"Damn, it's freezing!"
Before long, Li Yuemin arrived in the mountain forest where the north wind was howling. Everything within his field of vision was blanketed in white snow. Although he was wearing a thick, heavy cotton-padded jacket, he was still shivering, his breath instantly turning into cold white mist.
"Looks like I need to pick up the pace, or I'll be frozen stiff before I even catch any prey."
With that thought, Li Yuemin quickened his steps, pushing against the gusting north wind as he scanned the hillsides for his target. Having been a special forces soldier, search training was already in his blood. As he walked, he meticulously observed every detail of his surroundings.
Based on the knowledge from his past life, field mice prefer to build their nests in underground tunnels, under tree roots, and in crevices beneath rocks. These locations shared a common trait: they were on higher ground, which prevented flooding and allowed them to conceal their tracks. In this vast, snowy forest, a field mouse's hiding spot was extremely well-hidden; he couldn't afford to overlook even the slightest trace.
Li Yuemin had been walking for quite a while when his gaze was suddenly drawn to a rock crevice in the distance. He crouched down slowly and spotted a few long, "raisin-like" objects wrapped in snow. If his judgment was correct, those were fresh field mouse droppings.
"Judging by the moisture and shape of these droppings, the colony must be quite large. I can make a real haul here!"
Li Yuemin couldn't hide the joy in his heart, knowing that traces of field mice were definitely nearby. He carefully approached the crevice and scrutinized the surrounding environment. Although the ground was covered in thick snow, the activity of the mice was still vaguely visible. He noticed a slight depression beneath the rocks where the snow layer was thinner than elsewhere, as if it had been compacted by something frequently moving in and out.
"This is it!"
He used a small shovel to gently brush away the snow and, sure enough, found a hole the size of a fist. Confident in the scope of the mice's activity, Li Yuemin felt an extraordinary sense of excitement. He knew that field mice were extremely cunning; they didn't just have one entrance but would dig multiple interconnected holes. Usually, they used the main entrance to return to the nest, so the main hole was always larger than the others. Through careful observation, Li Yuemin quickly identified the larger main entrance.
Drawing on memories of training in the special forces from his past life, he decided to use the most convenient method: smoking them out. By creating smoke, he could make the mice feel uncomfortable and drive them out of their burrows.
Thinking this through, Li Yuemin took his prepared tools—a small shovel and some dry straw—out of his pack. He first urinated to dampen the dry straw, then wrapped the wet straw inside the dry portion, lit it, and quickly shoved it into the main entrance. He then used stones and branches to block all other possible exits, leaving only one opening close to the main hole, which he positioned leading into his mouse cage.
Once everything was set, Li Yuemin stepped back and waited quietly for the harvest. The howling cold wind bit at his face like a knife, but his concentration remained fixed entirely on the hole.
Soon enough, rustling sounds emerged from the burrow. Driven by the smoke, the field mice had nowhere to hide and began to scramble out of the hole one after another. Li Yuemin held his breath, eyes locked on the opening, not daring to move a muscle. He watched as the mice panicked and dashed out, one by one, only to run headlong into the carefully placed cage. Seeing that the time was right, Li Yuemin quickly pulled the rope in his hand, triggering the mechanism and trapping them securely.
"Heh, mission accomplished!"
Seeing the figures scurrying about inside the cage, Li Yuemin couldn't help but feel a surge of joy and rushed forward to check the mechanism. To his surprise, there were nearly a hundred field mice in his homemade cage, rushing about and struggling frantically, but unable to escape.
"Well, look at that! I’ve wiped out three generations of the whole family in one go!"
Gazing at the spectacular sight before him, Li Yuemin suppressed his excitement and used a wire to kill the mice one by one, silently calculating their uses. After securing the mice, his eyes didn't stray from the snowy ground. He knew very well that field mice were famous for being "hoarders"; their burrows often contained food they had accumulated over a long time. In this era of scarce supplies, these were extremely precious resources that he absolutely could not miss.
He took a deep breath, gripped his shovel, and began digging along the mouse burrow. The earth beneath the snow was frozen hard, making the digging extremely strenuous. Li Yuemin’s hands were frozen red, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. At first, there was only layer upon layer of ice shards beneath the snow, but as the shovel went deeper, Li Yuemin suddenly felt like he had hit something.
His heart tightened, and he immediately quickened his pace. As he dug deeper, the items hidden in the burrow began to reveal themselves. With a clattering sound, round, plump beans began to spill out like a bursting dam.
"These are... soybeans!"
Li Yuemin’s eyes brightened instantly. He immediately crouched down, grabbed a handful of soybeans, and examined them closely. The beans were plump and golden-colored—it was clear these were the winter stores the field mice had carefully hoarded.
"Fantastic! This is a damn lucky break!"
Seeing this unexpected harvest, Li Yuemin’s heart was filled with wild joy. He quickly estimated that there were about forty or fifty pounds of soybeans. In these years of shortage, food was more precious than gold. These soybeans were a godsend for his family—not only could they solve the food shortage at home, but they could also be used to trade for other urgently needed supplies.
After ensuring he had cleared out all the burrows, the excited Li Yuemin immediately set to work packing the soybeans into another cloth bag.
"Awoo, awoo!"
Just as he was focused on loading the beans, a low, whimper suddenly reached his ears. Based on the volume, it seemed to be coming from his left and right. Li Yuemin became alert immediately; he stopped what he was doing and quickly reached for the crossbow at his side, his gaze scanning his surroundings sharply. As an experienced special forces soldier, he was extremely sensitive to the sounds of wild animals.
He judged that the noise must be the yelping of wolf pups. Since they were quite close to the village, it was unlikely that an entire pack of wolves would appear. It was most likely a mother wolf with her pups, drawn over by the smell of blood from the field mice. A thought sparked in Li Yuemin's mind, and the idea of hunting the wolf crossed his brain. With his homemade crossbow, dealing with a mother wolf would be no problem at all. Wolf fur could keep them warm, and wolf meat could stave off hunger; if he could successfully hunt the wolf, it would be another significant harvest for his family.
With this in mind, Li Yuemin held his breath, gripped his weapon, and moved cautiously toward the direction of the sound. His steps were light, and he made almost no noise, afraid of alerting the mother wolf that might be lurking nearby. As he closed the distance, the low whimpering grew clearer. Li Yuemin noticed the sound seemed to be coming from a nearby thicket. He moved quickly toward it and crouched down, peering into the bushes.
He hadn't expected the sight before him to make him freeze in surprise.