I gave it some of the bamboo nails I had fired, and it was able to grind out the bamboo nails quite well.
I naturally wouldn't be stingy with my only friend, so I took out my dried pork and dried fish as a late-night snack to treat it.
And this clever monkey didn't get bored with these things; on the contrary, it enjoyed doing the tasks I assigned it.
When it started to doze off, I felt a little sorry for it, so I patted its head and said with a smile, "..."
"It's getting late, we should go and rest!"
The monkey just grinned at me, then seemed to understand what I meant and darted up the tree. It lay down in its usual spot, maintaining a few meters' distance from me.
I repeated my old routine, moving the fire below the shelter before climbing the tree to rest.
The next morning, I didn't find any trace of the monkey. It had probably gone into the mountains to gather wild fruits. Every time it came back, it would bring me some wild fruits that I didn't recognize.
I stretched, yawned, and slid down from the tree. There were still some bamboo nails left to finish yesterday, so I had to hurry up and complete them today.
As usual, I started a fire and put a bamboo pot on the fire to boil water. This is my habit every morning to make dandelion and dried fish tea, which is both healthy and filling.
While the water was boiling, I picked up the work on the ground and started a new round of firing and polishing.
After working for more than an hour, I finally finished polishing all the bamboo nails I needed. By then, my dandelion fish tea was also ready and had cooled down for a while.
"Squeak!"
Hearing that familiar call, a slight smile involuntarily crept onto my lips. It was the clever monkey who had returned.
"Top, what delicious stuff did you bring back today?"
I smiled as I watched the figure running towards me; it was holding several fruits in its hands and had one in its mouth.
I also gave it a new name, Top. After all, calling a smart and polite monkey "Second Boss" sounds a bit thuggish.
The monkey squeaked and shoved a few fruits into my hand. I took one and took a bite; the sweet and sour taste was quite nice.
The monkey didn't leave. For the past few days, it had been watching over me like a loyal friend. Every now and then, it would lend me a hand, handing me tools or something similar.
Sometimes it will personally take charge, prying open the tenon I just finished to check if my craftsmanship is up to standard.
I often find myself both amused and exasperated by this curious monkey. It's intelligent, inquisitive, and eager to try anything new. It also performs the simple tasks I assign it with utmost care.
Perhaps this is the effect of the rare delicacies I had on hand, in its eyes.
However, this monkey is quite well-behaved and never tries to rummage through my basket in the tree, which is why I prefer to call it Top instead of Second-in-Command.
At that moment, Top ran off again in a flash, and a moment later it came back to me dragging something along, squeaking.
I was a little confused, so I looked at the monkey and asked, "Top, why did you take my basket out?"
This is the basket I use to transport fish and wild vegetables.
The monkey gestured at the basket on its back, trying to express something to me. Seeing that I didn't understand what it meant, it scratched its head anxiously, its eyes darting around.
Then it tried to tie the basket straps to its shoulders, just like I did. But the basket was made to my height, so this time the monkey could only drag it along the ground.
It took off its basket, pointed to the basket, then to itself, and then to the drag marks on the ground.
At that moment, I finally understood what it was trying to say.
This clever monkey is telling me, "Your thing is too big for me to carry, but I want a smaller version of it."
As for what it wanted to do with the basket, I think I had some clues, since it often saw me carrying back lots of fish and wild vegetables in the basket.
I patted the monkey's head with a smile and said, "Top, not today, but I can make you a suitable basket tonight."
So you'll have to lend me a hand today as usual; let's finish the roof of the shed together first.
I don't know if Top understood me, but I have no doubt about its sincerity. Even when I ask it for help, it's always happy to lend a hand.
Sometimes, the inner world of animals is so pure. If they like you, they will show it without reservation, unlike humans who scheme and plot.
Today is the day I'm going to install the roof rafters. I took a wooden auger I made a few days ago and put it on the roof frame.
This tool is also made using an ancient technique. It took me almost half a day to make it, but it came in very useful later on, especially for drilling holes.
I laid the bamboo strips lengthwise to form a cross with the purlin, and then started using a auger to drill holes in the bamboo strips at appropriate distances from the purlin.
I used a stone hammer to drive bamboo nails one by one into the purlin, so that the bamboo rafters and purlins could be firmly joined together.
During this time, the monkey took on the task of passing bamboo strips and nails, I don’t know if it was because I promised to make it a basket.
It worked exceptionally well today; as soon as I called out, it accurately delivered what I needed.
Even when there's nothing to do, it sits to the side, watching with great interest as I tinker with these things it's never seen before.
My rafters are placed one at a time, and a four-meter purlin has a total of forty rafters.
Nailing bamboo nails into these rafters was a time-consuming task, and it was already afternoon when all the rafters were finished.
But today, it seems like God drank too much water. It's been raining on and off like I need to urinate frequently, and this damp feeling is making me very uncomfortable.
The monkey didn't care, because it had already used the banana leaf to shield itself from the rain; it was me who got wet.
That's how it is this season, with sunshine and rain constantly changing. Fortunately, the rain wasn't heavy, otherwise working in the rain wouldn't be a good idea.
But just as I was weaving banana leaves back and forth to make a waterproof layer for the roof rafters, the sky suddenly darkened when I had only finished half of the roof.
Lightning followed, accompanied by a rumble from the sky. The air was thick with negative ions, making people feel refreshed. This was the prelude to a downpour.
"Top, it's going to pour! Can you take this into the shed for me?"
I called out to Top. It obediently took the auger from my hand and led me into the half-built shed to take shelter from the rain.
I quickly tidied myself up and hurried down to avoid the rain. I didn't want to experience electroconvulsive therapy while working at heights during a thunderstorm.
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