An Shuyi and Xia Hua didn't go. Today they had to go to two other mountains to see if there were any paper mulberry trees or water sources so that Village Chief Lin could lead the villagers to farm. They set off early in the morning and dug up and sold any saplings, flowers, or plants that could be sold for a little money.
However, they only sold them for a few hundred coins or a few taels of silver; they didn't sell the ones that cost several hundred taels. On the mountain to the right of the village, they only found paper mulberry trees, and quite a lot of them, but they couldn't find a water source.
"Huahua, let's go check out that mountain on the left!"
"Let's go."
The two went down the mountain and returned to the village. The villagers were still busy planting crops. Apart from the houses and workshops, the rest of the land was dug out. Some of the land had already been planted with crops, while others had not.
With so much land, even with a large number of people, it would take them two days to cultivate it all. The two climbed back up the mountain on the left. Once they reached the top, they found a flat area with very tall trees.
"Shushu, it seems there's a water source on this mountain. The air is especially humid. Let's go take a look over there." The flowers and plants here are particularly lush, and the big trees are even more vibrant than on the other two mountains.
"good!"
When the two stood by the lake, they were amazed. The lake was green, crystal clear, and exceptionally wide. Dense trees lined both sides, turning the water green. The stones along the shore held the water back, preventing it from flowing out.
"So beautiful!" An Shuyi exclaimed.
Xia Hua nodded. It was indeed beautiful. It had to be said that the environment in ancient times was incomparable to that of today. "Now we won't be without water. Shushu, let's build a very large pool at the foot of the mountain and then divert the water down. Every household can bring water to their own home and achieve freedom of drinking water."
The water pool was built at the foot of the mountain because the water was not drinkable directly. It had to settle in the pool for a period of time, and alum was added to kill any insect eggs in the water. After the houses were built, a water pipe was laid to the village, and then the water was distributed to each household. This way, there was no need to carry water or dig too many wells.
An Shuyi looked at her and asked, "Do you have a water pipe there? Or are you using bamboo?"
“Bamboo is too much trouble. I use a water pipe. Even though it's only my wrist, it can still flow down every day, and that's not a small amount. Look at the top of this lake, there are still water droplets dripping down from the cracks in the rocks. There must be an underground river inside, so this lake will never dry up.”
Her shopping mall not only has water pipes and faucets, but also all kinds of electrical appliances and solar generators. She could even build a village just like a modern one.
But she didn't dare. Taking these things out now was already quite extraordinary, but it would also make them easy to hide. Water pipes and such could be buried in the ground, but she didn't know how to explain those electrical appliances.
“Alright, once the villagers of Xinglin Village have finished digging the foundation, let them split into two teams, one to dig a water pool and the other to dig a cave dwelling.” These things will take time, and cholera has already broken out in Jinnan City, so it’s really not suitable to find villagers again.
"Let's go, there's no rush. Let's go down the mountain first." Xia Hua had just told her to leave when she hurriedly stopped. "Shu Shu, there's a water source now. Let's clean up the two tigers and deer in the warehouse first, and also clean up and put away all the meat."
"Tiger skin also needs to be tanned, as do sika deer antlers, deer penis... all of these need to be cut up. I have transparent boxes here, so you can cut them up and store them properly, making it convenient to eat them."
"Didn't you want to make deer blood wine? I have those glass jars here, and I also have the wine. Soak all the deer antlers and stuff, and then put them in my warehouse." Her warehouse was a huge room, unlike Shushu's.
But she still preferred books, where everything was clearly visible and you could easily find what was there. Hers, on the other hand, was piled up in the warehouse, and she had to search carefully for it.
An Shuyi nodded, "Then we'll clean it up here. Take the box out!" As she spoke, she pulled out the dagger, released the tiger's carcass from the warehouse, and began to process it.
After skinning the tiger, they cut off all the meat and put it in a box. Then Xia Hua processed the tiger skin, while she was in charge of processing the sika deer. They soaked the deer that were meant to be soaked in alcohol, and put the deer that weren't in alcohol in the box.
"Shushu, wait here for me for a moment!"
“?” An Shuyi looked up and saw Hua Hua leaving. She didn’t know what Hua Hua was going to do, but she wasn’t too worried and continued with her work.
She processed all the sika deer, packed the meat into boxes, and put them in the warehouse. She only kept the jars for soaking in alcohol, which were kept in Huahua's warehouse. But Huahua had been gone for so long and hadn't returned yet. Seeing that the tiger skin hadn't been tanned yet, she went to tan it.
After the tiger skin was tanned, he looked at Hua Hua who had returned and asked, "Hua Hua, why did you take so long?"
Xia Hua held up what she was holding. "I just saw this. The color is so beautiful. It's all red, without a single other color. I'll make you a cloak for winter. But it's not enough. When the workshop is less busy, come back and make a few more."
She had just seen the red fox, its bright red color reminding her of Shushu's favorite color, and she wanted to catch it to make a cloak for her. That's why she came back a little late so as not to damage the fox's fur.
An Shuyi smiled brightly, "Thank you, Huahua, for making this fox fur into a cloak for me. What about you?"
"Of course I'll get mine too. When the workshop isn't busy, we'll stay in these mountains for a few more days and hunt a few more times. That way, we'll have our share. It's good that hunting wasn't illegal in ancient times. But you'll be in charge of the work."
"Okay, I'll do it. I'll make the most beautiful one for you. Hurry up and deal with the fox so we can go down the mountain. It's getting dark."
Xia Hua nodded, "Okay, you stand over there and wait, I'll be done soon." With that, she used a sharp knife to peel off the fox skin, leaving the meat behind and throwing it into the warehouse, intending to discard it after leaving the lakeside.
After they finished dealing with the situation, the two of them went down the mountain. By the time they arrived at the village, it was already dark. The villagers hadn't eaten yet; they were just waiting there.
"Sister An and Sister Xia are back!" The clansmen shouted as soon as they saw them return.
Village Chief Lin hurriedly ran forward a few steps, "Sister-in-law, didn't you go up the mountain? Why are you only coming back now?" If they hadn't returned soon, he would have taken people up the mountain to look for them.
"We're fine, don't worry. Finding a water source will take some time."
"It's good that you're all alright, sisters-in-law. Come and eat."
An Shuyi and Xia Hua put down their baskets before sitting down at the table to eat. "How did the planting go today?"
Lin Cun sat down next to them and said, "We can plant them all tomorrow, just one more day."
An Shuyi nodded, "That's good. You've all worked hard all day, so get some rest. We can do the workshop stuff after the crops are planted."
Before Village Chief Lin could speak, Lin Changnian said, "Sister-in-law, we're not tired. We can still work at night." People come to collect the ice every day. Although they haven't sold the paper and clothes, they haven't made many. If they made more, they could take them to Jinnan City to sell.
Now that their sister-in-law has work for them and pays them, they can't be lazy. Besides, they're just planting crops all day, so it's not too tiring.
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