Claude was in a rather good mood that day. He felt as refreshed as if he had just eaten an ice cream.
For the past five days the pheasants and rabbits he had sold to Piedre the Old Tavern had given each of his four companions a thale and three riyases, almost the monthly income of a commoner.
It was to the extent that Eriksson forgot about his unfinished fishing boat and followed them into the forest every day, looking for bushes and grass nests to set traps for.
Just as Borkal said, the money was practically free.
All they had to do was weave a few traps with vines and wait for the next day to pick up the rabbits and pheasants. They didn't even have to use a gun to shoot them. Even the cost of gunpowder and a match was saved.
It was a pity that Pjard had already bought enough. He didn't want any more rabbits or pheasants.
Claude and the other three were also exhausted. Just finding a good place to set the traps in the forest took them more than two hours. The hares and pheasants in the hills and forests at the southern outskirts of the town were also getting rarer. It wasn't like there was an endless supply of prey to be caught.
During breakfast, Morssen started nagging again for some reason and brought up the matter of his mother buying Claude a pair of boots that he only wore for ten days.
Claude couldn't take it anymore and slapped four riyases on the table. "Alright, I bought these boots. It has nothing to do with Mother. I don't want to hear you scolding Mother about this anymore."
Morssen didn't expect his second son to slap him in the face like that. He was left speechless for a moment. His face paled as he stood there awkwardly and angrily.
Claude, on the other hand, went to school in a cheerful mood while whistling.
After wrestling class in the afternoon, Claude packed his bag and prepared to leave school.
Borkal grabbed him and said, "Where are you going? The equestrian training class is ending this week. There are only three more days left. We've already paid so much, so we have to recoup our losses."
"I'll do it tomorrow," Claude said, "I still have to go to the south of town."
"Why are you going there? Didn't Pjard say he wasn't buying any more rabbits or pheasants?"
"Let's go take a look. Didn't we set up more than 20 interlocking traps yesterday?
He wondered if there would be any more gains today.
Even if Pjard doesn't want it, we can share it and bring it back for ourselves.
In addition, I also want to remove those traps. Since we won't be going there, we can't leave those traps behind.
It's not a big deal if a rabbit or a pheasant falls into the trap and someone else takes advantage of it. I'm worried that if someone finds out and learns how to set up a trap, we won't be able to survive in the future … "
Claude was quite considerate in that regard. He removed the traps set up there and allowed the rabbits and pheasants to grow and reproduce happily.
He would wait for a year and a half to fatten them up before harvesting them again. His friends couldn't help but agree with his sense of danger and foresight.
Come to think of it, those chain traps were very simple. If no prey fell into the trap, they would just be left there and no one would notice them.
But just as Claude said, what if some prey fell into the trap and couldn't escape? What would they do if someone else took advantage of them?
It would be fine if they took the game, but anyone would be able to understand the theory and method of setting up this series of traps. After learning how to set up this series of traps, they would be able to throw one to the east and two to the west. Soon, all the hunters in the town would know about it. Then, the four of them would no longer have anything to do with the rabbits and pheasants in the future …
"Do you want me to go with you?" asked Welikro.
Claude shook his head. "No need. I'm just going for a stroll today anyway. It doesn't matter if I get anything or not. The main thing is to remove the traps that are still intact. It won't take much time.
You guys can go to the docks after school. It's been five days since you last helped Uncle Pegg.
If there's anything else, I'll bring it to the docks and share it with everyone. "
He returned home first and went upstairs to grab his musket and pack his belongings. Only then did he go downstairs to hail a carriage to the southern outskirts of town. The moment he stepped out of the door, he saw his mother carrying a basket with the chubby boy skipping behind her.
This was going to be troublesome. The chubby boy was delighted to see Claude and insisted on hunting rabbits with him. Claude had to agree to quite a few unfair terms before he was finally appeased.
Just as he was about to make a run for it, he was stopped by his mother.
She stroked Claude's messy hair lovingly and said, "You should get a haircut. Your hair is already so long and you don't even take care of it. Do you want to keep it long and tie it up in a ponytail like your brother?"
Whenever he thought about how Arbeit tied his hair into a ponytail and thought he looked cool and dashing, he felt nauseous.
He already looked like a pretty boy to begin with and his body was extremely thin. His back view looked like that of a woman.
What if he were to meet a drunk man who tried to rob him while walking in the middle of the night? It would be quite a sight to behold if he was mistaken for a woman and got raped.
Claude hurriedly shook his head. "I don't want long hair. It's troublesome to take care of it and I can't wash it clean.
I'm going to get a short haircut in a few days when the weather gets hotter. That way, I'll look better. "
"Hmm, short hair is good too. You'll look more energetic that way." His mother nodded in agreement. "By the way, Claude, take this."
Looking at the thale his mother handed him, Claude was a little dumbfounded. What's the meaning of this? Why did she suddenly give me a thale?
It's not like I lack money …
"Don't blame your father," his mother said, "He didn't get angry because of your boots. It's because he's been having trouble with some matters recently and he's feeling a little stifled.
Actually, we're more than happy to spend money on you children. What's the big deal about wasting a little?
You've been spending quite a lot of money lately, haven't you? Your father bought you a gun and you still have to pay for the gunpowder and ropes. You even had to buy some rabbits for us.
I know very well that the rabbits you've brought back these past few days weren't hunted by you. They don't have any wounds on them. Claude, you're still young. Don't get mad at your father. He wants you to hunt rabbits so that you can work harder. There's no need for you to buy rabbits every day just because of what he says. "
Claude didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His mother thought that the rabbits he brought home every day were bought from outside.
That made sense. They were alive and well without any wounds on them. Nobody would believe him if he said he hunted them with a gun.
It was no wonder his mother gave him a thale. He slapped four riyases on the table in front of his father and went to school in high spirits. His mother thought he was putting on a show and took out all the money he had.
"No, Mother, I have money."
Claude hurriedly stuffed the thale back into his mother's hands. "I really do have money. I caught those rabbits and set up a trap, so there aren't any wounds on them. You can ask Boa, Wero, Eike and the others about this. They caught quite a lot of rabbits and pheasants with me and sold them to Pjard at the old tavern.
You can ask Pjard if you don't believe me. We earned more than a thale each. That's why I returned the money to Father in the morning.
Also, I don't blame Father. He's doing it for my own good. I know he's not fussing over the leather boots.
But I don't think he should bring his temper home even if things aren't going well outside.
Everything has its ups and downs. He shouldn't vent his anger on his family just because things didn't go well for him.
Home is everyone's safe haven. It's where the soul of every family member returns to. It's a place of peace and warmth.
But what's wrong with Father throwing a tantrum at home and ruining everyone's mood?
He's the head of the family. If even he can't bring joy and happiness to the family, what's the point of the family's existence?
Didn't you see how Anna and Bookke were so frightened by him that they didn't even dare to speak?
That's why I slammed the money on the table in a fit of anger. I didn't want him to use the leather boots as an excuse to make everyone look at him warily every day. Isn't it tiring to live like that?
Alright, Mother, take the money back. I really have money on me. You don't have to worry about me. I'm an adult now and I know what I'm doing. I won't cause trouble for the family.
If you have time, buy Anna some new clothes. The uniform she's wearing now is a modified version of the one I had last year. It's old and faded.
She's a girl, so I can't always change my old and small clothes into women's clothes for her to wear. Alright, I'll be going now. "
Claude saw the coachman who sent them back to town two days ago pass by with his carriage. He hurriedly stopped his conversation with his mother and hurriedly went to ask. As expected, the coachman had just finished delivering goods to the farm in the south of town. So, Claude climbed into the carriage and had the coachman send him to the southern outskirts of town.
Mother looked at the thale in her hand and watched Claude climb into the carriage. She turned around and opened the kitchen door. Morssen stood behind it with an expressionless face.
"Did you hear what your son said?" Mother said coldly, "Do you still want to teach him a lesson tonight?"
Morssen smiled bitterly and took out his pipe. As he stuffed tobacco into it, he shook his head and said, "Nope. He's more reasonable than I am. I don't even know who's the one teaching who now.
I'll go to the tavern later and ask Pjard if he really sold a lot of rabbits and pheasants to him.
What a loss. A roasted pheasant cost three riyases and five sunars at the tavern. I wonder how much he sold it to Pjard … "
What Claude did not know was that Mr. Morssen had been eavesdropping behind the kitchen door while he was talking to his mother, and that he was boasting to Regan, the coachman.
Regan was a commoner. He was an employee of the Poplar Ridge Farm in the southern outskirts of the town. Aside from farming, he also had to deliver the farm's produce to the vendors in the town's vegetable market so that they could sell the fresh produce in a timely manner.
That was why he had to make several trips a day.
Claude and the others used to ride in his carriage back to town for the past few days at the cost of a rabbit.
"Why are you alone today?" Regan asked curiously.
"They're busy and won't be coming anymore. We've already used up our secret concoction.
I'm just going to check if there are any fainted rabbits and pheasants left in the past two days. If there are, I'll send you another one when I go down the mountain. "
The fact that Claude and the others caught so many rabbits and pheasants a few days ago naturally caught Regan's attention. How did they manage to catch so many rabbits and pheasants that were still alive and well?
Regan was curious and asked about the reason.
Claude claimed that he had read about a secret concoction recipe in a book, so he tried it out. He soaked wheat and beans in the concoction and dried them before scattering them in the grass. The rabbits and pheasants would be drugged after eating them and wouldn't be able to move for twelve hours. That was how the four of them managed to catch so many animals.
Borkal was very cooperative and sighed at the side. While the concoction was good, the rabbits and pheasants were still fine after the effects wore off. It was a pity that the ingredients for the concoction were too expensive. It took three thales to concoct such a small amount.
Even though they managed to catch so many rabbits and pheasants, it was still unknown whether they could break even.