Today was the first time Song Wei took the eaglet into the mountains.
She wrapped a piece of animal hide around her arm and let the eaglet perch on it.
Even though it was just a fledgling that hadn’t yet learned to fly, its claws were sharp enough to easily pierce human skin.
There was no trimming its claws—it relied on them to catch prey.
Besides, the eagle was small in size and didn’t pose much of a threat to humans.
Song Wei’s only concern was whether it would eventually prey on the village’s chicks.
That was something she’d have to teach it carefully.
“See if you can find a target to learn flying from.”
Song Wei raised her arm, and the eaglet stood steadily on it.
It was its first time here, and it seemed curious about everything, turning its head flexibly.
Occasionally, when it heard the sound of wings fluttering in the trees, the eaglet would look up, its eyes fixed intently.
“There are too many trees here—it probably can’t see clearly.”
The most convenient place would actually be the reed lake, where there were many birds.
But that was a large lake. If the eaglet tried to imitate other birds and flew out, only to crash into the lake before mastering flight, there’d be no time to rescue it.
So, she decided to slowly explore the forest with it, hoping to find other eagles.
Of course, it wasn’t just about finding a flight instructor for the eaglet—she also needed to find food.
She wouldn’t hunt prey during this time.
This season, the mountains were filled with plenty of small wild berries to eat.
She also foraged for mushrooms whenever she spotted them.
After spending most of the day wandering through the forest, Song Wei was about to give up and head back.
Unexpectedly, on a relatively open high mountain, the eaglet suddenly fluttered its wings and took off.
Well… it wasn’t exactly flying.
It wobbled unsteadily before finally gliding and crash-landing into the woods.
This startled a wild hen that had been incubating its eggs.
Song Wei ran over and picked up the eaglet. “Did you specially find me a nest of wild eggs?”
She joked, but noticed the eaglet was now intently lifting its head to look at the sky.
Song Wei followed its gaze.
A small black dot grew larger and clearer.
It was an eagle, its eyes fixed on its target as it tucked its wings and dove down like an arrow.
The eagle moved swiftly, almost instantly controlling its body to seize the prey with its sharp talons the moment it neared the ground, then spreading its wings to fly back up.
And what the eagle had caught was a mouse.
Song Wei watched intently, and the white eagle did the same.
However, no matter how talented it was, the eaglet couldn’t learn to fly and hunt just by watching once.
The eaglet itself seemed motivated and attempted to imitate.
Unfortunately, after trying for a long time, it could only barely stay in the air a bit longer than when gliding.
Eventually, it grew tired and couldn’t fly anymore.
Dejectedly, it let Song Wei place it back on her arm.
“I’ll bring you back here again tomorrow.”
Song Wei patted its head, encouraging it not to lose heart.
“Chirp~”
It was hungry.
Song Wei understood the meaning behind its cry with a strange sense of clarity.
On the way back, she used a slingshot to hunt a mouse—the same kind the eagle had caught and eaten.
“See this? From now on, your food will be mice, wild rabbits, snakes, and pheasants. But you are not allowed to touch any of the village’s animals!”
As soon as she returned home, she planned to raise chicks and keep a close eye on the eaglet’s behavior. If it showed any intention of hunting the chicks, she would immediately correct it.
On her way back, Song Wei passed by the bamboo grove, where she spotted some freshly sprouted bamboo shoots. She picked a few to take home.
Lin Zhen returned home on his bicycle in the afternoon, and the two worked together to prepare dinner.
Of course, she still mainly played a supporting role.
“Tomorrow, I’ll trade with someone for some chicks to train the eaglet not to hunt the village’s chickens.”
At the dinner table, there were no rules about not speaking during meals. They discussed matters while eating, and Song Wei quite liked this atmosphere.
As long as no one sprayed food everywhere while talking, it was fine.
“Sure. I don’t have much to do these next few days either. I’ll train the wolves when I have time.”
Lin Ping’an immediately chimed in, “Brother, Wenwu said to bring Xuehua along during training.”
Lin Zhen grunted in agreement.
Training so many wolves and dogs meant the yard at home wouldn’t be spacious enough.
The main concern was causing a mess.
After some thought, Lin Zhen went outside after dinner to clear a patch of open ground.
Lin Ping’an, Shuanzi, and Jiang Wenwu were all recruited as laborers.
The men were highly capable with their hands, and it didn’t take long for them to clear a large, clean open space.
They also made some simple training props.
Though rudimentary and not as good as those used for formal military dog training, they would suffice.
While the men were busy setting up the training ground for the wolves and dogs, Song Wei didn’t idle either. She planted her favorite seasonal vegetables in the backyard garden.
The garden was neatly divided into rows, and standing on the paved bricks, she didn’t have to worry about dirtying her shoes.
It was a satisfying sight for anyone with a hint of perfectionism.
As dusk approached, everyone finished their work, had dinner, and settled into their rest time.
Song Wei took Bear Cub out for a stroll to visit the elderly women and catch up on gossip.
“Song Zhiqing is here! Come on in and sit.”
“Bear Cub, come here. Granny has something tasty for you.”
Song Wei sighed helplessly. “Don’t spoil it too much. Look how chubby it’s gotten.”
“What do you know? Young ones ought to be plump—it’s cuter and healthier that way.”
“Oh, this chubby little thing! Its head is so soft to touch.”
Bear Cub let out a soft growl, nuzzled up to the elderly woman, and plopped down beside her. It began munching on the sweet potato she offered, crunching away with evident delight.
“Hehe, watching Bear Cub eat makes this old granny feel like she could have an extra bowl of rice herself.”
After chatting for a while, Song Wei asked, “Auntie Wang, do you know whose family has hatched chicks? I’d like to trade for a few to raise.”
“You’ve come to the right person! In this production brigade, there’s nothing I don’t know. Let me tell you…”
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