My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 313 An unexpected discovery

"Hey, you guys have had a good haul these past few days. I see the trees are almost full of prey."

Chen Ling led Heiwa into the woods and laughed.

Hearing his voice, Xiao Jin ran over from behind the tent and pounced on him, whimpering and rubbing against him.

"Yes, there are plenty of little creatures in the mountains this year. Weasels and weasels are running around everywhere. Look, we've caught a few wild boars and foxes."

In front of the tents at the camp, Wang Lixian and Liu Guangli were sitting on a rock, busy with their own things. When they heard Chen Ling's words, they pointed to the things hanging on a few trees nearby.

On a tree hung something resembling a large weasel with a black face and yellow body.

This is a mountain yak.

It is also the familiar yellow-throated marten, also known as the yellow yak.

Next to it were squirrels and a white-faced fox-like creature.

Squirrels, locally called "hairy rats," are named for their long fur, large and long tails, and fluffy hair.

As for the Flower Fox, it is not a fox, it just looks like a fox.

Its scientific name is actually civet cat, and this creature can be found in both the north and south of China, with a very wide distribution.

As for weasels, locals generally don't catch them.

"It smells so good! Is it the meat of a hairy rat or a spotted fox?"

Chen Ling poked at the hanging prey a few times, then suddenly sniffed and smelled a very special meaty aroma.

Wang Lixian shook the skin he had peeled off in front of him and said, "It's a hairy rat, the meat of which is very delicious."

"Just skinned them and put them in the stew; for lunch, we'll have wild mushrooms stewed with hairy rat meat."

As the old saying goes, a golden rat or a silver rat is not as good as a hairy rat.

I'm talking about squirrels. Their meat is quite good. In the old days when people were starving, the first thing they ate when they came to the mountains to find food was these squirrels.

"Haha, that's great! I also brought you two big bags of steamed buns and cakes. Eat as much as you want today."

Chen Ling went to the fire pit, lifted the pot lid to look inside, smelled the aroma, and said with satisfaction.

However, with so many people, this pot probably won't be enough to feed everyone.

Well, we need at least another pot, otherwise, let alone others, even this small amount won't be enough for him.

This squirrel meat is definitely much tastier than wild boar meat, and he doesn't want to miss it.

He then got up and walked around the camp. Seeing that there was no one else there, he asked, "Where did everyone go? Why are you two the only ones here?"

"We've gone out to set traps and snares. We've caught a lot of them in the surrounding woods these past few days, so these little creatures don't dare come near here anymore. We have to go further away to catch them."

Wang Lixian glanced at him, pointed to the peeled squirrel skin and said, "This thing is valuable. It's rare that there are so many of them in the mountains again, so we have to catch as many as we can. It's just that selling them is a hassle; we have to spend time going far away to sell them."

"To Wangba City? Or Fenglei Town?" Chen Ling sat down on the rock next to Wang Lixian and watched him deftly skin the squirrel.

"They can all go, but people from our area usually go to Wangba City. They're always buying there and willing to pay a price."

During the autumn off-season, in addition to continuing to work outside, many people go into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs and mountain products.

However, while gathering wild produce, setting traps and catching small prey can also bring in a considerable amount of income for the family.

Small prey mainly includes wild rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, foxes, and civets.

Apart from pheasants and rabbits, most small game animals are sold for their pelts, not their meat.

In the late 1980s, one could make a fortune by selling leather.

Take squirrels for example. Don't underestimate these little creatures. After winter sets in, a single squirrel pelt can sell for fifty or sixty yuan.

This was the price at the end of the 1980s.

Foxes are more expensive than squirrel fur, but they are harder to catch and fewer in number than squirrels, which can be easily caught by simply wandering around the mountains.

Wang Lixian used to do this business frequently. He said that half of the money he spent on his daughter Wu Ni'er's education came from selling leather.

This also enabled him to develop excellent skinning skills.

Skinning is a delicate task. If it's not done well, there will be too many knife marks on the skin, and the skin will sell for much less money. So you have to pay a lot of attention to your knife skills.

"How about it, itching to try it? Go ahead and try on a few. I have two more sheaths tied with thin steel wire here, you can take them."

Seeing Chen Ling's eager expression, Wang Lixian laughed.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling knew he had no choice but to stand up, patting his behind and asking, "Where is the steel cable?"

"Inside the tent."

"Uncle Guangli, do you have any rope loops made of steel wire like these?"

"No, I don't have anything that fancy. Do you want a leather sheath instead?"

"Forget it, no more."

Chen Ling shook his head, called the two dogs, and walked outside.

Liu Guangli glanced at him and laughed, "You're quite picky, kid."

When it comes to setting traps, steel wire rope traps are definitely the best choice.

This steel wire rope is not thick; it's even slightly thinner than knitting yarn. It can be placed in areas where prey frequently appears, such as in grass, bushes, or under trees. Moreover, the steel wire rope is not easy to tangle.

It's hard to say if it's a cover made of other materials like cotton thread.

Perhaps a gust of wind will turn the ropes and lines into a tangled mess, obscuring the opening of the snare, making it impossible to catch prey.

Although the purpose was to find a place to trap small prey.

But Chen Ling still couldn't forget the female leopard.

As we walked up the mountain, we let the two dogs sniff the scent again, but unfortunately, they didn't react much after cleaning up, which proved that the leopard was too far away to reach.

Even with Xiao Jin's keen sense of smell, it seems too far; there's definitely no chance of finding someone in the near future.

"It seems there are still too few leopards in the mountains. There are probably only two left."

Chen Ling, of course, also wanted to find other leopards.

Unfortunately, there aren't that many leopards in the mountains, so what can he do?

There are fewer leopards because the fighting was too brutal in the past.

Tigers are hard to catch, so leopards are hunted instead, and many people believe that leopard bones can be used as a substitute for tiger bones in medicine.

Tiger bone wine is believed to enhance male virility and strengthen the kidneys and lower back. It is an exceptionally precious medicinal wine, and such items have always commanded high prices.

With such efficacy and scarcity, it will always be a high-priced product.

……

"They must have set the trap by heading west to Eagle Claw Ridge, so I'll head north..."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ling headed towards the depths of the mountains to the north.

The campsite was located on a mountain near the wetlands.

There is a rather deep ravine to the west of the campsite, which requires a detour. Heading west will lead to Eagle Claw Ridge.

Further north, the mountains grow even taller.

Chen Ling rarely ventured into this area; this time, he was just browsing to see what new things he could find.

Additionally, after finding the leopard, when the dogs were asked to find the wild boar, their reactions also pointed in the same direction.

"Wow, I'm so glad I came here, there are so many squirrels here."

As soon as they entered a large mountain to the north, Chen Ling was dumbfounded. He didn't even need to set a trap; Heiwa and Xiaojin were running around, catching one squirrel after another.

This is easier than catching a rabbit.

Before anyone caught squirrels to sell their pelts, squirrels were arguably the most abundant creature in the mountains besides wild boars.

Small prey such as squirrels.

Shooting them is rarely used. Because they are small and agile, it is difficult to hit them with a gun in one shot; it is easier to set traps to catch them.

Another point is that since the furs are to be sold, a hunting rifle is definitely not an option. These small tools used for selling furs become worthless once they have a bullet hole in them.

Looking at the squirrels that the two dogs had carried to him and laid out in a row, Chen Ling smiled with satisfaction: "It seems that places with few people are really good; it's like picking up money from a sack."

Look at where the two dogs are biting; they're quite careful.

"Not bad, not bad. The money from selling the hides will be your food expenses. Keep up the good work."

His words immediately excited the two guys, who wagged their tails and started catching squirrels on the mountain with great enthusiasm.

After Chen Ling had a string of squirrels hanging on him and the cave had released quite a few, they quickly told the squirrels to stop catching them.

These two guys are too easy to fool; they get this excited just talking about food expenses.

"Woo woof~"

After walking around the forest for a while, Xiao Jin suddenly perked up its ears alertly, let out a low whimper, and quickly ran down the steep hillside.

It ran until it reached a narrow passage formed by a mountain pass between two peaks, and began to sniff the ground restlessly.

Heiwa followed closely behind, sniffed for a while, and then growled fiercely, seemingly extremely angry.

Chen Ling hurried over to take a look. The mountain pass was about seventy centimeters wide, forming a narrow passage between two mountain peaks. It was cool and damp, covered with moss and wild vines.

But beneath this passageway lie the footprints and droppings of various wild animals.

"Good heavens, this is a natural animal trail."

Chen Ling was extremely surprised when he saw it. "And they're all universal. This is a wild boar's footprint, a group of them went by. This is a deer's footprint, also a large group. I don't recognize this one..."

"Wang Wang!"

When the two dogs saw Chen Ling looking around after he came over, they anxiously tugged at his pants to show him the footprints they had found.

"Huh? These are... leopard footprints?"

Chen Ling looked at the faint plum blossom footprints on the ground with surprise, but he quickly shook his head. A leopard's toes are five in front and four in the back, which is obviously different from a leopard's.

Then, seeing the two dogs anxiously circling around this footprint, ignoring the other footprints, Chen Ling suddenly remembered something: "These are lynx footprints."

According to Liu Guangli, lynxes are even more cunning than leopards. Leopards frequently change territories, but lynxes do not.

Wherever there are lynxes, there are bound to be deer trails nearby, which are deer's animal paths.

The deer will either take this path today or tomorrow.

Once a lynx finds its way through a path, it can stay there until the day after tomorrow.

We waited until the deer passed by.

This is how the old hunter described the lynx's shrewdness and incredible patience in simple terms.

Once they find the trails of their prey, they can lie in ambush for two or three days without eating, drinking, or moving.

After success, you can have a hearty meal.

Lynxes love to eat rabbits and deer.

The next two or three months are the peak mating season for deer, during which they are very active, providing an excellent opportunity for lynxes to hunt.

"Wow~"

The two dogs were still barking angrily, circling around the lynx's footprints.

It was rare for Chen Ling to see them so angry. He guessed they had been frustrated by the lynx last time and were eager to get revenge.

"I'll set a trap here first and see if it works, if I can catch it. This thing is very clever."

Chen Ling patted the two dogs' big heads to comfort them.

Then he walked far away, lit a small fire in the woods, and fiddled with two steel cables.

After some preparation, they began to set traps near this natural animal trail.

Otherwise, the smell would be too obvious, and wild animals wouldn't be fooled.

When it came time to bait the hole, in addition to using birds, he also boldly used fish from the cave.

The red-crowned crane loves to eat so much that even the tailless male leopard in the cave was feeding it fish, and it ate with great gusto. It wasn't worried that the lynx wouldn't take the bait.

"Let's go, we'll come back and take another look tomorrow."

……

"Wow, Fugui, you're amazing! How did you manage to catch two huge bunches of these rats in just half a day?"

"That's right, catching a rat is easy."

"Just listen to him. I bet he got scratched by a dog, not caught in a trap."

"I knew it, you can't put on so many condoms in just half a day."

"Tch, I'm not trying to be mean, but Fugui, letting a dog scratch you is a complete waste of good stuff. Once the skin is peeled off, it's worthless."

"..."

A group of people surrounded Chen Ling in the camp, making a fuss.

Chen Ze and those who set traps in Jinmen Village have also returned.

They caught quite a few squirrels and other animals, but they caught them all together; Chen Ling caught them all by himself.

When they first learned that he used dogs to catch squirrels, they were a little indignant and angry, feeling that Chen Ling was wasting good things.

However, upon closer inspection, they were surprised to find that the squirrels' teeth were very small, and for most of them, this did not affect the sale of their pelts.

"Damn it, the dog you raised is getting more and more cunning. Its teeth are so sharp, it can even bite through a wolf's neck. How come the squirrel it caught has a smaller wound than the snare we used to catch it?"

A group of people felt this was unreasonable, and at the same time, they were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Chen Ling.

Chen Ling just smiled without saying anything. His own dog was very smart. As soon as it heard that it was related to the cost of extra food for them, it was extremely careful.

……

At noon, I had mushroom stewed squirrel. The squirrel meat didn't taste as good as I had imagined; it was even worse than bamboo rat meat.

Not to mention it can't compare to roast suckling pig made from wild boar cubs.

However, the flavor is quite unique, like chicken, and also a bit like mountain rat meat, with a slightly sweet taste and a peculiar nutty aroma in the meat.

I guess you could say it was something new to try.

He was still savoring the taste after he finished eating, but no one else cared about that.

They wolfed down the steamed buns and flatbreads.

"Thank you, Brother Fugui, for the steamed buns and mantou. I'm so tired of eating noodles. I'll have to trouble you to come more often in the future. You're our savior."

Several young members of the expedition team chewed on steamed buns and spoke indistinctly.

"Haha, I don't have a fixed time."

Chen Ling shook his head and smiled: "I'm going to take the dog to hunt pigs this afternoon. Why don't you come with me to hunt pigs? If you can catch one, I'll bring you food later."

The young men actually agreed, saying, "Sure, as long as you don't mind our poor skills."

But Chen Ling was just joking; he couldn't actually take them with him, as it would interfere with his plans too much.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Chen Ling sat down next to Liu Guangli and asked him some questions about lynxes.

The old man knew he was going to hunt boars that afternoon. After talking about lynxes, he also gave him a few words of advice, telling him to be careful. Many wild animals are very active during mating season, so he must not be careless.

Wang Lixian also said, "There are no pigs nearby. If you want to catch a pig, you'll have to go far away. Can you manage by yourself? Or I can go with you."

Chen Ling knew his good intentions, but still politely declined, saying that he was just looking around for fun and didn't necessarily have to hunt wild boars. If he couldn't find a boar, he would come back soon.

Wang Lixian then stopped saying anything.

(End of this chapter)