Chapter 39 The Monkey's Strict Father
Qin Ziwen frowned: "I don't know you well. You're perfectly healthy, your husband is gone, what does that have to do with you not being able to go out and find food?"
Qin Ziwu: "My brother is right!"
After saying that, Qin Ziwen left directly, his younger brother and Deng Guang following closely behind.
Watching his back, Wang Juan's eyes were complicated. She clenched her fists, then helplessly relaxed them, finally lowering her head. After arriving here and experiencing setbacks time and time again, she realized that the knowledge and rules she had acquired in society seemed completely useless here. The rules here were more primitive, more brutal, and more naked.
From beginning to end, Deng Guang didn't express any opinion. Although he was kind, he wouldn't abuse his kindness; he would only extend his kindness to those close to him.
Leaving from the east gate, Qin Ziwen walked down the riverbank. Out of respect for the crocodiles, they maintained a safe distance of at least ten meters from the riverbank.
Along the way, his younger brother Qin Ziwu remained active.
"Brother, there are some wild vegetables over there."
"I think I heard a monkey calling just now."
"Watch out, there's a pit here."
"Wait, I'll leave a mark on the tree."
Qin Ziwen looked up and, through the gaps in the trees above, could see a dark gray figure gliding slowly.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the harpy eagle seemed quite suited to the forest environment. Apart from making a little noise when it first took off, it was almost silent once it got into flight, and it was very skilled at gliding through the trees.
Deng Guang took out a power bank from his bag. "My wife said you need a power bank to take pictures. There's still some power in here, you can use it first."
"Thanks, Brother Deng."
Deng Guang smiled sheepishly: "You're welcome."
After plugging his phone into the power bank, Qin Ziwen took a picture every so often where he thought it was worth taking a picture, and then left a note on the photo.
The closer they got to the downstream, the wider the river became, and the calmer the current became.
A long black shadow flashed across the river, which Deng Guang noticed.
He whispered a warning, "There are crocodiles in the river."
Qin Ziwen nodded in understanding, "Yeah."
It was normal for there to be crocodiles; while they had killed some in the past few days, it was practically impossible to eradicate them from this area.
Qin Ziwen said, "The terrain here is flat, and the water flow is slower, which should be more suitable for crocodiles to hunt and survive."
"There are monkeys over there,"
Qin Ziwu pointed to the opposite bank.
On the other side, there was a banana grove, where several monkeys with long arms were swaying about. They had also seen the people on the other side, but they didn't seem afraid; instead, they squeaked.
Qin Ziwu asked in confusion, "What are they called?"
Qin Ziwen replied seriously, "They're called monkeys."
Qin Ziwu: "..."
*Thud.*
A sharp pain shot through his head. Above him, a monkey sat on a branch, holding fruit and making sharp, short sounds, "Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"
*Thud!*
Another monkey diagonally above him threw something.
Qin Ziwen dodged quickly, only realizing after it landed that it was just a small twig.
Qin Ziwu cursed, "Damn it, these monkeys are chasing us away."
Qin Ziwen looked at the monkeys overhead. "The monkeys on the other side of the river spotted us and issued a warning. The monkeys here received it; they're alerting each other. Interesting."
The dense canopy overhead blocked the sunlight, making most of the forest floor quite dark. Fortunately, their area was close to the river, allowing sunlight to filter in from the side.
"Brother, let's go. These damned monkeys seem even more arrogant than those on Mount Emei."
Before Qin Ziwen could reply, the canopy overhead suddenly fell silent for a moment.
He instinctively looked up, and a gray shadow, carrying a murderous aura, darted through the gaps in the leaves, moving so fast that only a blur remained. The most arrogant monkey from moments before vanished, leaving only a mournful scream echoing through the forest.
The harpy eagle's claws, like iron pincers, precisely gripped the monkey's shoulder and back.
The immense impact sent the monkey plummeting, snapping large foliage in its path.
Using the momentum, the harpy eagle flapped its powerful wings, making a sharp turn in mid-air, and landed on a thick branch not far away. Its once innocent eyes now held a chilling sternness, and wherever its gaze fell, the monkeys scattered in terror.
The monkey beneath its foot slumped helplessly, its head bowed, a dying wretch, all its arrogance gone.
"Squeak—!"
The monkey troop erupted in chaos, leaping and scattering among the branches, their cries filled with fear.
It was their first time seeing a harpy eagle, and they felt the same fear a mischievous child would have upon meeting a stern father.
"Plop."
A few drops of warm blood dripped from the tree.
Qin Ziwu's eyes burned with fervor. He clenched his fist and swung his arm, exclaiming, "Holy crap, that's so cool!"
He looked at his older brother, "That silly eagle, no, that good eagle is too fierce!"
Deng Guang stared at the harpy eagle overhead, instinctively preparing to run. Seeing Qin Ziwen and Qin Ziwu standing still, he quickly urged, "Run! That bird is fierce, don't let it target you."
Qin Ziwen, seeing that Deng Guang's reaction seemed genuine, asked, "Brother Deng, didn't your wife tell you?"
"What did she say?" Deng Guang was taken aback. He suddenly realized, "Wait, wasn't that the bird Xiaomei was sewing your backpack for earlier?"
He had thought it was a sparrow or parrot, a small bird they had picked up. He had thought they were quite adorable, picking up a little bird from the forest to keep as a pet and even sewing it a small backpack—so childlike!
Turns out it was this big guy.
Deng Guang remarked, "Your bird is quite big."
Qin Ziwu coughed violently, almost choking on his saliva.
Deng Guang realized his slip of the tongue and quickly corrected himself, "Not a bird, an eagle."
A moment of silence followed.
The three men exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. Sometimes, driving helped them relax their tense minds and relieve their fatigue.
Composing himself, Qin Ziwen said, "Alright, it will help us spot any large animals around us, and if there are any, it will help restrain them. Let's walk along the river for a bit."
After driving for nearly half an hour, another backwater appeared ahead.
This backwater was quite large, with the river turning significantly inward.
The terrain here was flat, and the trees along the riverbank were sparse.
Several large, grayish-brown backs were visible above the water in the backwater, most of them submerged.
Qin Ziwen exclaimed warily, "Hippopotamus herd!"
He took out his phone and took a picture of the hippos.
Only these thick-skinned, large, fat creatures dared to leisurely soak in this section of the river.
On the surface, one hippo seemed to have spotted the humans not far away and slowly swam towards them.
"Let's go."
Qin Ziwen decisively led the two back. Hippos are temperamental and territorial, posing no less of a threat than crocodiles.
"Let's explore this far down the river for now; going any further won't be very meaningful for the time being."
It had taken them about three and a half hours to walk here from the residential area.
The round trip alone would have taken at least seven hours, and adding the time needed for hunting and gathering supplies, it was practically the limit for a day's hunting.
On the way back, Qin Ziwen focused mainly on the plants along the way.
Soon, he found three gray sweet potato plants on a gentle slope near the river.
(End of Chapter)