Chapter 99: Catching Horses
When the two men arrived, they were only concerned with following the stream and mushrooms, and they had no tools with them except guns.
A cart and a sickle were also thrown near the trap.
Mu Xi handed the gun to Zhao Yeqing.
"There's a rope on the cart. I'll get it. You stay here and watch for now... Pay attention to your surroundings. There are often animals around water sources. Don't just stare at the horses. You're getting lost in it."
Zhao Yeqing took the gun, stared at the horse without blinking, and waved his hand without turning his head.
"Go ahead, go ahead."
Mu Xi gritted his teeth, controlled his hands, and didn't hit some conscienceless people on the head. He turned around and ran back.
The horse seemed to have gotten used to the surrounding environment. After walking for a while and filling its stomach, it lay down on the ground.
Zhao Yeqing sat on the top of the mountain, looking at the scenery at the lake below.
The wild goose leaped up on the water, flew low over the lake for a distance, then suddenly stopped and poked its head into the water. It picked up a small fish with its sharp beak and swallowed it into its stomach.
A high-pitched and ethereal cry sounded above the sky, causing the animals by the lake to raise their heads.
Zhao Yeqing was afraid of being seen by the horse, so he hid behind the hillside for a while before looking up.
A white-bellied mountain eagle was circling in the sky, staring at the geese below.
The wild geese took off in a hurry and flew from the lake to the distant grass, and the mountain eagle followed closely behind.
As it flew farther away, Zhao Yeqing could no longer see clearly.
Mountain eagles eat geese, and wild geese eat fish. This is also a food chain.
After more than twenty days of heavy rain, the surviving animals were eager to come out to look for food.
After waiting for more than twenty minutes, Mu Xi ran back with the rope.
Only when he got closer did he slow down his pace slightly and calm his breathing.
The two men discussed how to catch the horse.
"Approach slowly, walk from the front, don't get too close to it, I'll find an opportunity to grab its bridle from the side."
Zhao Yeqing nodded. She could keep a distance to attract attention, but she didn't dare to catch anyone.
A trained horse, unless it is manic, will rarely run into a person, and even if it does, it will be able to dodge to the side.
It is more dangerous to catch a horse. If you fail to catch it and are discovered, you may be kicked.
The two men and the dog approached the horse stealthily, and when they were almost close, they separated.
Zhao Yeqing whispered, "Be careful."
Walk slowly towards the horse.
The horse is a reddish-brown horse. Although it hasn't been brushed for a long time, you can still see the brightness of its coat.
Sensing someone approaching, the reddish-brown horse immediately stood up.
The muscles on the horse's chest, hips and legs were suddenly revealed, and the lines made her eyes light up.
Zhao Yeqing stopped and stood there looking at it.
The reddish-brown horse's eyes were bright and full of alertness.
The horse can understand human language, so Zhao Yeqing tried to communicate with it.
"Don't move. I won't hurt you. Do you want to come home with me?"
She pointed to the horse's hoof. "I can help you trim it."
A horse's hooves are made of keratin tissue and, like human nails, never stop growing.
The hooves of this brown-red horse had obviously not been trimmed for some time.
The horse's own weight is very large, and if the hooves are not trimmed in time, the force on the tendons and ligaments will change, causing injuries.
Domesticated horses, unlike wild horses, do not have strong survival abilities. If a leg is broken in the wild, they are almost certain to die.
If it doesn't go back with Zhao Yeqing, it may not be able to survive on its own.
Zhao Yeqing tried his best to appear harmless and negotiate with it.
In fact, her heart was also tense. If the horse rushed towards her, she would roll to the side.
Zhao Yeqing caught a glimpse of Mu Xi lowering his body to get closer to the horse. He felt a little worried. What if the horse got frightened and kicked him directly?
She gestured to Mu Xi, asking him to stop.
The horse seemed to understand some of what she said. It looked very smart and didn't seem to be unable to communicate.
Zhao Yeqing stretched out his hand and gradually approached the horse, muttering, "Be good, I won't hurt you..."
The horse slowly backed away, the alertness in its eyes had not completely disappeared, but it did not rush forward either.
Zhao Yeqing felt that there was a chance, as Ma did not show any signs of frenzy or rebelliousness.
Her hand slowly approached the horse's head. Instead of grabbing the leather strap of the bridle directly, she touched its head first to calm it down.
Horses are herbivores but unlike sheep and cows, their stomachs are very small and they cannot ruminate. They cannot eat a lot of food at once and can only eat small meals frequently throughout the day.
I guess it hasn't had an easy time during this long rainy season. Its previous owner must have been very good to it, otherwise it wouldn't be so unguarded towards humans.
That's why Zhao Yeqing was able to bring it home so easily.
Mu Xi walked forward and tied the rope to both sides of the bridle, using it as reins.
Zhao Yeqing touched the horse's back, raised his chin towards Mu Xi with sparkling eyes,
“Isn’t that awesome?”
Mu Xi was infected by her expression and couldn't help but curl his lips, "Awesome."
Fortunately, the owner of this horse did not put a bit on the horse before, otherwise it is hard to say whether it would survive until now.
A horse bit is a small metal stick that is placed horizontally in the mouth to hold down the tongue and prevent the horse from eating grass.
There was no saddle or stirrups on the horse, so she didn't dare to ride it and planned to lead it back by pulling the reins.
After she successfully tamed the horse, she remembered to take a look at the lake.
The plants on the grassy beach near the lake are somewhat different from those on the meadow.
There are many more moisture-loving plants that grow near the lake.
For example, calamus.
It’s a pity that I didn’t bring a sickle this time, otherwise I would at least cut one and hang it on the door to ward off evil spirits.
In a hurry to take the horse home, Zhao Yeqing planned to take a good look at the lake when he had time to pick mushrooms the next day or the day after tomorrow.
Maybe it was because Zhao Yeqing was the one communicating with the red-brown horse, it felt a little hostile towards Mu Xi who appeared later.
Every time Mu Xi tried to take the reins and lead the horse, the reddish-brown horse would turn its head away.
This made Zhao Yeqing laugh. It was the first time that an animal at home disliked Mu Xi.
She is very fond of him.
Zhao Yeqing looked down again and said "tsk" with satisfaction.
It's a girl, no wonder she's so cute.
"Let me think...you will be called Xiaohong from now on!"
Little Yellow, Little Flower, Little Black and Little Red.
It's very suitable.
You can tell they are a family just by listening to them.
As for the porridge and snow cakes, they were brought back from the mountains. They are not from the same system as those in nature and on the grassland.
Zhao Yeqing led the horse home, calling out "Xiaohong, Xiaohong, Xiaohong..." all the way.
By the time she got home, Xiaohong had already memorized her name.
Zhao Yeqing, however, stood still.
The horse came back, but it still had no place to live.
Mu Xi dragged the cart back home, carried the hay on it to the hay room, went into the tool room, pulled the cart and was ready to go out again.
Before Zhao Yeqing could talk to him, he had already answered.
"I'm going to cut down some trees and build a stable, ancestor."
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