#3Chapter 3 Hunting
Snowflakes fell to the ground, and there was a rustling sound in the forest.
Shen Qing looked up, and the distant Shicheng Mountain was only a hazy thing under the night.
He put away his thoughts, and expressionlessly pulled out all the arrows stuck on the wooden stakes, put them into the quiver hanging on his waist.
In the wind and snow, he turned and left the bamboo forest.
When he returned home, the eldest sister Shen Fang had already laid on the bed.
At this time of year, if the villagers had nothing important to do, they would basically go to bed as soon as it got dark.
Shen Qing took off his bow and arrows, leaned against the wall, grabbed a handful of straw, and blocked the three window holes made of broken jars on the wall.
Then he took off his coat and slept directly at the other end of Shen Fang.
Many families in this village could not afford to build a new house, and even if they married a wife, they would sleep on the same kang with their parents.
Poor families don't have so many rules.
Not to mention that Shen Qing and his sister have been sleeping together since they were young, and they have long been accustomed to it.
The quilts at home were filled with hemp and cotton, which had a very average effect in keeping out the cold.
When Shen Qing curled up in the quilt, he felt a burst of warmth.
The bed had been warmed up by Shen Fang.
Shen Qing lay flat on the bed, with his hands behind his head, staring at the ink characters in his sight.
These hunters live off the mountains and water, and their conventional means of livelihood are hunting animals, selling skins, collecting herbs and chopping wood.
But if he wants to change his situation as soon as possible, this may not work.
He must hunt some big stuff.
It is best to have mountain delicacies.
This thing has an excellent effect on tempering the body, and eating it can activate the blood circulation.
The martial artists in the county are flocking to it.
It is said that some mountain delicacies can save months of hard work and are worth thousands of dollars.
It is what they dream of as mountain hunters.
He didn't even dare to think about this thing before, but now with the continuous improvement of his archery skills, maybe he will have a chance to try it in the future.
"Let's go to the mountains tomorrow to solve the problem of food and clothing first, and then ask my uncle about the tricks of mountain delicacies, and see if we can try our luck later."
"People can't get rich without unexpected wealth, and horses can't get fat without night grass. You can't get rich just by hunting some birds and beasts."
Winter is the season for winter hunting, and there are no taboos.
When spring comes, the government will ban hunting.
Hunters like them can only hunt some birds and waterfowl.
Even if they sneak up the mountain, the animals in the mountains have less energy after a winter of consumption, and the quality of the hunting goods is not very good, and they can't sell at a high price.
The daily harvest of hunters like them will inevitably be greatly reduced. If they want to live a good life, they have to rely on this time.
He must not miss this opportunity.
After thinking it over, Shen Qing's eyes flashed, and the panel that appeared in his sight was folded up like a scroll, and he fell asleep.
In the winter of Hongshan Village, it usually doesn't get light until the fifth watch.
Shen Qing adjusted his biological clock and woke up on time.
He rolled over from the bed and walked to a jar hole, took out the straw stuffed inside, and glanced outside.
The snow in the mountains had not stopped yet, but it had become much smaller.
Judging from the situation, the heavy snow would stop in a few days.
Shen Qing got out of the warm quilt, and the cold suddenly made him sober.
Shen Qing casually took a "犊" garment from the wall and put it on, walked outside, grabbed a handful of snow and wiped it on his face, which was considered a face wash.
"Today I can go to the forest behind the mountain for a walk, I shouldn't be empty-handed again."
Shen Qing secretly calculated the work on hand today, and Shen Fang's shout behind him interrupted his thoughts: "Qingzi, come and have some porridge."
"Here."
Thanks to the mountain beetle sent by his uncle last night, he could have a piece of meat to eat in the morning.
Shen Fang tore off a part of the mountain beetle early in the morning, and then took out some rice grains from the bottom of the rice jar and cooked a bowl of meat porridge.
From afar, the aroma of meat in the white water had already drifted over.
Shen Qing took the bowl handed over by his elder sister Shen Fang and blew it while drinking.
The warm porridge water flowed down his esophagus into his stomach, making him feel as if he was in a hot spring, and his whole body was comfortable.
After drinking two large bowls and chewing a few pieces of meat, Shen Qing put down the bowl and said, "Sister, you drink some too."
Shen Fang smiled and said, "I drank it before you got up."
Shen Qing knew Shen Fang's stubborn temper and did not point out her thoughts. After drinking, he smacked his lips and said, "I'm going out now, and we'll eat meat together in the evening."
Shen Fang worriedly said, "You should pay more attention to safety in the mountains. It doesn't matter if you can't hunt. At worst, I'll go find Chen Yuan."
Shen Qing took the bow and arrow from the wall and hung it on himself: "Chen Yuan and the others are not good people either. Sister, don't run around at home. Wait until I come back. Don't make decisions privately."
"I know." The elder sister Shen Fang nodded.
"Out."
"Wait a minute." Shen Fang tore off a large piece of dried meat from the wall, stuffed it into Shen Qing's pocket and warned: "Go slowly on the road, and don't be brave if you encounter wild beasts such as black bears and big insects."
Shen Qing put the dried meat in her pocket and said: "I save it, I won't take risks. Sister, just wait for me at home."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the door.
Eldest sister Shen Fang stood at the door, watching Shen Qing's back gradually disappear in the snow.
It was very cold, and Shen Qing left early, so he didn't meet any villagers along the way.
Shen Qing put his hands in his sleeves and sighed in his heart: "It's so cold, those who have a little ability stay at home, and they don't lack meat to eat."
"My cousin's family is not so good, but he has an uncle to support him. He may even have the opportunity to learn martial arts in the county."
"Only people like me who have no one to rely on would go up the mountain so early and rely on themselves for everything."
"If you don't have any skills, you will just freeze to death."
"What a shabby place!"
Shen Qing looked at the sky, put down his hunting bow, and ran straight to the back mountain along the path that hunters often took in the village.
...
According to the route in his memory, Shen Qing found the bark he had cut a few days ago.
Every time they hunters went into the mountains, they would cut a piece of bark from a big tree outside the area they had circled, about two feet long, and then roll it into a roll and stick it on the tree beside the road leading to the forest.
When the hunters behind came in again, they would know that this was someone else's territory when they saw the roll of bark, so they should not go deep into it to avoid accidental injuries.
Shen Qing picked up the roll of bark from the ground, clamped it on a tree branch, and walked into the forest along the mountain path. After walking for a while, he reached the periphery of Shicheng Mountain.
The forests here are full of thorns and bushes.
In addition, it is snowing heavily, making it inconvenient to move.
Shen Qing stepped on the thick snow, walking through the forest with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
According to past memories, there are many prey in this area. When his father was still alive, he often moved here and could get some prey more or less.
An hour later.
Shen Qing sat in the snow, took out the meat strips torn by Shen Fang from his arms, put them in his mouth and chewed them to restore some physical strength.
Suddenly, his mouth stopped moving, carefully took out his bow, and gently pushed aside the bushes in front.
A colorful pheasant flew down from the top of the mountain and landed under an old tree not far away.
Hey, it's alive!
Shen Qing slowly pulled out an arrow from the quiver and put it on the bowstring. He held his breath and concentrated his breath, almost subconsciously adjusting his breathing and posture.
He didn't dare to try such a distance before, but now...
He slowly pulled the longbow.
The bowstring was taut, and the arrow was pointed directly at the pheasant.
Swish!
The arrow shot out like a meteor, breaking the silence in the forest.
The pheasant seemed to have sensed something, but it was too late.
After Shen Qing's archery skills broke through, the arrow shot out with incredible accuracy and pierced through its body.