Chapter 34 Cang Li felt it was rare…

Cang Li found it strange, so he put down his basket and, instead of rushing home, spread his arms to observe himself.

Her hands were still the same hands, and her feet were still the same feet, but ever since that thought flashed through her mind, Cang Li clearly realized that she did indeed have cultivation, and that her current lack of fear of the cold was also due to the effects of that cultivation within her body.

Cang Li sighed, realizing that he should get used to this mythical world and not live here with the scientific materialism he had before his transmigration.

This is the primordial wilderness.

Cang Li rubbed her arm, using a little force, but it didn't hurt. Cang Li realized that if she were in her current physical condition and Zhen Yuanzi had grabbed her shoulder and dragged her backward like last time, her shoulder wouldn't have broken at all. This was the benefit of cultivation, which made her body stronger.

After carefully sensing the path of the spiritual energy flow within her body, Cang Li patted her sleeves. This spiritual energy circulation was of no use to her; in other words, she could increase her cultivation even while sleeping, so the 40 gathering points were well spent.

No wonder she has felt that she has been more efficient at work and stronger lately.

Cang Li picked up his basket again and went down the mountain. Hmm, it seems that it is indeed necessary to listen to what Tai Qing tells the children every day. People really should learn until they die.

Upon reaching the cave entrance, Cang Li immediately spotted Tai Qing.

Taiqing stood there, with a pile of brown fur at his feet, which looked like a bear's.

As Cang Li approached, he smelled a strong odor of blood and couldn't help but pinch his nose and ask:

"You're back so soon?"

Taiqing nodded and said, "We found two hibernating bears, but their fur was huge and the meat wasn't very good, so we threw them away."

Cang Li waved her hand: "I don't eat bear meat, just the fur is fine with me, thank you~"

Taiqing nodded, and Cangli took the basket of chestnuts into the cave. The children were peeling the chestnuts, and Cangli wanted to make chestnut ribs.

"Peel a little more, I'm going to the river to wash some things, I'll be right back, don't go out."

Ji Hejie nodded obediently, and Cang Li took the kitchen knife, went out to put the fur into his backpack, and then walked along the river.

Taiqing followed.

When Cang Li arrived at the riverbank, she squatted down at the place where she had previously processed the ingredients and took out the fur. The smell of blood was still very strong. Cang Li pinched her nose, pierced a hole in the fur, tied a rope around it, and threw the fur into the water to wash away the bloodstains. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to process it.

The wet fur was heavy, but fortunately, Cang Li was now stronger, so it wasn't difficult for him to pull it, and he even had the strength to shake it a few times.

After rinsing the two pelts, the smell was much milder. Cang Li spread the pelts out on the ground and used a cleaver to scrape off the remaining grease and bits of meat. Tai Qing's skinning skills were mediocre; without scraping, the pelts were unusable.

Seeing how Cang Li was handling the fur, Tai Qing cleaned the other one and then asked Cang Li:

"Are we taking these two animal hides back after we've processed them?"

After scraping off the last bit of grease, Cang Li shook his head and said:

"You have to soak it in water and rinse it for a few days, otherwise the dirt left on it won't come off."

Taiqing saw Cangli about to throw the animal hide into the river and stopped him:

"No need for such trouble, a dust-removing spell will suffice."

Cang Li stopped what he was doing and looked at Tai Qing with a blank expression.

Taiqing: "...At first I didn't know how you were going to deal with the animal hides. I only remembered the dust-removing spell after hearing you say it." It wasn't that he deliberately didn't say it.

Cang Li clapped his hands: "Alright then, you come here, and I'll learn the dust-removing spell while I'm at it."

Taiqing only glanced at the two animal hides on the ground, but Cangli noticed a significant change in them. They were softer, with no grease or debris left, and the furry side was fluffy and clean. There was no trace of blood or other odor. The two hides had been completely processed and were far better than the rabbit hides she had processed before. They could be taken back and directly cut and sewn together for wearing.

Cang Li smiled and put the two animal hides into his backpack, then made empty promises to Tai Qing:

"Master, don't worry, once the weather gets warmer, I'll definitely urge my mom to have a baby!"

Taiqing smiled faintly: "Okay."

Cang Li went to check the fish trap again. She usually checks the fish trap every three to five days. This time there were not many fish in the fish trap, but there were more shrimp. After Cang Li emptied the fish trap, she put it back. It was not easy to hunt in winter, and the children needed to eat more meat to grow tall, so the fish had to be caught again.

On the way back, Cang Li paused for a moment before speaking to Tai Qing:

"Taoist Master, could you teach me some magic spells when you have time? Teaching me is teaching the human race, after all."

Taiqing nodded readily. Of course, he would teach him. He was very pleased that Cangli had taken the initiative to bring it up. He had never seen someone as indifferent to cultivation as Cangli.

Seeing that Taiqing had agreed, Cangli was very happy and immediately decided to cook a delicious meal that evening to thank Taiqing.

Back in the cave, a basin full of chestnuts had already been peeled. Ji and Jie were peeling the chestnuts that Cang Li had brought back. The spiky shells were hard to remove, so the three of them grimaced and used bamboo strips to press and roll them until they were less prickly before using their hands to get the chestnuts out.

Cang Li went to the stove to add firewood, and used a gourd ladle to scoop the hot water from the pot into a clay pot. She could use the hot water to wash up later. She didn't know if the clay pot could be heated over an open flame. Cang Li still wanted to boil the water for washing and drinking in a separate container, otherwise the rice would easily have an off-flavor when cooked in a large pot.

The water she had been drinking before had a taste of iron pot, so Cang Li took out a ceramic jar that had never been used to hold anything other than water, filled it with the settled river water, and casually built a small stove next to the main stove. She then filled the jar with water, put it out, and figured it wouldn't hurt to try. Even if one jar broke, it wouldn't matter; she had plenty of others. Even if she lost the jar, she wouldn't have to worry about not having anything to hold water.

While frying fish pieces, Cang Li observed the earthenware pot. Seeing that the pot had been fired for a long time and the water inside had started to bubble but had not cracked, Cang Li was relieved. He put the lid on the pot, wrapped it in rabbit skin, and carried it out to the side. Then he took out another earthenware pot, put the washed rice in it, added water, and put it on to steam the rice. Since the earthenware pot did not crack, he could use it to steam rice in the future, which would save time.

After frying the fish pieces, Cang Li also fried a pot of meatballs and a small bowl of spare ribs. After frying, he put the fish pieces back in the pot, added scallions, ginger, and salt, stir-fried them, and served them. He also made a fried meatball and cabbage soup, stir-fried potato slices, and the rice was ready. Cang Li then invited the others to eat and went out to call Tai Qing.

Taiqing has now gotten used to eating with Cangli every day. Although he can't eat much, the food Cangli makes is very pleasant to eat.

After the meal, Ji and Jie tidied up, and Cang Li went to the fire pit in the middle, dragged a futon to sit on, took out a piece of animal skin and spread it flat on the ground, then found a hemp rope and measured the approximate size for Er Zhong. After roughly comparing it, he used a knife to cut the animal skin into suitable sizes.

Cang Li didn't know any fancy clothes-making techniques. She would just cut out the shape of the animal hide according to the shape of one side of the garment, then sew the two pieces together, and then put the garment on the child. Although it wasn't pretty and wasn't smooth, it was wearable and kept warm. After Er put on the freshly made clothes and pants, he took a walk outside and found that he was indeed no longer cold.

Er happily touched the soft animal hide on her body: "Sister! The clothes you made are so beautiful! I love them!"

Cang Li looked at Er's animal skin clothes, which were even worse than those of the Beggars' Sect, and gave an awkward smile: "If you like them, that's fine."

The crowd grabbed Cang Li's hand, saying, "Sister, I want one too!"

Cang Li patted everyone's heads, and Ji Hejie, who had finished his work, also came over to help.

Perhaps because she became more skilled after making one set, Cang Li made more and more clothes later on, and they looked much better. At least it was clear that they were clothes. After making a set for each of the five children, there was still half a piece of animal skin left. Cang Li did not waste it. She spread it directly on the children's beds. An extra layer of animal skin would definitely make them warmer and less likely to catch a cold.

It snowed soon after, but Cang Li still didn't feel cold. During this time, she could clearly feel her cultivation improving, and she also learned a few simple spells from Tai Qing. However, she was used to doing things by hand, and Cang Li could never think of using more convenient spells to do them.

The cave was warm, and the firewood in the fire pit never ran out. When the children went out to play, they would wear animal skins, but in the cave, they would take off the animal skins and wear only their single clothes. Cang Li also asked Tai Qing to help to open up the small cave next door, which served as a bathroom, and install a door on it. This way, they could take a bath in winter. Cang Li was afraid that if he didn't bathe the children for a whole winter, they would smell terrible.

After the snow fell, the children initially went out to play in the snow, but it got too cold and they couldn't play anymore, so they obediently went back to the cave to stay and listen to Taiqing's teachings. It seemed that there was nothing to do in winter, so Taiqing extended the time he spent teaching the children.

Bored, Cang Li dragged a few bundles of rice straw into the cave, tied the ends of the straw, wove them into a thick curtain, and hung it on the bamboo door of the cave to keep warm. He also wove a few square sheets to replace the flattened pile of weeds, using the rice straw as a pad, which was more durable and softer than the weeds. He then laid a sheet on top and put an animal skin on it. Cang Li nodded in satisfaction.

Ji, Jie, and Er have more memories. They remember that when it snowed, they were cold and hungry. There was no fire in the cave, so they could only huddle in the haystack and shiver. They survived only because the Mother Goddess would occasionally throw them some prey. Where could they have such a good life?

Now the cave is warm, with food and drink, and the older sister has even made them warm clothes so they can go out and play.

Ji, Jie, and Er sincerely admired and were grateful to Cang Li, because their elder sister was practically omnipotent after becoming smart.

By the time the snow melted, the firewood on one wall of the cave had almost burned out. Cang Li had gone up the mountain to collect firewood many times during that time, otherwise there would have been no firewood left to burn.

As the weather gradually warmed up, Cang Li removed the curtain, and the snow outside was flowing into the river along the ditches in the fields.

Cang Li stretched, feeling lazy after spending the whole winter in the cave.

Ji Hejie led the others out, dressed in animal skins, and after a while, said:

"Sister, it's not so cold outside anymore!"

Cang Li nodded. It wasn't so cold anymore; green grass was sprouting in the fields, all of which indicated—

Spring is here.

A note from the author:

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