The cold wind blew loudly, and the snow on the branches may have piled up too thickly, and from time to time it was blown down by the strong wind, making a "pop" sound, and then it disappeared into the snow, and disappeared in an instant.

The snow seemed to be lighter in the morning than it was last night, but the snow on the ground was getting thicker and thicker, and it should be more than half a foot.

Two figures, one tall and one short, staggered on the snow, they walked very slowly, sometimes walking a few steps, sometimes stopping to say a few words, as if they were admiring the snow scene of this pot of Lushan.

These two people are naturally Li Hongji and Gao Guiying, Li Hongji wears fur on his head, and the places that are prone to frostbite on the top of his head, the back of his head and ears are all strictly protected, and Gao Guiying uses a blue scarf to wrap his entire head, revealing only two eyes blinking, Rao is so, his long eyelashes are still stained with snowflakes, just like an old man's white beard.

Gao Yigong happened to come back from outside humming a small tune, holding a gray hare in his hand, the hare was still alive, and his two hind legs trembled from time to time. Hongji's injury is not healed yet! You are ......."

"Ao, Hongji's injury is recovering, and he can't lie in bed for a long time, it's okay on a snowy day, so I'll walk with him," Gao Guiying held her hands in her sleeves, and was almost leaning on Li Hongji's body, and when she saw Gao Yigong, she opened up some distance, "Yigong, where did you go early in the morning on this snowy day?" Did this rabbit steal it? ”

"Second sister, look at what you said, am I that kind of person?" Gao Yigong didn't argue much, and hurriedly walked past the two, "I'm going back, if it's cold, come back early, just tidy up this hare!" ”

Li Hongji shook his head and smiled bitterly, his sores are recovering, and he needs to move, otherwise the new flesh will not be satisfied, which may affect future sports, especially the important part of the buttocks, at least affect horseback riding.

Gao Yigong's eyes looked at them just now, a little weird, he wanted to explain a few words, but this kind of thing, I'm afraid that the more it is described, the darker it gets, it just so happens that Gao Yigong was driven away by his second sister, and Li Hongji had to give up.

"Gui Ying, is it cold? Otherwise, let's go back! ”

"It's okay, it's not too cold when it's snowing," Gao Guiying seemed to feel something, she stomped the snow in front of her under her feet, "The snow on the ground is thick, even if you want to figure it out, I'm afraid it won't work." ”

"Okay, let's go, just don't go too far."

The surrounding trees were wrapped in snow, and the occasional patch of pale black was gradually dyed white by the new snow, Li Hongji felt a hint of coolness coming from his legs and feet, "Gui Ying, why don't we go back and pack the hares, and then let's catch a few?" ”

"You?" Gao Guiying almost smiled and bent over, "With you now, can you catch up with the hare?" She pointed to Li Hongji's coat, "Unless the hare uses you as a bed." ”

"You're really right, I'm just going to prepare a comfortable bed for the hare." Seeing that Gao Yigong caught a hare, coupled with the heavy snow on the mountain, Li Hongji wondered if he could take advantage of this snowy day to catch a few hares and subsidize the consumption of food.

To catch hares, there are two main methods, one is to eat the lure, the other is to comfort the nest, in order to save food, Li Hongji is ready to prepare a comfortable nest for the wild small animals, to lure these small animals over.

If you want to make rabbit cages, rabbit clips and the like, you don't have the conditions now, the most important thing is the lack of a powerful spring, Li Hongji decided to use local materials, that is, to dig holes in the ground.

Just do it, Gao Guiying went to the front room to get a shovel and a pickaxe, the two of them need to dig some deep pits on the path not far from the house, although Li Hongji's buttocks injury has not healed, but it is not difficult to dig these deep pits, if he is lazy, as long as he moves his mouth, Gao Guiying can complete it.

As long as the soil is loosened a little with a pickaxe, you can use a shovel to remove the dirt, dig a pit half a foot square, and put some firewood and grass in the pit to lure small animals to come and keep warm.

In order to prevent heavy snow from burying the hole, a simple fort wall was built with snow on the windward north side, and a few wooden sticks were inserted directly above the entrance of the cave, and then covered with cotton cloth or straw, and a simple animal shelter was basically built.

The two were busy all day, digging a dozen deep pits in total.

"Hongji, we have worked so hard, can we really catch the small animal?" Gao Guiying is not very interested in whether she can catch hares and the like, besides, these deep pits are around the house, and at most some small animals can be caught, there is not much meat, and the fur is not valuable, she just follows the arrangement of the eldest brother and accompanies Li Hongji to relax.

Li Hongji put down the shovel and wiped the sweat beads from his head, "Don't worry, the snow is not long now, maybe there will be no harvest tonight, and after a few days of snow, the animals will have nowhere to forage for food, so they will inevitably look for food everywhere, at that time, we only need to get up early, and we will be able to pick up some small animals." ”

"Really?" Although Gao Guiying is a woman in the mountains, she usually goes up to the mountains to pick wild vegetables and herbs, and if she occasionally acts as a hunter, it is the men's business, and she can't tell her about these tricks to catch small animals.

"Don't worry, in less than three days, you'll get game!" Although Li Hongji didn't know when he could catch the prey, he didn't believe that no animal would take the bait throughout the winter, "Go back, dinner will be coming later." ”

Li Hongji packed up the shovel and pickaxe, rested it on his shoulder, and Gao Guiying tailed behind, like a peasant couple with a husband and wife.

The next day, before dawn, Li Hongji was still asleep, and suddenly there was a knocking sound from the window.

"Who?"

"Shh......h It's me! Gao Guiying's voice sounded faintly outside the window: "Don't get up to see the trap you laid yet?" If we had waited until dawn, I am afraid that the animals in the shelter would have run out. ”

"Oh!" Li Hongji rubbed his eyes and struggled to drive away the sleepy insects, but he shook his head and chuckled, this girl, she got up so early, if there were no animals in the pit, wouldn't she become a big liar?

It was already twilight outside the window, I don't know if it was the dawn or the reflection of the snow, and Gao Guiying's shadow was clearly reflected on the window paper.

The east wing slept in Gao Yigong, I don't know if I'm awake? Li Hongji gently opened the door, opened the back door again, and then quietly closed it, and then tiptoed to the window, "Gui Ying!" ”

"Hey...... How do you walk without making a sound at all? Surprise me! Gao Guiying was looking at the main entrance, thinking that Li Hongji was going to come out of the main gate, but she didn't watch out for Li Hongji but appeared behind her, she patted her chest with her little hand and gave Li Hongji a roll of the eyes.

Li Hongji grinned: "Aren't you worried about sleeping with a bang?" If there's prey later, surprise him! ”

"As long as you can!" Gao Guiying scolded with a smile, and then led the way, "Hongji, where do we start?" ”

"Just from this side, close from here, just search one by one!"

Gao Guiying walked and walked, and suddenly felt that there was no sound behind her, and when she looked back, Li Hongji was behind her, "Huh? Hongji, why don't you walk sound? ”

"I'm worried that it's too loud and scares the animals in the pit away." Li Hongji doesn't know how to step on the snow without a trace, he puts his toes on the snow first, and then compacts his heels, so naturally he can't hear the footsteps, but the muscle groups on his legs need to pay more strength when he walks like this, which affects his hips, and only he understands these hardships.

"Then I ......" Gao Guiying couldn't learn from Li Hongji's appearance, so she had to stop and let Li Hongji go first, so as not to startle the small animals with footsteps, which was their food supplement this winter, "Hongji, why don't you make a sound when you walk?" Could it be that he practiced some special martial arts? ”

"Ah...... No, be quiet, beware of the hare overhearing what we are saying. Li Hongji put the index finger of his right hand to his mouth and made a silent sign, regardless of whether Gao Guiying could see it.

Gao Guiying immediately silenced, she didn't want to be busy yesterday for a day, but today she didn't get anything, so she bent her waist and distanced herself from Li Hongji.

On the smooth snow like a brocade quilt, one after the other, two black shadows staggered towards the outside of the village, the Gao family was already the most corner of the village, and the deep pit dug yesterday was actually not far from here.

Finally came to the first pothole, Li Hongji slowed down his pace, trying to reduce the sound waves generated by the soles of his feet on the ground, Gao Guiying has always been very arrogant, it is difficult to be as light as Li Hongji, so she had to stop completely, her heart was completely raised to her throat.

It's a pity that Li Hongji's tentacles are cold straw, although the straw is very dry and is a warm home for the small animals, but I don't know if they didn't find it, or they don't want to stay in this new home and die.

Li Hongji was disappointed, but also a little depressed, could it be that the hole was not dug deep enough? Or is the snow not long enough? It just so happened that a cold wind poured into his mouth and entered his trachea with his breath, and he couldn't help coughing.

It was quiet before dawn, and the cough could be heard far away.

"To die, what are you coughing about? I shuddered! Gao Guiying's heart was being hoisted high by the pit, hanging on the chest cavity and unable to bear the force, and was suddenly frightened by Li Hongji, and couldn't help but pat his chest with his little hand, "How is it?" Is there prey? ”

"No, it seems, the prey haven't found these comfort nests yet." Li Hongji had no choice but to laugh self-deprecatingly.

"I'll just say, how can such a pit tempt prey, unless they are a big fool like you!" Before she finished speaking, Gao Guiying smiled embarrassedly, "It hurts people to get up early in the morning and don't even sleep well." ”

"Don't worry, isn't there anything ahead?" Li Hongji waved his hand at Gao Guiying and motioned for her to be quiet.

Gao Guiying pursed her lips, looking unconvinced, but she still stopped talking.

Li Hongji touched sixteen potholes one after another, but found nothing, they dug a total of eighteen yesterday, and only the last two were left, and these two potholes were the farthest away from Gao's house.

Gao Guiying has completely lost confidence, although she didn't speak, her steps are not as light as they were at the beginning, and she always walks on the snow with her waist bent, feeling strangely tired.

When the two hands were opened at the entrance of the cave, Li Hongji felt that there was a play, compared with the outside, the temperature in the pit seemed to be much higher all of a sudden, Li Hongji opened his ten fingers, as much as possible to expand the range, as if to wrap the entire hole, the temperature in the pit was getting higher and higher, Li Hongji was sure that it was no longer an illusion, there must be prey.

His hands slammed down, pressing right on a fluffy body, which was warmer than a water bag.

Li Hongji pulled out his hands and looked at the snow light, and the hind legs of the prey were kicking up and down, which seemed to be a hare.

Gao Guiying was like an electric heart, although she couldn't see Li Hongji's hand at all, but she took a few steps forward, "How is it?" Hongji? ”

"Caught, probably a hare, but it's too small!"

"Really?" Gao Guiying didn't care about the slippery road on the snowy day, like a naughty little girl, she ran over, "Hongji, I have a cloth bag here, put it on first, and then clean it up when I go back!" ”

It turned out that she had already prepared a cloth bag, because she was worried that there would be no prey and hurt my face, so she didn't take it out at first.

Mountain people hunt in winter, mainly to make up for the lack of food, improve the food structure, this captured hares, naturally will not go to captivity, that needs to consume very valuable food, if the prey is more than a while can not be eaten, it is also pickled, fine water can flow for a long time.

This hare can also fall to death directly, anyway, it will become food, but the method of skinning the hare, different from the wild dog, the newly dead hare, the body is still warm, as long as the fur is twisted hard, directly pull off the wisps, and then chop off the four paws and head with a knife, it will be two minutes, if the hare is dead, the body is cold, and then directly pull out the fur, it takes more time to waste, so, to slaughter the hare, it is natural to kill and peel the skin.

Li Hongji carefully put the hare into the cloth bag, tied the mouth of the bag, and handed it to Gao Guiying, "Guiying, there is a pit in front, you wait here, I can go over by myself." ”

"Hmm." Gao Guiying nodded and waited obediently in place.

After a while, Li Hongji came back in the snow, and carried another hare in his hand, "Hehe, this first time finally didn't fail." ”

Gao Guiying opened the bag in a panic and asked Li Hongji to stuff the hare into the cloth bag, "Hongji, why are there prey in only these two pits?" ”

How do I know, I don't know the language of animals, or just ask them, probably these two pits are far away from Gao's house, and the prey is less affected by human activities, so I dare to come out to forage for food, looking at Gao Guiying's flower-like smiling face facing him, Li Hongji said playfully: "They are probably a small couple, and they come out to forage together at night, you see, they are all about the same size!" ”

"Nonsense!" Gao Guiying said as she carried the cloth bag and walked with her head down, without waiting for Li Hongji behind her.