Chapter 285 Lunch in the Mountain
As an experienced mountain handler, Huang Erye led Zhang An and the others out of the camp to prepare for hunting.
After all, the campground is filled with the atmosphere of too much human life, and most animals will go around there unless there are special circumstances.
So if you want to catch prey, you have to go farther.
We walked for a long time from the forest camp to the mountain, and found a jungle ahead in the distance.
Before they walked over, Zhang An asked Xiaohu and the others to wait here.
It is winter now, and there are few animals wandering around in the forest.
In this grassy forest, it is a bit difficult to catch prey with dogs.
So the best way is to set up traps and put some bait to lure them.
Those little things that don’t hibernate will always come out to look for food.
And if you take Xiaohu and the others in, the smell may be stronger.
When they smell danger, they won’t come out.
"Xiao An, take a look at this place, where is a suitable place to set up a trap."
Before entering the jungle, Huang Erye asked, quite like a master inspecting his disciple's work. .
Zhang An took two steps forward and glanced back and forth.
Then he stretched out his hand and pointed forward and to the right: "There is no other suitable place except here."
Huang Erye took a look and nodded with satisfaction.
Chen Ze and Ding Yi behind them were confused and did not understand what the old man and the young man were talking about.
"Second Master, why is that the best place to set up a trap?"
Having a rare opportunity to learn, the two of them caught up with Mr. Huang and asked him carefully.
Although this kind of little knowledge is inconspicuous, you can tell it to show off when you get together with friends in the future.
"Haha, look carefully, what is the difference between the place Xiao An pointed out and other places."
As soon as the two of them heard this, they began to observe carefully like students.
However, the two of them were inexperienced after all, so they still didn't get the answer.
Maybe they saw it but didn't know that those were the answers.
“It’s actually very simple. Look there, although the plants look similar to other places.”
“But if you look carefully, you can still see that some plants have incomplete leaves and Some stems will have lumps on them, just like scars on people."
After Huang Erye explained this, Chen Ze and Ding Yi discovered the difference.
“As the saying goes, people have human nature and animals have their own animal path. That is a section of the animal path in this forest.”
“It is precisely because animals of all sizes often walk here. Only the branches and leaves of these plants are damaged, and some are even eaten by some greedy little guys.”
"But animals are cautious by nature and will not do too much damage to the places they often walk, because they need to maintain the original state to avoid being discovered by predators."
"So if you don't look carefully, you won't be able to find anything. What a difference."
After the lesson, Huang Erye and Zhang An began to look for a suitable place to set up a trap.
It took some time and I laid several traps.
Then, Mr. Huang reached into his snakeskin pocket, grabbed a handful of corn kernels boiled in rice wine, and put them one by one into the traps he had set.
Don’t underestimate these corn kernels, they are excellent bait.
The odor of rice wine not only masks the scent of hunters’ activities, but also greatly attracts prey.
The corn kernels cooked in rice wine can carry this smell to a long distance.
"Okay, let's go and come back later to close the net."
After all preparations were completed, Mr. Huang made a mark here.
Then everyone returned the same way and prepared to visit the next place.
"Aren't we here to guard it? If we catch the prey, it will be cut off by other animals or escape, wouldn't it be a waste of effort."
"What if no animal takes the bait? , There is nothing to eat today.”
As a hunter, it is taboo to wait and wait.
You can’t put all your hopes in one place. As the old saying goes, cast a wide net and catch more fish.
After returning to the original road, the group continued walking forward and encountered a small stream.
This stream should have collected mountain spring water from the mountain, flowed downwards, and flowed not far from the entrance of the camp.
The flow of the stream is not small, the water quality is clear, and it looks very clean.
If it weren’t for the cold winter, Ding Yi would have wanted to hold some and take a few sips.
Follow the creek and come to a slope with sparse trees, wolfberry leaves and weeds.
There are not many tall and straight trees here, but mostly shrubs with fallen leaves, which are not too tall.
The wolfberry bushes and weeds that should have been tall and vigorous have now turned yellow and shrunk after experiencing autumn and winter.
But often places like this are where the hares in the mountains live.
Huang Erye and Zhang An bent down and followed the slope to search.
Soon after, I found a cave entrance under a clump of withered and yellow wolf bark.
This is the hare's cave, Zhang An quickly laid a trap.
Then I started searching nearby again. After all, rabbits need to be very cautious. The three burrows of a cunning rabbit are no joke.
And most soil caves really have more than three entrances.
Huang Erye has been wandering around the mountains for decades, and he doesn’t even know how many rabbits he has found.
So looking for the rabbit hole is as easy as Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts.
It didn't take long to find four or five cave entrances nearby, and then quickly set up traps.
"Old man, why didn't you put out the bait this time?"
Seeing that Zhang An and Huang Erye had only set up the trap, but did not put up the bait like before, Ding Yi asked curiously.
"There is no need to waste bait here, after all, we have blocked all their holes."
"Later, just blow smoke into any hole, They will come out obediently.”
Although Huang Erye uses corn kernels as bait, this bait also has a cost.
Corn kernels are not much and the price is cheap, but this thing needs to be treated with rice wine.
Every time I go into the mountains, I can’t bring many of these specially prepared baits, so I save what I can.
While the old man, the young man and the young man were chatting, the condom not far in front of Zhang An was triggered.
Everyone walked over and took a look, and saw a fat rabbit with mottled gray fur that was caught in a trap and was struggling desperately.
The several big dogs next to him all pushed forward with their heads close to each other, trying to bite, but were stopped by Zhang An.
"It's strange. The trap was just laid today, why are the rabbits in the hole so busy getting out?"
According to past experience, even if it is used at the entrance of the hole, Moist dry grass is burned into green smoke and poured into the hole.
It will take at least half a day before any rabbit can't help but escape from the cave.
But today, Mr. Huang thinks something is wrong.
Actually, if Mr. Huang had been more careful, he would have found a wet area at the entrance of the cave.
Yes, in order to save time, Zhang An put some space spring water at the entrance of the cave.
For animals, this spring water is undoubtedly a huge temptation.
No, not long after it was done, the rabbit in the hole rushed out.
Bunny, I am so hot after washing.
Mr. Huang untied the condom, put away the jumping hare, and weighed it.
Although it is not as fat as the one Sanmao caught on the road just now, it is not bad either.
"Xiao Chen, come here, you guys take it."
Huang Erye pulled some withered yellow thatch on the ground, tied up the rabbit, and handed it to the two boys next to him. young.
Zhang An had told them before that these two people were here to play.
Although people don’t know anything, we still need to let them feel a sense of participation.
"Be careful, don't let it bite you."
With all four feet tied, there is no need to worry about the rabbit kicking people.
But you still have to be careful with those two front teeth.
Later, when Mr. Huang was checking several cave entrances, another one came out of the cave not far away.
Chen Ze saw the panicked rabbit twisting desperately in the withered grass.
He hurriedly ran up, no matter what, he pounced on the trapped rabbit first.
Then I untied the thin wire just like Mr. Huang did.
Pinch the hare’s neck with both hands and lift it high.
"Cough~cough cough..."
But without paying attention, the hare's hanging hind legs suddenly fluttered and kicked him hard on the chest.
"Is everything okay?"
Seeing Chen Ze being kicked by a rabbit, Zhang An walked over and took a look.
“This thing doesn’t look big, so why is it so powerful?”
With his hands free, Chen Ze rubbed the area where the rabbit had just kicked him.
When he took off his clothes and took a look, he found two red marks on his chest.
After checking Chen Ze's injury, there was no problem, and Zhang Ancai dealt with the rabbit in his hand.
"The strength of the rabbit's hind legs is not small, so now you know why the rabbit has to face the ground with its back and use its hind legs to kick."
"Especially in the mountains The hare that has been beaten for a long time is not only wild, but also much stronger than the domestic one."
Zhang An pulled two pieces of thatch from the ground and tied the rabbit before handing it to Chen Ze.
“Here, after catching this kind of hare, you need to tie it up so that it can be controlled.”
“Yeah, I get it, but Zhang An, the rabbit really dares to step on the eagle. ”
“Of course, we have seen this thing with our own eyes, and the flower head has been kicked.”
Chen Ze still saw the term "rabbit kicking an eagle" in novels. Yes, I thought it was artificially fabricated.
“What, an old bird with such a strong head will be kicked by a rabbit?”
Chen Ze couldn't believe it. After all, most people would be a little scared when being stared at by flower heads.
What kind of rabbit is this that dares to fight for his life with Huatou? "If you don't believe me, go back and ask Li Hongbin. They were at the scene at that time, and the second master was also there."
"Guigui, nature is indeed full of magical places." Chen Ze sighed.
Maybe it was because the struggle between the two rabbits was too loud, so after waiting for a long time, no hare came out of the hole again.
So Mr. Huang picked up a handful of wet dry grass from the ground and resumed the ancestral smoking method.
Soon, the dry grass ignited, and then covered the wet thatch.
Huang Erye stuffed the smoky grass into the animals, and a lot of smoke poured into the hole.
After waiting for a few minutes, I saw the hare in the hole rushing out like beans poured out of a bamboo tube.
However, only one trap was placed at each hole, so after the extra hares escaped, they ran around.
"Zhang An, hurry up, these rabbits are going to disappear."
Seeing so many hares running around, Ding Yi wanted to chase them, but he had the rabbits in his hand, so he called Zhang An.
The big dogs next to them saw the hares running around, and the next moment they started to chase them.
But before he could catch up, Zhang An called him back.
"Forget it if they run away. We have caught a lot today. We must leave some seeds for this area."
Zhang An counted the ones in their hands. I caught six, which is quite a lot.
And when I go back later, there may be something harvested in that jungle.
Besides, it’s only noon now. I’m too full and don’t want to move. I’ll prepare more in the evening.
After recovering the thin wire used to set up the trap, Zhang An was ready to return to the camp.
On the way back, there was a sudden violent movement in the space, which was something that had never happened before.
Zhang An calmed down and wanted to see what was going on in the space.
Since the last big change in space, unexpected situations have happened from time to time.
Zhang An checked the space as he walked.
As a result, he found that there was no change in the space, but when he looked outside again, it seemed that the space was engraved to guide him to find something.
According to his feeling, Zhang An looked around and found two medicinal plants growing well in the forest nearby.
Passing the rabbit in his hands to Chen Ze and the others, Zhang An walked over with a steel fork and squatted down to prepare for digging.
"Hey, these are three nine-leaf clovers, but they are still so small. What are you digging for?"
Huang Erye is no stranger to these common medicinal materials, and he recognizes them at a glance. come out.
"It's better to keep it small, and it's easy to take back. Then we can plant it in my medicinal field."
Zhang An has two acres of medicinal land, and Mr. Huang knows it.
He also thought that when he went into the mountains in the future, whatever medicinal materials he encountered would be dug up for Zhang An.
In fact, if there were two such small tender herbs on normal days, Zhang An would definitely let them grow.
But today is different. The space just guided him to find these two things.
So he dug it up first so that he could study why the space moved.
Although all changes in space have always been benign.
But he still wanted to find out, and he felt a little uncomfortable with such unclear information.
"Three nine-leaf clover? What kind of medicine is this? What does it cure?"
"This thing has a famous name, epimedium. You may not know it, but I know Ding must be familiar with it, hehe.”
Zhang An knows this, Ding Yi’s previous prescriptions basically included this stuff.
“Young man, please pay attention to your health.”
Mr. Huang glanced at Ding Yi and rarely made a fuss.
When Ding Yi saw that his old secret was exposed, the expression on his face became unnatural.
When we came to the jungle, before we entered the forest, we heard a rapid crow of chickens.
It seems that I have gained something from the trap I laid before.
When everyone entered the jungle, there were three pheasants flapping on the ground.
Although only three of the five traps caught prey, and the bait in the other two traps had been eaten but no prey was caught, this was already a good harvest.
This is because Zhang An also added some ingredients after Huang Erye used rice wine.
Zhang An walked over and took off the condom.
Among the three pheasants, one is very small.
Zhang An saw that it had no injuries, so he let it go.
After all, this thing is too small, it has not grown yet, and there is not much meat when slaughtered, so it is not worth the knife.
This time Chen Ze and Ding Yi did not ask why they should let go.
Because they already know that the old hunters in the mountains are definitely better at protecting the mountains and forests than the brick-and-mortar hunters outside.
Of course, this definitely does not include some guys who are fishing for nothing and not thinking about the future.
"Let's go, we have to go back for lunch, you are almost hungry."
As soon as Mr. Huang said that, the two of them really felt a little hungry.
After all, they eat on time on weekdays and don’t consume much.
Even when eating the next meal, it seems to be a habit and a task, and you will not wait until you are hungry before eating.
So I don’t have many experiences of feeling hungry like I did today.
Although they ate a lot of noodles in the morning, they consumed a lot all the way into the mountains.
It's getting late now, and it's normal to be hungry.
On the way back, several people saw a chicken in their left hand and a rabbit in their right hand.
Looking like he had gained a lot, he happily walked towards the camp.
Today they were exposed to life in the mountains. The only regret was that the carefully prepared compound crossbow was not used.
But I thought I would only enter the mountains now, as I still have plenty of time, so I would definitely have a good time.
Back at the camp, Zhang Ping had already lit a fire in the fire pit outside the wooden house.
And he also washed two pots, which should have been placed in the wooden house before, not the small pots he brought this time.
“Hey, I’m lucky today, I did so much.”
Looking at everyone’s hands full of rabbits and pheasants, Zhang Ping also rarely laughed.
Although Huang Erye is an experienced hunter, in fact, in the mountains, what you can catch still depends on luck.
When you are unlucky, no matter how experienced you are, you will still be hungry.
“I’m really lucky today.”
Huang Erye was also happy. He caught so many things in just a few places.
In the mountains, it is important to eat whatever you find. I got so many things today, no matter what, I will not go hungry.
Zhang An put down the snakeskin bag on his back, and he and Zhang Ping carried a few rabbits to the waterside to deal with them.
Because I have to go to the woods in the afternoon, it is not advisable to eat too much at noon.
Zhang Ping tied up the remaining pheasants and rabbits and threw them into the wooden house to lock them up.
It took some time to take care of a few rabbits.
Roasting rabbit takes more time, so it is chopped and thrown into the pot to cook.
In this way, several big dogs can eat some, and the time can be faster.
The fire was very strong, and soon the pot started churning.
Huang Erye took out some seasonings from his ancestral snakeskin bag and sprinkled it into the pot.
After the pot is out, one person holds a vegetable bowl and scoops out a bowl of hot stewed rabbit meat.
In the cold weather, the heat in this pot rises and the fragrance overflows, making people appetite after smelling it.
The bowl is made of stainless steel and is very hot when filled with freshly cooked broth.
Everyone gathered a large handful of leaves beside them to cushion the bottom of the bowl to avoid burning their hands.
For the chopsticks, I broke off the twigs on the roadside, peeled them off and washed them clean, and these natural chopsticks came out.
"Emma is so delicious. This pot of rabbit meat is more delicious than those carefully stewed by chefs."
Chen Ze ate a piece of rabbit meat and blew into his soup bowl. The broth is so uncomfortable.
“We just chopped it up and cooked it, and then added some seasonings. How can it be compared with what the chef makes? If you eat it well, it’s because you are hungry, that’s why you feel this way. ”
After half the meal, five people finished eating a large pot of broth, with half the pot left.
Zhang Ping found a square pot from the wooden house and saw that it was no longer in use.
After Zhang An took it to the water and washed it, he put the remaining broth in a square pot and let Xiaohu and the others eat around it.
Although the tiger cubs also eat raw meat, when there is cooked food, Zhang An still lets them eat cooked food.
After all, although tiger cubs are ferocious, they are not full-time hunting dogs.
For example, in the Northeast, many dogs are bred by hunters specifically for hunting.
So you should feed fresh meat frequently, especially after hunting something.
This is a kind of reward for them. After forming a habit, those dogs will know that as long as they hunt something, they will have meat to eat.
So when hunting, you will do your best.
And they usually feed the dog half full. After all, the dog is too full, and the dog doesn't want to move like a human, so why hunt?
But the tiger cubs are different, so Zhang An doesn't want to feed them that way.
Wait until all the dogs have eaten, and then rest for a while.
Everyone packed up their things and put everything they didn’t need to bring into the cabin.
Originally I wanted to keep Mr. Huang at the camp, but in the afternoon the old man said he wanted to follow.
So Zhang An quickly put away the tent that he had put up. No one was here, so these things still had to be put away.
Finally, everyone picked up their weapons and set off lightly.
Both Chen Ze and Ding Yi hung their quivers on their waists and held their carefully prepared weapons.
I won’t say whether I use it or not, but I can enjoy it with it.
What Zhang An and Huang Erye used were steel forks used at home, which are actually also called animal forks.
In addition to the steel fork, Zhang Ping also had the large fire pipe.
(End of this chapter)