jia. Then she would go find a suitable fishing spot and start baiting.
As a result, she found a large protruding rock by the stream and sat down. When she was about to hang a grass stalk on the fishing hook, she looked up inadvertently and felt a flash in front of her eyes, as if something flashed by in the jungle opposite.
Ye Qing couldn't help but frown and turned around subconsciously, wanting to ask the three people behind him if they saw anything.
As a result, when she turned her head, she saw Gu Weibei staring at a muddy area beside the stream in silence not far away.
As soon as Ye Qing saw Gu Weibei's frowning and serious expression, he felt something was wrong:
"Is there any problem, Gu Weibei?"
Gu Weibei squatted down, touched the muddy footprints, and walked around to look at the traces. Then he walked over and said to the three people:
"After we get rid of the pheasants, let's go to another place to build a fire. We can't go in there anymore. These footprints look wrong. I think they may be the footprints of jackals or coyotes. This area may be their drinking water source. We have mistakenly entered their territory."
Ye Qing immediately remembered the black shadow that flashed across the stream just now, and nodded quickly:
"It's possible. I just saw one running across the woods, but it ran too fast and I couldn't see clearly what it was."
When Meng Jia heard that they might have encountered a wolf, his hands began to tremble, his movements of plucking the chicken feathers slowed down, his face turned pale, and his eyes became tense.
Seeing this, Gu Weinan couldn't help but laugh:
"Don't be so nervous. We won't go into the deep mountains. There's no danger here."
"This is Changbai Mountain, what's there? Not to mention jackals, badgers and coyotes, we've even seen blind bears. My eldest brother and hunters went into the mountains before and saw Siberian tigers and golden leopards. There are so many strange animals running around in this mountain. There's a lot of food in the mountains this season. If we don't take the initiative to provoke them, they certainly won't take the initiative to confront us."
Gu Weibei also noticed that Meng Jia was scared, and quickly spoke to comfort her:
"Yes, it's okay. Both jackals and coyotes live in groups. This is probably their foraging territory. They will definitely prey on species that are more familiar and less threatening to them. They won't attack people unless they have no other choice. Besides, we brought plenty of ammunition with us into the mountains today. If someone dares to rush up and attack us, we have three wooden silos in our hands. It won't be a problem to deal with three or five wild beasts!"
However, despite saying so, the group still increased their vigilance. Meng Jia and Gu Weinan quickly sped up plucking the chicken feathers, Gu Weibei also took the sand pot to fetch water from upstream, and Ye Qing quickly baited the fish, preparing to catch a few trout as soon as possible to make grilled fish.
Ye Qing was very efficient in catching fish. In just ten minutes, he caught seven or eight fish.
These trout are not big, only about thirty to forty centimeters long, with a green-brown back and darker sides, and orange-red spots on their bodies. They do look a little different from the freshwater fish Ye Qing had seen before.
Thinking that there was almost enough to eat, Ye Qing put away her fishing gear. However, when she went ashore to pick up the fish and take them to Meng Jia's place so that they could kill them and grill them, she was shocked to find that more than half of the seven or eight fish she had thrown on the shore were missing!
Looking at the two lonely fish lying in the grass, Ye Qing was stunned. She almost thought she remembered it wrongly. Could it be that she only caught these two? But even if she was bad at counting, it wouldn't be so ridiculous, right?
Ye Qing looked around but couldn't find the remaining fish. He was speechless. It must be a ghost!
Two trout were definitely not enough to eat, so Ye Qing had to sit back down, take out the fishing gear and start fishing again. After catching the fish again, she unhooked the fish from the hook and turned around to see a pair of black eyes of a willow-leaf phoenix.
A small yellow-brown fox was tiptoeing out from the bushes, holding in its mouth the trout that Ye Qing had just dropped on the edge of the bushes.
Perhaps he didn't expect Ye Qing to suddenly turn around, and the thief who was caught in the act saw that his tracks were exposed, so he immediately turned around and ran away, but he was still reluctant to let go of the fish in his mouth.
"Hey! It turns out you're the one who stole my fish!"
Ye Qing was furious and was about to chase after him when he heard a sudden gunshot.
The little fox shuddered, then instantly disappeared into the woods.
Many birds in the woods were frightened and flew into the sky with flapping wings.
Soon there was dead silence all around, with only the sound of flowing water in the stream remaining.
Ye Qing, Meng Jia, Gu and Wei Nan all stood up at the same time and looked in the direction where the gunshot came from.
Gu Weibei, who was fetching water upstream just now, is missing. It was obvious that he was the one who fired the shot just now.
"Xiaobei, what happened?"
Gu Weinan asked anxiously.
There was no sound from there, which made the three of them nervous. They ignored the work at hand, fearing that Gu Weibei had encountered some danger. They hurried to carry the basket. At the same time, Gu Weinan and Ye Qing put their wooden baskets on their shoulders, opened the safety bolts and were ready to open fire at any time.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, there was a rustling sound in the woods, and Gu Weibei's excited shout was heard:
"Second sister, Ye Zhiqing, look at what I'm hitting!!"
Not long after, Gu Weibei ran out of the woods excitedly, carrying a large animal that was over one meter long on his shoulders!
"Silly roe deer?!"
As soon as he saw the prey on Gu Weibei's back, Gu Weinan was the first to be unable to hold back and immediately rushed forward eagerly.
Gu Weinan threw the silly roe deer off his shoulder to the ground, and then began to describe with great excitement the whole process of how he had just shot and killed the wild animal:
"I went to get some water, and I felt something moving in the woods. I looked inside and saw this idiot peeking in my direction. I guess he heard the noise we made by the stream and was just curious."
"This guy is really stupid, he was looking around, but I shot him dead!"
Gu Weibei pointed to the place where the silly roe deer was shot in the neck, raised his chin and said smugly:
"Look, how good am I with my gun? I hit the target with every shot!"
Gu Weinan is not used to it at all:
"The silly roe deer is very curious and won't run away when it sees people. Otherwise, guess why it is called a silly roe deer? There is nothing to be proud of in hunting one of these things. If you are capable, you can hunt an antelope or a red deer!"
However, this silly roe deer is quite big, estimated to be about 50 to 60 kilograms. It is indeed their biggest gain in the mountains today.
"Then should we still roast the beggar's chicken? Or should we just go down the mountain?" Ye Qing looked at the silly roe deer and couldn't help asking.
Gu Weinan immediately objected: "It's only a few o'clock now. Since you're already here, why are you going back so early? Didn't you say that there are still a few herbs you haven't found? Let's look for them after we eat the roast chicken. We'll definitely find them!"
Gu Weibei and Meng Jia also nodded eagerly. It was obvious that the three of them were obsessed with the beggar's chicken that Ye Qing had described before, and they were absolutely unwilling to go back before tasting this new dish.
Facing these three foodies, Ye Qing was at a loss and could only shrug his shoulders and say:
"Okay then, let's continue!"
As she said this, Ye Qing was about to pick up the few trout that were stolen by the fox, but when she returned to her original place, she almost exploded with anger.
My goodness, in just a short while, even the remaining three trout disappeared!
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