Chapter 21 Selection of the Eagle Hunting Team

“Dad, Mom! The steamed buns are delicious, you and dad don’t have to save them for me and my sister!”

Seeing that his parents only ate a little, Yue Feng felt a little sad.

Parents always save the best for their children, and such details are reflected in every aspect of daily life.

On the other hand, the situation may not be the same for children. There are filial children, but there are also those who cannot take care of their parents after they get married.

For example, Yue Feng’s elder brother.

Meng Yulan didn’t respond, but silently wrapped three of the buns in oil paper and placed them on the corner of the table: “You have to go up the mountain later, so take the buns with you for lunch!”

Yue Feng didn’t bother with such trivial matters anymore. He nodded and said to his father, “Dad, I have something I want to discuss with you!”

Yue Lei and his father seldom have this kind of formal communication. Upon hearing his son’s words, Yue Lei’s expression became serious.

“what’s up?”

“I met a coal mine canteen purchasing manager at the ghost market. He said he could buy a large amount of the mountain products I caught! Do you think it’s necessary for us to catch a few more eagles, gather a few people, and make money together?”

Yue Feng has lived two lives and his vision far exceeds that of ordinary people. In fact, he already has the answer to this question in his mind. The reason why he still discussed it seriously with his father was mainly to make his father feel more involved and, by the way, to listen to his opinions.

After hearing his son’s question, Yue Lei did not answer immediately, but frowned slightly and thought for a few seconds.

“We can find a few people, but they must have good character and be tight-lipped. Also, the technique of releasing eagles can be taught, but the core technology of training eagles must be kept secret!”

Nowadays, if you really want to learn something, you have to formally apprentice to learn many trades. Although falcon training is just a minor skill, once you have learned it, it is definitely better to work on the small piece of land at home than to farm honestly in the village.

Yue Feng learned how to train eagles from his grandfather, but his father Yue Lei was not interested in falconry before.

In Yue Lei’s opinion, even if he tied up a large eagle (female goshawk) for catching rabbits instead of a kite, he could only catch small prey such as pheasants and rabbits. There would not be much meat after a day’s work. It was far less satisfying than going up the mountain to set a trap, or using traps or the like to catch some wild animals.

Of course, this perception is based on the premise that small prey such as pheasants, rabbits, and flying dragons caught during hunting cannot be sold at high prices and can only be eaten at home.

If someone had told Yue Lei earlier that a live flying dragon could be sold for more than one yuan, he would have picked up the family’s inherited skill of falconry long ago.

At present, the main source of income for ordinary villagers is the year-end dividends from the village production team. Those who are a little more active go into the mountains to pick wild vegetables and delicacies such as black fungus and monkey head, and medicinal herbs such as Schisandra chinensis, dry them and sell them to the supply and marketing cooperatives at extremely low prices.

There are people who raise dogs and buy guns to go hunting in the mountains, but the threshold is too high and ordinary people simply cannot afford it. Most farmers do not even have enough food for their own food, so how can they afford to feed their dogs?

In comparison, taking advantage of the falconry season in autumn, pulling a few eagles out of the enclosure and selling live game is a more cost-effective business model.

“Otherwise, I’ll find some time to set up the net to catch a few eaglets, and you can help me with it?” After getting his father’s approval, Yue Feng climbed up the pole.

“Okay, I have nothing to do at home, so it’s no problem for me to help you with the flat eagle for a few days! Have you decided who to find to help you?” Yue Lei nodded and accepted the task.

Yue Feng already had the answer in his mind, and said, “How about I ask my uncle Li and his wife, our neighbors? And the brothers Xiaowen and Xiaowu from the Zhang family?”

Needless to say, Li Wentong and Li Mingtao, the two families had a very close relationship since Yue Lei was young. In his previous life, Yue Lei had an accident in the mountains, and before he died, he entrusted his son, daughter and wife to his brother Li Wentong. Since then, Li Wentong, an uncle who has no blood relationship, has been taking care of Yue Feng and his mother. Li Wentong takes Yue Feng with him when he goes hunting in the mountains. No matter how much effort Yue Feng puts in, the prey is always shared by the family. When Yue Feng renovates a new house and gets married, Li Wentong is busy arranging everything, both financially and physically. He treats Yue Feng like his own son. It is natural for him to help with things like arranging people to release hawks to make money.

Zhang Xiaowen and Zhang Xiaowu are only one year apart in age. The two brothers were good brothers from Yue Feng’s previous life. Their father, Zhang Deliang, used to be a miner in the village. In autumn, he was kicked by a blind bear while going to the mountain to collect products, leaving the two underage brothers to depend on their old mother who had to take medicine all year round.

The two brothers are well-known in the village for their filial piety.

A few years ago, when the two brothers were just thirteen or fourteen years old, there was a wedding in the village, and the two brothers went to help. The host provided the meals, and after a busy day’s work, the two brothers each brought home a piece of fried knife fish for their mother.

In that era, supplies were extremely scarce. At occasions like weddings, the main dishes were limited. For example, it would be good if each person could have a piece of the fried knife fish. But these two brothers were reluctant to eat any of it and took it home to honor their mother.

In addition to being filial, these two brothers are also very loyal. In their previous life, Yue Feng took his brothers to the mountain to kill the blind bear Cangzi. As a result, the blind bear escaped from the warehouse, and the barreled gun did not fire. Yue Feng was almost killed by the blind bear as he sat on his butt.

Neither of the brothers ran away. They held their spears and fought desperately with the blind bear. After a fierce battle, they rescued Yue Feng. Both brothers were scratched on their chests and backs by the blind bear. It took them a month to recover.

This is truly a life-saving grace. In his previous life, Yue Feng failed to repay these two brothers. Now that he has a new life, he must repay them for saving his life.

Now it is 1980, and the two brothers have just reached adulthood. Without their father, the pillar of the family, the two brothers have to take care of their elderly mother who has to take medicine all year round, and their daily lives are extremely difficult.

Yue Feng knew that the two brothers were loyal and had a way to make money, so he was willing to help them. Even if he had to suffer a little loss and let the two brothers share more money, Yue Feng didn’t think it was wrong.

“There will be no problem with your uncle Li’s family. It’s also okay to investigate these two guys from the Zhang family!” Yue Lei nodded, and he quite approved of the candidates for cooperation mentioned by Yue Feng.

Most people of this era attach great importance to reputation. Productivity is low, and villagers often need to work together to get things done. A good reputation represents good character, and everyone is willing to associate with such people.

Although the brothers Xiaowen and Xiaowu are young, everyone in the village knows that they are filial. Although their family conditions are not good, most people do not look down on them. In fact, more than one wealthy family from other villages found the matchmaker Wang Tiezui and wanted to recruit the eldest brother Xiaowen as their son-in-law, but Xiaowen did not agree.

“Then, can I find some time to arrange it?” Yue Feng continued to ask.

“It’s not a good deal if you’re the one who’s trying to get ahead. You’re just…” Yue Lei waved his hand and called Yue Feng to his side, and whispered a lot in his ear.

“Okay, I’ll listen to Dad! Mom, put a few more steamed buns in my bag!” Yue Feng nodded in agreement.

Three cobblers are better than Zhuge Liang. Although Yue Feng had figured out what to do, there were still some flaws in the details. After his father Yue Lei’s instructions, the plan suddenly became perfect.

Having made up his mind, Yue Feng tied his leggings, put on his backpack, and went out.

Today he did not go up the mountain directly, but came to his neighbor Uncle Li’s house.

“Xiao Tao! Do you have anything to do today? If you don’t have anything to do, come and keep me company. I’ll take you to the mountains to release hawks and catch chickens.”

“Okay, Brother Feng, I’ll continue tying my leg wraps! Wait for me for a few minutes!”

The Li family had just finished breakfast. When Xiao Tao heard Yue Feng asking him to release the hawk, he agreed immediately.

Xiao Tao has been following Yue Feng around since he was a kid. Although he is a little aggressive in doing things, his execution is absolutely in place. He is also the kind of brother who can back him up at any time.

(End of this chapter)