"Should we kill one rabbit for Dabai? The previous one has been eaten. I have changed the herbs on the soles of hiw feet at noon." Lu Gu asked.
Because Shen Xuanqing raised dogs and treated them well, he followed suit and was willing to give meat to the dogs. Since he arrived at the Shen family, Dabaiand Dahui never barked at him. Now that they had been together for a long time, and with Shen Xuanqing's restraint and intimidation, even Dahei kept wagging his tail when he saw him. Naturally, there was affection between him and the dogs in the house, and he hoped that Dabai would get better soon.
Furthermore, there were a lot of rabbits in the mountains and forests. Shen Xuanqing could hunt a few every day if he was lucky. Now there were eight live rabbits in the cage in the woodshed. When there were many rabbits, they became not so rare. Sometimes Guaizi ran outside on his own and could catch one.
"Okay, then kill one." Shen Xuanqing nodded.
Even if a timid rabbit was not injured and died after being caught, it would be frightened to death. Because Guaizi was too naughty, they usually didn't let him get close to the rabbit cage to prevent him from barking at the rabbits inside and scaring a few more to death, the gains didn't make up for the losses.
In this matter, Shen Xuanqing beat the puppy twice without holding back. After learning the lesson, the puppy didn't dare to go near the rabbit cage.
As long as the rabbits that were frightened to death were not sick or seriously injured, they were mostly fed to the dogs. The two of them often slaughtered rabbits alive during the days they stayed on the mountain, they had enough fresh meat to eat.
After being taught by words and example by the old hunter, when Shen Xuanqing encountered a sick, with pus injury, or dying rabbit in the mountains, he wouldn't take it even if his dog brought it back, just in case it was infected with plague. He would always take his dog to catch the rabbits that were healthy, active, and could run away.
As soon as he entered the yard, Shen Xuanqing smelled the fragrance of rice and said with a smile: "Have you cooked porridge?"
"Well, we haven't eaten porridge in a few days, and I also blanched some mustard greens." Lu Gu helped him unload the bamboo basket on his back.
In the past few days, they had eaten mustard greens stir fry and mustard greens pancakes. He blanched the mustard greens in water, took them out and let them cool down, shaped them into a ball with his hands and squeezed out the juice. Then chopped them into pieces and put them in a bowl, sprinkled with salt and boiled oil. It would be salty and fragrant.
Of course, he learned this way of eating with boiled oil and salt from Wei Lanxiang.
There was only one dish today. Because Shen Xuanqing had a big appetite, he served him a huge bowl of porridge.
The rice porridge with mustard greens was also delicious, and both of them were satisfied.
The mountain forest was quiet, and there were no traces of human habitation within a radius of twenty to thirty miles. Fortunately, there was a high mud wall to block everything outside, so it wouldn't be too dangerous.
The days passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was almost a month on the mountain. Early that morning, after Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing finished eating, they pulled the cart and led the black-hoofed sheep down the mountain.
The most common prey was rabbits. Twenty-six of them were barely alive. There were also nine pheasants, half of which were very sluggish. The cages were not big enough to hold the pheasants, so they were put on the cart with their wings and feet tied up, including Dabai. The mountain road was long and difficult. The wound on Dabai's sole had almost healed, but his broken leg hadn't yet recovered. For fear that his broken leg would get worse, it was better to put him on the cart.
There were three dogs nearby to intimidate the black-hoofed sheep. The black-hoofed sheep was a little fretful and would dig the ground from time to time. But every time it was discovered by Dahui, who led the other two dogs to growl and bar their teeth beside it, so it didn't dare to confront Lu Gu, and Lu Gu could drag it back down the mountain easier.
"You're finally back. Mom has been looking around the mountains these days." Ji Qiuyue was pregnant, but her belly wasn't very big yet. She wouldn't give birth until August.
"What's wrong with Dabai?" Shen Yan ran out and asked when he saw the cloth strips wrapped around Dabai's leg.
When Wei Lanxiang touched Dabai's head, he seemed to be aware of the concern of the people around him and started to whimper aggrievedly, just like a child.
"His leg is broken. Bring him back and let him recuperate at home for a few months. If he can't hunt anymore, just let him guard the house." Shen Xuanqing said.
Shen Yaoqing was at home today, so he took over the cart. He pulled the cart down the gentle slope in front, while Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yan helped to slow it down. Behind him, Shen Xuanqing took the hemp rope from Lu Gu and asked him to take a break.
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