The first snow in winter came quickly and went urgently.

In just two days, the sunny hillside was cleaned.

After sending the orchids away, Wang Manyin fed his fat pigs early, and then took the rhubarb to the village breeding room compound.

Wang Lianshun specially explained that he asked him to help the team herd sheep for a day today.

Earlier, the cattle, sheep, and mules of the first and second teams of Jarzi Village were gathered together, and each team had a member responsible for raising and taking care of them.

Wang Guifa of the first team is mainly responsible for herding sheep, while Wang Jincai of the second team usually takes more care of large animals such as mules and horses.

After Wang Lianshun visited Liujiawan this summer, he listened to Wang Manyin's suggestion and prepared to gradually expand the size of the second team's flock. For this reason, he specially gave an explanation to Wang Manjun and separated the livestock of the two production teams.

Although it still shares the breeding room compound with the first team, the large livestock of the second team has been handed over to Wang Fuchang to take care of, and Wang Jincai has taken over the sheep herding matter.

It seems to be an easy job, just drive the sheep out in the middle of the night and come back before dark.

The sheep don't have to worry about grazing in the ditch, and the sheep barriers can use this time to bale firewood or dig up herbs to earn money.

But imagination is beautiful, reality is not.

First of all, the sheep keepers have to work all year round, whether it is windy or rainy, and if they delay for one day, the sheep will go hungry.

The sheep breeds raised in the villages of the Shibijie commune are generally a mixture of goats and sheep. Sheep generally only eat grass stalks, and do not cause much damage to weeds.

The goat is a sassy beard with a very good appetite, and when he eats grass, he gnaws all the roots. Where they have gnawed, it can be said that there is no grass at all, and it will take several months for the turf to recover.

In addition, the Loess Plateau itself is arid and lacks rainfall, and the vegetation is sparse. Therefore, often in spring and summer, the grass near the village is eaten up.

In autumn and winter, many sheep herders will start to worry about sheep grazing. In order to fill the flock, they can travel as far as one or twenty miles.

As a result, the size of the flocks in the production teams has never been able to expand. Generally, the lambs are produced in the spring, fed for four or five months, and sold to the supply and marketing cooperatives in the autumn to meet the task.

Usually there are only some ewes and three or two breeding rams left in the team, and the flock is kept at thirty or forty.

It is for this reason that Wang Manyin suggested that the second team plant alfalfa and raise sheep in captivity.

If they can make good use of the 1,200 mountain cliffs and ravines in the eastern mountains, and plant all of them with alfalfa and other vegetation, there will be no problem at all in raising dozens of more sheep.

It's just that this year's alfalfa was planted too late, and the area is relatively small, so there is not much hay harvested, and it can only be semi-captive for the time being. When the weather is good, Wang Jincai still has to drive the sheep into the mountains.

However, he twisted his foot when he stopped the sheep yesterday, so he had to ask for leave. Wang Lianshun couldn't find other idlers for a while, so he let him support for a few days.

Twenty or thirty miles back and forth into the mountains to herd sheep, so the sheep blockers generally do not go home to eat at noon. Directly bring the gourd cold water, and make two black nests as a meal.

It's okay to eat like this in the summer, but how can you stand it in the stomach after a long time in the winter. In addition, sheep guarding is also a dangerous job, and it is common to accidentally break a leg and an arm.

So before leaving, Wang Jincai specially told him to be careful.

Wang Manyin just casually perfunctory past, for him, these things are not a matter at all.

After taking the shovel from the other party, he caught up with the sheep and set off. The sheep shovel is also the standard configuration of the sheep keepers on the Loess Plateau, the shape is very similar to the tomb robbery artifact Luoyang shovel, and the bottom is equipped with a thin wooden stick, the main role is to drive the sheep.

There are many ravines in the mountains, and many times the sheep keepers can't get too close to the sheep. If you see a sheep that is causing damage to the crop or running in the wrong place, you can use a shovel to scoop up a piece of dirt and throw it over.

Many old men who block sheep are very accurate, and they can accurately hit the problem sheep at a distance of twenty or thirty meters.

However, Wang Manyin doesn't have this ability, it's more about pretending, anyway, he has rhubarb to help.

As expected, along the way, he found that the ditches along the way were basically clean, and there was grass in many places

The roots are not visible.

No grass is not a big problem, there is a lot of space.

After driving the sheep into a remote cliff ditch, leaving Rhubarb to guard outside, Wang Manyin immediately dodged into the space.

The peregrine falcon was released first, and then he began to wield his scythe to harvest the weeds.

Now there are more than ten ditches dug by Wang Manyin in the space, and the water flow can go directly to all parts of the loess.

On both sides of the ditch, the barren grass is now showing signs of overflowing, many of which are nearly half a meter deep, so it should not be too easy to cut.

In just half an hour, the space was piled up into a small haystack.

After a short rest, he walked out of the space with a bundle of weeds. As soon as the bales were scattered on the ground, dozens of sheep immediately swarmed around to grab food.

In this regard, Wang Manyin has long been prepared. At a distance of four or five meters, he scattered a second and a third sheaves......

After doing this a few times, dozens of sheep were finally settled.

When he entered the space before, Wang Manyin did not choose those fresh grasses, but specially harvested half-dry and half-green dead grass.

Cattle and sheep who have raised cattle and sheep know that it is not good to eat too much fresh grass, which will ferment in their stomachs and produce a lot of gas, which will cause swelling and knocking.

At this time, it is necessary to pour vinegar on the cattle and sheep. If that doesn't work, you can only find a veterinarian to puncture the stomach and deflate.

After settling dozens of sheep, Wang Manyin completely relaxed. He found a sheltered place on the mountain beam, leaned against the sun and read.

There were a lot of books stored in the space before, and I never had a chance to take them out and look through them.

Rhubarb stayed next to his master for a while, probably bored, and quickly turned around and left, not knowing where he had gone.

When he returned, the guy had a hare in his mouth.

didn't say anything, Wang Manyin went directly into the space to deal with it. He was going to stew and eat it, and after thinking about it, he simply decided to make it into a roasted hare.

The main thing is that the stewed hare is a little tired during this time, and it is better to change the taste.

Generally, it is necessary to have cumin when making barbecue, which can enhance the flavor and texture.

Although he doesn't have cumin in his hands, he has a lot of wild peppers, and it's good to replace them with this.

Ground pepper, also known as thyme, is a very common wild seasoning on the Loess Plateau. When this thing blooms, you can smell a unique fragrance from a distance of forty or fifty meters, so it is called thyme.

When steaming buns and pancakes, each aunt likes to add some ground pepper as a seasoning, and the taste is very different. When Wang Shouchang stewed meat before, he also added ground pepper chili peppers.

In addition, the pepper is not only liked by humans, but also by the sheep. The mutton of the Loess Plateau has a unique taste because they often eat ground peppers.

has done so many barbecues, and Wang Manyin's skills have also been thoroughly practiced.

Roast slowly over low heat, and the final rabbit meat is golden in color and steaming. In order to increase the taste, he also deliberately sprinkled a lot of sesame seeds on the top.

The rabbit head and two front legs were given to the rhubarb as usual, and Wang Manyin held the two hind legs beautifully and gnawed violently.

As soon as you bite into it, the golden and crispy skin explodes, and the aroma of meat mixed with spices begins to spread on the tip of the tongue......

After eating the whole hare, Wang Manyin knocked another watermelon as a dessert.

After eating and drinking, he took the rhubarb back to the outside.

At this moment, dozens of sheep are almost full, and they are lying in the cliff ditch and ruminating.

Wang Manyin roughly counted it, and saw that there was no one missing, so he continued to read with confidence.

In winter, it was dark early in the afternoon, and at just two o'clock, Wang Manyin was ready to drive the sheep back. It's just that he waited left and right, and never saw the released peregrine falcon return.

After waiting for half an hour, he simply ignored it. In a similar situation before, if the peregrine falcon could not find itself, it would voluntarily return home.

All the way to the outside of the village, the cliff ditch has begun to darken.

In the distance, Wang Manyin saw several broken babies standing on the road and waving at him, and then ran over quickly.

When she got closer, Shanwa excitedly said, "Full of silver

Uncle, why did you come back! We've been waiting for a long time."

"What do you guys want to buy?" I'll wait until I get the flock back to the feedlot compound." He thought a few guys were waiting to buy something, so he casually replied.

It is said that the house has opened a sales point, which is also a great thing for the broken babies in the three nearby villages, at least it is much more convenient to sell things, and there is no need to run towards the supply and marketing cooperative.

In the spring, peaches and almonds are sold, scorpions are picked, and various medicinal herbs are dug up...... As long as it is a living that earns money, the children have not missed it. Z.br>

Especially in spring and summer, many broken babies are busy almost all day long, and the harvest is naturally not small.

In the past year, although Wang Manyin has not made specific statistics, it is estimated that many people can also earn ten yuan.

Although most of this money is asked by adults, some will be left for the children. With money, this guy always comes to the supply and marketing cooperatives every once in a while to buy some candy.

"Uncle Man Yin, we don't buy anything, we want your two cats to catch pigeons. It's a big group, and they were blocked into the cliff cave by Uncle Xiangyang, just in front."

"Where?" Hearing this, Wang Manyin asked curiously.

In winter, when the temperature is low, it is normal for rock pigeons to hide in the cracks of the earth overnight.

It's just that it's still an hour before dark, and they're resting so early?

Leaving Shanwa to help watch the sheep, Wang Manyin and the other children turned into a cliff ditch not far away. Turning over a mountain beam, I saw Liu Xiangyang and Mao Dan guarding halfway up a cliff. The place was steep, but humans could barely stand. At the feet of the two of them, there was still a lot of burned-out ashes.

"Brother Wang, you're finally back, I've been waiting for two hours." Seeing him appear, Liu Xiangyang hurriedly waved his hand.

Following the guidance of the other party, Wang Manyin finally found that there was a thirty or forty centimeter-long crack next to the sour jujube tree, and the location was quite hidden.

If you don't look carefully, you can't see it at all.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "How did you find this place?"

"After lunch, I was idle, so I planned to take a few children into the mountains to dig rat holes. As a result, as soon as I arrived here, I suddenly saw an eagle chasing a flock of rock pigeons overhead. The guys were forced to hurry, and they all flew into the cave to hide. I'll take someone to block the cave...... It's just that it's deeper, and I've been tinkering with a stick a few times, but I haven't been able to get out of the pigeon."

"Are there any other openings that won't fly away from somewhere else?" Wang Manyin looked around and asked. If there are other holes, it will be blind for a long time.

When he heard about the eagle, he instinctively remembered the peregrine falcon he had released. Nine times out of ten, it's this guy chasing prey. No wonder I waited in the mountains for half an hour and didn't see it, and my feelings flew back early.

"No, I checked it earlier. At first, I thought they had run away from other exits, but as soon as they left, a rock pigeon flew out. I'm afraid I'll run it all, so I'll keep beating at the entrance of the hole."

"I was going to use a cigarette, but it turned out to be too high, and the north wind was blowing, so it didn't work.

Later, I asked Mao Dan to guard it, and I wanted to go to your house to bring two cats over...... I don't know if they don't come to me at all, so I'll have to wait for you to come back and catch them......

Wang Manyin's two cats can catch birds, and many people in the village know about it. This skill is not unusual, and so are the other cats in the village.

If you want to say something special, it is probably that the two cats catch more birds.

And the two guys are similar to Rhubarb, only when he and Orchid kiss ***, they don't allow strangers to come near at all. Liu Xiangyang often went to play, but he never got acquainted with cats.

"Okay, you wait for me for twenty minutes, and then drive the sheep back."

Catching rock pigeons can only be fun, driving sheep is a big deal, and it is not safe to let a child guard him. If you lose one later, you'll cause trouble for others.

When Wang Manyin drove the sheep into the courtyard, he handed it over to Wang Jincai to deal with.

When I got home, I saw a peregrine falcon waiting in my head. After taking the guy into the space, he rushed out of the village with the two cats.

Standing at the entrance of the cave again, Wang Manyin put the two cat brains

The bag was touched a few times, and then let go.

The two guys, who must have understood their master's intentions, went to the mouth of the cave and sniffed it, then turned around and got into it.

Soon, there was a cooing sound from inside.

Then, a dark brown cat returned with a rock pigeon in its mouth. Placing the prey in front of its owner, it turns around and enters it.

A few seconds later, the second cat also returned with its prey.

In just five minutes, they caught more than a dozen rock pigeons in a row, which made a group of people excited.

What's even more amazing is that in the end, the brown *** Mi actually took out a hairy civet. The thing's fur wasn't hurt, but it was in a state of hibernation at the moment, and it was thrown to the ground motionless.

Everyone finally knew why this cliff cave was so deep, and their feelings had been transformed by the hairy civet.

Seeing the two cats disappear again, Liu Xiangyang was full of anticipation and said, "There won't be anything in there."

When they returned, they had peanuts, dates, and ears of wheat in their mouths...... Obviously, this is the food stored by the caty fox before hibernation, and it has also been tossed out by the cat.

After a while, a large pile of grain was made on the ground, almost four or five catties.

"Brother Wang, what are these dead birds doing?" Seeing that the rock pigeon was captured, Liu Xiangyang asked out loud.

"I'll just take one back and give your sister-in-law a soup to drink." I'll get the fox back and feed the cats, and you can share the rest yourself." Wang Manyin thought for a while.

There are still twenty or thirty rock pigeons in the space, and he is not uncommon for this thing, so it is better to keep it for a few broken babies to satisfy their hunger.

When he got home, Wang Manyin threw the fox directly in front of the cats, which was regarded as a reward for them.

As a result, the two guys sniffed and showed unusual disgust.

Wang Manyin was a little speechless, so he simply entered the space and gave the peregrine falcon something.

Orchid was about to return, and he didn't stay in the space long, and after throwing the half-dead hairy civet into the wicker cage, he hurried away.