Song Wei, holding the large bird, was momentarily at a loss.
“Should we kill it?” she asked Lin Zhen.
“Gah!”
Whether it understood or simply sensed the killing intent emanating from Song Wei, the bird suddenly became docile.
Lin Zhen remarked, “It seems quite intelligent.”
“Let it go.”
Intelligent animals are generally not suitable for killing, and they couldn’t possibly keep it.
Song Wei pouted, feeling somewhat cheated.
Her gaze then fell on the feathers of the eagle-owl.
After a series of squawks and cries, Song Wei ended up with a handful of beautiful feathers, while the eagle-owl was tossed to the ground, flapping its wings and screeching at her in a disheveled manner.
Though she couldn’t understand, it seemed like it was cursing quite vehemently.
Song Wei narrowed her eyes, “Do you want to die if you don’t leave?”
The eagle-owl immediately flapped its wings in panic and fled, its mission a failure!
Lin Zhen found it amusing and asked her what she planned to do with the feathers.
Song Wei replied, “I can take them back as a souvenir for Black Egg.”
Since Lin Zhen was already awake and couldn’t sleep, he decided to accompany Song Wei for a stroll around the area.
“Why are there two sheep over here?”
While patrolling the perimeter of the flock, they suddenly heard the sound of sheep.
Song Wei and Lin Zhen exchanged glances and followed the noise, discovering two stray sheep.
It was late at night, and they were almost lost.
Close call, otherwise, by morning, they would have been hard to find.
They herded the two sheep back towards the flock.
Lin Zhen frowned, “These two sheep seem a bit odd, they look too thin.”
Song Wei pinched her nose, “And they stink. Who knows where they’ve been rolling.”
However, seeing the two sheep blend into the flock and lie down, they didn’t think much of it. After a quick check to ensure everything was fine, they returned to the tent.
Lin Zhen took the watch for the latter half of the night, and both silently agreed not to wake Feng Tingxuan.
This was the most peaceful and sound sleep Feng Tingxuan had in a while, as if making up for all the previous lost sleep, leaving him feeling exceptionally refreshed.
He was awakened by a furry little head nuzzling him enthusiastically.
Opening his eyes, he was momentarily stunned, seeing that it was already bright outside, and quickly got up from the tent.
The little puppy barked in a high-pitched voice, seemingly proud of having woken him up.
Feng Tingxuan, holding the puppy, stepped out of the tent and was greeted by a delicious aroma.
Lin Zhen had already prepared breakfast.
Given the limited conditions, he had cooked porridge, served with mushroom sauce, pickles, and salted duck eggs, making for a hearty meal.
Feng Tingxuan scratched his head sheepishly, “It’s already morning? I didn’t hear you call me.”
Lin Zhen replied, “I took the watch for the latter half of the night.”
Feng Tingxuan understood, “You should have woken me.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed.
Lin Zhen handed him a bowl, “Uncle, serve yourself as much as you like. I’ll go call Weiwei.”
Feng Tingxuan nodded, the aroma of the porridge making his stomach growl.
Lin Zhen had made sweet potato porridge, containing only sweet potatoes and rice.
The thick porridge had a sweet fragrance, perfectly cooked.
Feng Tingxuan couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten rice.
Song Wei had only slept for five hours but felt refreshed.
The three of them served themselves porridge, and Lin Zhen also prepared a bowl of goat milk for the puppy. They sat on the green grass, watching the cattle and sheep grazing on the prairie.
It was refreshing.
“Did anything happen last night?”
He was still concerned about that.
Song Wei replied, “We caught a bird.”
Feng Tingxuan was both amused and exasperated, “You have quite the eyesight.”
Catching a bird in the middle of the night.
He thought the bird Song Wei mentioned was a small insect-eating sparrow common on the prairie.
Song Wei and Lin Zhen didn’t elaborate, but the cattle and sheep were fine.
Not only were they fine, but after breakfast, Feng Tingxuan began to count the livestock.
This was a daily task, and he often had to count several times a day to feel assured.
This time, he was puzzled.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing him frown and recount, Song Wei rode over on her horse.
“None are missing, right?”
It was hard to see clearly in the dark, and after she and Lin Zhen had herded the two sheep back, they hadn’t counted.
Feng Tingxuan said, “I must have miscounted. I’ll count again later.”
Twenty minutes later, Feng Tingxuan: …………
Lin Zhen also: “…It seems there are two extra.”
Originally, Feng Tingxuan was assigned twenty cows and seventy-five sheep.
But now, there were seventy-seven sheep.
Song Wei and Lin Zhen immediately thought of the two sheep they encountered the previous night.
“Last night, while patrolling, we heard sheep outside and followed the sound to find two sheep. We thought they had accidentally wandered off and herded them back.”
Feng Tingxuan pointed to two sheep with larger frames but looking thinner, “Are those the two?”
Indeed.
They nodded.
The two sheep, one male and one female, were noticeably different from the sheep of the Nankang team.
Not only were their frames larger and they were thinner, but their wool was also dirtier and yellower.
“They must have gotten separated from their flock at some point.”
Though different, these two sheep were not wild.
“Sometimes, with large flocks, various accidents can happen while herding—due to the environment, wolves, or simply carelessness, one or two sheep can get separated. By the time you realize and try to find them, it’s too late.
The prairie is vast. If they’re lucky, they wander the prairie; if not, they might encounter predators and be eaten. These two probably got separated at some point, but who knows where they came from. Now, by a twist of fate, they’ve ended up with us.”
He told Lin Zhen and Song Wei, “You two keep an eye here. I’ll go find Brother Yu. These two sheep have been wandering outside for who knows how long. We need to check if they’re sick and deworm them.”
Lin Zhen nodded, “Uncle, go ahead.”
Song Wei muttered, “Can’t we eat them?”
Feng Tingxuan: “…Better not.”
His niece had quite the idea, but it’s best not to think that way next time. If discovered, she’d be punished.
Feng Tingxuan rode off, and Song Wei dismounted to circle the two sheep.
“Hey, one’s male and the other’s female. This female looks thin but has a big belly. Is she pregnant?”
Lin Zhen stroked his chin, “Very likely.”
They observed them; though dirty and thin, the sheep blended seamlessly into the flock, grazing leisurely without any intention of running away.
They adapted quickly and showed no signs of illness.
Feng Tingxuan’s flock not only didn’t lose any sheep overnight but gained two.
When he found Yu Wei to discuss this, two Nankang herders were also present and overheard.
Feng Tingxuan had a strong command of the language and, having spent some time here, could basically communicate in the local tongue.
So everyone could understand.
Yu Wei and the two herders were immediately intrigued upon hearing such a thing and eagerly followed on horseback.
In about half an hour, they arrived.
The three greeted Lin Zhen and Song Wei and, without Feng Tingxuan pointing them out, the experienced herders immediately spotted the two sheep and walked straight towards them.
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