Chapter 17: Our Second Son Has Suddenly Woken Up

If you used a Goshawk, it would be too large to carry flat against the body; it could only be perched on the hand for falconry. This would inevitably result in a slower initial strike speed. Furthermore, even if it caught a sable, the Goshawk's oversized talons and sharp beak would easily damage the fur.

However, if you used a Sparrowhawk, these wouldn't be issues. They can be carried flat, providing a higher initial speed and a greater success rate in the hunt. Their claws and beaks are also less likely to damage the sable's fur. As long as the hawk is brave and agile enough to ensure the hunter isn't bitten by the sable before it is restrained, it is the best choice.

"If this little hawk of yours can really perform a 'tiger head-hug,' it might actually be worth a try! These sables are incredibly fierce; aside from grabbing them by the head with both claws, there's no other way to avoid being bitten!" Yue Lei analyzed with great seriousness.

"Hehe! Dad, just hold the hawk for a moment while I head inside!" Yue Feng chuckled, handing the hawk to his father before heading into the house with his satchel.

On the stove, his mother had already prepared dumplings in advance. There were two full bamboo mats' worth, using an entire pound of pork for a cabbage and pork filling.

"Mom! I'm back! Get some water boiling to pluck the feathers; let's stew this big rooster tonight!" Yue Feng said, presenting a large aluminum basin containing the rooster like a prize.

"Oh! You caught such a big wild chicken?" Meng Yulan was very surprised.

Yue Feng leaned in toward his mother and said with a grin, "Hehe, piece of cake! Guess how many Flying Dragons and Sand-half Chickens I caught up the mountain today?"

"Ten?"

Yue Feng shook his head, gesturing ten with one hand and then eight with the other.

"That many?"

"Yeah! You wouldn't believe it, but this Great Green Sparrowhawk is incredibly efficient! Once it recognizes a target, it basically never drops the prey. This rooster was caught by it too!" Yue Feng said with great pride.

"My son is truly amazing! How do you plan to handle this catch?" Meng Yulan praised her son before turning to the question.

After a moment of thought, Yue Feng asked, "How about this: once it gets dark, I'll take a few over to Uncle Li's house? And sell the rest in town tomorrow morning?"

The "Uncle Li" Yue Feng mentioned was Li Wentong, a former neighbor of the Yue family. Li Wentong was a veteran who was said to have fought in the battles in the south.

Li Wentong was on very good terms with Yue Lei and worked as the village tractor driver. In previous years during the off-season, he would go hunting in the mountains with Yue Lei; the two families were very close.

This year, since Yue Lei had broken his leg, Uncle Li's family had provided a great deal of support to the Yues.

Meng Yulan nodded and added, "Give one Flying Dragon to Uncle Li, and two Sand-half Chickens as well!"

"Will do!"

"And let me take one Flying Dragon and one Sand-half Chicken to my other uncle's house too. I'll borrow his bicycle to go into town tomorrow!" Yue Feng's mind raced, and he instantly thought of the village Party Secretary, Wang Jianguo.

Hearing her son take the initiative to deliver chickens and borrow a bicycle, Meng Yulan was somewhat surprised. Had her son finally grown up?

In the past, when it came to social graces and human connections, the boy never cared; that was always his father, Yue Lei, who handled it.

In truth, Yue Lei's social skills were mediocre. He disliked flattery and refused to say things he didn't mean, and being a man of rigid principles, he had suffered many setbacks in the village.

"Alright. You're an adult now. Your father has a broken leg; it's time for you, as his son, to step up and make an impression!"

"Hey, that's because I have such a great leader for a mother!" Yue Feng quickly flattered her.

"You must be tired after a whole day's work. Go take off your leg wraps and rest for a bit. Once I've finished prepping the chicken, we'll boil the dumplings!" Meng Yulan said with a hint of sympathy.

"Okay!"

...

Before five in the evening, the sky began to darken. Jingjing had quietly returned from school with her backpack, and the dumplings in the pot were finished boiling.

"Second Brother, is it New Year's today? Why are we eating dumplings?" Jingjing looked at the white flour dumplings her mother placed on the table, her eyes sparkling and her mouth watering.

White flour was a rarity in their home; they usually ate coarse grains. To little Jingjing, pork and cabbage dumplings were indeed a New Year's feast.

Hearing this, a pang of heartache struck Yue Feng.

Yue Feng scooped his sister up into his arms. "Today, your second brother is using the money from selling Sand-half Chickens in town to buy flour and meat. Jingjing, study hard. As long as you rank first, our family will eat dumplings every single day!"

"Really? If I rank first, we eat dumplings every day?" Jingjing's eyes lit up.

"Really. I promise. If you rank first, we eat dumplings every day! If you don't believe me, let's pinky swear!" Yue Feng promised solemnly.

"Okay, I believe you, Second Brother! I'll definitely rank first in the final exams!"

"Mhm!" Yue Feng responded, but his thoughts drifted away once more.

In his previous life, his sister had dropped out of school after only finishing primary school because their father passed away and their mother fell ill from grief. She later married a small carpenter from a neighboring village; though she didn't live a life of extreme hardship, she never left this small mountain village.

In this life, Yue Feng wanted her to study hard and strive to see the big world outside.

"What are you two whispering about? It's time to eat! You're not even enthusiastic about the dumplings!" His mother's reminder broke his train of thought, and Yue Feng set his sister down.

Yue Feng didn't rush to eat. Instead, he stood up and took another bowl from the cupboard.

"Mom, we made a lot of dumplings today. I'll take a bowl over to Grandma Li too. She has no one to look after her; it's quite pitiful!"

Grandma Li lived behind the Yue house, with only a road separating them; they were essentially neighbors.

When he was a child, he heard his father say that Grandma Li's husband and eldest son were martyrs who died on the battlefield, and her second son had gone missing without a trace.

Grandma Li's family was considered a family of loyal martyrs. Although she was alone and without support, the villagers held them in high respect.

The year before last, the village bully, Zhu Erhai, had used a slingshot to break the water vat in Grandma Li's courtyard. The Secretary went to his house to confront him. Zhu Erhai's father, Zhu Jianshe, was notoriously unreasonable and protective of his son, but after hearing the full story, he hung Zhu Erhai in the courtyard and nearly beat him to death with a half-width leather military belt.

"Go ahead. We made two full mats! Use that large soup bowl to pack plenty. If she can't finish it tonight, she can heat it up tomorrow morning for another meal!" His mother said, pointing to the cupboard.

Yue Feng nodded, filled a large bowl to the brim with dumplings, and headed straight for Grandma Li's house.

Once their son had left, Meng Yulan whispered to Yue Lei, "Dear, I can't help but feel our second boy has suddenly come to his senses!"

Yue Lei nodded thoughtfully. "He is stronger than before! Last year he was just fooling around with the village kids, but this year he knows how to train a hawk and go hunting to lighten the family's burden.

Yesterday, I wasn't comfortable with him going to town alone to sell mountain goods, so I had Old Li secretly follow him for a while. The boy was very steady the whole way!"

...

Carrying the dumplings, Yue Feng knocked on Grandma Li's door.

"Grandma! My family made dumplings, and my mom asked me to bring a bowl to you!" Yue Feng said softly, holding out the bowl.

"Oh, it's Er Xiao. Come in, come in!"

When he saw the old woman's dinner, a wave of heartache washed over Yue Feng once again.

(End of Chapter)