amaotonovel Chapter 386 Smoke
Chapter 386 Smoke
Just as Grandpa Zhang said, the deer farm is now almost fully set up, and now it all depends on them.
If we can't catch the deer, this will become a huge joke.
However, capturing alive is different from hunting. When hunting, as long as you find a downwind spot and hide well enough, you won't be discovered for a while.
Once the prey is spotted, at least there's still a chance to strike.
To capture them alive, you first need to find the deer herd, and then you need to quietly set the net.
After some preparation, not only deer, but all wild animals were scared away.
So if you really want to catch them, the first thing you need to do is remove their human traits, only then will you have room to maneuver.
In summer it's not so bad. You can roll around in the mud, wait for the mud to dry, stick it on your body, and that's about it.
However, it's winter now, and the only way to completely remove it is through smoking.
"To catch a deer alive, the first priority is to remove the human scent from your clothes and belongings, not just yourselves, but also everything else. Otherwise, you won't be able to get close to the herd. I'm thinking that this time, a hunting team will suffice, but before we go, we need to smoke both people and belongings to remove the smell."
Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Li Xiangyang took a deep breath and explained the plan that would determine the success or failure of capturing the deer herd.
Seeing that he had made up his mind, everyone responded enthusiastically.
"It's just smoking, right? If it can catch a deer, we can smoke it for as long as we want. I happen to have some mugwort at home, it smells strong. Wait for me, I'll get it for you." Li Daqiang said as he went to his house to get the mugwort.
“There are a lot of fallen pine needles in the pine forest behind my house. I’ll go get you some,” Zhang Weiping added.
Before long, hay, pine needles, mugwort, and other supplies from each household were delivered over.
The old Party Secretary even brought out several bundles of his treasured tobacco leaves.
As dusk approached, Li Xiangyang looked at the small mountain of materials and nodded in satisfaction: "It's almost done. Tomorrow morning, we'll set up a smoke shed on that open space at the east end of the village."
After everyone left, Li Xiangyang returned home and said to Li Xiaoyun with a smile, "I'm taking a hunting team to the mountains tomorrow to prepare for deer hunting. Take good care of yourself at home; if you need anything, just call your older sister for help."
Li Xiaoyun touched her slightly protruding belly, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes: "I know. You all need to be careful too. There are wolves and tigers in the mountains. No matter how experienced you are, you still need to be careful."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Li Xiangyang reassured him.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Xiangyang got up.
Li Xiaoyun had already prepared a bag of dry food.
After taking the dry rations and making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, Li Xiangyang led Xuanmao and Xiaohu towards the east end of the village.
On the open ground at the east end of the village, Wang Ergou, Li Daqiang, Zhang Weiping and other members of the hunting team had been waiting for a long time.
Upon seeing him arrive, the crowd didn't waste any words and immediately built a circular shed out of branches, leaving a small opening at the top, and wrapped it with thick straw mats all around.
After setting up the shed, the group dug a pit in the middle and put mugwort, pine needles, and other herbs inside.
With everything ready, everyone brought in all their equipment and then formed a circle.
As thick white smoke rose, every member of the hunting team was smoke-stained beyond recognition throughout the day.
As evening approached, Li Xiangyang glanced at the sky and said to everyone, "It's about time. We'll spend the night here and set off early tomorrow morning."
Upon hearing Li Xiangyang's words, everyone started a fire and began cooking.
The night wind was biting cold, but the warmth of the campfire made these men feel incredibly safe and secure.
"Tomorrow we'll use an oxcart to transport the nets and other tools up the mountain. Once we're in the mountains, we'll first guard the water source. Once the deer appear, we'll figure out their activity patterns before finding a suitable place to set the nets. So this trip into the mountains will probably take quite a while..."
After Li Xiangyang finished giving instructions to everyone, it was late at night, and everyone gradually drifted off to sleep.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Li Xiangyang opened his eyes.
I didn't dream at all last night, probably because I was so thoroughly exposed to the smoke that I felt dizzy.
"Get up!" Li Xiangyang sat up with a jolt and patted Wang Ergou next to him.
The rest of the hunting party also woke up one after another, rubbing their sleepy eyes.
Li Xiangyang stepped out of the thatched hut. The morning air was exceptionally fresh. He took a deep breath and felt a cool sensation in his lungs.
After breakfast, everyone loaded the prepared hunting nets, ropes, and other tools onto the oxcart.
"Check your equipment to make sure nothing is missing," Li Xiangyang instructed, walking up to the ox and gently stroking its neck. "Let's go!"
The group drove the oxcart towards the mountains and forests.
On the way, Li Xiangyang kept reminding everyone: "Remember, try to keep quiet after entering the mountains. Don't make any rash moves if you see a herd of deer. Our goal is to capture them alive, so we must not alert them."
"Understood, Captain!" everyone replied in unison.
It took a full half-day to walk from the village to the mountain.
As we entered the deep mountains, the road became increasingly difficult to traverse, sometimes requiring us to climb over a small hill, and sometimes to navigate around a swamp.
The oxcart moved very slowly but steadily along the rugged mountain road.
"Stop!" Li Xiangyang suddenly raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.
Everyone immediately stopped and looked around nervously.
"What's wrong?" Wang Ergou asked in a low voice.
Li Xiangyang pointed to the ground not far ahead: "Look, there are deer tracks."
The crowd gathered around and saw several clear hoof prints on the snow, as beautiful as plum blossoms.
"These were left yesterday; the snow has hardened a bit. The deer herd should be nearby." Li Xiangyang crouched down, carefully observing the direction and depth of the footprints.
"Which way did it go?" Li Da asked impatiently.
Li Xiangyang looked up, gazing northwest: "Over there. Slow down and observe carefully."
The hunting party continued onward, this time with everyone proceeding with even greater caution.
After walking for about an hour, an open area appeared ahead, with a small lake in the middle. The lake was frozen, but not very thickly.
“Found it!” Li Xiangyang said softly, pointing to the lakeside.
Following the direction he pointed, everyone saw more than a dozen broken ice marks on the ice surface of the lake, clearly left by animals after they drank water.
"This should be the deer's water source. Let's find a place to set up camp first; the deer will probably come to drink tonight."
As Li Xiangyang spoke, he looked around, searching for the best spot to set up camp.
Ultimately, he chose a place that was sheltered from the wind, had a wide view, and was not far from a water source.
"This is it. Let's pitch the tents and set up camp."
The group quickly unloaded the tools and tents from the oxcart and got to work.
Li Xiangyang didn't sit idle; he led Wang Ergou to carefully survey the surrounding area, familiarize themselves with the terrain, and search for suitable locations to set up the net.