The next day, Qiao Mingjin and her brother got up at their usual time and headed to the city.
Ming Qi and Xiao Wan'er heard last night that they were going to catch pheasants in the morning, and they also talked about going. However, Qiao Mingjin felt that firstly, they would be more exposed in the morning, and secondly, it would not be of much use for the two children to follow them.
She didn’t want her two children to wake up so early. If she had no choice, she wouldn’t have woken up Mingheng. The three children were all growing up. Now that she had gained some experience, she believed that she would be better than the last time.
What's more, having two children following her would actually affect her.
She coaxed the two children and said that she would teach them another way to catch pheasants during the day. From now on, she and Mingheng would go to the city to deliver firewood, and the two younger ones could catch pheasants by themselves while collecting firewood.
The two children stopped after hearing this.
The two siblings brought their tools, each had a hatchet on their waist, a bundle of straw ropes, fishing bags, sacks, bamboo rakes and other items, so they headed into the mountain carrying baskets and sets.
It's still dark. The chickens in the village are still resting in their coops, and it will be some time before they crow for the first time.
The two siblings entered the mountain and searched for several places before it slowly lit up, with some mottled and subtle light projected among the leaves.
The two of them were already very familiar with walking in the mountains, and even the dark light did not have much impact on them.
This time, the two of them learned the lesson well and had their tools in hand. When they saw a nest of pheasants, they each picked up one. Qiao Mingjin spread the fish in her hands forward very quickly.
At this moment, the pheasant was still sleeping soundly with its head buried in its wings, and its wakefulness was low, so it carried a whole nest of pheasants in its arms!
Qiao Mingjin's accuracy has always been good, and this is not a moving wild animal, which makes her half a bucket of water cheaper.
There was only one rooster, five hens and a dozen chicks living there.
The two siblings couldn't hide their surprise, and they cooperated tacitly and tied them all up very quickly. They used baskets, thick firewood and sacks to put them in an open place, and then went to look for them elsewhere...
It wasn't until the pheasants were crowing in the forest and the sun was rising that the two siblings stopped. Today's luck was even better than last time.
In total, we caught several nests of pheasants, with a total of eighteen. They were not even half-grown chickens. The hens accounted for the majority.
We also caught several nests of wild mountain rabbits, with a total of nine rabbits. Including the three rabbits in the trap by the river, there were a total of twelve rabbits. They were all alive and kicking and not injured.
The two siblings had smiles on their faces. When they looked at each other, they could see the deep joy in each other's eyes. This result was several times less than when they followed their uncle to catch pheasants and hares in the mountains and forests in their previous life.
But the results are surprising enough.
As the sun got higher, it became extremely difficult to catch wild animals. The wild animals they caught were not easy to release in the mountains, so Qiao Mingjin asked Mingheng to go home and get the oxcart.
By the time Mingheng arrived with the bullock cart, Qiao Mingjin had already raked a huge pile of pine hair.
The two put the pheasants and hares on the cart board, then covered them with a loose layer of pine feathers, and added some firewood. To outsiders, they only thought it was half a cart full of pine feathers and firewood.
The two pulled the bullock cart into the village. They met some villagers on the road and greeted her: "Mother Jin, did you pick up half of the cart of firewood so early?"
"Yes, Third Grandma. Are you going to the ground?"
"That's right. Jin Niang, you have to take it easy. Wan'er is still a baby, and I will have to rely on you in the future. I don't want to work so hard. There is heavy dew in the morning. It's not good to catch the wind and cold."
"Hey, I remember..."
When the two siblings arrived home with the ox cart, they quickly locked the pheasants and rabbits into the woodshed.
There is no chicken coop in the yard, and there is no backyard away from people. It can only be placed in the woodshed.
Mingqi and Xiaowaner were very excited, chattering around the group of pheasants and hares, counting how many there were and how much they could sell for.
The newly hatched chicks were also held in Xiao Wan'er's hands as if they were fun things, and she happily held them without playing.
Qiao Mingjin couldn't help but feel sad after seeing it.
My daughter's only toy, a pebble, was snatched away by her cousin...
Qiao Mingjin and Mingheng ate a bowl of sweet potato porridge with pickles at home and then went up the mountain again, this time without bringing their two children with them.
The two siblings arrived at the mountain and chopped and collected firewood on the mountain without stopping...
Before they were right, they seemed to hear Mingqi's voice coming from down the mountain. They looked at each other and listened on the spot. Mingqi's voice got closer and closer after a while.
"elder sister……"
Qiao Mingjin's heart skipped a beat. Could something have happened?
He Mingheng followed the voice and walked down.
Hey, isn't that Mingjue?
"Sister, my eldest cousin is here, and my second brother is here too..."
"Sister, I'm here." Qiao Mingjue, the second child of the Qiao family, said while looking at Qiao Mingjin and Mingheng with a smile.
"Second brother!" "Hey."
Qiao Mingjin looked at this gentle second brother and asked with a smile: "But you brought a bullock cart and a bed?"
"Well. My eldest cousin and two uncles helped me find a two-year-old cow in a nearby village. Grandpa and the others said it was very good when they saw it. They only asked for seven taels of silver. When my uncle saw that there was still money left, he
I found someone to make cart boards, built three beds, and made some furniture for home use. I also bought a kettle, an iron pan, and a large water tank each."
Ming Qi also smiled and added: "Sister, the third sister is here too. I'm waiting at home with my eldest cousin."
"Mingyu is here too?"
"Well, grandma was worried, so she asked her to come and see if there was anything she needed help with, and asked her to stay for a few days to help my sister." Mingjue said with a smile.
Qiao Mingjin felt warm after hearing this, and hurriedly called to Mingheng: "Quick, bring the firewood to the car, and finish the work early today!"
After thinking for a while, he said: "Mingqi and her sister are going to fish for some cattails, and your second brother and cousin will take them back later."
"What cattails? Sister, can the vegetables you grow be eaten?"
"No. My sister discovered a delicious wild vegetable. It sells for ten cents per catty! My sister and I will pick it up! I will let my second brother bring it to my parents, and grandma and grandpa will eat it later."
After Mingqi finished speaking, he happily ran straight into the mountains.
Mingheng also said: "Sister, let's go pull it out together. It just so happens that my second brother is here and can help pull out more. It just so happens that we can also pull out the ones that will be sold tomorrow."
Qiao Mingjin saw Mingjue looking like he wanted to help, so she had no choice but to take him to the stream.
When Mingjue arrived at the stream, he was surprised to hear that the water plants were edible. I wonder how his sister knew that the cattail grass was edible. Could it be that she had no food at home and tried all the water plants?
Suddenly I felt uncomfortable and scolded Yue Zhongyao countless times.
Without saying much, he quickly pulled it out as his sister taught him, and helped cut off the green grass, leaving only a section of tender white rhizome half an arm long.
The four people tied five large bundles and put them in two baskets and Mingjue carried them to the place where the ox cart was tied.
After loading all the firewood, she led the cow home. Qiao Mingjin asked about things at home...
