After careful weaving, two unique bamboo hats were freshly made.
One was slightly larger, with a simple and elegant design, which Lu Fan had tailored for himself; the other was small and exquisite, with delicate patterns woven along the edges, clearly prepared with care for An Lan.
"Anlan, come and try on the hat I knitted." Lu Fan's face was beaming with an unconcealable smile.
An Lan put down the herbs she was carefully arranging, smiled, took the hat, gently put it on her head, and even twirled around playfully. Then she nodded in satisfaction and said, "The sun protection is quite good. Thank you for your hard work. I didn't know you had this skill."
"Haha, you're welcome, it's nothing."
Lu Fan scratched his head, smiled, and then put on his hat, one hand on the brim and the other on his hip: "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
His exaggerated expressions and tone were exactly like those of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur).
Seeing Lu Fan's expression, An Lan couldn't help but chuckle and turned to start preparing dinner.
Today's menu features pan-fried lamb chops and chilled seaweed salad, a perfect combination of meat and vegetables.
The lamb chops sizzled in the pan, turning an enticing golden brown, and were evenly sprinkled with unique spices gathered from the wild. The rich aroma instantly filled the air, making one's mouth water just by smelling it.
Cold seaweed salad is refreshing and helps cut through the greasiness. The seaweed is cut into evenly sized strips and paired with chopped fresh wild onions and wild ginger. The red, green and white colors are vibrant and make it very appetizing.
"Wow, Teacher An, your cooking skills are getting more and more amazing! I can hardly wait to eat!"
Lu Fan sniffed exaggeratedly, and his stomach growled in agreement. He couldn't wait to pick up the cutlery.
The two sat at the dining table, enjoying the delicious food and excitedly sharing their day's experiences and feelings.
Occasionally, a few small flying insects would be attracted by the light and buzz around. Lu Fan would wave his arm from time to time to shoo away these uninvited guests, muttering, "Go away, don't disturb us from enjoying this wonderful dinner time."
Anlan laughed continuously, and the entire shelter was filled with warmth and joy.
After dinner, night had quietly fallen, the daytime heat had subsided slightly, and a rare coolness filled the air.
The collected saltpeter was neatly arranged under the shed, shimmering faintly in the moonlight.
They won't be used to make ice for the time being, since ice made in advance will melt quickly, so it's better to save them for when they are really needed.
Lu Fan put down his chopsticks, patted his round belly, and said contentedly, "I'm so full. I need to take advantage of this cool weather to prepare some fodder for Big Horn and the others."
An Lan nodded in agreement: "Okay, be careful. I'll pack my things here."
Lu Fan picked up the knife and went to the nearby grassy area.
The moonlight spilled onto the grass, like a layer of silver gauze, dreamlike and enchanting.
He bent down and skillfully wielded the knife, his movements fluid and graceful, and bundles of grass quickly took shape under his hands.
Occasionally, a few startled insects would fly out of the grass, but Lu Fan paid no attention, focusing only on cutting grass, thinking about preparing the freshest fodder for Big Horn and the others.
In no time, he had cut a huge pile of grass.
He tied the grass into bundles, carried them laboriously on his shoulders, and walked back step by step.
Big Horn seemed to hear its master's footsteps and barked happily in the distance, as if to say, "Master, you're finally back! I've been starving!"
"Big Horn, don't worry, there will be something delicious soon," Lu Fan replied to Big Horn, panting heavily.
When he returned to the shelter, he was exhausted and drenched in sweat, but when he saw the expectant eyes of Big Horn and the others, his fatigue vanished instantly.
He neatly piled the grass next to the horns' feeding trough.
Meimei and Lightning immediately came over and started eating heartily, occasionally letting out satisfied cries.
Watching them eat with relish, Lu Fan wiped his sweat and said with a smile, "Now you can have a good meal. I hope this hot weather will pass quickly so everyone can relax a bit."
After resting for a while, Lu Fan began to think of other ways to deal with the high temperature.
He recalled finding some large leaves during his earlier exploration, which might be used to make sunshades to further reduce the temperature inside the shelter.
So he took the rope and tools and headed back to where he had found the leaves.
The mountain forest at night takes on a mysterious air, with the occasional call of an unknown animal adding to the sense of unease.
Lu Fan felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but let his mind wander: "I hope something terrible doesn't jump out out here in the middle of nowhere."
He gripped his tools tightly and quickened his pace.
He went to that area and carefully selected the large, thick leaves, examining each one in his hand as if choosing a precious treasure.
After selecting the leaves, he began stringing them together one by one. Although his movements were a little clumsy, he was very focused, muttering to himself, "One leaf, two leaves..."
When he returned to the shelter with the sunshade he had made, Anlan had already cleaned everything up and was organizing the herbs he had collected that day.
Seeing Lu Fan return, An Lan rushed to greet him, her eyes full of concern: "You're finally back! Why were you gone for so long? Did you encounter any danger?"
Lu Fan smiled and shook his head: "It's nothing, it just took some time to find leaves and make the sunshade. Look, this one I made, hanging outside the room, should block a lot of sunlight."
As he spoke, he showed the sunshade in his hand.
Together, the two hung the sunshade curtains at the entrance and windows of the room.
An Lan looked at the hung sunshade curtain and nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, that's much better now, it feels cooler. Your idea is really good."
The next day, the sun shone brightly on the shelter early in the morning, bathing everything in a golden light.
Lu Fan got up early and looked at the still-high blazing sun, thinking that he needed to stock up on more food to cope with the high temperatures that seemed to have no end in sight.
He decided to hunt in more distant areas, since the prey in the nearby areas had become scarce after this period of searching.
“Anlan, I’m going to ride my lightning rode to a more distant place today. You stay at the shelter and organize the herbs we collected yesterday. If you have time, you can also study how to make ice from those saltpeter.”
As Lu Fan packed up his bow and arrows, he spoke to An Lan.
An Lan put down the herbs she was drying, walked over to Lu Fan, and said, "Be careful. You might encounter danger if you go far away. If you feel anything is wrong, come back immediately." Her eyes were full of worry and concern.
"Don't worry, what danger could I possibly be in?" Lu Fan patted his chest and said confidently.
Then, he flipped himself onto Lightning and galloped off into the distance.
Along the way, the heat wave hit him in the face, and Lu Fan felt as if he had been put into a giant steamer. Sweat kept pouring from his forehead and wetting his hair.
Lightning's hooves kicked up clouds of dust. Lu Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead from time to time, but his eyes were always on the surroundings, not missing any corner where prey might appear.
After a long trek, he finally arrived at an unfamiliar mountain forest.
The trees here are denser, their branches and leaves intertwined, blocking some of the sunlight and making Lu Fan feel a little cooler.
A herd of blue sheep appeared on the rock face ahead.
Lu Fan was overjoyed, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up: "Just what I wanted! I'm in for a treat now, I'll have to hunt a few more to take back with me."
He carefully dismounted from Lightning's back and quietly approached the herd of ibex, preparing for a tense and exciting hunt.
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