Chapter 140 Returning to the Low Mountain to Deliver Gifts, Hiring Goblins, Construction in Progress...
The brown sugar that I made in the morning finally solidified and took shape by almost dinner time in the afternoon.
Lai used a clean knife to cut them into evenly sized squares, wrapped most of them in oil paper, and planned to send them to Farah the next day.
The remaining small portion was cut into even smaller pieces, put into a jar, and kept as a snack for Neil.
When Lamb got home, Ray gave him a small bag to eat. This surprised Lamb, who considered himself an adult, and after a brief refusal, he happily accepted it.
On the way, Lamb was secretly pleased with the brown sugar in his pocket.
He opened the bag, looked at it again and again, pinched off a small piece and put it in his mouth, then carefully put the bag of candy back in his pocket.
Lamb arrived home quickly. He gently opened the door, and the living room was quiet, with the faint aroma of food lingering in the air.
There was no sound of a baby crying inside; the baby must be asleep. Linda was sitting by the window, making small clothes out of soft cloth. The others were nowhere to be seen.
Although I had prepared a lot of baby clothes in advance, the clothes never dried as fast as the baby changed clothes.
Just a few days after her birth, almost all of her clothes were already wet, including the ones Luna and Mark wore as babies, but it still wasn't enough. Linda had no choice but to rush out a few more in her spare time.
"I'm back."
Linda glanced up briefly before continuing with her work.
"Yes, I'm back. I made brown sugar for you today."
"I've left you a bowl of stewed meat and some bread in the kitchen. Eat it if you get hungry tonight."
"good."
Lamb stuffed the brown sugar into Linda's hand.
"What's this?"
"My brother gave me this brown sugar, saying it's good for making tea. Here you go."
Lamb said with a chuckle.
Linda looked at her youngest son's pleading face and knew exactly what he meant, which warmed her heart.
"No need, you can take it and eat it yourself."
"It's too sweet, I don't like it. Put it away so that Luna, that little glutton, won't find it."
Lamb, fearing Linda would try to refuse again, said he was exhausted as he went to fetch water to wash his face.
Linda watched the slightly awkward figure with a smile, her smile never fading.
Parents often only realize how much their children have grown up when they least expect it.
The brown sugar that Lai gave me last year was very sweet and delicious.
Linda gave some to Farah, some to Kelly, and what was left was almost all of it, which was then made into a sweet soup for the whole family to drink.
Linda felt that the brown sugar should be given to Farah, but as a mother, she also cherished her son's sentiments.
This little bit of brown sugar won't make a difference; making more nourishing meat for Farah is better than anything else.
After Linda figured it out, she put the brown sugar away.
Before they knew it, it was the next day, and Linda and Kelly had prepared a meal for the whole family early in the morning.
Farah is still asleep. She got up four or five times last night to feed the baby and didn't get any sleep at all.
Luna moved into her grandparents' room and has been being looked after by Linda for the past few days.
Reese came out to eat breakfast, yawning and sporting dark circles under his eyes.
He would take care of the children with Farah at night, but Linda would need to help take care of them during the day as he had to go out to work and earn money.
Halfway through the meal, the sound of a baby crying came from the room. Linda put down her soup bowl to go and look after the baby, but was stopped by Rhys.
"Okay, you eat first."
After quickly shoveling down a couple of bites to finish her breakfast, Luna went back to her room to take care of the children, a hint of disappointment on her face.
Hagrid stroked Luna's soft hair.
"Do you want to go play in the fields with Grandpa later?"
"Yes! Luna wants to go!"
"Our Luna is so well-behaved."
"hey-hey."
Leiyue, keeping track of the time, brought brown sugar and little gold lock to Hagrid's house in the morning.
Rhys, Brian, Hagrid, and Luna have already gone out, leaving only Linda and the others at home.
"Aunt Linda, Mark, hello."
"Why did you bring things with you?"
Linda warmly welcomed Ray and Neil, who came to visit.
"How is Farah's recovery going?"
"It's great, but taking care of the baby every day is very tiring and I can't sleep well."
Ray handed three portions of brown sugar to Linda.
"This is some brown sugar that we just made. It's for Farah, you, and Kelly."
"Lay, you're too kind, kid."
"And this is for my newborn nephew, he can wear it around his neck later."
Lai handed the small red cloth bag to Linda, who took it, opened it, and poured out a cute little gold lock inside, on which she also saw the words engraved.
"Ah, this is made of gold, and it's even shinier than the gold we usually see. It's too precious for us to accept."
Linda refused repeatedly.
This necklace clearly uses a lot of gold, and the workmanship is excellent; it could be exchanged for a lot of grain.
It wasn't easy for Lai to raise her younger brother alone; she had recently bought a small hill to plant fruit trees. They probably didn't have much money left, and Linda didn't want Lai to spend too much.
"It's alright, Aunt Linda. All sorts of nuts and berries in the mountains will ripen soon, and I'll be able to make a lot of money then. This little thing is nothing."
"Your family has always taken care of Neil and me; this little thing is simply not enough to express my gratitude to Uncle Hagrid and you."
Lei gently persuaded her.
Neil and Mark sat quietly to one side.
"Neil, were you injured the day before yesterday?"
Mark asked in a low voice, in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Neil glanced at Mark but didn't answer. Mark lowered his head and remained silent.
He went into withdrawn mode again, but only for a few seconds. Neil nudged Mark with his elbow, signaling him to look at him. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing the bruises on his arms.
Oh, that looks so painful!
Mark thought to himself.
"Uncle Lei knows?"
"They probably don't know."
Neil and Mark's eyes were fixed on Ray.
"I don't want my brother to know, and you shouldn't tell anyone either."
"good."
Lai and Linda talked for a long time, and Linda finally accepted the small lock.
Ray took Neil home, and Lamb came along too. The three of them packed up and went to town.
Tomorrow, Lai will be setting off for the low mountains, and they need to procure enough food and tools.
There are many villages near Rosen Town, and the harvest season is approaching. The grain shops in town are selling off the grain they stockpiled last year, and each batch is two copper coins cheaper, which saves Lai a lot of money.
A dozen or so goblins, based on the average adult's appetite, each goblin would consume at least one pound of food per day.
Thirteen goblin hills would need over sixty pounds of food in five days, plus salt, canvas for tents, nails, and so on. Neil followed Rye to several stores.
Lamb went off on his own to buy an axe and a saw from a shop he knew well.
I was busy all noon and didn't even have time to eat before I finally bought everything.
After returning to the village and having a simple lunch, the three of them went to the fields and picked a lot of vegetables.
There are plenty of green beans and cabbages in the field.
The potatoes and sweet potatoes were nearing maturity, so Lai mixed them together and scooped out a full basket to take to the hillside tomorrow.
A considerable amount of food and various tools were prepared.
The next day, before dawn, while Xiao Hei was still half asleep, he heard the sound of the front door opening and closing.
Lei has already set off.
He had originally planned to go alone, but Hagrid, worried about his safety, insisted that Lamb come along. Ray had no choice but to let Lamb go with him.
After the two met up, they soon met up with Iru and a group of more than a dozen goblins at the foot of the mountain.
Lai and Lamb sat at the front driving the cart, which was piled with grain and vegetables. The remaining space could only accommodate ten goblins, while three others could only watch helplessly.
"This was my mistake; I brought too much food."
"It's alright, it's alright, the few of us can walk over."
Iru then called down a few more young and strong goblins from the carriage, and in order not to delay the journey, they decided to walk.
“We can go in two groups. After we deliver the things, I will come back to pick you up.”
"With so much stuff, the mule cart probably won't go very fast. We'll just follow behind, and when we get tired, we can switch with the goblins on the cart, which will save us from having to come back and waste time."
"Iru said."
After thinking about it, Lai agreed to Iru's proposed method.
The group set off under the cover of night, with only the sound of tire tracks and their quiet conversations on the road.
As dusk approached in the afternoon, everyone finally arrived at the low hill.
After unloading the materials, they began felling trees to build tents.
The tent poles are still there; all we need to do is cover them with the canvas.
Next to the two tents, leaving a gap of about one meter, they set up two more tents. With more goblins arriving, they needed to prepare several more places for them to stay.
Water was fetched, firewood was gathered, and traps were set—everything proceeded smoothly and methodically. The food was carried into the tent where Iru and Nana were staying.
Nana came along mainly to cook for the goblins. Lai will be leaving with Lamb tomorrow afternoon. With so many goblins working here, someone needs to prepare food for them.
Iru then recommended Nana, who was a decent cook.
The twins can already walk, and with two younger siblings to help, Kay can take good care of them. Of course, Rae will also give Nana a salary.
After a simple dinner and arranging for the night watchman, the group returned to their respective tents to rest.
In early autumn, the weather is still very hot, and you wake up covered in sweat.
There are a lot of mosquitoes here, so the mosquito-repellent herbs came in very handy. The goblins have thick skin and are basically unaffected, but it was tough on Ray and Lamb; even with the herbs, they still got bitten a few times.
Lai got up early and prepared breakfast with Nana.
The iron pot we brought here is only medium-sized, barely enough to prepare meals for everyone.
There weren't many kitchen utensils left at the low hill, so Lai planned to leave the steamer and soup pot he brought with him there as well.
After breakfast, it's time to get to work.
After Lai left, it was up to Iru to take charge here. The two discussed the main tasks for the next few days and assigned tasks to the goblins.
"We need to prepare enough timber before the first snowflake falls in winter. The felled timber also needs to be spread out and dried. The vegetation on the land near the foundation also needs to be cleared. It's mostly low shrubs, which will be easier to clear."
"Okay, I understand."
“Although there are animal traps and snares around the tent, it’s still not safe enough. You can use some branches to build a fence around the tent to increase security. There are low hills around here, and although there aren’t many large wild animals, you still need to be careful of small carnivores.”
"Don't worry, if they really come, it's hard to say who will eat whom."
Iru gave a confident smile, which reassured Lei.
"Never let them discover the secret on the other side of the mountain."
"Lay said in a low voice."
Iru nodded emphatically.
“I see there are many wild animals on the surrounding mountains. You can go and collect them nearby, and I'll bring them back for you. Be careful not to have any conflicts with the villagers in the area, and it's best to avoid them altogether to prevent any trouble.”
"well."
Iru was overjoyed by Laiyi's suggestion, as there were many good things to be found in the nearby mountains.
Last year, when they were collecting chestnuts and pine nuts with Lai, they discovered a taro field, and Lai gave them almost all of the taro.
Without those taro roots, his family probably wouldn't have been able to get through that winter so smoothly.
When they had some free time, they sent a few goblins to look around for anything edible. They would dig it up and share it, which would solve a lot of their food problems.
"Don't worry, we will definitely not delay the collection of timber."
Yilu made a solemn promise.
After spending so much time together, Laiyi still trusted Iru's character completely.
They had many experiences of hiring and being hired, but their relationship was more than just simple employment; there was a lot of trust between them, an inexplicable bond.
This is also why Lei has been cooperating with Iru.
Around noon, Lai taught Nana how to make dough for steamed buns, and also taught her how to make stews that would taste even better.
After having a simple lunch with the goblins, Rae and Lamb avoided the hottest part of the day and drove back to the village.
With everything unloaded, the mule cart was much lighter, making the return trip two or three times faster than the journey there.
Not long after dark, while the candles in the villagers' homes were still burning, the two returned to the small mountain village.
About five days later, they will go to the low mountain again to deliver various supplies to the goblins.
Everything is proceeding smoothly according to plan.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-05-14 21:49:22 and 2024-05-21 09:41:53!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Fengyu (20 bottles); Kasha and Junmei's Big Mushroom (10 bottles each); Zhiye Wuya (4 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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