The group waited for a long time at the leeward side, shivering from the cold. Now, finally, it was time for the harvest, and Old Hu seemed particularly excited.
Old Hu lowered his voice and said, "The Yuan-furred one is here."
Xu Lang was puzzled. He didn't understand why Old Hu would say that. It was clearly a yellow weasel, what was a Yuan-furred one?
But Xu Lang could guess after a moment's thought. There must be some trick he had never heard of. But it wasn't the right time to ask. He would get to the bottom of it after they caught the weasel.
Seeing movement from the large mound of dirt, Fatty was instantly energized. He was no longer drowsy and his seriousness was so intense, it was as if he were going to war.
If it wasn't a matter of life and death, how could they be so serious and solemn?
Thinking about it, the truth became clear.
These two guys were bursting with energy and had nowhere to release it. They had to find something to do, even if it meant banging their heads against a wall!
The way they were going, they were bound to go crazy.
The group held their breath and observed the weasel's movements. A long neck supporting a small head emerged from behind the mound. Two beady eyes, seeming to have a light within them, peered left and right cautiously. After a long time, the entire body was revealed.
"It's a female. Such great fur, could easily get ten pounds of fruit candy in exchange."
Yanzi's voice quietly sounded. It was so low it was almost inaudible, clearly worried about startling the weasel. It was the basic skill of a good hunter.
Xu Lang wasn't unfamiliar with weasels, but none of the ones he had seen could compare to this one. Its eyes were full of spirit, its fur exceptionally smooth. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but even its posture and mannerisms seemed extraordinary.
If he had to describe it in one sentence, it would be a forest elf.
Xu Lang suddenly felt that this weasel must have lived for a long time, maybe even become a spirit. This was because the first feeling he had of it was like looking at a person, not an uncivilized animal.
This feeling was strange, hard to express, but it was what Xu Lang felt.
At this moment, a thought arose in Xu Lang's heart: Should he provoke this weasel?
Even if he caught it, could he really bring himself to kill such a spiritual animal?
The answer was yes, he could kill it, but he had a slight resistance.
This resistance was simply a little pity for the spiritual creature, nothing more.
Xu Lang had lived two lives, hunted and killed many animals in the past two years, but he hadn't killed a creature this spirited.
While Xu Lang was lost in thought, the weasel remained highly alert, even though it hadn't noticed the people hiding in the distance.
After a long time, the weasel slowly circled the trap, walking calmly, as if it wasn't hungry, as if it didn't care about the food in front of it, as if it was thinking about something.
Fatty was getting impatient. He whispered, "Why won't this weasel go for the trap? It's ten pounds of fruit candy!"
Xu Lang shook his head slightly and said, "Be patient. When dealing with a smart prey, you need to be more patient than it. Don't let its pretense fool you. The more it acts like this, the more I can feel its desire for food, and of course, its instinctive caution."
Old Hu gestured for them to be silent. He was calm and composed, seeming to enjoy the process of capturing the weasel.
Fatty nodded slightly. Suddenly, a strange sound came from him.
Xu Lang was concentrating intently on the weasel when he heard the strange sound. His heart sank. This was ridiculous, what was the point of catching it now?
The three of them quickly covered their noses, but they didn't move. They didn't want to ruin everything at this point. Unfortunately, the weasel, which was about to enter the trap, was startled. Fatty's timely fart had ruined all their previous efforts.
As expected, you shouldn't rely on luck. All they had to show for it was a whiff of Fatty's stinky fart!
Just then, a deafening sound suddenly erupted from Xu Lang's ear.
Bang!
It wasn't a gunshot. They hadn't brought any guns this time.
It was Old Hu imitating a gunshot. He knew animals were afraid of gunshots, and this weasel must have heard gunshots before. In any case, once the weasel ran, even the hunting dogs wouldn't be able to keep up with its speed.
The weasel's head was facing the trap. Old Hu just wanted to scare it. If the weasel panicked and ran straight into the trap, it would be a lucky catch. A frightened bird was the idea.
Even if they didn't catch it, they wouldn't lose anything. They had to try their luck. There was no other way.
Old Hu's reaction was undeniably quick. This quick-witted approach was something most people wouldn't think of.
However, the weasel wasn't that stupid...
Bang!
Just when they were about to give up, another loud bang suddenly erupted.
This time it was real. It was definitely a gunshot, Xu Lang couldn't be wrong.
The sound of the gunshot was deafening in the quiet night, even shaking the snow off the pine trees. The shot didn't hit the weasel, but blasted a snow pit not far behind it.
Out of instinct, the weasel panicked and ran, or perhaps because it was used to burrowing, it actually ran directly into the trap in its panic.
As soon as it entered the trap, the weasel realized what had happened and quickly retreated, but even though its body had only just entered halfway, it was impossible to escape. The mechanism inside the trap locked its bones, and after a few struggles, it became motionless, seeming to have fainted.
Xu Lang didn't check if the weasel was caught. His eyes were fixed on the direction from which the gunshot came. A bulky figure wrapped in a fur coat quickly ran over, reaching them in a flash.
From Fatty's fart startling the weasel, to Old Hu imitating a gunshot, and then the sudden real gunshot, to the weasel panicking and running into the trap, it all happened within a few seconds. No one expected things to take such a turn.
Fatty quickly grabbed the trap, stuffed the entire weasel inside, and then turned to look at the newcomer.
Xu Lang recognized the person's face and his wary expression relaxed. A bright smile spread across his face.
"Sister Huamei, why are you patrolling the mountain alone? It's so dangerous for you to be out alone at night!"
After staying in the village for a long time, Xu Lang's way of speaking gradually assimilated.
Huamei smiled and replied, her clear voice ringing out. "I've been here for a while. What are you guys doing in the mountains at night? Are you specifically hunting weasels? You even came out without a gun. What if you run into a bear?"
Xu Lang said, "Old Zhishu took the gun for the winter harvest, and even Xiong Da was requisitioned. These two are intellectuals in the village, Hu Ba Yi and Wang Kai Xuan. I wanted to catch a weasel and exchange it at the supply and marketing cooperative for candy to give you, and then help you guard the forest farm."
Huamei nodded and didn't say anything more.
She already knew Xu Lang and Yanzi. Most people in the village knew them. As a forest guard, this wasn't the first time she patrolled the mountains at night.
"Come with me, to the forest farm!"
The gunshots in the night could attract some unnecessary trouble. Going to the forest farm was the best option at this time.
The journey was uneventful, and the group arrived safely at the forest farm. There were a few small wooden houses at the forest farm. Huamei lit the oil lamp in the house, and the room was instantly filled with a warm glow. Xu Lang casually took off his heavy fur hat.
Fatty was eager to inspect the spoils of victory. "This little weasel hasn't moved this whole time, it wouldn't have died, would it? If it's dead, it's not worth money. Ten pounds of fruit candy becomes two pounds, that's a huge loss."
None of them had hunted weasels before. They were afraid of damaging the fur when skinning it, so they wanted to bring it to the supply and marketing cooperative alive.
Xu Lang hadn't eaten candy for a long time, and he was actually craving it. Candy, which he wouldn't even look at in his previous life, was now considered a luxury.
As he spoke, Fatty opened the trap bag. Yanzi quickly reminded him, "Don't let go. This thing is a master at playing dead. If you let go, it will run. You won't be able to catch it again."
Pfft!
Yanzi had barely finished speaking when Fatty grabbed the weasel. The weasel, which had been motionless, suddenly woke up and aimed a fart at Fatty, who was holding it.