There were already more than a dozen large rats swimming around in the river inside the cave, and the river water was naturally flowing.
There used to be fish swimming in it, but now, there are so many rats swimming around in the river, and they look alive and kicking.
But the group discovered that there were no fish left in the river.
Need I say more?
They must have been devoured alive by those rats!
However, there was no other way, so the group quickly called for help to get rid of the rats.
If the rats didn't die, the water in the cave would be unusable. A dozen minutes later, the group, exhausted, finished retrieving the rats.
After finally finishing their work, everyone stood in the cave, pondering whether the river water could still be used in the future.
This problem really caused everyone to break down again, because the cave had been fenced off, making it impossible to keep an eye on the top of the mountain.
What if rats come down again? We certainly can't watch the cave 24 hours a day.
After thinking for a while, the group looked at the boys and said, "Let's change the fence. Remove the entrance to the cave and rebuild the fence from the other side."
"Then what will everyone do about water in the future?" Wang Sansan asked.
"If we don't shut out the water from the cave, then no one will be able to use it in the future. Rats are swimming in it now, so the water is definitely not drinkable, at least not for the time being."
"Don't worry, I've seen the river in the cave. It's flowing water, fresh water. I believe that after flowing for three or four days, the water should be usable again."
"If we're scared later, we can use the water inside to clean up or take a bath," Wang Sansan continued.
The group thought about it and agreed that it made sense. But what if another big rat came in? Maybe they should ask Wang San San.
After thinking for a few seconds, Wang San San said, "How about I take care of the cave?"
Alternatively, everyone could guard the cave 24 hours a day; otherwise, without water resources, life would be very inconvenient.
Actually, there is water in the Wind-Stained Space, but as Wang San San said, if everyone in the base uses water from the space, then the water in the space won't last long.
In the end, Feng Ran agreed to Wang San San's suggestion.
However, everyone needs to keep an eye on the cave later. After thinking for a while, Feng Ran said, "Could we add a door to the cave? That way, the rats won't be able to get in from the outside, but if they want to get in from the inside..."
The only way is probably to swim in the river, but nobody knows where the river originates.
"I think it's a good idea. How about we add a wooden door to the cave?" Wang San San said excitedly.
"This rat is so big, we don't need a wooden door. Let's use an iron fence instead. We can just block the entrance to the cave. But I don't know if the big rat can climb the iron fence."
We'd better seal the cave tightly, and seal the top too, because some rats might climb down from above.
"Alright, let's get right to it. First, disinfect the cave, then throw out the dead rats and let the water in the cave flow for a few days to keep it fresh."
We'll start using it then; we can throw in a few fish first to see how it goes.
“Sure, San San, that’s a great idea. Let’s do it that way. You take two people to clean up first, then install the door.” Feng Ran made the final decision.
Everyone went about their own business. Feng Ran then took the opportunity to bring out the iron fence.
The iron fence is already slightly taller than the opening, and its width is sufficient, even a little extra. Considering all this, one iron fence would actually be perfectly adequate.
Then, at the top of the fence and where it connects to the uneven mountainside, wherever there are gaps, we can just find something to block them up later.
Fengran instructed everyone to block the iron fence tightly when entering and exiting to fetch water, and to occasionally go in to check if there were rats or other insects in the cave.
In reality, all that they did was merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause, for these large rats.
The next afternoon, when Gu Zhou took Li De and Zhang Yi out to chop firewood, they encountered many large rats that had gnawed the bark off some of the trees.
Some wild vegetables and weeds were completely ruined because rats were running around everywhere.
When he returned and told them, Wang Xiaosi immediately became worried about the wild yam patch he had previously marked out, fearing that it would be ruined by these rats.
There are also chestnut trees, but there's nothing he can do about it; he can't possibly go out and watch them 24 hours a day.
Occasionally, one or two large rats would run into the base's compound, but they would be caught in time. Of course, some would escape.
Yesterday morning, a large rat sneaked in when no one was looking and chewed up all the tomatoes in the vegetable garden.
Gu Zhou's mother-in-law was furious. She grabbed a shovel and chased after the rat, trying to kill it. However, she fell to the ground and still couldn't catch it.
In the end, it was Wang San San who took the hoe and killed the rat with one blow.
A tomato that has been bitten is definitely inedible, so the two aunties pulled up all the tomato seedlings, since they didn't grow many tomatoes to begin with.
We had eaten a lot of it before, and the few remaining pieces were also destroyed by the rats. We might as well just pull them out, but seeing this made everyone feel sorry for them, and instantly increased our resentment towards the big rats.
The next afternoon, after everyone had lunch, Feng Ran felt quite bored, so she went up the mountain with her two aunts and Gu Zhou and the others, intending to wander around and see if she could find anything.
You won’t know until you visit it, and you’ll be shocked when you do.
The trees, wild grass, and wild vegetables covering the mountains and fields seem even balder, and the changes seem more significant than when Feng Ran went out to see them a while ago.
When they passed by the west, what was even more terrifying were the large rats, some swimming around in the river, others squatting on the rocks by the stream.
Sitting there like a human being, who wouldn't get goosebumps looking at that?
Feng Ran followed the group across the stream and onto the other side of the mountain. Because now, everyone would cut down trees a little further away from the base.
So it took them almost half an hour to reach their destination. Along the way, Feng Ran left messages in many places.
Aside from the wild vegetables that had been gnawed into a mess, and the rats that could climb trees, I didn't see any other unusual insects or birds.
I don't know whether I should be happy about this conclusion or not.
The group stopped in a densely wooded area. Gu Zhou led the men to cut down trees, while Feng Ran and the other two wanted to see if there was anything to eat.
"Sigh, these wild vegetables are still very tender, but they've all been bitten like this... how can we eat them now!" Gu Zhou's mother-in-law said, using her sickle to rummage through the wild vegetables on the nearby steep slope.
"Alas……"
"What's wrong?"
Feng Ran let out a soft exclamation, and Zhang Yi's mother, who was standing next to her, casually asked her what was wrong.
"Look..."
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