With nothing to do at home in the afternoon, Song Wei picked up a bucket and a handmade fishing rod and headed toward Reed Lake.
Little Bear, the fat fox, and the eaglet followed her, while the wolf pack had run off into the mountains again.
When she arrived at Reed Lake, Song Wei found a spot to place her fishing rod and bucket, then took the basket from Little Bear’s mouth.
“Let’s go look for wild duck eggs.”
Duck eggs were eggs too, and just as nutritious.
They could also catch a wild duck to bring back.
Little Bear and the fox dashed into the reeds.
“Slow down, don’t fall into the water.”
She had to be careful, using a bamboo pole to probe the path ahead.
“Oww…”
Little Bear’s cries came from up ahead. Following the sound, she found him lying beside a nest of wild duck eggs.
The wild duck had likely been scared off by Little Bear.
Song Wei took only two eggs and led Little Bear away to search elsewhere.
The fat fox nimbly weaved through the reeds and soon found another clutch of wild duck eggs.
Song Wei didn’t need to search herself—she simply followed their calls to locate the nests.
She left a few eggs in each nest, believing in sustainable harvesting.
The duck eggs were quite large, with indigo-colored shells that looked quite beautiful.
The small basket could hold only about twenty eggs before it was nearly full.
“That’s enough, let’s go.”
At her call, the fat fox and Little Bear came running back.
The fat fox had a duck in its mouth!
Song Wei was slightly surprised—this was the first time she had seen the fat fox bring back prey.
It ran toward her with the duck in its mouth, dropped it at her feet, and let out a soft whine.
“Not bad. I thought you only knew how to eat, but it seems you have some skills after all.”
“Ying ying~”
The little thing was quite good at acting cute.
Song Wei headed back with a basket full of duck eggs and a dead wild duck.
“I wonder where the eaglet has gone.”
But she wasn’t worried. The eaglet was a bird of prey, and a large one at that. Even if there were other raptors in the reeds, they wouldn’t see another predator like the eaglet as prey.
Returning to where she had left her fishing rod, Song Wei set down the eggs and the duck, dug up some earthworms from the nearby soil, and began fishing.
“Go play on your own, but don’t go too far.”
She patted the two animals, and after staying with her for a while, they grew bored and ran off on their own.
Song Wei focused on fishing, and after about ten minutes, the rod twitched.
She caught a small fish the size of her palm, tossed it into the bucket, baited the hook with another earthworm, and continued fishing.
As she fished, she began to feel hungry.
She took a piece of candy from her pocket and ate it.
Song Wei suddenly craved beef jerky intensely—just the thought made her mouth water.
Unfortunately, she had finished last year’s supply.
The fishy smell was quite strong. Most pregnant women couldn’t stand such odors, but Song Wei didn’t react negatively. Instead, it reminded her of fried small fish.
But she wasn’t catching any fish suitable for frying.
Just as she was feeling disappointed, another fish took the bait.
Song Wei could tell this one felt heavier than the previous catches, but it wasn’t a problem for her.
With a firm tug, she pulled the fish out of the water.
It was a big fish, weighing around three jin.
She wouldn’t have to worry about having meat for the rest of the afternoon or even the next day.
Sigh… Eating meat every day, how extravagant!
But then again, she had the skills to provide for herself.
Indulging in a moment of self-satisfaction, Song Wei caught yet another fish.
“Chirp!”
The eaglet returned, landing directly on the edge of the bucket, its talons clutching something.
Song Wei took a closer look—it was a huge water rat!
“Chirp~”
It lowered its head and nudged the rat toward Song Wei with its beak.
Song Wei frowned in disgust. “Take that away. I don’t eat that.”
The eaglet let out a low gurgle and dropped the rat.
It perched on the bucket and began preening its feathers.
Song Wei used a handkerchief she carried with her to wipe its beak and talons.
“In the future, try not to catch rats outside. Stick to the ones at home.”
As she spoke, another fish took the bait.
The eaglet tilted its head, spread its wings, and soared into the sky.
Song Wei watched as it circled above the lake before suddenly diving downward.
When it took flight again, it held a fish in its talons and flew back.
“Chirp!”
Song Wei smiled. “Not bad! Your hunting skills are really coming along!”
It could even catch fish from the water.
She praised the eaglet and patted its head.
The eaglet nuzzled against her happily.
Little Bear came running back too, standing on its hind legs and peering into the bucket with its furry head.
It looked eager to eat.
Bears do eat fish, after all.
Song Wei took the fish caught by the eaglet and gave it to Little Bear.
Although the eaglet meant well, its talons had just been holding a rat.
Rats carried too many germs, and with a baby on the way, Song Wei didn’t dare take any risks.
Little Bear plopped down on the ground, clutching the fish with its front paws, and began nibbling away with relish.
“That’s enough for now. Let’s head back.”
Feeling hungry, Song Wei packed up her fishing rod, picked up the bucket, and started walking home.
Little Bear and the fat fox trotted alongside her, while the eaglet circled overhead.
If you asked the children and men of Ping’an Brigade who they envied the most these days, the answer would undoubtedly be Lin Zhen’s family.
They raised a bear, an eagle, and those incredibly handsome wolfdogs—each one impressive and commanding respect.
But even if others wanted to raise such animals, they couldn’t, since they required so much food every day.
On her way back, as she passed by the small river, Song Wei saw a group of children catching fish in the shallow waters.
She walked over to take a look—their small buckets were filled with snails and tiny, finger-sized fish.
Her eyes lit up immediately. These were exactly the kind of small fish she wanted for frying!
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