My Manor

"Wow... Bang! Bang..." Jiang Hai, who had just come under the tree, glanced at the dazed Xiaobai and couldn't help but pat its head in a mix of anger and amusement. Did it think it was a cat? It even climbed a tree! Was it sick? Facts proved that the Caucasian dog's IQ was indeed questionable. Even after eating Jiang Hai's blood, it still couldn't help but act foolishly.

Just as Jiang Hai was about to pull Xiaobai aside, a burst of snow broke off from the tree, causing him to shrink his neck instinctively. When he looked up, he saw a clump of snow falling, not toward him but straight at the squirrel that was about to retrieve an acorn.

The squirrel hadn't considered the possibility of danger from above. By the time it realized what was happening, it was already too late. All it saw was a snow mountain—well, for the squirrel, it certainly looked like one—coming down directly on its head, giving it no chance to escape. The snow hit the squirrel heavily, burying it in the snow pile under the tree.

Seeing this, Xiao Huang immediately rushed over, dug into the snow, and pulled out a fat squirrel covered in snow. The squirrel was still alive, but it was clearly dazed from the impact. Its eyes were wide, its mouth hung open, and it stared at Jiang Hai and the two large dogs with a stunned expression.

"You're really lucky," Jiang Hai said, taking the squirrel from Xiao Huang's mouth with a hint of displeasure.

If it weren't for the thick snow on the ground and the snow cushioning the fall, the squirrel would've been smashed into a meat pie. As it was, it was only temporarily stunned.

"Oh, it's a snow squirrel! Our first prey!" Robbins and Bell walked over, having noticed the commotion. Seeing the fat squirrel in Jiang Hai's hand, Robbins couldn't help but laugh.

"It counts, of course it counts. What's in my hand is mine," Jiang Hai said, suddenly deciding to accept the squirrel as part of their hunt.

Jiang Hai's way of thinking was a bit different from ordinary people. When most people saw an animal, their first thought would be to determine whether it was dangerous. If it wasn't, they might feel curious, sympathetic, or even comment on how cute it was.

But when Jiang Hai saw an animal—any animal, except for humans—his first thought was: Is it edible?

Whether it was dangerous or not was secondary. The primary concern was whether it could be eaten, just like when he caught that shark.

Robbins and Edward had worried about the shark being dangerous, but Jiang Hai had been more interested in the shark fin and meat.

Though he hadn't eaten the shark in the end, it was only because he'd grown fond of it after raising it for a while, making it hard to kill.

As for the squirrel, Jiang Hai's first thought was about whether it could be eaten. He remembered hearing that squirrel meat was quite delicious.

But after confirming it was edible, he curled his lips in disdain. It was too small. Even with the skin and bones, a squirrel barely weighed over a pound—probably less than two pounds of meat. That wouldn't even be enough to fill a gap between his teeth.

Still, in line with his principle of never leaving empty-handed, he decided to take the little creature back with him.

Robbins and Bell both chuckled at his decision and turned to head deeper into the woods. Jiang Hai placed the squirrel into a small pouch attached to his belt. The pouch was originally intended for collecting mushrooms.

Though Europeans and Americans typically don't eat fungi, Jiang Hai enjoyed them, especially wood ear mushrooms, which he believed were good for clearing the lungs. However, finding them locally was difficult, and the prices at Chinese supermarkets were exorbitant—several times higher than in China.

So when Robbins mentioned that there were wood ear mushrooms in the forest, Jiang Hai had prepared a pouch to collect some. But for now, the pouch held the stunned squirrel.

With the squirrel securely packed away, Jiang Hai followed Bell and Robbins into the forest, accompanied by the two dogs. Before leaving, he made sure to remind the dogs not to bark.

The group quietly ventured deeper into the woods. Before long, Bell, who was leading the way, signaled for them to stop.

Although Robbins had lived in the area for many years, Bell was the more experienced hunter. As Bell motioned, everyone halted and watched as he pointed in a specific direction.

Looking toward where Bell was pointing, Jiang Hai and Robbins saw a group of spotted pheasants foraging in a clearing about 40 meters away.

Upon seeing the birds, Robbins couldn't help but curl his lips in disappointment. He had hoped for something more exciting. These pheasants didn't grow very large—the biggest ones only reached about a pound. After removing the feathers, bones, and internal organs, there wouldn't be much meat left.

While Robbins was about to suggest looking for turkeys instead, he noticed Jiang Hai's eyes gleaming with excitement. No, more than that—his eyes were practically on fire!

"Fly... Flying dragon!" Jiang Hai whispered, his voice trembling with excitement.

Initially, he had come into the forest just to catch some turkeys, small birds, or rabbits for a snack. But he never expected to find flying dragons in his own forest!

"Drag... what? Where?" Robbins and Bell both froze in confusion.

In Western culture, the word "dragon" conjured images of mythical creatures, not birds. The Chinese pronunciation of "long" sounds closer to "wolf" in English, making Jiang Hai's declaration even more baffling.

Jiang Hai smiled awkwardly. "Well, in our country, we call this type of pheasant a flying dragon. We even have an old saying: 'Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground.' These guys are a rare delicacy!"

"Donkey? People in your country eat donkey meat too?" Robbins and Bell frowned in disbelief. Americans rarely eat unconventional meats. Their diets typically consist of chicken, beef, fish, and lamb. Pork was already uncommon—donkey meat was unheard of.

"Stop with the nonsense. You don't understand the deliciousness of donkey meat. And horse meat is even better! But never mind... I can see from your expressions that you've never tried it. Now, help me catch some of these birds!"

Despite their skepticism, the two hunters crouched and slowly approached the flock from opposite sides. Xiao Huang crouched beside Jiang Hai, blending into the snow, and stealthily crept toward the birds. Even Xiaobai, despite his clumsiness, tried to mimic Xiao Huang's actions.

Jiang Hai quietly moved forward as well, licking his dry lips and keeping his eyes fixed on the birds.

After ten minutes of slow maneuvering, Bell signaled that everyone was ready. At his command, Xiao Huang suddenly leapt out from the snow, startling the flock. The first bird he caught was trapped in his mouth, while he pinned another with his paw.

Xiaobai followed, biting one bird and pinning another under his paws. Meanwhile, Bell, Jiang Hai, and Robbins rushed into the flock, grabbing as many as they could before the remaining birds flew away with startled cries.

By the time the chaos settled, they had caught twelve pheasants. Only one had died, bitten by Xiaobai, while the rest were still alive.

"Good stuff!" Jiang Hai exclaimed, his eyes practically glowing with excitement.

He quickly tied the birds' legs together with rope. Securing them to his backpack, he couldn't hide his joy.

"Boss, there's not much meat on these birds. Are they really that delicious?" Robbins asked, still skeptical.

"It's not about the meat—it's for the soup! Trust me, you'll understand when I make it."

"You mean... cheddar soup?" Robbins asked, thinking of the only soup Americans commonly drank.

"You'll see soon enough," Jiang Hai said, grinning. "It's been a fruitful day! Haha!"

His excitement was palpable. With a catch like this, he'd be smiling in his sleep tonight.