"Okay, you said it yourself! I'll be waiting." Grandpa Zhao said happily.
"Just you wait! I still have so many delicious dishes I haven't made yet!"
Xu Han suddenly remembered that the grill she and Lu Chuan had built before hadn't been used much yet! It seemed she could take a look at it when she had time.
After finishing lunch, Grandpa Zhao and Xu Han continued preparing other food...
After Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest finished breakfast, they set off to check on the water source in the valley.
The two walked quickly and arrived at the valley in no time.
Once inside the valley, it was immediately apparent that this place was different from other places.
The rest of the area was barren and there was nothing to be seen as far as the eye could see.
Even if a layer of lush green weeds and leaves grows in spring, they have long since withered due to the lack of rain.
The situation in the valley doesn't seem too bad right now; at least there are still lush green weeds next to the big puddle!
When the Taoist priest and Lu Chuan entered, they startled the small animals in the valley, and pheasants and rabbits began to scatter in all directions.
“There’s plenty of water here! And look, there are lots of wild animals too!” the Taoist priest said.
“Yes! I discovered this place by chance while hunting! There’s also a nice cave over there.” Lu Chuan said, pointing in one direction.
Upon seeing this, the Taoist priest looked over and said, "This cave is indeed quite large. Let's take a look over there when we go back later."
"Okay! Xiaohan and I went inside to check it out before, and the layout is not bad. But it's too damp here, so it's not suitable for living."
"I can see that; there are quite a few snakes and insects here. It's not a suitable place to live."
The Taoist priest then changed the subject, saying, "The water level in this big puddle looks like it has dropped quite a bit. Do you know how deep it is?"
"It's quite deep, and it gets deeper towards the middle, but I don't know exactly how deep it is. There was more water before, so I didn't measure it carefully."
Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest picked up a stone from the ground, raised his hand, and threw it into the large puddle. A loud bang was heard.
It seems this big puddle is quite deep; at least it won't dry up anytime soon.
"Where does the water in the puddle come from? Is there a water source?" the Taoist priest asked again.
“Xiaohan and I searched before, but we didn’t see any water flowing this way. The water source should be below the puddle.”
“Although this puddle doesn’t seem to lack water right now, we can’t see any fresh water flowing in, so it can only be considered a backup plan. Let’s look for other fresh water sources in the mountains!” the Taoist priest said.
“That’s what I was thinking too. We don’t have time today, so let’s catch some wild game around here and take it back. We can look for a new water source elsewhere tomorrow,” Lu Chuan suggested.
“Alright, it’s been a long time since we’ve hunted. This is a good opportunity for the dogs to get some exercise so they don’t get rusty.” The Taoist priest said, then called the dogs over.
Then Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest began hunting together, and they didn't head home until after sunset.
"Wife, we're back!" Lu Chuan shouted loudly to the people in the yard, carrying his prey.
Upon hearing this, Xu Han hurriedly came to open the door. She was overjoyed to see the prey that Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest were carrying, and exclaimed, "What a great haul today!"
"Yes! It's been a long time since we've hunted. These were caught over in the valley," Lu Chuan said proudly.
After Lu Chuan put the prey away, Xu Han handed the two of them a glass of warm water, and then went back to the kitchen to continue her work.
After resting for a while, Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest began to process today's prey.
During dinner that evening, the Taoist priest said, "On the way back, Xiao Chuan and I discussed it, and we'll look for a new water source near our home during this time."
While we're at it, we'll hunt around to see if we can catch any fresh game. The main thing is to keep an eye out for any large prey that might wander into the area.
"I think this is a good suggestion. It's always good to take precautions. It's better than having a wild animal suddenly break in," Grandpa Zhao agreed.
“Yes, then you can just wander around the neighborhood for a while! Grandpa Zhao and I will still take care of things at home,” Xu Han agreed.
"Okay, then it's settled."
"How did things go in the valley today? Is the water supply still available?" Xu Han asked.
"It's similar to when we went there before, but there are obviously fewer weeds and such over there, and the water level in the big puddle has dropped quite a bit," Lu Chuan replied.
"That's alright then. Let's keep looking! We can't put all our hopes on this place. You're more familiar with this mountain, so why don't you show the Taoist priest around a bit?" Xu Han said.
"Hmm! Let's look around. I'll do another divination later," the Taoist priest said with a smile.
"You're just showing off!" Grandpa Zhao said dismissively.
Everyone laughed upon hearing this, and after dinner, they all made dumplings together in the yard.
This afternoon, Xu Han prepared a lot of different flavored dumpling fillings and wrappers, and she will make them all into dumplings tonight.
After cooking, store it in the space so you can eat it anytime. No other side dishes are needed; it can be eaten directly as a main dish, which is simple and convenient.
The four of them chatted and made dumplings together until after 10 p.m. before finally packing up and going to rest.
A good night's sleep...
The next morning, after having breakfast, Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest set off again to find a water source nearby, taking their dogs with them as well.
They hunted and searched for water, but today's harvest was definitely not comparable to yesterday's, which was something everyone tacitly agreed on.
Another five or six days passed. The Taoist priest and Lu Chuan had only hunted a few prey, but they had not found any particularly abundant water sources.
We found other water sources, but the situation wasn't good. Maybe there really aren't any large water sources near my home!
After all, Lu Chuan has lived here for so many years and doesn't know where there are any good water sources nearby to cope with drought, so he probably won't find much new information in the search.
That evening, after everyone finished dinner, the Taoist priest said, "Tomorrow we plan to venture deeper into the mountains. Although the water source we're looking for is quite far from here, it's always good to have a backup plan in case something happens."
If all else fails, we'll stop searching. We have water from Xiao Han's space, so at least we won't die of thirst, and it should be enough for our daily needs.
“Okay, if we really can’t find it, we won’t look for it anymore. Even if we find it, it’s a hassle to get water from it.” Grandpa Zhao agreed.
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