You only need to wear a thick coat at night, as the temperature difference between day and night is quite large.
After lunch, they continued walking until the sun was almost setting before they started heading home.
After walking all day, Xu Han didn't feel like cooking dinner, so she ate the food from her spatial storage.
After dinner, I started packing the tools I would need for tomorrow's trip to the mountains to harvest elm seeds.
After everything was ready, the two went to bed early.
The next morning, before dawn, Xu Han and Lu Chuan got up and first settled the livestock in the house, adding water where needed and feeding them where necessary.
Having already gained experience, the two of them can usually go out for ten days or so without any problems.
However, I can't stay there for too long this time, because if I stay too long, the vegetables I planted might die from lack of water.
After everything was tidied up, we locked the gate and, taking advantage of the slowly rising morning light, led the dogs into the deep mountains.
Along the way, we saw many wild vegetables. When we got tired, we would stop to dig for some wild vegetables and rest. When we were no longer tired, we would continue walking.
The two weren't in a hurry, and walked slowly, as if on a spring outing.
Along the way, we also saw many locust flowers, which were almost ready to be picked, but they would grow even better if we waited a couple more days.
They've grown a lot bigger and won't flower anymore. It's the perfect time to eat them; they're too small to pick now.
So the two of them decided not to pick them and would pick them when they came back!
Because Lu Chuan hadn't paid much attention to the location of the elm tree before and didn't remember it very clearly, the two of them searched for the elm tree as they hurried along the way.
Finally, around 3 p.m., we found the first elm tree, along with a few other scattered elm trees nearby.
Looking at the elm trees that were growing in a mess, Lu Chuan said, "Why don't we use a saw to trim them? They'll grow even better after the drought!"
“I think it’s a good idea. The branches that were just cut off have elm seeds on them, so they will grow better later.”
After agreeing on the terms, Lu Chuan climbed up the elm tree and began sawing suitable branches.
The sawed-off branch fell directly to the ground. Xu Han pulled it aside and sat down next to it to start picking elm seed rings.
The elm seeds we picked were put into the basket on our backs, which saved some space for the branches. We couldn't just sit and wait for Lu Chuan to saw the branches! That would be so inconsiderate; watching others work is just annoying!
Xu Han only stopped after Lu Chuan had finished tidying up all the elm trees around them.
Then he started putting the smaller branches into the space. Lu Chuan used a machete to chop the larger branches again, otherwise the sprawling space would quickly be filled up.
After storing everything in their spatial storage, the two continued walking forward. Since they had directly sawed the branches, it didn't take long, and there was still plenty of time. They could saw a few more trees.
A short while later, they found another elm tree. After searching the surrounding area, Lu Chuan and Xu Han did not see any other elm trees.
We only found one elm tree at the place we stopped at, but it was huge, one of the three trees we just saw was the size of the others.
The tree trunk has two treetops growing directly from a height of one meter above the ground, one on each side, making the canopy of the elm tree exceptionally large.
Seeing this, Lu Chuan immediately started climbing the tree and sawed off the branches in the middle that were blocked by the sunlight. Rather than picking elm seeds to eat, he was pruning the elm tree.
That would be even better, killing two birds with one stone. After all, the two of them planned to live in the mountains forever, so they had to save some food for the future!
However, it's not advisable to cut down the entire tree all at once. According to Xu Han's understanding, during droughts, some trees die due to lack of water, while others enter a dormant period.
Trees that have entered dormancy will sprout and grow again when the humidity is suitable, which is why Xu Han did not choose to cut down the entire tree.
By the time the entire tree was sawed down, the sun had already begun to set.
The two of them then cut off the top of the tree together, and Xu Han put all the branches into her spatial storage.
After finishing everything, the two walked towards the nearby cave as the sun set.
Upon arriving at the cave, Lu Chuan went to gather firewood to boil water for a bath, while Xu Han was responsible for cleaning the cave.
The cave we found today was rather small; after barely fitting a bed inside, there was no room for anything else.
Lu Chuan simply set up the pot at the entrance of the cave and started boiling water.
Xu Han then took out the elm branches from her spatial storage, and the two of them began to pick elm seeds by the firelight.
Although it's warm during the day, you still need to wear a thick coat at night, otherwise you won't be able to sit still in the deep mountains.
In between picking elm seeds, Xu Han could often hear the roars of wild animals in the mountains, and she had gone from being afraid to being used to it.
Having followed Lu Chuan into the deep mountains many times, these were all minor incidents. The sounds were quite terrifying, but they were still quite far away from where the two were.
After the water was boiled, Lu Chuan and Xu Han took turns taking a hot bath inside the cave.
After taking a shower, we started eating dinner. We were in the deep mountains and didn't want to attract wild animals, so we couldn't eat anything with a strong flavor. We just made do with something simple.
Xu Han took out some home-style stir-fried dishes from her spatial storage and placed them on the table. The two then began to eat.
While eating, Xu Han asked, "Are we going to saw down the elm tree again tomorrow?"
"Why don't we saw some more? There won't be many left after we cut these down. Besides, if we encounter any more poplar trees tomorrow, we can use the same method as we did with elm trees. It's much faster than using a hook," Lu Chuan said without looking up.
“Okay, let’s stay for two more days before going back! Tomorrow we’ll walk a little further and return to this area in the evening. The day after tomorrow, we’ll walk home while crocheting locust flowers.”
Lu Chuan nodded in agreement with Xu Han's suggestion. He had worked so hard sawing wood today that he was starving and was currently wolfing down his dinner. He didn't have time to chat with Xu Han at all.
Seeing Lu Chuan like this, Xu Han took out a beef soup from her space and handed it to him, saying, "Eat slowly, it's not good for your stomach. Next time you're hungry, just tell me first. There's always food ready in the space, it's not a big deal to eat something."
Lu Chuan nodded to indicate that he understood, and at the same time slowed down his eating pace.
After finishing their dinner, the two picked some elm seeds for a while before getting up to rest.
And so, Lu Chuan and Xu Han stayed in the mountains for two nights. On the third day, just as dawn was breaking, Xu Han and Lu Chuan packed up and prepared to go home.
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