Black shapes dotted the snow on the Threshing Ground.
Li Long had sharp eyes and immediately recognized them, which made him quite pleased.
Tao Daqiang and Xie Yundong had not noticed. They trudged along with their heads down, already out of breath, wanting only to reach the truck as soon as possible, put down their loads, and rest.
"Xiao Long, why'd you stop?" Xie Yundong asked when he saw Li Long stop. He stopped too and set his sack on the ground.
He guessed Li Long wanted to rest for a while.
"Brother Yundong, Daqiang, look over there." Li Long pointed at the black specks on the Threshing Ground and said with a smile, "Good stuff!"
"What? Aren't those clods of dirt?" Tao Daqiang asked.
"Those... why do they look like... Gugu Chickens to me?" Xie Yundong squinted at them for a while, then suddenly said, "They are, aren't they? They've got nowhere to find food, and there are spilled wheat grains on this Threshing Ground, so..."
There were several snow-covered mounds along the edge of the Threshing Ground. Li Long guessed they were wheat chaff some family had not hauled away.
The wheat chaff contained a few wheat grains. The Gugu Chickens must have discovered it in early winter and stayed here ever since.
Now that heavy snow had fallen, they could no longer find food, just like the rabbits, and could only try their luck at their old feeding spot.
Seeing them burrow deep into the snow, leaving half their bodies exposed, or even just their tails, Li Long knew they would be easy to catch!
The snow was still loose, and these things could barely fly. When threatened, they either played dead or ran through the snow. If they could not run, they would sink into it