Speaking of sore throats, Jiang Xi suddenly remembered that Lin's throat seemed to have improved a lot in the past few days, and his voice was no longer as rough and unpleasant as before.
Although there is no obvious gender distinction, it at least sounds like a healthy voice now.
Jiang Xi asked, "Lin, does your throat feel much better?"
Lin took a moment to react before nodding and saying yes.
It was a good start, and Jiang Xi was happy for her.
While eating, Yan Jing'an put down his chopsticks and said dejectedly, "Shall we go to the lake again tomorrow? There aren't many sweet potatoes left, and we can catch some fish while we're at it. It would be even better if we could catch some pheasants or something."
"I've been going on a vegetarian diet for almost a week now, and I can clearly feel my energy draining away."
Yan Zheng, who was standing to the side, gave him a disgruntled look, put down his chopsticks, and said, "There was once a fish placed in front of you, but you didn't know how to cherish it."
Yan Jing'an felt a pang of regret when he thought of the fish he had lost because he had disturbed the hornet's nest. Afraid that Yan Zheng would bring it up again, he immediately fell silent.
Jiang Xi thought about it and realized that everyone had indeed worked hard during this period of building the house.
Carrying logs and mixing mud is physically exhausting and mentally stressful. Why not take this opportunity to change things up, catch some fish and meat to eat, and boost morale?
I don’t know when it started, but going to the lakeside seemed to be the only thing they looked forward to in their ordinary days. No matter how hard or tiring the work was, as long as they thought about going to the lakeside to fish, collect duck eggs, and have meat to eat in a few days, they would be happy.
They no longer seem to find life difficult.
Jiang Xi thought that people's satisfaction thresholds are different in different environments. When living in the city, people always hope to have money, a good job, a big house, and an enviable life.
But once you get to this remote mountain area, being able to have a hearty meal with meat and vegetables, and a carefree night with a gentle breeze, is the greatest luxury.
Jiang Xi gently kicked Yan Zheng under the table leg.
Yan Zheng glanced at her and noticed that Jiang Xi was giving an "OK" sign. He instantly understood what Jiang Xi meant and nodded helplessly.
Well, there's no rush to finish the work, and building the house isn't urgent.
He then coughed lightly twice: "This is the peak season for fish, hopefully we'll have a good catch this time."
Yan Jing'an, who had been listless, perked up immediately when he heard him agree, and stopped eating: "I'll pack right away, and we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."
Seeing how happy he was, Yan Zheng and Jiang Xi couldn't help but feel relaxed as well.
Lin, who was still diligently cooking, didn't quite understand why they were so happy and looked at Jiang Xi with a questioning expression.
Jiang Xi told her, "We're going to catch fish tomorrow."
Lin knew what fish were, and she had tried to catch them, but they swam too fast for her to catch.
She was very happy about the event tomorrow, and Jiang Xi could feel that Lin was in a good mood even after dinner.
The next morning, Jiang Xi got up early to start exercising. She had been very busy lately and couldn't get up in the morning without an alarm clock.
She hadn't practiced her morning exercises for two or three days, and picking up the bow and arrow again felt unfamiliar to her. Fortunately, she still had the feel for it, and after trying to shoot a few arrows, the results exceeded her expectations. When Yan Zheng went to collect the arrows, he even gave her a thumbs up.
In the morning, Yan Zheng asked Jiang Xi what she wanted to eat. Actually, she didn't have much to choose from; it was the same few kinds of green vegetables, just prepared differently—either cold or stir-fried.
Jiang Xi didn't want to eat. She suddenly remembered the grilled fish she and Yan Zheng had eaten when they first came to this forest, and a bold idea suddenly came to her mind.
Jiang Xi leaned her head against Yan Zheng, hanging on him like a boneless fish, and said, "Zheng, how about we just have some sweet potatoes for breakfast to tide us over, and then we'll make grilled fish when we get to the lake?"
When it came to food, she got excited and counted on her fingers as she told Yan Zheng, "If we can catch another one, we can make a lotus root fish soup. Anyway, there are a lot of rocks over there, so we can bring an extra pot and two bowls and eat right there."
Yan Zheng looked at her adorable appearance and pinched her nose: "Okay, whatever you say, let's have a spring outing."
Yan Jing'an, who had just come out of the inner room, heard their conversation and immediately clapped his hands and said to Jiang Xi, "Wow, you're a genius! How did you come up with such a brilliant idea with such a small brain?"
Jiang Xi quickly sat up straight: "Come on, I have plenty of ideas."
Then, Yan Jing'an seemed to realize something and said, "So before I came, you were living such a heavenly life? Then why am I eating sweet potatoes and stir-fries every day since I arrived?"
The only thing that improved their lives was the earthen pot.
Jiang Xi said dejectedly, "Do you think we don't want to eat meat? It's just that it's cold, and the animals don't like to come out and move around."
As she spoke, she punched Yan Jing'an's arm with her fist: "We were hoping you could find something to eat in the woods, but instead you either hurt your head or your face, and you still have the nerve to criticize us."
Then, Jiang Xi thought of the bees and immediately gave him a heads-up: "This time you have to follow the instructions. You can't suddenly disappear in the forest, and you're not allowed to look for honey or anything like that."
Yesterday, she suddenly remembered seeing a news report about sugar production from beetroot somewhere. If they don't have beetroot, they have sweet beetroot, which also has a high sugar content. Once she finishes building the house, she must give it a try.
Yan Jing'an snorted and pointed his chin in the direction of the pottery kiln: "With her here, I don't feel comfortable letting her run around. What if something happens?"
He deliberately emphasized the word "accident," and Jiang Xi said helplessly, "What could possibly happen? He's just a young girl."
Yan Jing'an touched his nose and replied, "That's hard to say."
Seeing that the sun was getting late, Jiang Xi shook her head and, not bothering to argue, went into the kitchen to pack up the cooking utensils. In addition to pots and pans, she also specially packed salt, Sichuan peppercorn powder, black pepper powder, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns.
I don't know if I'll ever need them, but I'll pack a little of each kind first, since they don't take up much space anyway.
A short while later, as Jiang Xi was loading the truck, Lin entered the yard, carrying a fur bundle on her back.
Jiang Xi asked her, "Lin, what are you carrying? This car isn't carrying much stuff, so we'll try to keep things light on the way there so we can bring back more."
Lin immediately opened her backpack. Jiang Xi saw two stone blades and a bone knife inside, as well as a thick fur coat.
Jiang Xi picked up the fur coat curiously and asked, "What's this for? It's too thick; we don't need it right now."
Lin made a sleeping gesture and said, "Tonight... go to sleep."
Jiang Xi knew she had misunderstood, and smiled gently, saying, "We won't sleep there tonight; we'll come back tonight."
Lin then realized what was going on, took out the fur and placed it on the stone table, saying, "Then... take a knife."
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