"Son, you must be a good boy and listen to your mother at home. Don't you dare upset your mother, do you hear me?" Lu Chuan said, holding Mu'er.

"Mu~ Good boy/girl."

"That's great," Lu Chuan said, kissing Mu'er's cheek.

Then he lifted Mu'er above his head and began to lead Mu'er around the room automatically.

Mu'er laughed non-stop, and Lu Chuan himself was also having a lot of fun.

A good night's sleep...

The next morning, before dawn, Lu Chuan got up to prepare to go deep into the mountains.

Xu Han groggily handed the things she had prepared yesterday to Lu Chuan, then turned over, hugged Mu'er, and fell asleep again.

Xu Han and Grandpa Zhao stayed inside the house all day. Xu Han looked after Mu'er, while Grandpa Zhao continued writing his medical book. They didn't step out of the courtyard even once.

Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest set off before dawn.

Most of the paths in the mountains are no longer wet, but some damp areas are impassable.

The two of them carried sticks as they walked, scraping the mud off their shoes as they went, so they didn't travel very fast that day.

The stream in front of their house has now resumed flowing. When the two passed by the waterfall, they even took a detour there and could hear the sound of the waterfall from a distance.

Lu Chuan even went closer to check the current water level.

The waterfall's flow was noticeably smaller than before the drought, suggesting that there wasn't much water accumulated in the deep mountains. After all, the drought had lasted for so long; it couldn't be restored simply by a couple of rain showers.

Fortunately, there is water now, so there shouldn't be any problem with drinking water in the future. When we have some free time, we should fix the pipes leading to the backyard so that it will be more convenient to get water.

Currently, the water used in our house comes from the water stored in the backyard reservoir. We will fill the reservoir when the ground dries out a bit more, but the water pipes will definitely need to be repaired before that.

As Lu Chuan thought about it, he suddenly realized that repairing the water pipes was urgent and that it would be put on the agenda once he returned from his trip to the deep mountains.

After seeing the waterfall, we followed the Taoist priest deeper into the mountains.

Along the way, we found that many sturdy trees had sprouted new buds, but many small trees had completely withered away.

But many trees are partially withered, and then new branches sprout from the middle.

It must be said that these trees are very resilient, surviving such a long drought.

It must be said that this drought has brought immeasurable impact to the deep mountains and forests.

It would probably take at least ten years for the mountain area to return to its pre-drought state.

Although some hibernated due to the drought, most died during this drought.

Not only are the trees in the deep mountains like this, but the number of animals has also decreased significantly.

The two walked along without seeing a single wild animal until lunchtime, and the drought would only kill more animals.

When animals have no food, they become food for other animals, and this cycle repeats itself, resulting in fewer and fewer animals surviving.

"It seems we won't be able to hunt for the next two years. We've been walking for ages and haven't even seen a chicken feather," the Taoist priest said as he sat down on a large rock to rest.

“Yes, not only can we not see any wild animals, but we can’t even see any pheasants or rabbits,” Lu Chuan replied.

"We definitely can't hunt in the short term. But it's okay. Pheasants and rabbits reproduce quickly, and they'll be everywhere again in a year or two. Rabbits, in particular, give birth to a litter every month, and there are so many of them in one litter. If we don't hunt for a long time, they'll become a plague."

"Right now it's just a drought, but there will be floods later, and the number will probably decrease again then."

"Floods are not easy to get through, and they are also a test for animals."

"These surviving plants and animals have had a tough time. They barely escaped the drought, and now they have to face the flood."

"Hopefully, they can establish deeper roots before the flood, and recover smoothly!"

After resting for a while, the two continued on their way. The river in the mountains had resumed its flow, and the wild vegetables had just sprouted, and were now at their freshest and most tender.

Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest carefully checked the situation once, and seeing that it was getting late and they were sure there was no danger, they prepared to return home.

When Xu Han arrived home, she hadn't made dinner yet. Hearing the knock on the door, Grandpa Zhao quickly got up to open it.

Mu'er followed closely behind, and when she saw Lu Chuan come in, she reached out to her father for a hug.

"How was it? Were there any wild animals or anything?" Grandpa Zhao asked.

"Let alone wild animals, we didn't even see many pheasants or rabbits."

However, we didn't venture too deep today; we only went west. We haven't reached the deep mountains to the north yet. The south and southeast are closer to villages and shouldn't be dangerous there, but we still need to check the east and north.

The Taoist priest answered while drinking the warm water that Xu Han handed him.

“Yes, it’s rare to see animals in the deep mountains, but there are plenty of wild vegetables, all just sprouting and very fresh. We can go out and pick wild vegetables after we’ve checked the surrounding area,” Lu Chuan said.

"That's great. Are you going out again tomorrow?" Xu Han asked again.

"Go, take advantage of these few days to check out the surrounding area. If there's no danger, you can go out freely. After the inspection, fix the water pipes in the backyard so that it will be convenient to use water."

“Okay, then you’ll have to work hard these next few days. It’ll be more reassuring to finish the check-up.” Grandpa Zhao said.

"I'll go make you some fried dough sticks; they'll be convenient for you to eat on the mountain," Xu Han said, and then prepared to go to the kitchen to start making the fried dough sticks.

Grandpa Zhao went in to help and also prepared dinner for the day.

Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest sat in the courtyard to rest while looking after Mu'er, who was playing there.

"Xiao Han, give me a few eggs, and fry a few more for them to put in pancakes tomorrow. They've been running around outside every day these past few days, so they need to eat something nutritious."

Xu Han was kneading dough when she suddenly heard Grandpa Zhao saying these things, so she took out an egg from her spatial storage and handed it to Grandpa Zhao.

"You can start frying them first. Once the dough is ready, we can start making the pancakes right away."

"Okay, you go ahead with your work, this is simple I can do it myself."

Grandpa Zhao took the eggs and started working. Xu Han finished kneading the dough, and Grandpa Zhao finished frying the eggs. He even scooped one out and gave it to Mu'er first.

After making the pancakes, Xu Han casually stir-fried some beef and made a hot and sour shredded potato dish, which she served with white rice as her main course. Dinner was ready for today.