Chapter 101: Day Twenty-One Settlement |
Sliding down from the tree slowly, Qin Ziwen arrived in front of the wild boar corpse, reached out, and grasped the card.
The glow on the card's surface dissipated, revealing its true form—it was actually a purple card.
It was actually a Recruitment Card.
Picking up the card, he looked at the front.
A date-red horse was frozen in a walking posture.
【Recruitment Card】 Common · Tamed Mongolian Horse*1
(Image: Mongolian Horse)
A horse?
This horse is good, but unlike the Crowned Eagle which can fly through windows, you can't lead a horse up and down the stairs through the hallway every time.
But... the next map is the Gobi Desert, so it could be summoned there.
If he remembered correctly, Mongolian horses seemed quite hardy and enduring, able to adapt to various harsh environments, not one of those delicate breeds.
Qin Ziwen patted the Crowned Eagle's head. "You go back first, bring the others here. Don't fly too fast so they don't get lost. Guide them. I'll wait right here for you."
After speaking, he looked around, picked up some dead leaves from the ground, then cleared the surrounding weeds and dead leaves to prevent a fire.
He lit the dead leaves; the still somewhat damp leaves produced gray smoke.
The gray smoke rose into the sky through the gaps in the branches.
"Go quickly and come back soon."
The Crowned Eagle let out a cry, then spread its wings and flew into the sky.
"Such a huge wild boar, enough to eat for a long time," Qin Ziwen sighed. After returning, the coarse salt at home might not even be enough.
Fortunately, the cellar temperature was low, so it could keep for a couple more days. They needed to step up their efforts these next few days to produce more coarse salt for curing.
He lowered his head, approached the wild boar corpse, took a pry bar from his bag, and prepared to remove the large trap.
Once activated, this kind of animal trap couldn't be pried open by hand alone; a pry bar was needed.
"Sir, let me do it, don't hurt yourself," Du Yu took the pry bar. The two of them worked together to slowly remove the animal trap from the pig's leg.
Looking again at the giant wild boar's trapped hind leg, it was almost broken. Partly due to the trap's work, and partly due to the boar's own struggling, constantly aggravating the break.
......
"Tap tap tap."
A knocking sound came from the kitchen window.
Qin Ziwu, who was keeping watch in the living room, heard the noise and hurried to open the window.
The Crowned Eagle came in and urgently called out twice.
Qin Ziwu quickly walked to the salt well and said to the refugees, "Go, stop working for now, follow me, carry the wheelbarrows."
They had received instructions in advance. Hearing the order, they gradually put down their work.
"Sir, the salt in the pot is only half-cooked..." Dazhuang, who was standing on a stool stirring the large iron pot, hesitated.
Qin Ziwu frowned. His elder brother had said to hurry. If they delayed too long and delayed his brother's business, what then?
His expression immediately turned serious. Pointing at the salt drying area nearby, he said, "Pour it in there. We'll take it out later and boil it again."
Dazhuang still wanted to say something, but Liu San pulled his arm and gave him a look telling him not to waste words.
Then, the group of six, carrying three sheet-metal wheelbarrows, went down the hallway and pushed the wheelbarrows all the way out through the east gate.
This peculiar scene attracted the attention of some residential complex residents along the way.
Huang Tao had just finished handling some matters and came out from the second floor with a few people when he saw Qin Ziwu and the others pushing wheelbarrows and leaving the complex.
Huang Tao turned his head and asked the old man behind him, "Master Yao, are those wheelbarrows we made?"
The man he called Master Yao was a tall, thin, old carpenter with skin tanned pitch black.
Master Yao took one look and shook his head. "Not ours. Those wheels are wooden. We all use tires."
Huang Tao frowned. Was someone in the complex competing with him for business?
Looking back again, the people were already far away, disappearing around a corner.
More than three hours later, as the sun set in the west, Qin Ziwu finally led the group to the bonfire where his elder brother was butchering the wild boar.
"Big brother!"
"Mm, come give a hand," Qin Ziwen pointed at the butchered giant wild boar on the ground.
Knowing it would take Qin Ziwu and the others considerable time to arrive, and not wanting to waste time, he and Du Yu had slowly been dismembering the large wild boar.
Otherwise, waiting until people arrived to start butchering would take several more hours.
Several people worked together to lift one section of the carcass onto a wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow sank but still steadily supported this over-three-hundred-pound pig body.
After all, this wheelbarrow was designed from the start to transport heavy granite from the quarry. Though its appearance was somewhat crude, both its materials and sturdiness were top-notch.
"Go find some vines or softer branches nearby to tie it onto the wheelbarrows."
The group pushed the small carts, slowly making their way back.
.......
Wang Xiaoli carried a water bucket to the river.
Even though Granny Li no longer needed her to fetch water, she had still developed the habit of fetching water at this time.
Perhaps because it was getting late, the river surface looked somewhat dim.
She arrived at the riverbank, first cautiously observing for a while, making sure there was nothing in the water nearby, then squatted down to fill the bucket.
As ripples spread across the water surface, a dark shadow swiftly approached from below.
Wang Xiaoli, who had remained vigilant, let out a scream, quickly stood up, and fled backward.
As she let go, the bucket wobbled, slowly swaying on the water surface, gradually drifting away from the bank.
"Ah, my bucket," Wang Xiaoli was annoyed. She hadn't even seen clearly what was under the water, only glimpsed a long, thin dark shadow.
She picked up a branch from nearby, hesitated for a moment, but still didn't have the courage to approach the riverbank again.
She was certain it wasn't a crocodile because a crocodile wouldn't be that small.
It might be a snake. The thought of a snake lurking underwater near the riverbank made her legs go weak. She had been afraid of these legless reptiles since childhood.
"What's wrong?" Zheng Yuan, who had come to the river to fish after dinner, heard the sound and hurried over.
"There's something in the river," Wang Xiaoli pointed at the river surface.
"Of course there's something in the river. Don't stay by the riverbank for too long. Although there have been fewer crocodiles recently, they're not gone," Zheng Yuan thought this woman wasn't very bright.
"Thanks for the reminder. I just came to fetch water. I got scared by something in the water just now, so I dropped the bucket," Wang Xiaoli smiled bitterly, pointing to where the bucket was on the river surface.
Zheng Yuan followed the direction Wang Xiaoli pointed, and his pupils abruptly contracted.
On the river surface, a creature, pitch black all over, flat-bodied, somewhat resembling a shrimp and also a centipede, crawled out of the water and burrowed into the bucket.
The creature he had glimpsed briefly near the hippo corpse yesterday overlapped with the creature before his eyes now.
Could it be that what killed the hippo was this?
Seeing the strange expression on the man beside her, Wang Xiaoli turned to look, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.
"What... what is this."
This thing resembled some kind of water-dwelling insect, but what insect was this big? It was probably a meter long.
Zheng Yuan looked around, then finally at the wooden stick in Wang Xiaoli's hand. "Lend me your stick."
Taking the stick, Zheng Yuan cautiously used the tip to gently tap the water surface.
A dozen seconds later, the stick tip suddenly sank, and a pulling force came from the other end.
Zheng Yuan gripped the stick, growled, "Move aside!"
He gave a fierce jerk, directly hooking the thing out of the water, then slammed it heavily onto the ground.
After leaving the water, this strange black insect struggled frantically on the ground, seeming unaccustomed to the land environment.
Zheng Yuan rushed forward, raised the stick, and brought it down. After several consecutive strikes, he finally smashed it to death.
"This thing is a bit tough," looking at the thick shell on its back and its ferocious mouthparts, Zheng Yuan frowned tightly. If the hippo downstream was really killed by them, and now they had spread upstream, then the river must be even more unsafe.
They had just driven away the crocodiles, how come so many strange insects had arrived now?
After some thought, Zheng Yuan felt he should tell the others in the residential complex to prevent someone from accidentally falling victim.
This insect clearly wasn't friendly.
......
It was already 10 PM when they returned to the complex.
At this hour, the complex was basically quiet.
Three wheelbarrows were slowly pushed into the complex.
The four refugees covered their stomachs, their eyes full of resentment.
"Don't worry, there will be food when we get back, and not just enough to fill you up! There's meat to eat tonight!" Qin Ziwen encouraged them.
Irrigated by their superior's motivational words, the four found a renewed surge of strength.
Arriving at the building, the eight of them slowly carried the carcass sections back into the house, then carried the wheelbarrows upstairs. After that, Qin Ziwu was told to use a mop to clean the bloodstains in the stairwell.
After finishing the work, Qin Ziwen gathered his energy and went to the tavern's kitchen to cook.
Cooking at the Porridge Shed might attract another batch of refugees.
The tavern was better. As long as they didn't light the lantern at night, there probably wouldn't be any customers coming.
After half an hour of busy work, he simply cooked a large pot of smoked meat and vegetable porridge for eight people.
This time he cooked the porridge drier, plus there was meat. Qin Ziwen and the others were fine, but the four refugees ate wolfishly, with Dazhuang crying as he ate.
"Wah wah~"
"What are you crying for? The sir cooked meat for us and you're crying," Liu San quietly reminded this fool.
Dazhuang turned his head; this man cried like a child. "Before my mother starved to death, she kept saying she wanted to eat a piece of meat. I wish my mother could have eaten some too."
Hearing his words, the other refugees eating porridge around them fell silent.
Everyone silently buried their heads in their bowls.
Qin Ziwen put down his bowl and said to the others, "Anyone not full can go get more. Everyone worked hard today. Dinner is all you can eat, but don't stuff yourselves sick. As long as you work hard, there will be more chances to eat meat in the future."
After eating and drinking their fill, Qin Ziwu went to wash the dishes. The others each took up their duties and began working.
Some were responsible for cutting meat, some for making brine, some for boiling salt, and others for cutting the meat into small strips before curing it.
Time quietly slipped away amidst the high enthusiasm.
「You have successfully survived safely in the wilderness for the twenty-first day. You hunted a large wild boar and obtained a card... Comprehensive score: 80 points」
「You have received rewards: 【Expansion Card】 Blank Expansion Card (Small)2, 【Building Card】 Level 1 Fish Pond, 【Building Card】 Tailor Shop1」
Hearing the voice in his mind, Qin Ziwen's meat-curing movements slowed.
Mentally reviewing the newly obtained rewards, Qin Ziwen pondered. Two new buildings, and two small expansion cards.
One small expansion card covered a 20*20 meter area. With these two cards added, he could completely seal off the kitchen and the master bedroom. That way, the vulnerabilities in his home would become fewer and fewer... others would never be able to enter his home from the windows again.
But there were still vulnerabilities. All the windows on all four sides of his home disappearing would look very strange from the outside.
And there was another weakness: the main door.
Once the main door was destroyed, others could still enter through it.
Thinking of this, Qin Ziwen couldn't help but consider whether to ask Li Tieshan to forge an additional set of iron bars behind the door later.
That way, even if someone broke the main door, there would still be another layer of defense.
But just forging iron bars wouldn't work without a lock. Li Tieshan wasn't a locksmith.
Withdrawing his thoughts, he looked at the Level 1 Fish Pond and the Level 1 Tailor Shop.
Both buildings were good. The fish pond could raise fish; even in the desert, they could have fish to eat. More importantly, the fish pond could store a large amount of water.
Although the water in the fish pond wouldn't be as clean as spring water, it would still be much better than stagnant water in the desert.
As for the Tailor Shop, there were no relevant skilled personnel at the moment, so it could only be shelved for now.
Qin Ziwen thought of Xiao Meixue.
Sister-in-law should know some tailoring skills.
But having her take over the tailor shop wasn't appropriate.
Tailors, like blacksmiths, were skilled workers. According to what Du Yu said, such skilled workers were very rare among refugees; the vast majority were farmers.
Qin Ziwu said, "Big brother, you've already salted that meat twice."
Qin Ziwen glanced at his younger brother.
Qin Ziwu immediately shut up.
Everyone worked until a little past 4 AM before finishing.
They had finally processed this thousand-plus-pound wild boar.
Unlike last time when they had to discard some organs, this time they brought almost everything back.
Some organs were repeatedly rinsed and then cured.
Other organs were soaked in salt water.
The Crowned Eagle picked up a heart that had been soaked in salt water and ate it with relish nearby.
After everyone else had gone to sleep.
Qin Ziwen came to the kitchen and chose to use the expansion card on the area outside the kitchen.
As light swirled, a large expanse of brand-new blank expanded area appeared outside the kitchen.
However, unlike before when the walls disappeared, this time after using the expansion card, the kitchen's glass windows remained. To go to the area behind, one needed to climb over through the kitchen window.
Of course, they could also knock down this stove counter and the window.
But it would be a real shame to break these large, clear glass panes in the kitchen.
Opening the window and jumping into the new expanded area behind, Qin Ziwen took out the 【Building Card】 Level 1 Fish Pond.
The Level 1 Fish Pond required a 20*20 area, exactly occupying the entire range of this small expansion card.
Pressing against the wall, he mentally commanded its use.
The light dissipated, his feet slipped, and what greeted him was the square pond beneath his feet.
"Splash!"
"Gurgle gurgle......"
Clambering up with difficulty from the pond's edge, Qin Ziwen cursed, "Damn, why is the dirt bank around this fish pond so slippery."
Wiping the water from his face—the water was quite cold—the depth didn't need measuring. He had personally felt it when he fell in; about two meters deep...
......
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