Training the Heavens

Chapter 197 Yellow Four Eyes

With such a huge treasure trove like the Qilian Mountains behind them, why couldn't Guo Chenzi, Dong Kuan and others live a good life?
The reason is simple. Qilian Mountain does contain huge treasures, but whether it is mushrooms, wild vegetables, herbs, or wild animals, they are all scattered. The total amount of treasures in Qilian Mountain is very high, and it is very limited if it is confined to a small area.

It is not an easy task for an ordinary person to find enough wealth in such a vast land. When they are grazing in the mountains, they may find some if they are lucky, but if they are unlucky, they may not find anything after going around for ten days or half a month.

So they rely on the Qilian Mountains and will definitely not starve to death, but it is not easy to eat enough or even eat well. Only experienced old herbal farmers and hunters can make a living from this.

If it were in the past, Xu Lingjun would not be very confident, but now it is different. He has drawn the ability of animal affinity, so he can tame animals to help him discover the treasures of Qilian Mountain.

The first thing Xu Lingjun thought of was dogs. Dogs have a sense of smell that is far superior to that of humans. Dogs can easily find mushrooms, herbs, and animals that humans cannot find. In this way, if he raises a few dogs to help him find them, he is confident that he can get rid of poverty in a short time and let himself and Xiuzhi live a good life.

While he was daydreaming, Dong Kuan had already picked all the mushrooms and put them into the cloth bag he was carrying. He said happily, "We are really lucky. Now is not the time to pick yellow mushrooms, but we happened to come across some. We will eat half of these mushrooms ourselves and take the other half back to you so that your wife can try them too."

"Just leave a little, and let's eat the rest together." Xu Lingjun didn't want to take advantage of such a big advantage, so he quickly asked, "Uncle, has anyone's dog around here just given birth? I want to raise two too."

"When I went to the meeting last time, I heard Shuanzhu from the third team say that his dog had just given birth to a litter before the New Year. If you want one, I'll bring you two when I get back." Dong Kuan didn't think much about it. It was very normal for herders to have two dogs at home. They could be used for herding and hunting.

He was even quite pleased. "You're becoming more and more like someone from our ranch. Now that you've married, just stay here and enjoy your life."

"Yeah, I thought so too." Xu Lingjun really had no plans to leave the ranch. Even if the policy changed in the future, he could still start a business and make a lot of money on the ranch.

Being interrupted like this, Dong Kuan forgot about distributing the mushrooms. He took Xu Lingjun to a ravine, found a dirt wall, drew a few circles on it as targets, and began to teach Xu Lingjun how to shoot.

The enhanced physique brought many benefits to Xu Lingjun. He had a good ability to resist the recoil of the rifle and learned the techniques quickly. It didn't take long for the bullets he shot to hit the target more stably.

Dong Kuan shook his head repeatedly, "I didn't expect you to have this ability. It's a pity that I discovered it too late. If you had discovered it earlier, you would definitely be a good candidate for the army."

"Uncle, you forgot that I am not qualified to be a soldier." Xu Lingjun shook his head, raised his rifle and aimed again. This time he hit the target again. If he continued to practice like this, it would not be long before he could participate in hunting.

"Yeah, that's true!" Dong Kuan sighed, dropping the topic. "I'll tell the team later and get you a gun. You've been behaving well at the ranch for over ten years, and now you're married, so they probably won't stop you. The only problem is that there's a ration of bullets, so if you want more, you'll have to buy more yourself."

"If I could master it, I could earn back the money I paid for my bullets just by hunting gazelles. You have a wife now, and you'll have kids in the future, so you really need to find some way to make money." Dong Kuan thought a lot. "Thank you, Uncle Dong, that's what I was thinking too. I used to be able to get by on my own, but now that I have a family, things are different." Xu Lingjun thanked him sincerely. He had been at the ranch for so many years, and if it weren't for the kind people like Guo Chenzi and Dong Kuan, Xu Lingjun's life would have been much harder now.

Driving the horses around the grasslands on the Qilian Mountains, Xu Lingjun kept paying attention to the conditions wherever he went, including where there were mushrooms, where herbs were grown, and where animals roamed, remembering all of this clearly.

It is just the beginning of spring, the mushrooms have not yet appeared, the herbs have not yet matured, and even the animals have not come out to move around in large numbers, so they did not harvest much from this grazing trip.

But it doesn't matter. As long as I remember it, I can come back to look for it in summer or autumn. It will definitely not be a wasted trip. Besides, the dogs Xu Lingjun raised will probably grow up by then, and it will be a good time to take them out for a walk.

After returning from herding, Li Xiuzhi saw his face full of joy. "I was wondering why I heard the magpie calling this morning. I didn't expect you to be back so soon. Are you tired? I'll go make you dinner right away!"

Xu Lingjun dismounted from his horse and handed over a half-filled cloth bag. "I picked some mushrooms and wild vegetables. It's a pity we were unlucky this time and didn't encounter any yellow sheep. Otherwise, I could have let you taste yellow sheep meat. It's much tastier than the sheep on our ranch."

"Your safe return is better than anything else. I'll go get some water. You can soak your feet first to relieve your fatigue. The meal will be ready soon." Li Xiuzhi took the cloth bag and hurried to pour water for Xu Lingjun.

At night, the two of them lay on the kang. Xu Lingjun talked about what he had experienced in the Qilian Mountains. Li Xiuzhi blinked her eyes, her heart full of curiosity. "I don't have these in my hometown. I really want to go and see them with you."

"In our ranch, apart from those families who have been herdsmen for generations, there are not many women from other families who go with us to graze. But it doesn't matter. I will take you if you want. You just have to learn to ride a horse first." Xu Lingjun thought that it would be nice for the two of them to go up the mountain to graze together. Isn't this Qiao Feng's dream? He has no chance, but we have plenty of time.

"Then teach me tomorrow." The two had just gotten married and were in love with each other. Xu Lingjun was away these days and Li Xiuzhi missed him every day. If he could learn to ride a horse, they wouldn't have to be apart for so long.

After just two days at the ranch, Dong Kuan came over happily, holding two puppies in his arms. "Hey, you're really lucky! Shuanzhu's dog gave birth to two yellow four-eyed puppies. I brought them all to you."

"Huang Siyan!" Xu Lingjun's eyes lit up and he hurried over to check.

The two puppies were about three months old, with short and thick muzzles, black and yellow almond-shaped eyes, and thick black and yellow hair. The most notable feature was the two yellow round spots above their eyes, making them look like they had another pair of eyes.

This is the Yellow Four-Eyed Tibetan Mastiff, a top-quality local precious dog breed, the Hequ Tibetan Mastiff.

(End of this chapter)