"Knock knock!"
With two muffled thuds, two heavy, golden lantern fruits smashed into the ground, creating two craters.
Zhao Xiaoxiu jumped off the back of the little flying hero, waved her hand, indicating that she could be freed and do whatever she wanted.
Zhao Xiaoxiu ran into the house, found the tools she had used to carve the door to the tree hole, and went to the two lantern fruits to carve two small holes.
It's full of white, fluffy pulp that feels a bit damp, like touching a wet wad of cotton, but it has no elasticity at all, making it a very unpleasant feel.
Zhao Xiaoxiu thought it would be good to take it out and use it to start a fire. Spreading out the wet white fluff to dry it would make it just like dry cotton, and it would catch fire easily.
Zhao Xiaoxiu spent the entire afternoon battling the two lantern fruits.
The hard outer shell had an opening, revealing a wet, white fuzz inside. Zhao Xiaoxiu was strong enough to pull out a large handful with a single tug.
In no time, they cleaned the white fluff out of the fruit shells and piled up a heap of damp white fluff on the ground at the front door.
Finally, two empty shells with openings stood on the ground, forming two round huts.
"Sister Monkey!" Zhao Xiaoxiu shouted towards the outside of the green wall.
Monkey Sister, who was assigned by Zhao Gang to carry timber, responded with a "hoohoo" and quickly crawled out of the pile of charred wood, jumped into the green wall, and came to Zhao Xiaoxiu's side.
As soon as it arrived, it saw the two hollowed-out lantern fruit shells, its monkey eyes darted around, and it glanced at Zhao Xiaoxiu with a start.
Zhao Xiaoxiu smiled and pointed to the charred wood above her head, "Sister Monkey, where do you want to put these two rooms?"
The monkey sister held up two paws; were they both hers?
Zhao Xiaoxiu nodded: "Yes, they're all yours. Do you want to put them together and then make a hole in the middle to connect them, or separate them into two, one on each side? Either way is fine."
The monkey sister was delighted. She wanted to separate them, placing one on the treetop above the tree roof and the other in the branch at the top of the charred wood.
Two nests! Sister Monkey stretched out her paw and made a peace sign.
Zhao Xiaoxiu exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Monkey, have you become a spirit?!"
What is becoming a spirit? Sister Monkey tilted her head, looking at the cub in front of her, puzzled.
Zhao Xiaoxiu waved her hand, "It's nothing, let's install it in one room first."
Zhao Xiaoxiu isn't good at this, so she has to call her dad.
When Zhao Gang saw the two large fruit shells that the cub had brought back, he thought for a moment, picked up the rope that Zhao Xiaoxiu had just thrown aside, conjured a tentacle, and knocked a hole in the top of the fruit shell.
The opening is just the right size to thread the rope through. Find two thick, half-meter-long pieces of charred wood, tie them together with rope to form a cross, and secure them. Then, lift the rope at the top, and the entire fruit shell will be suspended.
Zhao Gang casually pointed to the tree branch above his head, indicating to Sister Monkey where to hang it.
Monkey Sister's monkey eyes blinked, and she was extremely excited. She quickly climbed to the top of the treehouse and slapped the thick branches under her feet. Here, she was hanging here!
Zhao Gang nodded and threw the rope up first. Monkey Sister quickly grabbed it and then hoisted the fruit shell house up herself. The rope was wrapped around the tree trunk four or five times before they had a problem tying a knot.
"Squeak!" Baby, come quick! Sister Monkey is very anxious.
Zhao Xiaoxiu smiled and climbed up the tree to teach it how to tie a knot. After a few tries, the monkey sister tied it tightly.
Zhao Xiaoxiu rubbed its fluffy tail; this monkey was too clever.
Once the nutshell house was in place, Sister Monkey slid in upside down and disappeared inside.
The nutshell house hanging from the tree swayed gently, and Sister Monkey seemed to have discovered a new continent, shaking it vigorously inside and letting out joyful "Awooooo!"
Seeing how satisfied it was, Zhao Xiaoxiu felt relieved.
"Sister Monkey, I want to come too."
Two furry monkey paws immediately stretched out from the doorway of the nutshell house. Trusting in the monkey sister's reaction speed, Zhao Xiaoxiu bent her knees and jumped down.
The monkey's claws precisely grabbed her two little feet and lifted her into the nutshell house.
The space inside wasn't large; with a baby and a monkey lying inside, there was just enough room to turn over.
But Sister Monkey was very satisfied, gesturing for Zhao Xiaoxiu to make a small window out of glass for her, so she could stay inside and observe the situation outside at any time.
Moreover, it has a good view and can be used as a sentry post.
Zhao Gang stood under the tree and followed the same method to hang the rope for the second nutshell house. Listening to the excited chatter coming from above, he felt it was magical.
The monkeys speak monkey language, and the cubs speak human language; the two, a baby and a monkey, can chat enthusiastically.
The second nutshell house was brought to the top of the tree by Zhao Gang and hung on the thickest branch at the top, offering a superb view of the entire valley.
Monkey Sister had just said she wanted to put windows in the first nutshell house, but now she's immediately bored with the old one and is holed up in the nutshell house at the top of the tree, which Zhao Xiaoxiu can't even pull down.
Zhao Gang shouted, "Dinner's ready!"
Only when she smelled the enticing aroma of instant noodle soup did Sister Monkey finally leave the treetop.
The doors and windows inside the house were all installed, and Zhao Gang shaved two small tree roots to make candlesticks.
On a simple wooden table made of four legs and a board, three candles were lit simultaneously on a candlestick made of tree roots, illuminating the dim room.
Zhao Xiaoxiu and Sister Monkey each clung to a wooden stump, sitting obediently at the table, each holding a bowl of fragrant boiled instant noodles, eating with their heads down.
In the quiet house, the only sounds were the crackling of firewood burning in the stove and the slurping of noodles.
Zhao Gang didn't eat. He stood in front of the stove with his arms crossed, watching his daughter's satisfied expression, a faint smile always on his face.
After the little one finished eating, the water on the stove boiled.
Hot water was poured into the stainless steel basin. Zhao Xiaoxiu rolled up her sleeves and first washed her cat-like face and dirty hands. Then she caught Monkey Sister, who was about to run away after eating, and pressed her down to lather her two greasy paws with soap and scrub them clean.
Having just finished washing, Sister Monkey turned her bottom and left impatiently.
"Sister Monkey!" Zhao Xiaoxiu shouted angrily.
They ignored him completely, quickly climbed to the top of the tree, and even brought their sleeping bag. They wrapped themselves up in it and nestled in their little den, looking incredibly content.
"Sigh~" Zhao Xiaoxiu sighed.
Looking at the room, which contained only a table and a washbasin stand, the father and daughter decided to make furniture.
Also, as the weather gets colder, we need to prepare food and firewood for the winter.
There was plenty of charred wood to burn, so there was no need to worry about firewood. As for food, Zhao Xiaoxiu had also stockpiled more than a hundred bottles of nutrient solution.
The rest depends on what's in the mountains—mutant animal meat, mutant fruits, and so on. We'll search for them while we work, trying to make the food selection as plentiful as possible.
Drinking nutritional supplements all the time can make you feel depressed.
The father and daughter had made their plans: they closed the doors and windows, left the fire in the stove, and let the smoke drift out through the chimney. The residual heat from the firewood continued to spread, making the house warmer.
Without a bed, Zhao Xiaoxiu and her father will sleep in a tent again tonight. Wrapped in sleeping bags, they feel okay lying on the ground.
Heat was rising continuously from under the floorboards, and when Zhao Xiaoxiu woke up in the morning, she found herself covered in sweat.
I crawled out of my sleeping bag, opened the door, breathed out a puff of white smoke, and it dissipated in two seconds.
Zhao Xiaoxiu went back to her bedroom, changed into thick socks, and went downstairs to find her father.
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