There are many things to do. For example, I want to cultivate a vegetable garden next to my shed and plant some wild vegetables such as dandelions and plantains so that I don't have to run back and forth so much.
I also found a good patch of wild hemp stalks growing on the west side of the lake. The stalks were nearly two meters tall. They are excellent raw material for making ropes, and I'd like to collect some of them.
However, we still lack the necessary tools, which will greatly reduce our work efficiency. Right now, we need to finish building the shed as soon as possible.
Only after the shed is built can charcoal be produced during the rainy season. With charcoal, copper can be smelted, and then suitable tools can be produced to increase work efficiency.
Having clarified my purpose, I stopped thinking about these random things and focused on repairing the longline fishing rod in my hand.
I don't know how long the rain lasted, but I guess it didn't stop until the middle of the night. I put the sleeping Top into the basket and carried him up the tree like a baby.
But even in its sleep, this fellow was still very alert; it slipped out halfway up the tree. Only after seeing me did it relax and return to its own hut.
I didn't pay any attention to any of that and moved the fire to the tree as planned. I returned to my "nest," but even after lying down, I still couldn't fall asleep.
Indeed, hardworking people are not suited to sleeping in late.
I don't know how much time passed before I finally drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, it was already broad daylight.
The weather during the rainy season is characterized by abundant rainfall. Clearly, today is another frustrating day.
However, I still had my own plans. I used my old cylindrical leopard skin to make myself a raincoat.
It's less of a raincoat and more of a hat woven from banana leaves. My leopard skin is waterproof; I just needed a rain hat.
I wore the leopard skin inside out, with the furry part underneath, close to my body. This not only kept me dry but also prevented heat loss.
I dare say that even the most extravagant person in the world wouldn't think of using a whole leopard skin to make a raincoat.
Because this leather was not tanned with sulfuric acid, it has become somewhat stiff after so long.
Although I'm using it as a raincoat right now, I think it's more accurate to call it an umbrella that sticks to your body.
I went to that willow grove and brought back a lot of willow branches, following my previous backup plan.
It's still raining, and the roof is too slippery to go up and work on. But I plan to use these willow branches and some other branches to enclose three walls first.
Here, the simplest way of weaving a fence is still used, with some tree branches used as posts and inserted into the soil.
Then, I used the willow branches in my hands to weave back and forth between these branches. This step was not difficult, but the consumption of willow branches was huge, so I went back and forth to that willow grove several times.
It took me two days to fence off the three walls except the one closest to the lake.
On the third day, I was still working in the drizzling rain. Today, I finished enclosing the remaining part of the lakeside wall, leaving only a door frame about two meters long in the middle.
This was done after much consideration. Enclosing all four sides will better prevent rainwater from getting into the shed during heavy rain.
This shed has many uses. When the kiln is not in use, it can be used as a kitchen or to store firewood for emergencies.
After all, I don't know how long the rainy season here will last, so dry fuel has become an essential part of life.
So spending a little more time building this shed is still very cost-effective.
After weaving the outer wall, I started filling the gaps left by the weaving with some dry thatch and bark.
After filling the entire wall once, the next step was to use banana leaves as a base for the walls. My method was very simple, imitating the way Australian Aboriginal people do it.
Tear off a hook-shaped section from the stem of each banana leaf. Then, stack them layer by layer from top to bottom, like laying roof tiles.
It took me a whole day to finish the interior work.
It wasn't until four days later that the weather improved a little.
Since it wasn't raining today, I asked Top to come and help as well.
I began weaving the remaining roofing with banana leaves to create a waterproof layer, while Top's job was to hand me the broad banana leaves.
Top did an excellent job, as always. If this weren't the wilderness, I would have given Top an outstanding employee award in front of all the factory workers.
Because I had prepared a large number of banana leaves beforehand and placed them here, this time, with Top's cooperation, we worked very quickly.
It only took half a day to finish the rest of the roof, so our shed can now basically keep out the rain.
But I decided to do a better job on top of that. So I used a basket to get a lot more tree bark and thatch, and laid them on top layer by layer.
Finally, I came up with a simple way to secure my shelters so they wouldn't be blown away by the wind.
There is plenty of space between the bark and thatch, which is an environment conducive to plant growth.
I gathered some water chestnut leaves and mixed them with some weeds, then pressed them between the bark and thatch with soil.
In this way, after a period of time, the weeds and water chestnut leaves will take root and spread their leaves again between the bark, and the root system will eventually connect the entire roof material into a whole.
There's no need to worry about repairs anymore; as long as those plants don't die, they'll be the best rain protection material.
By the time I finished all this, it was almost dark. As usual, I went to the lake to retrieve the repaired longline fishing rod.
This time, I didn't let Lao Liu from the lake steal my catch. I caught more than thirty fish in total, filling an entire basket with fish of all sizes.
Top and I finished processing all the fish, put them in bamboo baskets, and took them to my new house.
I've been gathering firewood whenever I have a spare moment these past few days and putting it in the shed, so our firewood reserves are quite plentiful. It's just that I've been a bit rushed, so the firewood I've collected varies in dryness.
Today is a day to celebrate; the shed is finished, which means I can start my next job tomorrow.
The hardest step is over, and the work ahead will only get easier.
Therefore, I took out all the remaining wild boar meat, added fish and some wild vegetables, and stewed several large pots together.
There were still some wild fruits that Top had collected earlier, so I washed them, arranged them on a plate, and laid them out.
Top and I sat around the fire, looking like two big bosses going out to eat. The large piles of meat and fish around us had already formed a small mountain.
The broth in the pot was still bubbling, scalding the remaining wild vegetables. We drank the soup and ate the meat heartily, thoroughly enjoying ourselves. A little wine would have made it even better.
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