mijobooks Chapter 65 Catching Chickens on a Snowy Night
Chapter 65 Catching Chickens on a Snowy Night
Li Xiangyang slung his Type 53 rifle over his shoulder, carried a Tiger Head brand flashlight, pushed open the door, and went out. He then walked to the door of the east room.
He whispered:
"Brother, are you asleep? Let's go catch pheasants together."
A moment later,
The kerosene lamp in the east room was lit.
The low wooden door was opened a crack, and the warm yellow light of the kerosene lamp shone through.
Still confused about the situation, Li Xiangdong wasn't wearing warm clothes, so he didn't dare come out and instead asked questions through the crack in the door:
"Brother, what are you doing? It's already dark outside, how are you going to catch pheasants?"
"Use this."
As Li Xiangyang spoke, he picked up a flashlight and shone it on the ground. A halo of light, like the sun, instantly blinded Li Xiangdong.
Li Xiangdong quickly covered his eyes with his hands, saying excitedly, "Wow, this flashlight is so bright!"
Li Xiangyang had told him during dinner that he had bought a very bright flashlight that morning.
We can go hunting at night from now on.
However, he never expected that the flashlight would be so bright.
It's like a little sun.
"Okay, wait for me a moment," Li Xiangdong said, and then quickly went back inside to get dressed.
Fishing on the ice in a lake or catching chickens on a snowy night might be a painful experience for women, but it can be a source of enjoyment for men.
According to statistics,
In later generations, there were nearly 1.5 million fishing enthusiasts in China alone.
It is evident that a man remains a boy until death.
Step outside,
The two brothers initially walked side by side, but after a short while, they found it difficult to walk through the thick snow.
Especially Li Xiangyang,
I just had some intense exercise, and my legs are actually a bit weak right now.
then,
The two then switched to walking one in front of the other.
The person in front first treads a path through the snow, and then the person behind follows in the footsteps of the person in front.
This way, the people behind can save a lot of effort, and the two of them can take turns moving.
The sky was a dark, ethereal blue at that moment.
The leaden-gray clouds hung extremely low, and the snow fell heavier and heavier, no longer drifting down in flakes, but pelting down in clumps.
And it's very cold!
How should I put it...?
The cold of a snowy night on the grassland is a bone-chilling cold; the biting wind, mixed with snowflakes, seeps in through the seams of leather boots.
It was so cold that the tops of my feet went numb.
Li Xiangyang tied the collar of his cashmere coat tightly, and pressed the brim of his hat down to his brow bone.
The tin flashlight in his hand was also wrapped in a thick piece of velvet, with only a narrow beam of light showing.
Li Xiangdong followed closely behind with the net in hand.
"Xiangyang, the snow is falling so heavily tonight, could we catch any pheasants...?"
It's too cold.
Li Xiangdong's voice was not only a little deep, but also had a tremor.
Li Xiangyang didn't turn around, but pointed to a clump of withered grass not far away.
"Brother, the snow is heavy tonight, I reckon even the pheasants will flock to those kinds of places."
Li Xiangyang's voice grew softer and softer: "But pheasants are most easily startled, so we have to be very careful from now on."
"Mmm," Li Xiangdong nodded without replying, afraid of scaring the pheasant away.
The two brothers went out to catch chickens in the middle of the night, determined to catch at least two to take home.
Li Xiangyang also began to bend over, advancing stealthily, the beam of his flashlight slowly sweeping across the snow.
really,
When the light shone on the area not far from the pile of withered grass, it revealed a series of shallow paw prints on the snow, like tiny plum blossoms extending into the grass.
Li Xiangyang was overjoyed, but quickly suppressed his excitement.
Stepping on the snow, I slowly moved forward, sinking into the snow with each step.
last life,
He used to go out and catch pheasants when he was bored at night.
It was snowing like that time of year, so he knew very well that pheasants had a hard time finding food at that time.
They don't fly much at night; usually, several of them huddle together in a snowdrift for warmth.
It's rare to have a warm place to stay, so I won't move easily.
As long as they don't make too much noise, and then suddenly flash a bright flashlight, they'll catch them one by one.
suddenly,
Li Xiangyang's hand paused, the flashlight beam fixed on a snowdrift half a meter ahead, where a grayish-brown shadow lay motionless, its feathers covered with a thin layer of snow.
"It's a pheasant!"
Li Xiangyang immediately turned off the flashlight to avoid disturbing the pheasants, then waved to Li Xiangdong, signaling him to take the net.
He had spoken with Li Xiangdong when he first arrived.
When he sees pheasants, he will turn off his flashlight and then suddenly turn it back on when Li Xiangdong approaches with the net.
When the bright light hits the pheasant, it doesn't move. Li Xiangdong then quickly swoops the net over the pheasant.
Li Xiangdong understood.
He quickly bent down, held his breath, and moved little by little toward the spot where Li Xiangyang's flashlight had just shone.
When Li Xiangdong moved to within a meter and a half of the pheasant, Li Xiangyang suddenly turned on his flashlight, the beam shining directly at the pheasant.
The pheasant suddenly raised its head, its bright eyes glazed over in the light. After a moment's pause, it flapped its wings, trying to fly away.
However, at this moment, Li Xiangdong slammed the net down hard.
"Gotcha! Gotcha!"
Li Xiangdong shouted excitedly and then pounced on it.
Li Xiangyang also rushed over quickly.
The pheasant was still flapping its wings under the net, snow falling from its tail.
Li Xiangyang reached in, grabbed the pheasant's leg, pulled it out, quickly snapped the pheasant's neck, and threw it aside.
Then reach into the net for another pheasant.
"Wow...wow, they caught two pheasants in one go!"
Li Xiangdong was panting heavily, somewhat surprised.
Ignoring the cold snow, I turned over and sat down.
He was so nervous just now that he didn't even dare to breathe.
However, looking again at those two plump pheasants on the snow...
He laughed again.
Li Xiangyang stuffed the two pheasants into the burlap sack, patted off the snow, and then reached out to pull Li Xiangdong up.
"Brother, let's keep searching. There are definitely more in this area."
"Walk."
Li Xiangdong thought so too, and besides, they had come out in such cold weather, they couldn't possibly just catch a couple of wild chickens, could they?
They hadn't gone far.
The flashlight beam shone on another spot, this time four pheasants huddled together for warmth. The two brothers used the same trick again, tiptoeing around them…
An hour later, the flashlight was the first to give out, even though Li Xiangyang had brought six extra batteries.
But this weather is still too cold, and the batteries aren't lasting long.
Fortunately, they had already caught ten pheasants.
It was definitely worth the trip!
Just as Li Xiangyang and Li Xiangdong were returning along the path they had just made.
A low, rumbling sound was coming from a large clump of withered grass on the right side of the road.
That's the howl a wolf makes when it's in danger or about to become aggressive.
However, the two brothers, Li Xiangyang and Li Xiangdong, were overwhelmed by the joy of the harvest.
No deadly danger lurking in the shadows was discovered...