OBS Chapter 269 Selfless Affection
Chapter 269 Selfless Affection
"It's actually not difficult. Mink have fixed habits, and they leave traces when they're near water, such as paw prints and droppings. Just find these traces and set traps nearby."
Li Xiangyang didn't want to get entangled with him, so he told the truth.
"Is it really that simple?" Zhang Weiping asked, half-believing.
Wang Ergou scoffed from the side, "Easy? You think catching minks is like digging potatoes? Just waiting for you in the ground? If you're going to catch them, you'll need to find the tracks and set the trap cleverly. Alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Go do whatever you want."
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhang Weiping's face, but he remained defiant: "What's so difficult about it? My family has a long history of hunters."
Li Daqiang couldn't help but laugh out loud, and quickly covered his mouth.
The young woman with the ponytail stared curiously at the net bag: "Can we see what a mink looks like?"
Li Xiangyang shrugged, opened a corner of the net bag, revealing a dark brown, furry head inside.
The mink looked around warily, emitting low hisses.
"Wow!" Several female educated youths exclaimed in unison, taking a step back in unison.
"Does it bite?" the bespectacled female educated youth asked nervously.
“Of course it will bite,” Wang Ergou said deliberately, “it could bite off half a finger.”
The female educated youth screamed in fright, and Zhang Weiping seized the opportunity to reassure them: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Li Xiangyang chuckled and shook his head: "Wang Ergou is talking nonsense. Minks may be a bit fierce, but they're not as exaggerated as some people say. However, you definitely shouldn't touch them casually; their teeth are very sharp."
"Li Xiangyang, how much can this mink pelt sell for?" the young woman with the ponytail asked curiously.
"Depending on the condition, a good one can sell for forty or fifty, while a poor one will still cost twenty or thirty," Li Xiangyang answered truthfully.
The female educated youth's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "So valuable?"
Seeing that the topic had returned to Li Xiangyang, Zhang Weiping grew restless: "I think it's getting late. If we want it, let's catch it ourselves. After all, it belongs to them."
Hearing him say that, the female educated youth looked reluctantly at the mink in the net bag and followed Zhang Weiping away.
Once they were out of sight, Wang Ergou couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Zhang Weiping, what a drama queen! Apart from the Liu family, whose ancestors weren't tenant farmers?"
Li Daqiang laughed and said, "That's right. If Xiangyang hadn't given him a way out and not exposed him, see how smug he would have been."
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "Stop laughing. Let's go. We need to process the mink quickly; if we skin them well, we can sell them for more money."
The three put away the remaining traps and headed towards the village with their spoils.
Along the way, Li Daqiang asked curiously, "Xiangyang, how much do you plan to sell these mink pelts for?"
"First, skin the mink, let it dry, and then sell it to Old Zhou, the pelt collector, in the county town," Li Xiangyang said. "This kind of mink pelt is quite popular, and the price won't be low."
"That must fetch a lot of money, right?" Wang Ergou rubbed his hands together and started doing the math. "Four of them would be at least a hundred yuan."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Pretty much. Oh, right, I need to tell my older sister about this when I get back. Didn't she want to start a shoe insole business? I'll give her my share so she can have some start-up capital."
“If that’s how you put it, then I don’t want my share either. Anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities to hunt in the future,” Wang Ergou said with a smile.
Li Daqiang chimed in, "I don't want them either. Xiangyang, you handle it and give it all to my eldest sister."
"Okay. I'll talk to my older sister later, and once she starts making money..."
"What are you saying? I said I'd give it to you, and I mean it. Just treat me to a drink when you make some money, that's fine. It's settled then."
As they spoke, the three of them had already arrived at the village entrance.
Li Xiangyang turned around and went back home. As soon as he opened the gate, he saw Li Xiaoyun hanging clothes to dry in the yard.
"You're back?" Li Xiaoyun smiled when she saw Li Xiangyang return. "Did you catch any minks?"
Li Xiangyang stepped forward to help his wife pick up a piece of clothing: "We caught them, four of them, all quite plump."
"Four?" Li Xiaoyun exclaimed in surprise, "What great luck!"
“Yes,” Li Xiangyang nodded, “Ergou and Daqiang aren’t taking any money from this sale; they’ll give it all to Big Sister.”
"That's good. Let's not waste any time and go deal with the mink," Li Xiaoyun said with a smile.
The process of skinning mink is not complicated, but it requires patience and skill.
Li Xiangyang carefully began skinning the minks from their bellies. The whole process was skillful and quick, and in no time, the skins of the four minks were peeled off.
Li Xiangyang carefully inspected each piece of leather to ensure there was no damage, then stretched them onto the prepared wooden boards to dry.
After securing the pelts, Li Xiangyang carried the three minks out the door.
He gave two to Wang Ergou and Li Daqiang respectively, and planned to give the last one to his sister Li Guihua.
Li Xiangyang brought mink meat to the old house, where Li Guihua was washing clothes with Xiaolan in the yard.
"Big sister!" Li Xiangyang called out.
Li Guihua looked up and saw her younger brother carrying something. She quickly put down what she was doing and went to greet him: "Xiangyang, what are you carrying?"
Li Xiangyang handed the wrapped mink meat to his sister: "We caught a few minks today. This one is for you and Xiaolan to have a nice meal."
Li Guihua accepted the mink meat, a look of delight on her face: "Thank you so much!"
Xiao Lan curiously leaned closer: "Uncle, is mink meat delicious?"
Li Xiangyang patted his niece's head: "Delicious, the meat is tender, even better than rabbit meat."
Li Guihua smiled and said, "Then I'll stew it tonight. Do you and Xiaoyun want to come and eat together?"
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "No need, we have another one at home. By the way, eldest sister, I have some good news for you."
"What good news?" Li Guihua asked curiously.
“We caught four minks today. Their pelts can fetch a good price. Er Gou, Da Qiang, and I have discussed it, and we'll give you all the money from the pelts as start-up capital so you can start some small business,” Li Xiangyang said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Li Guihua's eyes instantly reddened: "This...how can this be? You worked so hard to catch this, how can I accept it?"
“Sister, don’t say that,” Li Xiangyang said earnestly. “You have plenty of game on the mountain. This little bit of money is nothing to us, but it’s a good start for you. Don’t feel embarrassed; just treat us to a drink when you make some money in the future.”
Li Guihua wiped away her tears and nodded, "Okay... I'll accept it. I'll definitely pay you back once my business improves."
"Okay, we'll talk about it later. I'll be going now, sister."
Li Guihua nodded gratefully and pulled Xiao Lan to thank Li Xiangyang.
After leaving the old house, Li Xiangyang returned home in a good mood.
Before Li Xiaoyun finished class, he started tidying up the yard and preparing dinner.
As the sun began to set, Li Xiaoyun returned.
"You're back?" Li Xiangyang stepped forward and took the bag from his wife's hand. "Are you tired?"
Li Xiaoyun shook her head: "It's alright, it's just that it's hot, so I'm sweating a bit."
"Then you take a shower and rest for a while, I'll go and stew the meat."
After saying that, Li Xiangyang went to start a fire and cook.
After dinner, the two cleaned up the dishes and went to cool off in the yard.
As night slowly fell and a gentle breeze blew by, Li Xiangyang and Li Xiaoyun snuggled together, enjoying the coolness of the night.