The snow of winter never ends.

However, within Lin Feng's log cabin shelter, due to continuous construction and abundant supplies, a peculiar "warm winter" scene has emerged.

A subtle yet stable trading pattern has also formed between the women and Lin Feng.

They used various spices, special plant fibers, colored mineral powders, and even some oddly shaped stones they collected to exchange for enough food to fill their stomachs.

For women, this exchange is not just a material bond, but also a form of emotional dependence.

Every visit to Lin Feng's cabin felt like a grand audience, filled with anticipation.

They would carefully sort through the collected items, hoping to gain even the slightest bit of "satisfaction" from Lin Feng.

After experiencing a life-or-death ordeal, Tang Bao's attitude towards Lin Feng has completely transformed from initial fear and then awe to almost fanatical worship.

She no longer simply followed behind Qin Lan and the others silently as before, but took the initiative to undertake more and more detailed collection work.

She has a natural intuition that allows her to find small plants or unusually colored mushrooms that Lin Feng might be interested in but that others have overlooked.

She would carefully wrap these things in leaves, and during the transaction, she would look at Lin Feng with clear, admiring eyes, hoping to receive even the simplest affirmation.

Lin Feng had absolutely no interest in this kind of worship.

His mind was more focused on how to further improve his quality of life and how to digest the incredible "knowledge" that kept emerging in his mind.

He has successfully made simple soap (using wood ash and animal fat), making personal hygiene no longer a luxury; he has also tried mixing some plant fibers with clay to fire "composite pottery" that is more durable than ordinary pottery.

On this day, it was Qin Lan and Tang Bao's turn to exchange goods with Lin Feng.

They carried several bundles sewn from animal hides on their backs, containing various things they had collected over the past few days.

One of the packages contained a heavy, irregularly shaped yellow stone.

They discovered it by chance a few days ago while digging for an edible root on the edge of a dried-up valley.

The stone was half-buried in the sand, and at first they thought it was just an ordinary piece of pyrite or dyed quartz.

But when Qian Xiaoxiao scraped it with the stone knife she carried with her, she found that it was softer than ordinary stones. What came off was golden powder, and it shimmered in the sunlight with a heavy luster that was completely different from other stones.

"What...what is this?" Qian Xiaoxiao asked in surprise.

Su Wanqing also came over to take a look. She was knowledgeable and examined it for a long time. Then she gently bit it with her teeth and felt its unique elasticity. A look of surprise and uncertainty flashed in her eyes: "This... this could be... gold?"

"Gold?"

The other women gathered around, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Of course they knew what gold was; in their original world, it was a symbol of wealth and status.

But here, in this primeval forest, what can gold be used for? Can it be eaten? Can it be worn?

"Should we... hide it?" Ruan Mengtian suggested softly.

Qin Lan shook her head, her gaze deep: "What's the use of hiding it? Are we supposed to use it to trade for food with the savages? Mr. Lin Feng is very interested in all sorts of rare minerals and materials, and this thing is useful to him. If we can use it to trade for more food, or something we need more, then it's worth it."

Su Wanqing agreed: "Qin Lan is right. In our hands, this thing is just a useless stone. But in Mr. Lin Feng's hands, it might become something we can't even imagine."

Ultimately, they decided to give the "gold nugget" to Lin Feng and see how he would react.

When Qin Lan placed the "dog's head gold" piece, which was about the size of an adult's fist, with a pitted surface and a dark golden color, on the wooden table in front of Lin Feng, even the usually indifferent Lin Feng had a barely perceptible ripple in his eyes.

He reached out and picked up the heavy piece of metal. The feel of it in his hand.

The unique density and cool touch of gold immediately confirmed to him what it was.

"Gold nugget..."

Lin Feng muttered to himself.

Such a large and seemingly high-purity natural gold nugget was extremely rare, even in his previous life.

“Mr. Lin Feng… this… we found it in a dried-up valley.”

Qin Lan carefully observed Lin Feng's expression. "We don't know what this is, we just think it's very special, and perhaps... you'll need it."

Tang Bao also opened her eyes wide and looked at Lin Feng nervously, afraid that he would be dissatisfied.

Lin Feng weighed the gold nugget in his hand; it weighed at least three or four kilograms.

He raised his eyes, looked at Qin Lan and Tang Bao, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips: "You did a good job. I really need this. Tell me, what do you want in exchange?"

Qin Lan and Tang Bao exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of joy and relief in each other's eyes.

“Mr. Lin Feng, we…we just hope to exchange for more dried meat and Golden Fox Rice. If possible, we would also like some of the ointment you make that can prevent wounds from becoming inflamed (referring to a simple disinfectant ointment, not an antibiotic).

Qin Lan mustered her courage and said, "Recently, during our collection efforts, due to the complex environment, some of us have been accidentally injured."

Lin Feng nodded: "That's good. You've made a great contribution this time."

He got up, went into the storeroom, and quickly took out nearly twice as much dried meat as in previous transactions, a large bag of Golden Fox Rice, and a small earthenware jar of ointment he had prepared with herbs and beeswax that had a certain anti-inflammatory effect.

"These should last you a while."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Lin Feng! Thank you so much!"

Qin Lan and Tang Bao excitedly accepted the supplies, expressing their gratitude repeatedly. To them, the food and medicine were far more valuable than that shiny yellow stone.

After seeing Qin Lan and Tang Bao off, Lin Feng closed the door of the wooden house and, alone, placed the gold nugget on the table, his eyes filled with barely suppressed excitement.

gold!

Although gold had almost no monetary value in this primitive world, its excellent properties as a metal—its superb ductility, corrosion resistance, and its eternally beautiful color—were unmatched by any other material.

More importantly, the moment he touched the gold nugget, a flood of "knowledge" surged into his mind again—this time, it was about precious metal processing!

From the original crucible melting process, to alloy proportioning, to lost-wax casting, hammering and shaping, grinding and polishing...

A series of complex and precise gold and silver crafting techniques flashed through his mind like a movie, every detail crystal clear, as if he were a born top-notch goldsmith!

"That's great...that's great!" Lin Feng clenched his fist, his joy almost overflowing.

He had long been dissatisfied with his simple set of wooden tableware and earthenware bowls.

Now, with this piece of gold, he can create a set of exclusive, practical, and status-enhancing gold tableware for himself!