The monkey also smelled the enticing aroma, which naturally included the smell of the turtle eggs it had eaten the day before.

However, compared to yesterday's food, today's seems to be much more delicious and fragrant.

Seeing the monkey jumping around so happily, I knew it was eager to try my cooking.

I patted the monkey's head to calm it down. We were still missing some side dishes, so I added some chopped wild vegetables to the bamboo pot.

The milky white snake soup and the smooth, round turtle eggs are a perfect match. The bright green wild vegetables on top of the milky white broth are the finishing touch that elevates the dish to a new level.

Dinner was ready, and I sat down on the ground. The monkey also sat right next to the fire.

After these days of interaction, the monkeys learned that the fire wouldn't harm them, and they were no longer so afraid.

As usual, I wrapped a portion of food in leaves and placed it in front of the monkey. Without any hesitation, it picked up a piece of snake meat and put it in its mouth.

I tried the turtle eggs yesterday, but I wonder how the stewed snake meat will taste.

It was eating the snake meat in its hand with great relish, and when it had only eaten half of the snake meat, it reached out and grabbed a few turtle eggs and put them in its mouth.

After showing off my cooking skills, the monkey was so happy it jumped up and down. Clearly, it appreciated my cooking.

A snake—the monkey and I had a satisfying meal. After we finished eating, I noticed that all the fish that had been grilling, except for a few large ones, had dried out.

I put all the grilled fish into my basket. The monkey, perhaps because it was too full or something else, didn't rush to leave. Instead, it stayed by the fire to keep me company as I grilled the fish.

Now this guy completely trusts me, and no matter how much I pet him, he doesn't show any resistance.

After grilling the rest of the fish, I moved the fire below my shelter as usual. This time, the monkey didn't seem to be leaving either, and followed me up the tree.

It didn't sleep in my bed, but started fiddling with something on a branch a few meters away from me.

At first, I had no idea what it was doing until it lay down comfortably. Then I realized that this clever monkey had actually imitated me and made a mini version of a tree bed in the tree.

Judging from its skillful technique, this was clearly not the first time it had done something like this. It must be said that this guy is really clever; its ability to imitate is far superior to that of other monkeys.

I've seen other monkeys sleep; they all grab onto branches with their hands and feet, then sit up and doze off like they're taking a nap. Only this peculiar monkey king would learn to lie down and rest like a human.

I think this is fine, after all, monkeys are very alert animals. It trusts me and sleeps nearby.

I also added an extra insurance policy that night, so that this monkey will be the first to warn me if there's any disturbance nearby.

Life in the jungle was monotonous; after dark, all you could do was go to bed. I thought about my work the next day, then drifted off to sleep to the sound of insects chirping.

I got up early the next morning; there was still a lot to do. My strength is limited, so I had to make the most of my time.

Because I plan to smelt copper first, I might have to put the gathering and hunting tasks on hold for a while.

However, my longline fishing is quite good, so this doesn't take me long. I just place them by the lake and harvest them in the afternoon.

Copper smelting is a major undertaking that consumes a lot of energy. So I spent some time setting up the longline fishing rod before returning to my work.

To smelt copper, the first step is to build a shelter that can protect it from the rain. This shelter will be used to store firewood and light the furnace, and without it, the process will be greatly limited by the weather.

I plan to build a shelter at the campsite where I start my fire, so that I can cook and do other things there in the future. It's a great thing that kills multiple birds with one stone.

Therefore, I need to make a stone axe first, and I have quite a few stones. There's a kind of bluish-green stone by the lake with a fine texture, which looks like a good one.

I had no prior experience in making stone tools, but given the current situation, I had no choice but to take the plunge.

I went to the lake and collected a lot of stones of all sizes. Then I started using the smaller stones as hammers to knock down the larger stones.

But this task wasn't as simple as I'd imagined. Either the rock was too hard, or I couldn't break it even after hammering until my hands went numb.

Or the stone in your hand, which you're using as a hammer, can't withstand the hammering and breaks in two.

This job is driving me crazy; I've never felt so frustrated before.

After hammering for a while, I realized that at this rate, it would be a million years before I could forge a stone tool.

So I decided not to continue following the conventional methods, and instead decided to use the methods I was more familiar with to make a stone tool.

I placed one side of a stone on the fire and let the fire heat the stone until it was very hot. Then I poured water on the stone, and instantly the stone cracked.

I burned quite a few stones, and despite my frown and careful selection, I couldn't find a suitable shape. Finally, I found a triangular stone, which was the one that best met my expectations.

I used smaller stones to slowly chip off the edge of the triangular stone, being very careful not to damage it.

Each time, he would strike the edge of the triangular stone alternately, one on the left and one on the right.

After a series of taps, the stone finally managed to resemble a stone axe, but its aesthetic appeal was negligible.

This thing looks like an irregular triangle covered with jagged, broken stones with many toad-like bumps.

I have to admit that my stone tool making skills are far worse than my fishing gear making skills.

I find it hard to imagine that I would use such a thing to cut down a tree.

However, I have no choice for now; I won't cut down the tree this way. I can't exactly light a fire under a tree and slowly burn it down.

You see, trees and bamboo are quite different. Trees have a denser structure and a higher water content. To burn a tree down, I'd probably have to blow my mouth out of shape.

After that, we'll naturally need to get some bamboo. But right now, we need to get some heavy wood to make the frame pillars and bury them deep in the ground so they can withstand strong winds.

It's built entirely of bamboo, so it's fine as long as there's no strong wind. But after a gust of wind, I reckon the whole structure would be blown away.