After dinner in the evening, Tian Cai took out the thin rattan strips that had not been used last time and started to weave baskets. With the experience from last time, he was much more neat this time.
After bending the last vine and hiding it, Tian Cai looked at his new work and nodded in satisfaction. He was indeed very skillful.
She lit the oil lamp a little brighter, found the needle and thread, and sewed up the place where her clothes were torn today, though the stitches were not very neat. Then she found Cai Ping's torn clothes, cut them open, and sewed them into a belt to tie around the wicker basket.
After sewing, she began to pack her things, putting everything she needed to take to her new home into a wicker basket.
You have to bring some food with you, otherwise you will have to go to other people's homes to exchange for food while working.
You must bring a broom. There are exactly two in the cabin, both of which Cai Ping made himself using dried Kochia scoparia.
After everything was almost packed, Tian Cai washed up and went to bed. Tomorrow would definitely be a busy day!
After breakfast in the morning, Tian Cai headed down the mountain carrying a wicker basket. After she got familiar with the route, she felt that making two trips back and forth a day was not a problem. However, the house was not cleaned up yet, and there was no place to put the things after taking them down.
After going down the mountain, Tian Cai turned directly across the small bridge and returned to her home. She found that even if there was no well nearby, it was still very convenient to get water at home, as there was a river not far from her home.
As for whether the river water is used for washing clothes or drinking, she can ask the villagers later.
Another obvious advantage of this house is that its courtyard wall is very high, more than one person tall. It is said that it was built to prevent wild beasts from coming down from the mountains.
She took the things to the yard and put them down, then looked at the bare tree. According to Zhang Defa, it was a crabapple tree, which had gradually withered since the owner of the house passed away and no one took care of it.
Tian Cai thought that he could try watering the bean sprouts with the dew on them, and if they still couldn't survive, he could chop them up and use them as firewood, but this was not the right thing to do now.
She felt that she should clean up the house first, at least until it was habitable, and then work on the yard bit by bit. The two broken kangs were the most important things to clean up in the house. The other broken tables and chairs could be chopped up for firewood.
Tian Cai put the wicker basket into the house and took the bucket to fetch half a bucket of water.
After putting the water in place, Tian Cai brushed off the dirt on his body and walked towards the brigade headquarters that Zhang Defa had told him about yesterday.
Because it was working hours, there was only a gray-haired old man in the brigade headquarters. When Tian Cai asked to borrow tools, he took the key and asked him to go to the back. "Are you the doctor Tian the captain mentioned? The tools are all in the warehouse at the back."
Because Accountant Wang said that the tools had to be returned after use every day, Tian Cai thought about it and borrowed a shovel, a pickaxe, a hammer, and a wheelbarrow. Today they would mainly be used to dismantle the kang, so these should be enough.
After signing, she said goodbye to Accountant Wang and took her things back. She had to hurry, otherwise she wouldn't be able to get much done today.
After Tian Cai got home, he took a pickaxe and started digging, smashing the kangs on both sides to pieces. He even knocked down the wooden windows with a hammer. Many parts had been eaten by insects and could no longer be used.
Just as I was working hard, Gao Huijuan came over with a basket.
She heard the sound of digging the kang outside the yard, and when she entered the yard, she saw Tian Cai swinging a pickaxe and working hard through the wide-open window. "Why did you do it yourself? There are plenty of young men in the village. Your uncle Zhang is waiting for you to ask for help when you need him!"
Tian Cai stopped what he was doing, looked up and said hello, and replied politely, "Don't bother Aunt Gao. Everyone has to go to work during the day. I can finish this job in a few days. It's not too tiring."
"You kid," Gao Huijuan liked Tian Cai even more. The little girl was tactful and knew when to act. She didn't ask for anything by taking advantage of the little favor she had shown to their family. It seemed like they could keep in touch with each other more often in the future. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Auntie brought you some food. It's not the best, so just make do with it!"
Tian Cai hurriedly thanked her, washed his hands with the water in the bucket, squatted down and started eating, and praised Gao Huijuan's cooking skills.
Gao Huijuan was so happy to hear this that she felt a little embarrassed by the compliment. The smile on her face never faded. "Is it really that delicious? Then I'll give it to you next time!"
Tian Cai didn't dare to ask for it for nothing, so he quickly took out a heat-relieving pill from the wicker basket and handed it to her. "You and my Uncle Zhang can try this. The sun has been very strong these past few days. If you feel uncomfortable from the sun, take one right away. If you don't have enough, ask me again!"
Although Gao Huijuan had not tried this summer-heat-relieving pill yet, she happily put it in the basket she brought with her, and chatted with Tian Cai for a few more words before leaving with the empty bowl.
Tian Cai originally wanted to wash the dishes before returning them, but Gao Huijuan insisted that she was being polite to her, and Yao Wanzi refused to take them no matter how polite she was.
After she left, Tian Cai didn't rest either, but continued to dig the kang with a pickaxe.
Normally, kangs are made of mud bricks, but the bricks of this kang were already broken, so she didn't have to use much effort to remove them all.
After dismantling the kang, Tian Cai used a wheelbarrow to transport the broken bricks to the backyard one by one. By the time he had cleared out both bedrooms, it was already dark.
Thinking that she didn't bring anything for the night, she hurried to the brigade to return the tools, and by the way, left the few tools she brought with her at the captain's house.
Knowing that she had to go back to the mountain at night, Gao Huijuan insisted on letting her stay at her home. Tian Cai refused no matter what, saying that it was not far away.
Zhang Defa saw that Tian Cai refused to stay at home, so he went back to the house, took out the flashlight and handed it to her. "It's not safe for a girl like you to go up the mountain alone. I asked you to stay at home, but you refused. So, take the flashlight and light it up. Be careful on the road."
Tian Cai was so grateful that he didn't know what to say. The other person was willing to lend him such an expensive home appliance even though they were not related to him.
She was walking home with an empty wicker basket on her back. It was already completely dark, but the weather was good tonight and the road could be seen clearly under the moonlight. Tian Cai didn't plan to keep the flashlight on all the time. She remembered hearing her grandfather say that batteries were very expensive these days.
The forest at night is still quite scary. In the past, the master and disciple never went out at night and just stayed around the cabin.
However, in the dark night, the rustling sound of leaves blown by the wind is quite creepy, not to mention the occasional fluttering sound of some unknown animal in the woods.
"Ouch!"
Tian Cai paused. It was a wolf howling, but the sound seemed to be quite far away. She quickly quickened her pace and ran towards the cabin. She was very hungry and didn't want to fight a wild wolf. However, this was the first time she heard a wolf howling near her own mountain.
After Tian Cai got home, she simply fried some eggplant and some noodles for herself, ate it, and went to bed. She decided to stay in the village tomorrow so as not to go back and forth.
She was worried that others would be scared when they saw the bean sprouts in her hands, but she didn't expect that even if she opened her palms in front of others, they would not see anything unusual, as if only she could see the bean sprouts.
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