This is a small stream about four or five meters wide. The water isn't exactly clean, but it's a rare and good water source in a place like the Loess Plateau.
Chen Yang and his team did not find any other water sources around the stream, so the sheep and cattle were likely to come here to drink. If they could make good use of this, they still had a chance to capture some of the cattle and sheep alive.
However, this is no easy task. Trapping sheep is relatively straightforward, but trapping cows is much more difficult.
At the time, it took most of the manpower and the terrain to trap the horses. Since the horses were together, none of them were separated from the others, and they had food, there was no panic.
However, trapping even a few cattle or sheep would certainly cause panic. Ordinary measures are ineffective against a raging buffalo; ultimately, taming buffalo is no easy task.
Cattle are a very valuable resource; beef, tendons, and horns are all very useful. To this day, they only keep a few cattle on the island in the middle of the lake, and they are reluctant to slaughter them.
“Let’s split up and search to see if there are any places we can use,” Chen Yang said.
The three began searching near the stream, hoping to find favorable terrain. However, the stream flowed mostly gently, making it difficult to find any particularly interesting terrain.
More than half an hour later, the three of them reunited.
"Have you found anything?" Chen Yang asked.
Both of them shook their heads, their expressions showing disappointment.
"It seems we need to think of another way," Chen Yang pondered.
Apart from rocks, the Loess Plateau has very few other resources, and it would be impossible for them to dig such a large trap; there simply wasn't enough time.
How could they capture cattle and sheep alive? The group racked their brains.
While Chen Yang and his companions were in trouble, the camp was enjoying a bountiful harvest.
Potatoes were the first to ripen; fist-sized potatoes were dug out and piled together.
They only dug out a portion of them, leaving the rest to grow for a few more days, otherwise they wouldn't be able to finish them all, as potatoes that have sprouted cannot be eaten.
"Everyone, please eat as much as you like. We've had potatoes with every meal these past few days—mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, stir-fried potatoes, steamed potatoes," Wang Bing said with a smile, pointing to the potato feast on the table.
"I want to eat potato chips," Ding Aiqi said, raising her hand.
Wang Bing stroked his chin and said, "We need to conserve our oil; it's too wasteful to use it to make potato chips. I'll slice them thinner and dry them in the sun."
"Then we'll have to use Chen Yang's knife. Let's wait for him to come back. It's hard for the knife I made to cut that thin."
"The people from the island in the middle of the lake have come back to the camp to eat potatoes today," Hong Gui said somewhat apologetically at the dinner table.
“Your skills are already very good,” Wang Bing said.
It's remarkable that Hong Gui was able to do this under such rudimentary conditions.
"Recently, I had a sudden idea and had my darling take a photo album while he was forging iron in the blacksmith's shop. It was very popular."
Li Sen said proudly.
Hong Gui is indeed very powerful when he's forging iron; that energy seems innate. It would make a great photo album, and people of all genders would appreciate it.
Everyone immediately became interested and asked for the photo album, making Hong Gui very shy.
"The corn will be ripe in a few days. I'm so looking forward to it. I like corn even more," Jiang Yining said.
Xiaoqi said, "It's best not to get your hopes up; those corn plants aren't growing very well."
"Not necessarily. The seeds Chen Yang brought in are very good; they might taste surprisingly good," Jiang Bo said with a smile.
"By the way, Jiang Bo, how's your oil press going?" Hou Yu asked.
"We've already chosen a location and agreed on a price. Several experienced workers have agreed to come and work here. However, there's an oil press that's been passed down for three generations that I'd like to buy, and we're still negotiating with them."
"Let me know when you can start pressing the juice, and I'll buy a year's supply from the whole family," Hou Yu said with a smile.
“No problem,” Jiang Bo replied with a smile.
After they pressed oil again last time, the oil press was temporarily out of service, but they can continue pressing oil next year. Many other plants can also be used to extract oil.
"These potatoes don't taste very good. Even with such good oil, they still taste like this. It seems we can't have too high expectations for corn."
"agree."
"It would be nice if there were other seasonings. I like fried potatoes with chili powder mixed in."
"Brother Wang's homemade seasonings in the micro-world are already quite good, it's just that these potatoes are disappointing."
"That's right, I hope the corn will live up to expectations."
"The corn won't disappoint you."
The people in the camp were eating and chatting happily, unlike Chen Yang and his group who were at a loss.
Chen Yang and the others were still trying to figure out a solution by the stream when Wang Qin came over.
"A pack of hyenas came, and the sheep all ran away. However, the cattle fought with the hyenas, and one cow died, as did two hyenas. The cattle are now hiding to one side," Wang Qin told them.
"You guys catch up with the sheep first. Such a flock of sheep is easy to track. I'll handle the cattle and hyenas. Everyone, just play it by ear. If we really can't catch any alive, then we'll hunt down as many as we can."
The group quickly got to where the sheep had been, and Chen Tianming was still watching. Sure enough, they saw a pack of hyenas eating a cow carcass in the distance.
"Everyone, stay far away, make sure you're downwind. The hyenas have an incredibly keen sense of smell," Chen Yang said.
“The sheep went in that direction. Wang Qin and I will go track them. Son, be careful.”
Chen Yang nodded.
Ding Qihan gave a brief instruction: "Be sure to look for shelter along the way and pay attention to changes in the weather."
Chen Tianming and Wang Qin followed the sheep's tracks, while Chen Yang and the other two continued to keep an eye on the hyenas and cattle.
The cattle hid in a valley, a considerable distance from the hyenas, but remained wary of them.
If a hyena loses two companions, it seems it has no intention of provoking the cattle herd anymore; the carcasses of one cow and two companions are enough for the hyena pack to eat.
After finishing their meal, the hyenas left, seemingly still wary of the buffalo herd. This hearty meal would sustain them for a long time to come.
After waiting for a while and confirming that the coyote pack had gone far away, Chen Yang and the others said, "Quick, let's go collect some cow tendons. They're an excellent material for making bowstrings."
After quickly collecting the beef tendons, Chen Yang and his group left, not wanting to get their bodies stained with the smell of blood.
Vultures were circling overhead, seemingly having noticed the battle taking place.
Chen Yang and his team also spotted vultures while tracking the cattle herd, but they didn't plan to target them for the time being.
The cattle had also left that troublesome place. Chen Yang noticed that they were heading in the direction of the stream, probably to drink water.
“We’ll take a detour to the stream. The cattle are moving slowly and stopping frequently, so they shouldn’t arrive until evening. We need to come up with a solution quickly. If all else fails, we can set some traps and try our luck,” Chen Yang said.
The cattle were moving at a very slow pace, giving them plenty of time to prepare.
However, they couldn't come up with a solution by the stream earlier, and the chances of them coming up with one now are slim.
(End of this chapter)
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