That's not all; there's still a lot of stuff we brought back today that needs to be processed.
Jiang Xi picked out the small, marbled pork ears and marinated them; these were for making braised pork in a jar tomorrow.
She simply put the remaining pork bones into the pot, along with Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and that red pigment fruit.
A whole pot of braised pork ribs, enough for them to eat for a whole day tomorrow.
Yan Zheng marinated several fish, a water bird, and three wild ducks, planning to smoke them all into cured meat the next day after gathering some pine needles.
By the time everything was finished, it was already late at night. Everyone was exhausted from the day and went back to their rooms to rest, their backs aching.
The next morning was another busy construction day.
Since we're going to build a pond, we naturally need to plan and research it carefully.
Yan Zheng, along with Yan Jing'an and Jiang Xi, began measuring the position and angle from the springhead of the pool to ensure that the water could flow smoothly into the pool in the courtyard and then flow out from a corner of the courtyard without any obstruction.
The two courtyards combined are only a little over 100 square meters. Including the vegetable garden and the relaxation area with stone tables and benches under the fig tree, plus the sheep and rabbits, there's not much space left.
The pond cannot be too large; a preliminary estimate is three meters in length and width. All inlets and outlets must be reinforced with barriers to prevent fish and shrimp raised on the surface from being washed away by the current.
The location should not be too close to the wall and the main house to avoid water seepage damaging the foundation over the years.
After discussing it, everyone decided to put it on the road between the two original courtyards, demolish both walls, and dig a pit in the middle.
For safety reasons, we still need to build two new walls to enclose the yard.
Yan Zheng had promised Jiang Xi that she would build at least one of the two walls, so Yan Zheng went to mix the mortar, and Yan Jing'an and Jiang Xi each built one wall.
Having been defeated by Yan Jing'an last time, Jiang Xi thought she had to prove herself this time and show the kid whose skills were better.
She was extremely serious when she did things. Her medium-length hair was tied up in a bun, and in order not to get her clothes dirty, she specially made a coarse cloth apron and changed into a short-sleeved shirt.
She looked quite capable.
It's quick to build with stones and mortar; the two walls were finished in just two days.
With the new wall built, the old wall naturally had to be demolished. Jiang Xi couldn't do this job, so it had to be left to Yan Zheng and Yan Jing'an.
She and Lin followed behind, sorting the stones and clods of earth separately after the wall was demolished.
The stones were kept to build the pond, and the clods of earth were put on a wooden cart for the deer to pull out.
When they started digging the riverbed and ponds, Yan Zheng and Yan Jing'an were in charge of the digging. Jiang Xi took Lin to the dry riverbed to collect mud, sand, and gravel.
The need was so great that even the water inlets and outlets were paved.
It doesn't need to be very deep; two people can dig it quickly. Once it's formed, cover the bottom of the pond with fine sand and gravel, and place the stones irregularly along the edge of the pond.
This not only enhances the aesthetics but also allows for the timely detection of potential hazards by observing the waterline on the stones during the flood season.
The river and pond divide the entire courtyard in two, although the river is only a few tens of centimeters wide. But for Xiao Hei's sake, Jiang Xi built a small wooden bridge across it.
It is indeed very small, only about a meter long, but it adds a lot of life to the yard.
Little Black couldn't cross the river, but after the wooden bridge was built, it ran around on the bridge like a madman, jumping back and forth.
The biggest challenge naturally became figuring out how to design the barrier gates at the pond's inlet and outlet.
Wood and plants rot easily, and stones would obstruct water flow. Finally, as a last resort, they wove vines into a net, placed it on the wooden frame, and secured it to form a square, with one net at the front and one at the back.
Therefore, as long as you change it once a week, it shouldn't be a big problem.
Once everything is ready, the next step is to draw water into the pool.
Spring water is drawn from outside the courtyard into the river, then flows little by little into the pond. Once full, it flows from the pond into the next section of the river, meandering out of the courtyard.
The process was slow, and Lin just squatted down and watched.
Xiao Hei was also squatting at her feet, seemingly keeping her company or perhaps playing something.
Jiang Xi happened to see this scene after drinking water in the kitchen. She observed it for a long time. Lin was also watching when the wall was being built, and he even watched the digging of the pond and the filling of the river channel with extra care.
Jiang Xi walked over to look at it with her and lazily asked, "It's so beautiful, I can't take my eyes off it."
Lin smiled and said, "I've never seen it."
She had never seen these things since she came to the jungle, let alone made them herself.
These rare things that prove she is human gave her, besides the fact that she is alive, a renewed sense of hope.
Jiang Xi felt very tired. She rubbed her shoulders and then rubbed Lin's head, asking her, "Are you going to take a shower? You're covered in mud, you need to wash yourself properly."
Hearing that she was going to take a bath, Lin finally came to her senses and, without even looking at the pool, hurriedly gathered her toiletries and clothes.
The two girls walked hand in hand, chatting and laughing as they headed towards the hot spring pool.
When they arrived at the large hot spring, Jiang Xi stopped and said, "You go ahead and use the one inside; I'll use the one outside."
Lin nodded, replied "okay," and walked behind the rock.
Jiang Xi got into the pool and sighed comfortably. She had finally finished the big things and now all that was left were the small things like moving.
Now I can finally focus on the fields and forests. All that fencing and archery I've practiced for so long is finally going to come in handy.
I was so happy that I soaked in the water for a while longer.
When she finished washing, Jiang Xi called out to Lin while still dressed, but there was no response.
So, Jiang Xi put on her clothes and glanced at them sideways.
It turned out that Lin was too tired and fell asleep by the pool.
Jiang Xi called out twice more.
Lin then came to her senses, grunting softly, her voice still heavy with sleepiness.
So she walked straight out of the pond to get dressed. Jiang Xi hadn't even reacted yet when she was made to blush with embarrassment by her bold action.
Even though we're all girls, it's still a little embarrassing to do these things.
She quickly looked away, but froze as she turned around.
Ignoring any sense of shame, she rushed over and grabbed Lin's hand that was covered by his clothes.
Lin was startled, as was Jiang Xi.
She noticed a red birthmark on Lin's back. It was about the size of a coin, a very ordinary shape, and utterly inconspicuous.
But it was exactly the same as the one behind her, in the same position and the same size.
Jiang Xi's voice trembled slightly as she stroked the birthmark with her index finger and asked Lin, "Do you know about this red birthmark?"
Lin didn't know what a birthmark was, nor did she understand what she meant, and shook her head blankly.
Jiang Xi staggered slightly, then said leisurely, "It's okay, you should get dressed first."
So she turned and walked out.
My mind was in complete chaos; it was as if a fog had risen in my usually clear head.
Why do Lin and she both have the same birthmark?
Why is this birthmark exactly the same as hers?
And then there's Lin's bell. The bell she tried so hard to ignore, yet it had to be brought up again because of this birthmark.
Who is Lin, and what exactly are they trying to tell her?
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