Chapter 35 No one knows what you might catch
The deeper you go, the slower the progress.
Yang Dalang and the others kept looking down at the ground, under the trees and rocks.
"What are you looking at?" Su Ying asked curiously.
"Look for traces of wild boar." Yang Dalang pointed to the place where the tree trunk was rubbed.
"Wild boars like to roll in the mud and often rub against tree bark and rocks to scratch themselves, making their skin thicker."
"Have we entered the wild boar's territory?" Su Ying was excited and nervous.
Wild boars have a strong sense of territory, and their territory usually ranges from about 8 to 12 square kilometers.
They usually move around in an area, the center of which is their habitat and there are usually a lot of wild boar feces.
"Well! We have seen two traces of wild boars scratching themselves, as well as a few piles of feces. The further we go, the closer we will be to the wild boar habitat. Everyone, be careful!" Yang Dalang reminded.
Wild boars are social animals that prefer places with mountains, water, and forests where there is plenty of food.
Generally speaking, a small wild boar herd consists of 2-5 female wild boars and several cubs, while a large wild boar herd can have up to 20 members.
Male wild boars tend to live alone unless it is breeding season.
Wild boars are masters of digging holes and like to live in holes in winter and during the breeding season.
Usually, nests are laid in the middle of steep slopes or in areas covered with weeds.
If you see shallow nests on steep slopes or in weeds, with a small pile of dung nearby, that is the habitat of a group of wild boars.
"Have there been any wild boars in the village?" Su Ying suddenly asked.
"The village?" Yang Dalang was puzzled. "I've never been here before. How could a wild boar break into the village?"
“Yes, if there is no food in the mountains, it will go further to find food.
Fortunately, there is enough food in the mountains for it to eat, otherwise, if it went around the village, it would destroy a lot of crops."
Su Ying remembered that in modern society, wild boars are second-class protected animals and often run into farmland to find food.
Farmers can only drive them away, not hunt them, because wild boars have become extinct in many places and they have to be protected.
Wild boars are omnivores that feed on plants, roots, fruits, insects, small vertebrates, and eggs and young of wild animals.
Wild boars like to turn over the soil when searching for food and are therefore known as 'earth-turning animals'.
"Is there such a thing?" Everyone was frightened. They had always thought that wild boars only lived in the mountains.
On second thought, being poor actually has its advantages. Even wild boars are not interested in eating crops.
As the sky gradually darkened and we walked deep into the dense forest, everything around us was quiet.
Occasionally, a tired bird returning to its nest flies by, and the fluttering sound makes the silence of the forest even more prominent.
We came to an open area and saw a large irregular rock of about 50 to 60 square meters. There were traces of fire on the ground. I guess it was a fixed resting place for hunting.
"Let's rest here!" Yang Dalang put down the backpack.
Take out the dead pheasants and rabbits from the backpack and give them to Yang Erlang.
"Erlang, take two people to fetch water and clean these up while you're at it. Remember to bury the internal organs and be careful of wild animals."
"That saves time!" Yang Erlang found a pile of dead leaves, lit them with fire, and broke off two dead tree sticks to use as torches.
Carrying hares and pheasants, we went to the stream.
It is easy to encounter wild animals at water sources in the mountains at dusk, as they like to drink water at this time.
Therefore, when camping in the mountains, choose an open area and don't be too close to a water source.
Everyone didn't even have time to rest and went around to pick up dry firewood.
Su Ying took a bamboo spear and stirred the weeds. After confirming that there were no snakes, she pulled out the weeds, revealing an open space.
Everyone pulled some wormwood and brought it back, lit it, and then smoked it around the big rock, focusing on the area under the protruding rock, where everyone would sleep.
After fumigating, I found some branches with leaves and spread them on the ground to make sleeping more comfortable.
Su Ying spread a circle of lime along the large rocks and open space.
"Will this work?" Yang Dalang asked.
"It can only keep insects and snakes away!" Su Ying smiled. "As for wild beasts, run as fast as you can!"
A rack was built with branches on the open space. Yang Erlang and his companions came back with cleaned pheasants and rabbits, and also fetched a jar of water.
"Hey, where did you pick up the clay jar?" Su Ying felt strange because they clearly left empty-handed.
"We kept it here, but it's inconvenient to carry it with us every time." Yang Erlang scratched his head and laughed, "Hide it when you leave, and take it out and use it next time you come."
"Why not build a hunting lodge here? Put some simple supplies in it so you won't be left without a place to stay when it's cold or rainy." Su Ying asked.
"I haven't made many trips in a year, and I'm not a professional hunter, so I haven't thought about it." Yang Dalang replied.
The water was boiled in clay pots hung on wooden racks. After walking for a while, everyone drank up all the water.
Sitting around the campfire, pheasants and rabbits were roasted on wooden sticks, and soon the aroma of meat filled the air.
"Gurgle!" Everyone's stomach growled happily, as they were tempted by the aroma of meat.
Only when hunting can the young and strong enjoy a meal of the prey alone and take the rest back to share.
Each person had a small piece of meat, and they were reluctant to add salt, but everyone ate it with great relish.
Su Ying slowly chewed the white rabbit meat. This was the first meat she had eaten since she traveled to the Tang Dynasty for more than two months! Woo woo, how miserable!
I was moved to tears while eating this. What a miserable journey through time!
A bite of rice ball and a bite of meat, even the meat without salt tastes delicious.
"How many wild boars can you hunt at most?" Su Ying thought about wild boars and wanted to eat pork.
With so many people going up the mountain, how much did they harvest each time? How lethal were their earthen bows and arrows?
"Wild boars are not easy to catch. They come out in a pack. It's great if you can catch a big one!" Yang Dalang said with a smile.
"One pig, two bears, and three tigers! An adult wild boar weighs up to three hundred pounds and has tusks!
The mud crust on the wild boar is very thick, making it difficult for arrows to penetrate. Once you provoke a wild boar, it will chase you relentlessly!"
"Is it safe for us to rest here? I remember wild boars like to sleep during the day and forage at night."
"Wild boars don't usually come here, otherwise we wouldn't have chosen this place as our camp."
"Uncle, if we can't catch a big wild boar, then catch a few small wild boars and raise them at home." Su Ying suggested.
"Raise wild boars?" Everyone was stunned. "There's not enough food for people, how can we raise pigs?"
“Pigs can eat a lot of things, even kudzu leaves, they don’t need grain!
Wild boars give birth once or twice a year, with each litter producing 4-12 piglets. If they can be raised well, you won't have to go hunting in the mountains anymore and you'll still have meat to eat every month."
Su Ying calculated the accounts for everyone, "There are plenty of wild vegetables and weeds around the village. Every family can raise a litter, and every family will have meat to eat!"
"Oh, that's right, why didn't we think of that?" Everyone felt regretful.
Several times there were little wild boars, but no one kept them and killed them and shared them.
"How about we catch them all this time?" Everyone looked at Yang Dalang.
"Let's see the situation! We didn't bring any backpacks, and there are only three backpacks in Su Langjun's house. They can't hold many things. If that guy starts struggling, the backpacks won't be able to hold him." Yang Dalang said.
"Then we'll catch whatever we can find, big or small, whatever we can get!"
Water has no constant state, and soldiers have no constant position. No one can predict what they will catch.
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