Wang Lun got up as usual at dawn, washed up, cooked, and then woke Li Ling up when the food was almost ready.
After breakfast, Wang Lun checked the roof he had fixed the day before and found that there were basically no major cracks, which was quite lucky. When Wang Lun returned, Li Ling packed everything they needed for mowing the lawn. Their main task for the day was to mow the lawn, to mow as much as possible, as they would need a lot later.
Each person carried a basket on their back. Wang Lun led the way, with Li Ling following behind, as they walked out of the camp.
Soon, they arrived at their destination, a patch of overgrown, waist-high weeds. Wang Lun took out a large machete and a long spear. He first used the spear to knock down the surrounding grass, observing for a while until nothing happened, before starting to cut the grass. Li Ling had originally planned to cut the grass beside Wang Lun, with Li Ling watching and bundling the cut grass, but she refused. Unable to argue with her, he had no choice but to let her follow him. The biggest danger in such overgrown areas was snakes, so Wang Lun frequently used the spear to poke at the grass, startling the snakes and making them come out to avoid being attacked.
The two of them were busy. Wang Lun was cutting grass, and Li Ling would occasionally stop to pack the cut grass into bundles and put them in the basket on her back.
The two worked all morning until the sun was high overhead. Wang Lun wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Let's stop here for now. Go back and make lunch, then come back." Li Ling agreed, as they were both quite tired. Wang Lun told her to rest by the basket while he went to cut some sticks to carry back more bundles of hay, and also to cut some vines to secure the hay. Li Ling sat down beside the basket and tidied up the tools she had brought. Wang Lun then went into the nearby woods.
Soon, Wang Lun returned carrying eight sticks and a bundle of vines. After returning, he drank some water and sat for a while before packing the baskets. Each basket contained four sticks, with several bundles of hay stacked in the middle. The hay wasn't heavy, but it took up a lot of space, so this was the only way to carry it; it looked like a lot, but it wasn't actually very heavy. Wang Lun packed fewer bundles for Li Ling and more for himself. After packing the baskets, he had Li Ling carry them first, then she pulled him up with a hand. Again, Wang Lun went first, and Li Ling followed behind, and the two of them returned to camp in this way.
Back at the camp, Wang Lun, who had just put down his basket, went to check how dry the soil on the roof was. He found that it was much drier than in the morning, and that it was time to lay straw on the roof behind the eaves. So Wang Lun went and laid the straw on the roof himself, leaving it for Li Ling to cook by the campfire.
Since the distance between the back eaves and the earthen lawn behind wasn't far, Wang Lun had already dumped the hay onto the lawn. Now, all he needed to do was untie the bundles of hay and spread them on top. He also placed two sticks horizontally on top to prevent the hay from being blown away. The bottom layer had to protrude slightly beyond the eaves to prevent rainwater from flowing onto the earthen wall when it rained. Then he continued to spread hay on top, layering it over the bottom. Two baskets of hay weren't enough to completely cover the back roof before he ran out. He had to go back for lunch, and then go cut some more hay and carry it back.
As soon as they got back, they washed their hands and face and started eating. Li Ling had already been calling for dinner while they were laying out the hay, but some hay hadn't been laid out yet, so they decided to finish first before eating. Of course, Li Ling was still waiting for Wang Lun to eat together. During dinner, Wang Lun asked Li Ling to carry the hay they had cut in the afternoon back together; he would carry the rest, while Li Ling laid the hay on the roof of the campsite. Li Ling agreed, since Wang Lun walked faster alone than with her, and he rarely stopped along the way, whereas with her there, they would stop a few times.
After finishing their meal, the two of them, without taking a break, grabbed bamboo tubes filled with water, slung baskets over their backs, and went back to cutting grass.
After working for three or four hours, a large pile of hay had accumulated beside them, enough to make a haystack. Wang Lun estimated it should be enough, so he and Li Ling filled their baskets and carried them back, also taking the two snakes they had caught that afternoon with them. Wang Lun had found the snakes while cutting grass; he had initially intended to chase them away, but they tried to attack him. Of course, Wang Lun wouldn't let them get away with it. He first subdued them with a spear, then killed them with another spear, and finally cut off their heads, burying them in a deep pit. He then found a leaf, wrapped the snake heads in it, and sealed it with some soil. After doing all this, he continued cutting grass.
The two carried hay back once. Wang Lun helped throw all the hay bales onto the roof, and then carried the rest of the hay back. Li Ling stayed in the camp and spread the hay on the roof.
Two hours later, Wang Lun made three round trips, each time carrying the basket very high on his back before finally hoisting it onto his shoulder and returning to camp. He carried it like this three times before finishing, which gives you an idea of how much hay the two of them had cut that day.
Back at camp, Wang Lun sat on a rock, poured himself a bowl of water, drank a few sips, caught his breath, and rested for a while. Then he got up, carried the three snakes to the stream, and processed them. As usual, he dug a hole and buried the snake heads, shed the skin, discarded the internal organs, washed the snake meat clean, and returned to camp. Having done this several times before, he was experienced and finished processing the three snakes in less than half an hour.
Back at camp, Wang Lun placed the snake meat on a rack to dry, and used the snake skin to make a rack, which he then propped up and placed on the wall of the shelter to air dry, saving it for later use. He then put the extra hay in the shed and started making mud bricks. Li Ling quickly finished laying the roof and then came over to help with the mud bricks.
The two worked for another half hour. By then, it was getting dark, so Li Ling went to cook dinner. She had told Wang Lun to rest, but while he agreed, he didn't rest and instead sped up his work. Li Ling couldn't do anything about it; she could only try her best to make dinner taste good, but with the same ingredients, no matter how she cooked it, the taste would be the same. However, since they had caught three snakes that day, they wouldn't have to eat fish that night. Li Ling cut the whole snake into small pieces, put them in a pot of cold water with a little salt, and after the water boiled, she cooked them for a while, then took the snake meat out, changed the water, and cooked it again. She added a little salt while cooking, and only added some dried wild vegetables when the snake meat was tender. Then she told Wang Lun to wash his hands and get ready to eat. After cooking for a few more minutes, she took the pot off the heat, and it was done.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com