Chapter 155: Food Reserves Come to an End; Food, Reserves...
One morning when he woke up, Ray noticed a light layer of frost on the things outside, and he realized that in the midst of his busy life, it was already late autumn.
The temperature dropped suddenly. Although it was still quite sunny in the afternoon, everyone uniformly changed into long sleeves.
With such fluctuating temperatures, the goblins must be very uncomfortable living in tents with only a single layer of canvas for shelter over the low hill. It's time to end this year's construction.
Lai bought several large canvases in town, hitched them to a mule cart and added a small sidecar, and set off for the low hills the next day.
More than a month has passed, and the place has changed again.
At the foot of the mountain, a large area was enclosed by a wooden fence, inside which several tents were neatly arranged.
Outside the fence, in an open space several meters high, was a pile of dry branches more than a meter high.
These are scraps left over from when the goblins were trimming timber. They've piled them up there to be used as firewood, ensuring the campfire can burn all night and keeping out wolves.
"Ray, you're here."
Nana put down what she was doing and came to greet her. She had gained a lot of weight since giving birth, but looked much better. She had energy and her eyes were bright and sparkling.
"Iru and the others are on the mountain."
Nana continued.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work."
"No, no, we should be thanking you."
“You should thank yourselves. Don’t worry about me, you keep going. I’m going to go up the mountain to take a look.”
Lei stopped Nana from going with him.
"good."
Lai climbed the mountain along a path that was nearly two meters wide from the foot of the mountain to the top.
From a distance, a large bald patch can be seen on the hillside of the low mountain, with a noticeable depression.
Lai climbed to the site where the house was to be built. There were several neatly stacked piles of wood, which were firmly fixed to the ground on both sides by four thick wooden sticks.
The surrounding trees have all been cut down, the soil is very black and feels "soft" underfoot, and the stones that used to hurt your feet in the soil have been cleared away.
The goblins did a very good job, and there shouldn't be any problem with construction of the cabin starting next spring.
"Iru! Iru!"
Lai shouted several times, and soon a rustling sound came from the forest at a higher altitude.
"They're here!"
Iru, still wearing some fruit, was very happy to see that it was Laiyi.
“We found a lot of wild fruit on the mountain, and they will all rot if we don’t pick them soon.”
"Okay, you guys pick first. We've come to take you back home so we can prepare for winter."
Yiru was taken aback.
Winter is coming so soon?
Time flies in the mountains; people are busy and fulfilled every day and don't really notice the changing seasons.
"Yes, it's already late autumn. You guys hurry up and find food, we'll set off the day after tomorrow."
"good."
There are quite a lot of supplies here in Aishan, but since it's just a temporary place to stay, it's not too difficult for everyone to pack them up.
The tableware and the low tables and stools that the goblins later made by hand were all hidden in the cellar.
The tents were easy to disassemble. The canvas used for these tents, along with the new ones that Lai had bought, were used to cover the treated timber to protect it from the winter snow.
Wood isn't that delicate, but it still needs to be protected before use. It snows here in winter, and if it's not covered in advance, the accumulated snow will soak the wood when it melts in spring, potentially ruining it.
Iru selected two nimble and lightweight goblins to climb onto the log, spread the canvas over it, tied the edges with hemp rope, stretched the canvas taut, and fixed the ends of the hemp ropes to the long wooden sticks at the bottom used to support the log.
It took more than three hours to arrange all the timber.
The gravel that the goblins carried over by hand to pave the foundation can be left unattended; just pile it on the ground. Aside from that, there's nothing else to worry about.
Iru and his companions found another load of food, filling the small cart. Most of it consisted of plant roots and stems that kept well and were very filling, which would help the goblins survive the long winter.
The mule cart wheels creaked and turned, and around midnight, Lai led them safely back to the small mountain village.
After Rae settled the final accounts with the goblins, the construction of the cabin for the year was officially completed, and everyone was very satisfied.
For the first time, the goblins did not feel panic or fear about the coming winter.
The new wooden house built by the Yilu family is not as elaborate as the one that Laiyi is about to build over the low mountain. They just work on it piecemeal during their rest time, with Kaiyi helping out at home to prepare materials. The house is basically finished.
Having learned from previous construction experience, the wooden house was built large and well, and Yiru decided that his family would move into the house this winter.
The old house was given directly to Kay, who could move in during the summer, but the family would still have to live together in the winter, and Kay had no objection to this.
Throughout the year, they accumulated three large animal hides and more than a dozen smaller animal hides.
With limited supplies, the old items couldn't be thrown away. After being cleaned with wood ash, they were all nailed to the walls of the new bedroom to protect against the winter winds.
That wasn't enough for Yiru, so he had to take out a large piece of animal hide and nail it to the front, which made him feel a little heartache.
The cast iron pot and the newly bought soup pot were all moved to the new house. The kitchen and living room are still in one room, so that the temperature when cooking can keep the living room warm.
Because they had been stockpiling food for the winter all year, Yilu's family had a lot of food stored up this year.
The field yielded two bags of potatoes, one bag of sweet potatoes, a dozen large pumpkins, more than twenty large cabbages, and more than thirty radishes.
They didn't have many seeds, so harvesting so many vegetables was already beyond their expectations.
The land of Casa will not fail the hard work of every industrious race. It is the most selfless and benevolent, giving equal rewards to everyone, whether they are goblins or mixed-race "hybrids".
Iru and his family expressed their gratitude to the Goddess of Harvest.
Besides that, they also found a lot of food during their time in the low mountains.
There are chestnuts, taro, various wild vegetables, and wild fruits. Chestnuts and taro are good things; they can be stored for a long time and are very filling.
They had a large bag of dried vegetables, a preservation method that Kai learned from the villagers.
Lai also gave their family half a bag of green beans, which were all dried into dried green beans.
Lai planted so many green beans, one crop after another. The ones he couldn't eat were given to the neighbors and Iru's family. He also taught Kai how to make dried green beans.
At Iru's house now, those few red rockbirds are definitely number one.
They lay several eggs every day, which are an important source of food, providing nutrition for the young children in the family. Nana dares not let them roam freely across the mountains and fields; once the weather gets colder, she will keep them indoors.
These things were enough to feed the seven goblins twice a day and keep them warm throughout the winter. Could they be happier than that?
Yilu also planned to buy a water vat to store water in the house, as their old vat had been broken. They didn't have a well, so they had to fetch water from the river every day, which was very inconvenient.
We also need to stock up on firewood. Although Kai and his younger siblings have collected a lot of branches, it's still far from enough to get them through the winter.
Among the goblins living on the barren mountain, Iru's family was the best off, followed by the goblins who followed Iru out to work.
Since they were out working and couldn't tend to their vegetable garden, they asked other familiar goblins for help. They didn't need much; they just needed to share some with them when the produce was ready. The goblins all eagerly volunteered to help.
They shared the food they found in the low hills equally, so they also had quite a lot of taro and chestnuts.
They didn't have many silver coins, but at the current price of seven or eight copper coins per pound of wheat, they could buy hundreds of pounds of grain. If they couldn't buy the good stuff, couldn't they at least buy the bad stuff? Even if they only ate last year's old wheat and broken wheat, it would be enough for them to survive.
Several goblins have already added iron pots to their homes, and their happiness index has skyrocketed.
But there are also goblins who don't fare well, such as Heru's brother, Jeru.
Hru betrayed the goblins, broke the trust of the goblins who supported him, and left Jeru to bear the goblins' wrath.
They didn't do anything to Jeru, since humans forbade them from doing bad things, but they isolated Jeru. No goblins were willing to talk to him, and he lived alone on the other side of the desolate mountains.
Kind-hearted Nana had Kai deliver a small bag of vegetable seeds to him, which made his life a little easier. The seeds must have been given with Iru's permission, and Jeru remembered their kindness in his heart.
"Oh, busy?"
Soru leaned casually against the fence of Jeru's house, his hands in his pockets. Jeru ignored him and kept working.
Solu was Khru's loyal subordinate and had followed him for a long time.
Before, when Khru was around, he wouldn't bully him, but he looked down on him and often said he was indecisive. Now that Khru is gone, Soru is idle and doesn't know what happened that caused him to lose an arm, and often asks him for food.
"Jeru, don't be fooled by our current state. When your brother comes back, those villagers will be in for a world of hurt!"
Solu muttered to himself, his eyes fierce. He wasn't one to settle for a quiet life; he needed to make a scene to be happy.
Jeru didn't expect his ruthless brother to come back. He was doing quite well now, with food and shelter. Goblins didn't need social interaction, and he was perfectly content living alone here.
Soru talked about a bunch of random things, and when he left, he even took two big radishes with him. Jeru was heartbroken. Luckily, he had already hidden the pumpkins that had grown this year in the house, otherwise Soru would have taken them too.
A gust of autumn wind blew, and Soru shivered.
Winter is coming soon, and he needs to hurry up and find more food to get through the winter.
During the spring planting and autumn harvest, Lai spent most of the year traveling around, selling a lot of vegetables and earning a lot of gold coins, but buying barren mountains and building wooden houses consumed most of his savings.
Overall, I invested a lot in the early stages and knew that there would definitely be returns later. I'm just getting by now, but I'm sure I won't have to worry about food and clothing from this winter until next summer.
After deducting the wheat that had to be handed over as taxes this year, he still had four large bags of grain left over.
There were more than two bags of potatoes, one bag of sweet potatoes, a dozen or so pumpkins, a dozen or so loofahs, and thirty or forty radishes. There were also some old cucumbers, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, chili peppers, scallions, ginger, and so on.
The dried goods included dried green beans, dried potatoes, dried radishes, glass noodles, and dozens of pounds of cured meat. Aunt Linda also gave him a large bowl of sausages, some of which Ray dried.
They also had a jar of pickled vegetables, two jars of kimchi, and even more bird eggs, including salted bird eggs.
This is enough for Ray and Neil to get through the winter very comfortably.
But after all this time, Lei has found neither rice nor corn.
Rice, as a staple food, can provide people with enough starch. It tastes sweet and is filling.
Claypot rice, rice cakes, rice noodles, and so on—there are so many ways to cook rice, and Lai really misses this taste.
Corn, as a crop, occupies a pivotal position in modern agriculture.
Corn is edible, and corn cobs can be used to grow mushrooms and for fuel. When corn stalks are young and still green, they can be used as feed for various livestock. After they dry and turn yellow, they can be shredded and stored as winter feed for ruminants such as cattle, or used directly for heating.
In short, corn is a treasure trove, with high yields and almost every part of the corn plant can be utilized.
In modern times, dried corn kernels ground into cornmeal are the most important food source for livestock in winter. During famine years, cornmeal was also a staple food for many families and could be made into cornmeal pancakes.
If he could travel freely in the future, Ray really hoped he could find rice or corn. This would not only alleviate his homesickness but also benefit the inhabitants of the entire continent, enriching everyone's dining table.
However, at present, his idea can only remain an idea. He has neither enough funds to support this action nor enough time to put it into practice.
Neil is still young, only fourteen years old this year, just entering puberty, and needs adult guidance to establish correct values.
Tata is still young, just a little cub who occasionally needs to be pampered, and she has illnesses that require treatment.
The problem with the Tata Magic Core seemed to be a major worry for Lai. He kept trying to find a solution, but he couldn't get a suitable water elemental stone.
In short, the road ahead is long and arduous, and he still has many things to accomplish.
But for Lei, the biggest problem right now is how to find enough food for the livestock to eat during the winter.
Last year, the mule was small and didn't eat much, so it was manageable. But this year is different. The mule has grown up and its appetite has almost doubled, and there are also more than a dozen more red ravens than last year.
If he stores the same amount of feed as last year, it will definitely not be enough.
After much thought, the only solution Lai could think of was to collect broken grains from the villagers, but that would be a rather high expense.
This might require the help of Hagrid or Muller. It would be best if they could get a cartload of hay. Hay is definitely more nutritious for mules than broken grain, otherwise the mules will have a very difficult winter.
Lei made up his mind.
Although the issue of fodder was not completely resolved, at least there was a plan, which relieved him of at least half the burden.
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