Reborn in the 1980s: I made my fortune hunting wild game in Changbai Mountain

"Walin Eagle" is a term used exclusively by people in the industry.

What does that mean? Nine out of ten birds of prey migrate with the seasons in spring and autumn.

For example, the breeding grounds of goshawks in Northeast China or further north. Starting in spring, after the Qingming Festival, they fly north to their breeding grounds. Then, in autumn, they fly south to warmer areas to spend the winter.

Besides the eagles that migrate normally, there are a very small number of eagles that never leave, even in winter, and continue to live within their own territory.

This is the Walin Eagle that the eagle master mentioned.

Think about it, the winter climate is cold and food is scarce, and most of their kind cannot survive in their breeding grounds, but the eagles of the valley forest can survive.

Either the territory is exceptionally rich in species and food, or the eagle's hunting skills are exceptionally outstanding.

In the dead of winter, everything is desolate. Birds and other birds that should be migrating south for the winter have all left. Even if food is plentiful, how much can it last?

Therefore, in conclusion, eagles that have the strength to overwinter in low-lying forests are mostly not to be trifled with.

"Uncle Liu, have you ever caught eagles at Miyun Reservoir?" Jinlong asked, turning his head intrigued by the question.

Little Eagle Liu nodded: "In previous years, I would go there once or twice every year after it snowed! I would almost always find something!"

After the falconry season is over, many players are left empty-handed because their eagles have either flown away or been injured.

"Taking advantage of the snow making it difficult to hunt for food, I went to set up a net and caught a decent hawk. I can sell it to a suitable player and make a profit!"

Yue Feng nodded: "The eagles in the valley are generally much more capable than those that pass by!"

“Then… let’s go catch some eagles when we have time!” Mingkai’s eyes lit up instantly when he heard this.

Yue Feng shook his head: "Didn't you hear what Grandpa Liu said? To catch the big eagles in the forest, you have to wait until it snows!"
Eagles that live near reservoirs and similar places have a wide range of activity. If we use traditional hand nets to catch them, we might not see a single one for ten days or half a month if we're unlucky!

"Huh? Is that so? Okay then! I was hoping to get some benefits and show off a bit!" Mingkai scratched his head and muttered a little embarrassedly.

Yue Feng said with a smile, "I may not be able to catch up, but Grandpa Liu is idle all winter! It's not right to leave readily available resources unused, isn't it just going the long way around!"

After we finish eating, we can take some photos together. When we give them as gifts, we can say we flew eagles together, and we'll still look impressive!

“Well, that’s true! I wonder when it will snow, sir. If you catch a decent eagle when you do, please let me know!” Mingkai continued.

“Okay, Xiaofeng actually makes a lot of sense. The range of activity of the eagles in the valley is too large. The success rate of catching eagles is higher after snowfall. Otherwise, it is not easy to catch them in normal weather!”

If you want it, leave me your phone number later. I'll let you know when I catch it after the snow!

"OK!"

……

While the group chatted for a while, the food Jinlong had ordered was served one after another.

While chatting about various birds of prey, everyone enjoyed authentic Peking duck and a few sips of wine, and soon the atmosphere became lively.

The welcome dinner lasted for nearly two hours before it ended. None of the guests drank too much; a slight buzz was just right.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill and paid the bill, Mingkai said goodbye to Xiaodong and left, leaving only Jinlong, Yuefeng, and Grandpa Liu.

"Xiaofeng, what are we doing this afternoon? You've been on the train for so long, are you tired? How about I take you home to rest?" Jinlong asked.

Yue Feng shook his head: "Go to my house first, and take the local specialties I brought for the old man along with the other things. If you're free this afternoon, go to the old man's house for tea and a chat! Old man, you don't have any other plans this afternoon, do you?"

Grandpa Liu waved his hand: "My friend from Tianjin is coming tomorrow and I need to pick him up. I have no plans for today. It's very quiet in winter!"

"I made a few of those screwdriver eagle cap patterns you gave me last time. They look okay, but something feels off. Could you help me figure it out this afternoon?"

For young masters like Jinlong Mingkai, the special-style eagle hats and small tripods were just tools for eagles. Whether they were expensive or cheap, a few would be enough for many years, and they didn't wear out quickly.

So, aside from being amazed when they first saw it and used it, they didn't experience much emotional fluctuation afterward.

However, for Grandpa Liu, these things have a different meaning!

The old man is already this age and has no other source of income. The family makes a living by catching and selling eagles in the spring and autumn, and by making eagle hats and eagle gear by hand.

Trying to figure out new designs at home and learning them on your own is definitely not as fast as asking Yue Feng, an experienced person, in person.

“Okay! I brought all these odds and ends with me this time!” Yue Feng knew what the old man meant and agreed without hesitation.

Soon, the three of them got into the car and went to Yue Feng's own yard to pick up some local specialties from Northeast China, such as mushrooms, wood ear fungus, pine nuts, and deer antlers. They also took the pattern for making eagle gear and tools such as needles and thread, and then returned to Grandpa Liu's house.

The old lady in the house had already eaten lunch and was warming herself by the fire in the inner room, listening to the radio.

When Yue Feng and the other two returned, Aunt Liu quickly boiled water to make tea for them.

Yue Feng didn't waste any time. After a cup of tea, he quickly started discussing the details of making hats with the old man.

There's a trick to making these goldfish-eye screw-shaped hats. The old man always felt something was off during the process, so he showed Yue Feng his practice piece.

"Look at this hat I made, what's wrong with it!"

Yue Feng took the hat and carefully examined all the details, inside and out.

To be fair, the old man's basic skills are quite solid. He used the N-shaped inner stitch method, and the stitches were even and fine, with pretty good details.

However, what was originally supposed to be a goldfish eye shape with slightly bulging eyes turned out to have an abnormal curve in the position of the two eyes after the old man made it.

The surrounding lines are slightly tight, affecting the curvature; in other words, they're a bit distorted.

"No big problem, it's just a thin layer of paper!" Yue Feng said with a smile.

"What's wrong with it?" Grandpa Liu continued to ask.

"The innermost circle, which was supposed to be drawn normally, has gone out of shape!"

"The force I used to reel in the line is about the same as in other places, so why is there a problem here?" The old man looked at me with curiosity after hearing this.

"This is the narrowest part, and the stress is greatest when sewing it together! I have a suggestion for you, try it again and it should solve the problem!"

"you say!"

"Before you start stitching, slightly thin the skin around the front half of the area! This will reduce the stress and prevent deformation!" "Thinnify?"

"Yes! It works instantly! It only takes about one-fifth of the peel to peel off! Do you have a peeler for thinning peels on hand?"

“I don’t have any here, but places that sell leather definitely have it! When you make hats, do you also thin them out beforehand?” Little Eagle Liu continued to ask.

Yue Feng shook his head: "I didn't thin it out! I patched it up on the stitches along the line, appropriately increasing the width of the stitches to make the transition smoother, and the deformation was under control!"

Another thing is the force you use when reeling in the line; you need to find the right feeling for it!

These two techniques are less convenient than simply thinning the surface, so I didn't tell you directly!

"Can you sew it up on the spot so I can take a look?" Grandpa Liu asked after listening.

"Alright! Then I'll make a fool of myself!"

Yue Feng responded and then took out the sewing tools, including needles and thread, that he had brought with him.

Cut the pattern with a knife, make holes at the seam of the half-leather with an awl beforehand, then put on a thimble and use a sharper three-edged needle to turn the material over from the back and start sewing.

When it comes to craftsmanship, once an expert makes a move, there's nothing left to lose.

Yue Feng followed the procedure step by step without rushing, and soon he had sewn up the hat blank of the goldfish-eye eagle hat with screws.

Wet the hat with water, and then turn it inside out while the leather is still soft. That completes the basic hat shape.

The stitches on the reverse side are loose yet smooth, and when turned inside out, the front is perfectly aligned, as if it wasn't hand-stitched but was naturally formed this way. The craftsmanship and details are impeccable.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you're much more steady than me when it comes to sewing hats!" Little Eagle Liu watched Yue Feng finish the job with complete focus and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Hehe! Practice makes perfect! Just practice a little and you'll get the hang of it!"
The best leather for this goldfish-eye screw cap isn't top-grain cowhide, but the raw material is hard to find here!

"What kind of skin?" Upon hearing this, Jinlong immediately became interested.

He was just looking for some leather to make hats. He had a friend whose family was in charge of a leather goods factory, so for Jinlong, it was just a matter of making a small request.

"Kangaroo skin! I learned about it from foreign literature. I asked many people, and they all said that it's impossible to get your hands on it! That kind of skin has excellent properties; it can be made to be both light and tough, and very thin! If processed properly, it's a great material for making hats!"

"Kangaroo skin, that stuff should be from Australia, right?" Jinlong asked thoughtfully after listening.

"It seems so, but I'm not sure!"

"Okay, I've got it. I'll ask my friends later and see if I can find a way to get some!"

Seeing that Jinlong seemed to think it wasn't too difficult, Yue Feng continued, "Do you have any connections in this area?"

"I guess so! What's wrong?"

"Since you're asking, besides kangaroo skin, could you also get some vegetable-tanned leather? They should have that stuff in the capital!"

"Vegetable tanned leather?"

Yue Feng nodded: "That's right! That thing makes dyeing and shaping much easier! Grandpa Liu makes a living with this skill, so if we younger generation have connections, we should help him out! Once the old man has mastered the craft, he won't be short of our beautiful hats, will he?"

"Okay, we're not strangers! The old man treats us like his own children!"

When Jinlong heard the chatterbox reach this point, he readily agreed without even stammering.

Upon hearing Yue Feng's words, Little Eagle Liu put down the hat mold in his hand, and his gaze towards Yue Feng and Jinlong changed.

"You two, how can I ever repay you!"

"What are you saying, sir? It's just a small favor! Kangaroo skin will probably take a while, but vegetable-tanned leather, if we have it, we can get it in a day or two! We'll study it then and see what uses it has!" Jinlong continued.

Yue Feng continued, "Actually, besides the traditional goldfish-eye screw and official hat toad head styles, there are other different designs that can be created with the eagle hat!"

Sir, since you have nothing to do in winter, why don't you take a look at repairing a hat last?
While the goldfish-eye-shaped screwdriver is pretty, it takes too long to produce. If it's cheap, it won't make money; if it's expensive, it won't sell well until the quality is top-notch!
During this time, you can use the hat last to practice making other styles to improve your skills!
Making hats with vegetable-tanned leather is much easier because it shapes better! I'm currently in Yanjing, and when I have some free time, I can help you refine the design details!

Hearing Yue Feng's sincere words, Little Eagle Liu nodded: "Alright, since you put it that way, this old man will give it a try! What do we need for this thing? I'll start preparing now!"

After a moment's thought, Yue Feng asked, "Do you have any friends who make specimens?"

"Hatch specimens? Weren't we talking about hat making? Why are you asking about specimens? I do know a few, what's up?"

"If you want to repair the last, you need the actual size of the eagle! If you don't have a live bird on hand to measure, it's best to have a specimen so you can take it as a reference! The distance between the eyes, the angle of the opening, the ratio of the distance between the vestibule and the back of the head, etc., all need to be measured and sampled!"
"Once we've fixed the specimen, we can send it back!"

"Oh, that's easy! I can borrow it later! Just borrow a specimen of whatever kind of eagle cap last you want to make!"

"Yes! The most common birds that wear hats are the falcon, goshawk, peregrine falcon, sparrowhawk and grey falcon!"

"Bring one of these over first, and I'll make a sample for you. For the other varieties, just follow the same process and make them yourself!"

"Perfect! I was just about to doze off, and you just handed me a pillow!" Grandpa Liu couldn't help but exclaim.

"Haha, we're just killing time anyway, might as well play around! Let's borrow a specimen, get some clay, and get to work!"

"Okay, I'll get right away with it!"

……

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly as the three men, slightly drunk, sipped tea and worked on eagle-feather hats in the warm room, chatting and laughing.

As evening approached, Yuefeng and Jinlong planned to get up and go home, but the old man refused to do so. He slaughtered the hen that laid eggs and asked Aunt Liu to buy a lot of cooked food from the deli. They prepared a feast and had another drink that night.

The old man is an eccentric old man who makes a living by hunting with eagles; Yue Feng is a reincarnated person who has lived two lives; and Jin Long is a second-generation rich kid.

Three people with completely different fates become friends because of a common hobby.

This makes one marvel at how sometimes fate can be so wondrous.

That evening, Yue Feng and Jin Long each drank three more glasses of strong liquor before leaving.

According to Grandpa Liu, his friend from Tianjin who's an expert at playing with rabbits and tigers will be coming tomorrow, and he'll be having lunch at his house tomorrow.

Remembering the exotic game of the imperial rabbit-and-swan hunt that the old man had mentioned before, Yue Feng felt a surge of anticipation. (End of Chapter)