Using Aunt Wang’s intelligence network, Song Wei successfully bought over a dozen chicks.
The chicks were fluffy, pale yellow, and tiny.
Though small, their little legs moved astonishingly fast.
Moreover, when they were young, chicks loved following either people or their mother hen.
Since there was no mother hen in their household, Lin Ping’an took a liking to these little creatures. He dug up earthworms, chopped them into pieces, and fed them to the chicks. The little ones would chirp and follow closely at Lin Ping’an’s heels.
They followed him everywhere he went.
At first, Lin Ping’an found it novel, but soon he became very troubled.
He was afraid he might accidentally step on and crush these tiny chicks!
“Brother, when will the chicken coop be ready?”
Lin Zhen was fencing off a section of land with bamboo.
Birds basically have a straight digestive tract—they eat and defecate almost immediately, with little control.
Though these chicks were small, they pooped everywhere.
Even though it was grassy ground, no one liked stepping on chicken droppings.
And the smell was quite strong, too.
“It’s done. Bring them over.”
Putting down his hammer, Lin Zhen called out. Lin Ping’an immediately couldn’t wait to lead the chicks into the coop.
After scattering some chopped earthworms and crushed rice inside, the chicks forgot all about Lin Ping’an and began pecking at the food.
The sound of fluttering wings was heard.
Lin Ping’an turned to look and saw… the eaglet had arrived.
“Eaglet, you’re not allowed to catch the chicks!”
As an eagle, catching mice, rabbits, and chicks was its instinct. Its large eyes shifted restlessly, and its claws seemed eager to strike.
But just as it spread its wings preparing to swoop in, Song Wei grabbed it by the neck.
“Caw!”
The eaglet flapped its wings and struggled.
“Hey, you still won’t listen, will you? How many times is this already? If you catch the chicks again, you’ll be grounded and go hungry for two meals!”
But being of a different species, the eaglet couldn’t understand.
That night, it stealthily flew onto the fence of the chicken coop again. Its eagle eyes, capable of seeing clearly even in the dark, fixed intently on the tiny chicks in the coop.
It swiftly dove in.
However, due to its unstable flight, it embarrassingly crash-landed on the ground without catching a single chick.
It turned its head, intending to try again.
“Awoo!”
“Awoo, woof woof…”
The wolf at home had picked up a bit of the local dogs’ accent, occasionally letting out a bark.
Discovered, the eaglet immediately flapped its wings, trying to escape.
But Song Wei and the others soon came out and stared it down.
The eaglet was grounded. True to her word, Song Wei made it go hungry as punishment.
By the time it was released, it was somewhat listless.
But after eating some meat, it gradually regained its energy.
After this happened two or three times, even if it couldn’t understand the words, the eaglet learned from the punishment that those little scurrying things at home that attracted eagles were not to be caught.
In addition to training it not to catch chicks, Song Wei periodically took it to the mountains to find other eagles and learn how to fly.
This didn’t require Song Wei to teach—the eaglet, eager to fly, learned earnestly on its own.
It practiced diligently.
Song Wei would place it on tall trees or rooftops.
The eaglet would leap down from these heights without hesitation, spreading its wings like the other eagles it had observed.
The learning process was arduous and challenging.
At first, it would tumble out of the sky almost every time.
Fortunately, during the fall, it would use its wings to stabilize itself, so the landings weren’t too painful.
It never got discouraged. When tired, it would rest; once fed and energized, it would resume practicing.
After half a month of relentless effort, the eaglet finally learned how to fly.
The entire family was present on the day it took flight, everyone looking up with smiles.
Lin Ping’an was so excited he howled and stomped his feet.
“It’s flying! Sister-in-law, our eaglet is really flying!”
His voice was filled with pure joy and pride.
Song Wei smiled and nodded. “All those trips to secretly learn from other eagles weren’t in vain.”
After what felt like a long time, Lin Ping’an grew puzzled as the eagle continued circling in the sky.
“Why hasn’t the eaglet come down yet?”
Song Wei watched as the eaglet repeatedly descended only to soar back up again, her smile freezing.
“Could it be… it doesn’t know how to land?”
As it turned out, Song Wei’s guess was correct.
The little guy genuinely didn’t know how to land.
Eventually, its wings grew tired, and it made a desperate dive toward the courtyard. Right before Song Wei and the others, it executed a faceplant landing.
A small patch of grass in the courtyard was scraped up by its face.
The eaglet lay with its wings drooping, its rear and claws sticking up in the air.
Song Wei winced, feeling a sympathetic pain in her own face and neck.
She hurried over to pick it up and check for injuries.
“How is it? Is it hurt?!”
Lin Zhen examined it thoroughly. “It’s fine, no injuries. It just looks exhausted.”
It had flown for so long on its first attempt—no wonder it was tired.
Hearing that it wasn’t hurt, Song Wei didn’t hold back her laughter.
“As dashing as its takeoff was, its landing was equally embarrassing.”
“Chirp!”
The eaglet glared at Song Wei discontentedly. Did she think it couldn’t tell it was being mocked, even if it didn’t understand the words?
Whether it was flying or landing, the eaglet would have to figure it out on its own.
“Rest well at home. We need to go to work.”
After feeding the eaglet and settling it in its nest, Song Wei and Lin Zhen headed to the fields.
It was another busy season.
Wheat, sweet potatoes, rice, and seasonal vegetables…
There was so much to plant.
Thanks to Ping’an Brigade’s impressive rice yield last year and the widespread promotion of the Nanyou No. 1 rice seeds in newspapers this year, not only Ping’an Brigade but also surrounding brigades had eagerly chosen these seeds.
During the busiest times, school classes were suspended. Even the children pitched in, racing against time to sow the seeds during the optimal season, hoping for a bountiful harvest this year.
The brigade’s dogs also came to help.
It was Song Wei’s idea to tie two baskets to the adult dogs, filling them with rice seedlings to transport to the paddy fields.
She was just cutting corners, and besides, Wolf One and Wolf Two were very obedient.
If the roads were flat and wide enough, she might even have built a small cart for the dogs to pull, making the task easier and more efficient.
Even Little Bear, perhaps learning from the children, pitched in by carrying a small basket on its back to help transport vegetable and rice seedlings.
Everyone found it endearing.
“I never thought of this! They run so much faster this way.”
“This is so convenient. I’m going to get my Wangcai to help too.”
Song Wei quickly added, “Don’t overload them. We don’t want to strain them.”
“Got it. You young folks are so clever. These dogs follow us around every day, but we never thought to put them to work like this.”
“Good dogs! We’ll get you something tasty to eat later.”
Dogs have abundant energy, and as long as they aren’t overworked, having them carry a bit of weight is no trouble.
No one had thought of it before, and even if they had, it might not have been feasible.
After all, dogs love to run and jump around, and the seedlings could easily be scattered everywhere if they weren’t careful.
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