mtl008 Chapter 234 Eagles are not easy to tame.
Chapter 234 Eagles are not easy to tame.
After leaving Li Xiangyang's house, Wang Ergou went home to get a pack of cigarettes, then headed straight to the educated youth settlement to pick up Ma Hongxia before heading to Zheng Ye's house.
Just as they reached the gate, they heard Old Zheng's wife's voice coming from inside the yard: "Old man, let me tell you, from now on, stop drinking and bragging outside. Since we stopped letting you into the mountains, you haven't stopped causing any trouble! Tell me, aren't you feeling unwell after drinking too much?"
Hearing what Lao Zheng's wife said, Wang Ergou outside the door was really embarrassed, while Ma Hongxia covered her mouth and chuckled.
Having already come all this way, Wang Ergou had no choice but to cough outside the door before pushing it open and going in.
Is Mr. Zheng home?
"Hey, it's Er Gou." Old Zheng came out of the house. "What's up? Came with your girlfriend to deliver an invitation?"
Wang Ergou offered cigarettes with both hands: "Brother Zheng, the invitation will be in a couple of days. It's like this, Brother Xiangyang and I hunted a bear and made bear paw stew, and we'd like to invite you over to try it."
"Bear paws?" Old Zheng's eyes lit up, but he still looked at his wife first.
Old Zheng's wife pursed her lips and remained silent.
It would be unreasonable for her to refuse a younger person's kind offer.
“Go ahead,” she finally said, “but drink less.”
Old Zheng happily agreed and even changed his clothes.
"Grandma, why don't you come along too?" Wang Ergou said sensibly.
"I'm not going," Old Zheng's wife waved her hand. "That stuff is greasy, and at my age, I prefer something lighter."
When they arrived at Li Xiangyang's house, Li Xiaoyun had already tidied up the table.
When the bear paws were served, the aroma was irresistible. Even Old Zheng couldn't help but exclaim, "Excellent cooking! I haven't smelled this good in a long time."
After several rounds of drinks, Wang Ergou finally brought up the story of seeing a golden eagle in the mountains.
"Uncle Zheng, you're a man of great experience and knowledge. Could you tell us younger generation how to tame an eagle?"
Upon hearing this, Old Zheng stroked his beard happily, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes: "You've come to the right person. When it comes to falconry, it's been one of our strengths since the Liao and Jin dynasties."
"Back then, Emperor Taizu of Jin, Wanyan Aguda, specially established an 'Eagle Farm' to train various hunting falcons. From then on, many people, relying on this skill, transformed themselves into favorites of the nobles in the palace."
"Later, during the Qing Dynasty, it became even more extraordinary. Even the emperor had to send people to our area to invite falconers. A good falconer's status was no less than that of a county magistrate."
Listening to Old Zheng recount his history, Li Xiangyang quickly poured him a drink: "So, Mr. Zheng, are golden eagles easy to tame?"
“Eagles aren’t easy to tame,” Old Zheng said, taking a sip of his drink. “Taming an eagle is a long process. First, you have to starve it. Once it’s willing to eat meat from your hand, you’ve only tamed it halfway…”
"Later, we'll have to teach it to recognize its owner and listen to the work chants. Those chants are all family heirlooms, embodying the wisdom of generations; outsiders can't learn them even if they wanted to."
Wang Ergou listened intently: "Do you know how to chant?"
Old Zheng smiled but did not answer. He simply tapped the wine bowl with his fingers, producing a strange rhythm.
"This is one of the cells. You two rascals, stop trying to trick me into revealing anything. Get the eagle here first, and I'll teach you step by step."
When Lao Zheng saw through their plan, the two weren't embarrassed at all and immediately promised to get it back.
Everyone drank quite a bit and started talking about hunting. Before they knew it, it was noon.
Old Zheng got up to leave, and Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou quickly saw him off.
After seeing Lao Zheng off, Li Xiaoyun tidied the table, but her brows were slightly furrowed.
Ma Hongxia looked worried as she helped her wipe the table.
"You two," Li Xiaoyun stopped what she was doing and looked at Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou, "are you really planning to catch a golden eagle?"
“Yes,” Ma Hongxia added, “that golden eagle is a bird of prey after all, what if…”
Li Xiangyang smiled and waved his hand: "Don't worry, we know what we're doing. We don't necessarily have to arrest them; we'll only act when the opportunity arises."
“That’s right,” Wang Ergou quickly assured him, “If it’s too dangerous, we won’t touch it.”
The two women exchanged a glance, clearly unconvinced by this explanation.
They all knew how much exaggeration was in those words.
"Never mind," Li Xiaoyun sighed, "You guys figure it out yourselves."
Seeing her like this, Li Xiangyang stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder: "Don't worry, there will be absolutely no danger."
Seeing that it was getting late, Wang Ergou prepared to say goodbye to Ma Hongxia.
Li Xiangyang turned and went into the kitchen. When he came out, he was carrying a bear paw wrapped in oil paper.
"Take this back home and let your family try it," he said, handing it to Wang Ergou.
Wang Ergou wanted to decline, but seeing Li Xiangyang's insistence, he had no choice but to accept: "Then...when shall we go up the mountain?"
"Tomorrow," Li Xiangyang thought for a moment, "Since we're going to make the arrests, we naturally need to be well-prepared."
After seeing Wang Ergou and Ma Hongxia off, Li Xiaoyun put her hand on Li Xiangyang's arm and asked, "Tell me the truth, are you really confident about this golden eagle?"
“Yes.” Li Xiangyang grasped her hand. “Master Zheng only talked about the history of falconry here, which is indeed a bit difficult to learn, and many people can’t get involved. But falconry is different; in the past, almost everyone knew how to do it, and it wasn’t considered dangerous.”
Looking into his eyes, Li Xiaoyun knew she could only believe half of what he said, but she could only smile helplessly.
She had long understood that for these hunting men, danger and excitement meant nothing; rather, they were the greatest temptations.
Having decided to capture the golden eagle, Li Xiangyang immediately began making preparations.
He first found a piece of fine cowhide, cut it into squares with a knife, and began making the leather case.
He sewed the leather into the shape of a glove with needle and thread, making every stitch exceptionally careful.
"What is this for?" Li Xiaoyun asked curiously from the side.
“This is called an eagle harness,” Li Xiangyang explained as he sewed. “In ancient times, it was called an ‘eagle-training leather handguard,’ an essential tool for eagle training. Eagles have sharp talons; without this, they simply can’t catch them.”
Next, he took out a thin, resilient rope and began to weave a "tether".
This is a tool used to tether an eagle. It must be strong enough to prevent the eagle from breaking free, but it must also not injure the eagle's talons.
Then, he found a piece of red cloth, cut it into long strips, and made a "smokescreen." This strip of cloth was placed over the eagle's eyes to keep it quiet during the initial stages of taming.
Finally, Li Xiangyang began making the most crucial tool: the eagle-catching net.
The size of the mesh and the thickness of the rope are all very important when weaving hemp rope into a net.
After finishing the net, he tied bells to the four corners of it.
After preparing all the tools, Li Xiangyang specially found a piece of soft leather and cut it into thin strips.
Seeing his meticulous preparations, Li Xiaoyun felt a little more at ease: "It seems you're really confident. How do you know so much?"
“My father taught me.” Li Xiangyang carefully put away the tools one by one. “Any old hunter in this area who’s a bit older can do it. And they have a wealth of experience in setting up nets, choosing the right time, and so on…”