Chapter 747 - 696: The Unlucky Snowy Owl
When Mountain Eagle rushed over at Xiao Wan's call, he saw a scene that left him both amused and exasperated...
A large owl lay on the ground, one claw holding a Malinois's mouth, the other clutching Luna's arm...
Yue Yi was completely sprawled on top of the Golden Eagle, one leg pressing down on the left wing, his left hand pinning the right wing, and his right hand gripping the neck to prevent himself from being pecked.
Seeing the holes in his down jacket and the flying feathers, it was clear this kid had been through some hardship earlier.
Watching Zack and the others laughing, while Xiao Wan frantically waved a stick trying to ward off the owl without harming her son, Mountain Eagle walked up, laughing heartily...
Like a professional golf coach, he embraced Xiao Wan from behind, guiding her hands to swing the stick a few times, then attempted to aim it at the owl's head.
As Yue Yi lay on the owl and saw this, he shouted, "Dad, don't hit it, it's injured…"
Mountain Eagle saw Luna holding a small stick, gently tapping the owl's paw, teasing the Malinois that had its mouth caught, and chuckled, "If it's injured, just finish it off. We'll take it back and grill it, oh…"
Speaking of which, Mountain Eagle clutched his rib, which Xiao Wan had jabbed painfully, and seeing his wife's slightly angry expression, he quickly raised his hands, saying, "Don't worry, don't worry, I'll handle it…"
Saying this, Mountain Eagle took off his knitted hat, squatted beside Yue Yi, smilingly covered the owl's large head with the hat, then pressed down on one of its wings, allowing his son to free his hands to help…
The owl, now with its vision obstructed, gradually calmed down. When Yue Yi and his dad together folded its wings and stood its body upright, it naturally released its claws, repeatedly testing downwards to find something to grip…
Luna laughed as she looked at the slightly aggrieved half-grown Malinois, then sidled up to Yue Yi, saying, "Fist, it scratched Xiao Hei's face, let's take it back and roast it…"
Yue Yi held the owl tightly to keep it from struggling. Hearing Luna's voice, he puffed out his cheeks and shook his head vigorously, saying, "No, we shot its wing, and it has a few babies to take care of. I'm going to take them back and heal it…"
It was then that Mountain Eagle noticed the tips of a few feathers on the owl's right wing had been broken by a bullet.
Seeing his son's anxious face, Mountain Eagle chuckled, saying, "Don't be nervous; animals can feel your tension and fear.
If you're nervous, it won't calm down either.
Listen to me, take a deep breath, exhale slowly, don't grip it so tightly, and don't let its claws hurt you."
Yue Yi was quite obedient, breathing quickly a few times, then slowly exhaling as he slightly eased his grip, making the owl feel less uncomfortable.
Sure enough, within just a minute or two, the owl, with its head covered, also calmed down.
Close contact with birds of prey is a rare experience for children…
Now that the owl's previous frenzy had dissipated, Luna gave up on the idea of roasting it, approached and touched its chest and belly, then exclaimed delightedly, "It's very warm…"
To prevent the kids from getting scratched, Mountain Eagle took off his gloves and put them on the owl's claws, then magically produced a piece of binding tape to securely fasten the gloves on the owl's claws.
It was then that he took a closer look at the surrounding environment…
Atop a nearby mound, covered in feathers and moss, was a shallow pit—they must be the owl's nest, since inside were several tiny, round, dumpling-like little snow owls.
At this time, when Mountain Eagle looked at the owl in Yue Yi's hands, he realized this wasn't an ordinary owl, but a Snowy Owl.
This large bird, living near the Arctic, would find a place near the tundra and open ground to nest, possibly somewhere like a hillock.
Judging by the size of those little snow owls, they had not been hatched for long.
This timing didn't seem right, and there was no sign of a male bird nearby either…
Mountain Eagle climbed up the more than three-meter-high mound and discovered four little snowy owl chicks, only the size of a fist, with two more already eaten, leaving only some feathers behind.
On the other side of the mound, a large Snowy Owl and a fox were locked in a deadly struggle, already dead for quite some time, frozen in the snow.
The four little snow owls were obviously desperately hungry. When Mountain Eagle, this large two-legged creature, approached their nest, they only knew to open their mouths and chirp 'ya ya ya' noisily.
Seeing this, Mountain Eagle squatted down, scooped up the four little snow owls, cradling them in his hands, then used his foot to push the accumulated snow into the nest that still had bits of little snowy owl flesh.
Carrying the four hungry white fluff balls, he walked over to Xiao Wan, laughing as he said, "Our son's kind-hearted; if this family hadn't encountered him, they probably wouldn't survive a week."
Xiao Wan glanced at her son, who was refusing to let go of the Snowy Owl, then reached out to thump Mountain Eagle's arm, saying, "You're just indulging him; these things are clearly protected animals, do you just let him mess around?"
"You yourself said they're protected animals, so we should protect them even more…"
Saying this, Mountain Eagle pushed the fluffy little owls in his hands closer to Xiao Wan, saying, "Look at them, if we don't find them something to eat soon, they're going to starve to death."
Upon looking at the several hungry little fluff balls, Xiao Wan's expression softened immediately, and she took off her gloves to stroke their heads…
Watching their little yellow beaks chasing after her fingers, Xiao Wan kicked her son lightly on the butt and said, "Look at what you've done, hurry back, let's find some food for these little birds..."
Yue Yi was quite tough, not getting angry even when his mom kicked him. He was struggling a bit to hold the restless Snowy Owl, walking toward the house while dodging Luna's teasing...
"Don't come over, you just said you wanted to roast it. When you come close, it gets scared..."
"No way, let me have a look, I helped too, it tore my clothes, come on let me see, or else I'll..."
Watching the two kids run toward the cabin, bickering and playing, Mountain Eagle sighed and followed them...
As he walked, he didn't forget to say to Xiao Wan, "These kids are too noisy, is there enough space in the house?"
Xiao Wan was holding two little snow owls, walking and saying, "There's definitely not enough space at Mom and Dad's place. Our wedding house often has people coming to bother us, so I bought two new houses near the river.
Both are large units over 300 square meters, enough for Yuliy and Griffin Redbird to settle together.
Just buying the houses cost me more than 40 million, do you have any objections?"
Mountain Eagle listened, laughed, and said, "I'm just afraid you won't spend money...
I don't lack anything now, just a lot of cash. It's not very safe to keep it all abroad, moving some back domestically is also good.
High-end residential property is a good investment project, but Jinling is somewhat lacking; you might consider buying two in Shanghai as well.
The cargo flights from Alaska can only reach Shanghai directly, buying two houses there would give you a place to stay when you go there for business.
There aren't many local specialties in Alaska, but Emperor Salmon and fur are definitely valuable. It doesn't matter if it makes money, as long as you maintain the channel, you can gradually develop more valuable trade."
Xiao Wan was very clear that the so-called Emperor Salmon trade that Mountain Eagle was involved in was to connect with her and satisfy his preference for salmon, and it wasn't really about making money.
She didn't know exactly how much money Mountain Eagle had now. Seeing him urging her to buy more property, she laughed and said, "I can't buy any more. People are gossiping at work, and those two in Jinling have already made Dad a bit angry..."
Mountain Eagle was stunned for a moment, then nodded in realization...
Her father-in-law was a high-ranking official in the police department, with a son-in-law considered a murderer he covered up for. That he could keep his position with just an office job transfer already made many people discontent.
Now that there's a sign he might return to power, it's hard not to make others envious!
It's just that Mountain Eagle's network is extensive and beneficial to the police department; otherwise, people would surely play dirty tricks now.
These internal conflicts don't really surface, but it's the norm...
After figuring it out, Mountain Eagle sighed, saying, "Then let it be, it's not easy for our Dad, letting him retire in style in a few years is the right thing.
By then, no one will point fingers at you anymore!"
"But you still can't go back..."
Xiao Wan nodded somewhat glumly, then tried to perk up and said, "But this isn't bad now. My little salmon and fur business doesn't take up too much time, and living a few months each in Thailand and Alaska every year is nice."
Mountain Eagle felt a headache when he heard Xiao Wan mention Thailand...
Because there's an outgoing and bold Tessa there!
The worst part is, Tessa is even the representative responsible for liaising with the father-in-law in Thailand...
Mountain Eagle could almost imagine the look on his father-in-law's face when he learned about Tessa's identity...
So Mountain Eagle could only laugh it off and change the subject, saying, "I've decided to invest in El Salvador recently. The climate there is great; winters won't necessarily have to be spent in Thailand..."
Xiao Wan looked sideways at the somewhat guilty Mountain Eagle and mockingly said, "What are you feeling guilty about now? I don't mind...
That Tessa is a bit annoying, and her accent is weird, but she's really good with the kids.
She brings gifts for the kids every time and even shows them pictures of your house on Sunset Mountain, inviting them to play in Thailand...
When Great White Shark Sophia visited, she stayed at my place for a while and told me about your experiences.
I heard you were a policeman in Kamui for a while; the land at Sunset Mountain was given to you by Tessa's mom. I really didn't expect your knack for charming mothers-in-law to work in Thailand too..."
Seeing Xiao Wan's half-smiling expression, Mountain Eagle suddenly experienced selective hearing loss, quickened his pace, and loudly said, "Oh no, I forgot to thaw the beef, I need to hurry back or everyone will go hungry tonight..."