Chapter 2

The three of them finished their modest portions of porridge and moved their mats to the shade beneath the tree. The afternoon sun was too strong, so no one would go out during this time. Most people would take a nap under the tree or do some handicrafts.

When the sun moved slightly, Shu picked up the basket containing things and called Wen Yi to go out.

At first, Wen Yi was a little worried about A Mu being alone at home, but the little girl showed through her actions that she was more reliable than Wen Yi, an adult.

Amu actually used branches and stones to fight a snake alone. The most important thing is that she won in the end. The hunter who originally wanted to have a snack became a meal on the plate.

The prey is processed quickly. For the people living here, anything edible, especially meat, will not be missed.

Wen Yi didn't quite understand the solar terms the village headman periodically announced, but judging by the temperature, it should still be summer. For easier irrigation, everyone's fields were planted near the river. Standing at the edge of the fields, he could see many people washing their short jackets and some familiar faces fetching water from the river.

Although he had studied diligently, it was difficult to identify all the different crops planted in the same area, and sometimes even plants he had never planted would appear. Even losing would sometimes lead to mistakes. After trying for a while, Wen Yi decided that he would not be able to help in the fields for a while. He simply cleaned up the things outside the designated area and walked towards the river with the small things he had found.

"Be careful when you pass by the water." Shu saw Wen Yi was about to walk towards the water, so he still gave him a reminder.

"good--"

Wen Yi brought a broken ceramic bowl with him, covered with a leaf. Inside was a few earthworms he'd found while weeding. On the way, he'd broken off a few branches, peeled off the outer skin, and used the inner core to bind the worms. He also brought a basket, which he'd woven before the battle.

Many people living nearby would come here to secretly catch some fish and clams. Wen Yi saw many children also searching among the rocks.

Seeing her coming, a girl older than Amu waved her hand, and her other hand seemed to be holding a gray-black object.

"Wow, what a big clam."

Wen Yi approached. The girl was holding a river clam she had dug out from under a rock. It was much larger than the usual pottery jar. After admiring the size of the clam with Wen Yi, the girl happily stood up and prepared to take it home.

Wen Yi turned around and walked upstream.

If I had to say what was good about coming here, it would probably be that if you had enough strength and accuracy, you could take a sharpened branch and stab the fish just below its shadow to get the prize. But most of the time, the branches weren't sharp enough, and the fish in the river mostly only had superficial injuries.

But Wen Yi's reason for coming today was to visit the shrimp dens. The river was teeming with shrimp and crabs at this time of year, and with patience, she could catch a small basketful in half a day. Most were about the length of an index finger, but they spoiled quickly. She only caught these each time, to give Ah Mu a protein boost. Occasionally, one or two small fish would come to bite, but Wen Yi would shake them away.

The river shrimps don’t taste as delicious as those in the sea, but I don’t know if it’s because of the food shortage or the difference between the shrimps at this time and those in the future, but they also taste a bit sweet and fresh.

Wen Yi covered the basket with clam shells from the riverbank, and luckily found a few fresh clams. He cleaned the shrimp and crabs by the water's edge, and since it was still early, he dug up some wild vegetables nearby to take back with him.

As the sun sets, you should finish your meal while it is still light, as you can't see clearly at night.

Seeing the thin basket that Wen Yi was carrying, Shu also put the wild vegetables he had picked from the fields in the afternoon into it, and also picked up some dead branches and firewood on the way and put them in his own backpack.

From a distance, he saw Amu standing at the door and waving. Wen Yi also raised his free hand and waved, then trotted back.

The neighbor was a middle-aged woman named Qi, but she seemed to have entered the twilight of her life in this era. Seeing Wen Yi and A Mu being so active, she wanted to say something, but in the end she just smiled and shook her head.

Whatever, this is the age when you should be lively.

Back home, the little guy twisted a lot of twine and even helped move some firewood to the stove. After putting away the things he had on hand and stirring the smoldering fire, Wen Yi prepared to start cooking.

Wen Yi washed the millet and beans mixed with dirt, put them together in a clay pot, scraped some salt, and then carefully brought them to the earthen stove.

The wild vegetables that have been picked and cleaned by the river are placed on the stones on the side and put in last.

Unlike seafood, the parasites contained in freshwater fish and shrimp are very harmful to the human body. Even in later generations, there were many people who contracted parasitic diseases from eating raw and pickled food, so we cannot be careless in this era.

Then he cut two slices of wild ginger, placed the larger crabs and shrimps in a clean ceramic steaming grid, and finally placed another ceramic pot filled with water on top, covered it with a lid, and pressed it down with stones.

"I'll watch the fire, go and do your thing."

Shu broke off a branch and waved away the person squatting beside him, but his eyes were always fixed on the pottery bowl not far away.

"Why."

Wen Yi responded, then walked to the side and washed the processed small fish and shrimps again with the remaining water, sprinkled some scraped cliff salt powder, squeezed some sour fruit juice, marinated them in the ceramic bowl for a while, then skewered them with a thin piece of wood and squeezed them back to the earthen stove.

Carefully grilling that small bunch of stuff at a distance, the delicious aroma it emitted actually made people a little hungrier.

Shrimp shells and fish bone powder were good calcium supplements at this time; the village head had previously told them to eat more of them while serving. Wen Yi had deliberately collected them and ground them into a coarse powder using rocks, adding some to his daily porridge.

The old woman next door was also cooking, but her ingredients were much simpler than what they had, just simple millet and bean porridge and a few pickles.

But don't underestimate these pickles. Only when they reach an age where they need regular care will the village headman deliver them to their homes at regular intervals. The elderly's land was originally managed by the public, and they would visit them from time to time. This protection was completely different from the stereotype.

I'll help out from time to time, just like every neighbor.

After putting the roasted food aside, Wen Yi also helped to bundle the firewood that had not yet been sorted out, as well as the dried grass.

A few days ago, a strong wind blew off several pieces of the roof. You could even see the stars at night. We need to repair it before the rain comes.

When the aroma of grains emanated from the pottery jar, Shu opened the lid and stirred it, then asked Wen Yi to eat first.

The vegetables added later were still green, but the rest of the ingredients had almost rotted in the porridge. Wen Yi carefully placed the shrimps and crabs that had turned red in the ceramic steamer and the previously roasted small fish and shrimps into another ceramic plate to dry.

Porridge was poured into several ceramic bowls. Amu also washed his hands and looked at Wen Yi and Shu eagerly, waiting for them to finish.

The porridge was still hot. Wen Yi stood up and went to the stove. He removed the gills, heart, stomach and intestines of the crab, broke it open, picked out the not-so-much meat, and put the peeled shrimp meat back into the crab shell.

When Wen Yi came back with the ceramic plate, the porridge was almost cold. A Mu cheered softly and happily carried the bowl to the wooden stake.

The orange-red light cast long shadows, and the three people sitting on the straw mats spent a pleasant dinner time.

*

With the current open-mindedness and the fact that accidents during labor and military service are not uncommon, it's not uncommon for people like Shu to live independently. Adult children are also required to register their own household within a specified period of time, but they are not required to live separately, so sometimes you can see six or seven people living and eating together in a small courtyard.

Shu's sister had previously been identified by the village head as having no independent household registration and no ability to work, so the property was registered under her name. Although Wen Yi is now able to work, it will have to wait until the annual tribute is checked before it can be re-evaluated to determine whether labor and land will be assigned based on the situation.

Wen Yi simply took advantage of this time to start renovating the simple courtyard, so that it would at least be safer.

A few days ago, someone disappeared in the woods again. Occasionally, the cries of wild beasts could be heard at night. Looking at the scattered wooden stakes at the door, Wen Yi felt really uneasy.

Nowadays, most buildings are constructed primarily of wood, supplemented by thatch. Wen Yi initially considered ramming the walls with mud, straw, and sandstone, but lacked the manpower and resources, so he had to find another solution. After observing the walls of several houses in the village, he ultimately decided to go with the simplest method.

Stone stacking.

Wen Yi found a long hemp rope, wrapped the ends around the branches, and then tied them to the sides of the planned wall. He dug a hole in the ground, laid stones on both sides, nailed a log into the ground in the middle, and filled it with small stones and yellow mud, compacting it firmly. Once it was stable, he filled the gaps between the stones with yellow mud.

This kind of wall does not require a foundation. It would be better if the middle could be filled with cement or other adhesives, but it can still be used for a long time without it. However, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive to build, and even if you work non-stop for a whole day, you can only build a little bit.

Wen Yi went out to catch fish and shrimp every other day to relax. After a month, he finally built a stone wall that was about half a person's height. The door was temporarily replaced with a rectangular frame made of wood and hemp rope.

Now, Mu could only see what was happening outside by standing on the wooden stake, but she felt very safe, and even Shu thought it was a good idea. Besides, the wind was much weaker when she slept at night.

The head of the village and a few wealthy families also have various walls, so people can't see what's inside when they pass by. It's not like other people who can see their property clearly when they pass by.

Wen Yi had recently been scooping up a lot of clam shells from the river, attempting to calcine them to obtain calcium oxide, which would then become a stronger adhesive. But perhaps the temperature wasn't high enough, so the resulting product did generate heat, but its grayish-black color was clearly not what he needed. It could still serve as fertilizer, though.

The village head said that it would rain in a while. Usually at this time of year, many people would fall ill with typhoid fever, so Wen Yi also took the time to dry more grass as a replacement.

Perhaps it's because environment can help people grow rapidly that Wen Yi quickly mastered the art of roof repair. First, he used bundles of short thatch to fill any holes. Then, he added long thatch to the short thatch and wooden frame, holding down the top with old thatch. Finally, he untied the hemp ropes that bound the top layer of thatch and took it away. It didn't take long for the fresh color of the thatch to blend in with the original roof.

Wen Yi also repaired the leaks in the house and laid a flat surface of stones at the entrance and exit, so that there wouldn't be too much mud and water when entering and exiting on rainy days, and straw sandals could be placed there to dry.

Although the boxes in the house were raised, they still needed ventilation. In their spare time, Wen Yi and A Mu would move the boxes out and put the things inside on the newly made wooden racks to dry - without metal tools, it took a lot of effort to make a simple wooden rack.

The heat gradually faded, and the nights began to lengthen. Shu checked the inventory of this year's harvest with the village head, and the remaining harvest was brought back and stored in ceramic jars in the house.

“Here, here!”

As soon as he came back one day, Wen Yi saw someone running out of the yard and waving at him.

The child grew up like a gust of wind, and his originally thin and small body became taller. Fortunately, Wen Yi had become an expert in fishing in recent days, so he didn't let Amu and other children go hungry during their growth and development. He even accumulated a lot of dried fish.

Yes, although many families can even save some money after a year of work, most of the food will be given to the laborers, and the elderly and children can usually only eat half full. The money is saved in preparation for labor.