Chapter 12 Marketing of Live Poultry

Yue Feng climbed up the hill with steady steps. Opposite him was a large gentle slope. The forest was mainly a mixed forest of coniferous and broad-leaved trees. The plants on the ground were low and there were few shrubs. It was not noisy at all, and was a bright place in the eyes of hunters.

Yue Feng discovered the trace of the flying dragon from at least thirty or forty meters away.

Five or six flying dragons with reed-like feathers were eating and playing under a tree beside the ridge.

The success rate of releasing hawks from a flock of chickens that had rarely been hawked was very high. Yue Feng pretended to be calm and took advantage of the cover of the tree trunks to get as close as possible. This small group of flying dragon birds did not seem to be afraid of people. Yue Feng had slowly approached to within thirty meters, but the roosters in the flock only glanced at them occasionally and continued to do as they pleased.

The big blue kite in Yue Feng’s hand had been eager to try, and tried to break through the restraint of Yue Feng’s fingers several times in a row, but Yue Feng did not let go.

When the hawk got to within 20 meters, the chickens became alert. Yue Feng knew he couldn’t move any further, so he released the hawk decisively.

After entering the forest, the sparrowhawk’s abilities were fully demonstrated. It attacked with a high initial velocity and then accelerated in a straight line close to the ground and grass, rushing straight towards the flock of flying dragon chickens like a ghost without making any sound.

Zizizi! ! The rooster’s sharp warning sound rang out, but it was too late!

The Great Green Harrier pressed one of the flying dragons to the ground. The captured dragon flapped its wings and struggled hard, but to no avail.

By the time Yue Feng walked up to it, the battle had basically ended after the Great Green Harrier adjusted its posture by turning its claws upside down. It had returned to its classic posture of pressing a chicken’s head with one claw and pinching the base of a flying dragon’s wing with the other.

The large blue kite weighs only about 7.5 taels when fully fat, and the flying dragon bird it caught weighs at least one kilogram, but apart from the brief struggle at the beginning, it didn’t take much effort.

Yue Feng hurriedly covered the prey with his gloves, took out a dead sand chicken from his pocket to replace the living flying dragon bird, and let the big blue kite tear the flesh and eat it.

The big blue kite stepped on the broken body of the sand chicken and ate a few bites of meat. Yue Feng had already collected the intact flying dragon bird.

He stuffed a flying dragon bird into a torn sock and gently pricked the sock opening. The bird became obedient and unable to move. Yue Feng put the trophy into his pocket and continued on his journey with the eagle.

They walked along the ridge to the foot of the mountain, but did not get a second chance to attack. Yue Feng took out his kettle to give Ying a little water, and then walked straight home along the mountain path.

It takes about half an hour to walk back to the village from the ridge on the north bank of the stream. Yue Feng, holding his eagle and humming a little tune, had unknowingly descended the mountain.

At this time in the early afternoon, everyone was at home eating and taking a break, so he didn’t meet anyone on the road. Yue Feng went into the house, tied up the hawk, and went into the east room carrying his shoulder bag.

“Mom and Dad, I’m back! Look, this is what we got today!”

Nine socks of different colors, some blue and some black, were lined up on the edge of the kang, and Yue Feng’s face was full of pride.

“So many fish in this morning! This is enough for several meals!” Meng Yulan was delighted to see her son’s harvest. “Is the eagle safe?” His father Yue Lei also gave him an approving look.

“Well! Today I’m setting off some fish! I’m setting off some fish in the woods by the river, circling back and forth! Oh, by the way, on the way back, I ran into a small group of flying dragons. I caught one while I was holding my eagle close to them!”

After saying this, Yue Feng moved the flying dragon bird, which was obviously half a size larger, forward.

“This thing is great. It can be used to make soup. It tastes so good that you can swallow it with your tongue!” Mother exclaimed again.

Yue Feng nodded and said, “Let’s keep two sand chickens for ourselves. As for the rest, I’ll go to the city tomorrow morning and see if I can sell these live sand chickens to Feilong and get some money or food coupons back!!”

“Do you want to go to the ghost market at the Mining Bureau?” The father immediately understood what his son was going to do.

Yue Feng did not shy away from saying so. He nodded and said, “I heard that no one manages the ghost market before dawn. I want to give it a try and find a market for my prey!”

Yue Lei seemed to have thought of something, frowning slightly and said, “Although these sand chickens and flying dragons are considered mountain delicacies, I heard from the hunter Chen in the village that it is difficult to sell them at a high price in the city. Moreover, if you sell them secretly, it will be very troublesome if you are caught. Not only will you be fined, but in serious cases, you may even be imprisoned!”

“The ones you’re talking about that can’t be sold at a high price are those that were caught to death with traps or traps! The temperature is high in this season and they can’t be kept, so naturally the price will be lowered! The ones we catch with eagles are all alive. If you’re willing to take care of them, give them some water and food, it won’t be a problem to keep them for ten days or half a month!
Besides, the taste and texture of freshly killed and cooked flying dragon and sand half chicken are much better than those that are dead!
As for the risk of selling things, I only have so much stuff. If someone comes to catch me, I can just give up the stuff and run away. Be smart, they won’t catch me!”

Yue Feng hit the nail on the head with just one sentence, which is also the key reason why he chose to train eagles in a small enclosure instead of setting traps or traps.

Ordinary hunters at the foot of the mountain set traps or snares on the mountain. Those who are more diligent may patrol once a day at most. Except for the occasional large roe deer and wild boars, the prey caught by the traps or snares will have been dead by the time the patrol arrives the next day.

Dead chickens or rabbits, etc., have not had their blood added, so although they will not go bad, the flavor and texture of the dishes they are used to cook will be far inferior to that of freshly killed live chickens.

At present, rural areas in Northeast China are still basically in the production team stage. Although ordinary workers in the city are paid higher and can receive dozens of yuan a month, there are still few ordinary people who are willing to spend money to buy these wild delicacies except during festivals.

Who are the customers who are willing to eat these high-quality fresh prey? Either the coal mines or the canteens at the forest farms, these units are now very rich. The existence of the ghost market is actually directly related to the specific needs of these specific groups of people, but the twists and turns are not convenient to explain.

After a brief conversation with his parents, Yue Feng’s judgment was recognized by them. The next morning, just after three o’clock, Yue Feng jumped up from the kang.

It takes 20 to 30 miles to walk from the village to the city one way. Yue Feng put on his clothes, put on his leggings, put on his bag, carefully put Shabanji and Feilong into the bag, and soon disappeared into the night.

At the age of 20, Yue Feng’s body was in peak condition. His legs and feet were very fast and it took him just over an hour to reach the old city of Fengcheng that he remembered.

It was just dawn at this time. Yue Feng simply identified the streets and walked straight towards Fushun Street on the east side of the Mining Bureau.

(End of this chapter)