bookrebus Chapter 358 Captain Zhang's Dilemma
Chapter 358 Captain Zhang's Dilemma
Li Ju'an stretched out his arms and dug hard into the deer burrow. Digging this thing was exhausting, and it ruined both the man and his farm tools. In the late autumn heat, he ripped off his vest, revealing his strong, muscular physique.
He and Chen Xiangqian, both youthful and energetic, sported strong, muscular upper arms that were clearly defined, almost sculpted, drawing admiring glances from the aunts and grandmothers around them. Several older women from the village, seeing this, approached with beaming smiles and warm eyes.
"Hey young men, are you married yet? My niece just turned eighteen this year, she's as beautiful as a flower. How about I play matchmaker for you two and you can get to know each other?"
Chen Xiangqian, in the prime of his life, was no match for the passionate advances of the older women. His cheeks flushed instantly, and he stammered, "Oh dear, this...this is too early. I'm only eighteen myself. Besides, my elders might not approve. How could I dare to even think about something like this..."
Li Ju'an, standing to the side, though only in his early twenties, appeared remarkably calm and composed, his words revealing a bold and forthright manner, as if he were not surprised by this unexpected "blind date" scene.
Li Ju'an laughed and said, "Auntie, you've gone to so much trouble. I'm penniless and don't have a job in the system, so I'm afraid the girl won't be interested in me."
The aunt and sister-in-law, seeing that Li Ju'an was young, strong, warm, and honest, couldn't help but look at him a few more times. They surrounded him, asking him questions and watching what he was busy with.
"Young man, how long did it take you to train this eagle? It looks very docile."
Two nimble falcons stood leisurely on Li Ju'an's arm. As he bent down to dig the deer burrow, they nimbly leaped onto his back, moving up and down in perfect sync with their master's every back movement.
Li Ju'an smiled, his tone tinged with pride: "They've only been with me for less than a month, and the training period hasn't been long."
Grandma Zhang exclaimed in delight, "My goodness, it's become so obedient in such a short time! It's even more intelligent than the eagle that the brigade leader used to train!"
Upon hearing this, Li Ju'an was no longer sleepy. They say shared interests are key; if the head of the barley field also loved falconry, they would certainly have plenty to talk about.
He said, "The captain also likes eagles?"
Before Old Lady Zhang could speak, Aunt Zhao's laughter rang out, and she interjected, "That's right! Back then, our brigade leader, full of enthusiasm, insisted on coming to this vast Gobi Desert to raid eagle nests. The eagle nests were high up on the cliffs, and just climbing them took up most of his strength. He finally managed to catch a baby eagle, but before he left, the mother eagle pecked him hard on the head."
"In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed. That mother eagle has a good memory. Whenever the captain passes by, she always flies down and gives him a pile of poop on his head as a memento."
Upon hearing this, the villagers sitting around were all reminded of past amusing incidents, and they all burst into laughter, creating an atmosphere of great joy.
Grandpa Zhao nodded slowly, the tobacco pouch in his hand emitting wisps of smoke, and said gently, "Eagles are creatures that understand human nature very well. If you harm its young, it will remember the mistake and hold a grudge against you. You can't believe in such things."
The head of the barley field, years ago, raided a falcon's nest in his quest for one. The day the falcon caught him, it pecked at his head repeatedly throughout the village. He fled in terror, his authority as head of the field completely gone. The villagers, watching the spectacle, dared not laugh too loudly, secretly chuckling while calling for the head of the field to hide inside.
He hid in the house for a while, then went out to go to the office, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he was determined to get back at him.
Li Ju'an looked at the villagers sitting around him, his eyes filled with inquiry, and asked softly, "Does anyone know when our brigade leader will be back in the village?" He secretly planned to find a suitable opportunity to personally visit the leader in charge of the barley fields. He wanted to first talk to the brigade leader about his plans to contract the land and quarry stone, so that things could get off to a good start.
Three years from now, once the policy barriers to quarrying are removed, numerous individuals will emerge, some making a living from forestry, others from animal husbandry, each contracting out hilltops. By then, Li Ju'an's quarry permits will be processed smoothly, and everything will fall into place naturally.
Standing nearby, Aunt Zhao beamed with joy, her smile almost reaching her ears: "Captain, all you have to do is stand in the middle of the village, and you're guaranteed to spot the guy being chased all over the village by the eagle—that's him!"
Several people pointed behind them, and Li Ju'an indeed saw a young man carrying a porcelain basin, jogging along the middle of the village.
The young man had only run halfway when a high-pitched cry rang out from the sky. An eagle, carrying a stone in its beak, brought the stone down.
The young man seemed used to such situations, his face remaining calm. With a porcelain basin balanced on his head, he continued his run without stopping. The porcelain basin above his head jingled and chimed, as various "gifts" dropped by the eagles in the sky fell into it, including a clump of filth that landed squarely in the basin.
The women around them burst into laughter at the sight, clearly finding this scene commonplace and unsurprising.
Li Ju'an's eyes were filled with disbelief as he asked in surprise, "This is the captain?" His tone was incredulous, as the person in front of him was clearly much younger than himself.
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Zhang gently shook her head and explained, "No, he's the brigade leader's nephew. That eagle is very cunning; knowing it's difficult to catch the brigade leader, it simply waits in front of his house for him to return." As she finished speaking, a hint of helplessness and amusement flashed in her eyes at the eagle's persistent behavior.
After a while, his nephew kept running into the eagle when he went out. Since the eagle couldn't catch the captain, it could only take revenge on the young man.
The aunts and sisters-in-law laughed until tears streamed down their faces at Zhang's nephew's unfortunate state. They said, "After that, Captain Zhang would always wear a hat when he went out. He learned his lesson. Every time he wore a different hat, the eagle couldn't tell the difference and would mistake him for a different one, so it stopped stinging him."
As it turned out, Captain Zhang's nephew was also a stubborn child. After being hit by a stone, he was left with a deep-seated trauma, and whenever he went out, he would carry a porcelain basin on his head, fearing another mishap. That same porcelain basin, gleaming brightly in the sunlight, attracted attention. Who else would Eagle tease but him?
The amusing incident between Captain Zhang and the eagle made Chen Xiangqian laugh until tears streamed down his face, his eyes glistening with tears.
Li Ju'an felt a deep sympathy for Captain Zhang. He sighed softly, as if he wanted to shed a tear of pity for the man in the barley field. He said slowly, "This can't go on forever. We have to find a way to solve this problem. Otherwise, Captain Zhang's future travels will become a big problem."