On this day.
As the rainy season approached, the weather became brighter and clearer.
Chang Xia yawned and walked out of the beast lair.
She opened her mouth to call out to Chen Rong, who was walking toward the White Lake, and said, "Chen Rong, continue to make the doors and windows. I'll go to the White Lake to collect the fish basket and take a walk through the reeds to see if I can catch chickens, ducks, or hares."
The white fruits had dried in the sun, and the wicker baskets were piled beside the beast lair.
During the day, Chang Xia and Chen Rong were busy building the house cave. After dinner at night, the two of them grounded the white fruits for half an hour before going to bed. The fruit powder was all stored in clay pots by Chang Xia. To turn the fruit powder into rice noodles, she needed a noodle maker, which delayed Chang Xia from eating rice noodles.
Chang Xia thought about it and finally decided to build the house cave first.
At the same time, she told Chen Rong and Nan Feng about the problem.
If they wanted to eat noodles, they would probably have to wait until the house cave was built.
"Can you do it alone?" Chen Rong asked hesitantly, standing still.
Chang Xia covered her mouth and yawned as she walked. She waved her hand and said casually, "Why not? We're just short of the door and windows. I'll get a good meal for Nan Feng and the others. After all, the rice noodles I promised previously will probably take a while."
Chang Xia still had to figure out how to turn the powder into rice noodles.
She would strive to make the flour-making machine. It could be big or small but it would take time. However, she had some idea. She should be able to make it when the house cave was installed with doors and windows. It would probably be like a mold for pressing mooncakes.
She carried her basket and slowly walked towards the White Lake.
Chen Rong had built a pool with rocks by the White Lake,
There were many fish in the pool. If he wanted to eat them, he could come over and fish them at any time. It was very convenient.
Chang Xia quickly went to the place where the fish basket was placed by the White Lake. She collected the fish basket, poured the fish out, and sorted the fish, prawns, and crabs. After collecting the fish basket, she was in no hurry to return to the beast lair and walked towards the reeds upstream of the White Lake.
In the morning, the dew glistened in the sunlight.
Chang Xia walked through the reeds with the wicker basket in her hand.
She picked up the bird eggs he saw and put them into the rattan basket. This was like a natural breeding ground for reeds, greatly enriching Chang Xia's daily menu.
When Nan Feng and Nuan Chun came over in the future, Chang Xia would consider enclosing the reeds and raising chickens and ducks. By facing the White Lake, even feeding would be easy.
Crow—
Just as she picked up a few eggs.
A pheasant crowed. There should be a flock nearby.
How lucky.
Chang Xia put down the wicker basket, bent down, and gently peeled away the reeds in front of her.
In the reeds seven or eight steps away from her, three pheasants were foraging. These chickens, which had no natural enemies, were fat and strong.
The biggest old hen seemed to weigh a dozen pounds.
Tsk tsk!
Chang Xia sighed.
Her attacks were swift and fierce, not giving these wild chickens any chance to escape.
She attacked from both sides. None of the three pheasants escaped.
She weighed them in her hand a few times. They were very heavy. With a pot of yams, it was another sumptuous meal.
At the same time, she found a nest of bird eggs near the three pheasants.
She tied the pheasants with reeds and carried them upside down.
After picking up the eggs in the chicken nest, she carried the pheasants back to the pool by the White Lake, took the basket, and slowly walked towards the beast lair.
"Nan Feng, this early?!"
From afar, Chang Xia saw Nan Feng squatting in front of the beast lair, fiddling with something.
Ya Dong and Shan Kun stood not far from Chen Rong.
Perhaps it was too early, but Nuan Chun did not get out of bed. Recently, she had been feeling sleepy. However, she missed the house cave too much and still persevered every day.
"We'd like to get the doors and windows of the house cave installed early, and then we'll build the house cave walls, and the cabinets and beds you mentioned," Nan Feng said excitedly.
As the house cave was gradually perfected, the anticipation in everyone's hearts did not decrease. Instead, it became even more intense.
After half a day of trial and error, Chen Rong successfully made the door and windows.
However, there were still some problems with the installation.
The window was a wooden window in the shape of a field. A glass window with no glass inlays could only be imagined. A wooden window in the shape of a field with a grass curtain ensured that the light could be blocked at the same time.
During the cold season, they would be replaced with hide curtains again.
With Chen Rong hammering the boards and Ya Dong and Shan Kun learning from him, two days were enough to install all the doors and windows of the cave. In fact, like the cave, some of the furniture could be sculpted with loess, or scraped with clay and looked equally practical and beautiful.
However, Chang Xia wanted the cave to have more colors.
Therefore, she chose to decorate it with wooden furniture.
"Chang Xia, we've made the doors and windows. Today, make the best use of your time to make the doors and windows and try to install them tomorrow," Chen Rong said warmly.
Chang Xia rejoiced.
"If you're busy, I'll cook a feast to reward you."
Chang Xia raised the pheasant in her hand and put the basket down. She took out the rattan basket and walked toward the den. Before she walked away, she called Nan Feng over to help.
When Ya Dong and Shan Kun heard that there would be a feast, they were immediately tempted.
They had not come over since two days ago to tell Chang Xia that the shaman had gone to the birds. However, he had sent Nan Feng and the others.
These days, Nan Feng and the other two did not go out hunting.
They were all totem warriors, and different from the pregnant Nuan Chun.
They went hunting or picking basically every day.
Recently, they did not join the tribal hunting team, and Chang Xia guessed that it should be related to the cave. On the day Root saw the formed house cave, his expression was exaggerated.
Chang Xia thought Root would ask her about it, but Root said nothing and went straight back to the tribe.
After that, Nan Feng and the other two never went out to hunt again.
"Chang Xia, what are you going to cook?" Nan Feng asked curiously. She turned to look at the pheasant in Chang Xia's hand and said disdainfully, "Why did you catch three sharp-mouthed beasts? This thing tastes terrible with little meat. Did you use the sharp-mouthed beasts to train your hunting skills?"
Lately, Chang Xia had been exercising.
They all saw it and occasionally gave Chang Xia some pointers.
Unfortunately, Chang Xia was unwilling to shape-shift and train in her beast form.
As a child, Nan Feng loved to hold Chang Xia's beast body. It was soft, fleshy, and most comfortable in her arms.
When Chang Xia got older, she would no longer be willing to shapeshift.
Not to mention being held in Nan Feng's arms.
"I will stew the chicken with yam to make beggar's chicken," Chang Xia said.
Three chickens might not be enough. She would have to add roast meat and powdered fruit pancakes. The yam-fruit pancakes were too time-consuming and Chang Xia didn't want to make them in the morning. They were too greasy. Of course, there was no such thing as greasy in the beast race. After all, all the tribesmen could eat roast meat three times a day.
This was too much for Chang Xia.
"Should I barbecue?" Nan Feng said hesitantly, rubbing her hands together.
Chang Xia handed over the pheasants and said, "Kill the chickens first and deal with them. I'll marinate the roasted meat."
She took a bowl and a beast knife.
Clearly, she had no intention of wasting the chicken blood.
Before marinating the meat, Chang Xia squatted beside Nan Feng and taught her how to kill the chicken and what to do with the chicken guts. Only after that did she begin to marinate the meat.
She marinated the meat, then prepared leaves and wet mud for the beggar's chicken.
Two chickens were stewed with yams, and the youngest was used to make beggar's chicken. Coincidentally, that chicken looked relatively young. If it was too young, the meat would be too tough.
After working as Chang Xia's assistant for a few days, Nan Feng was very efficient, perfectly executing everything Chang Xia said. After killing the chicken, the hot water in the pot on the stove was boiled.
She boiled chicken and plucked the feathers.
Chang Xia took the one she wanted and began to apply wet mud to the chicken. At the same time, she stuffed something into the chicken's stomach to remove the fishy smell and increase the flavor.
Then, she placed the mud ball into the stove.
Nan Feng craned her neck from time to time curiously.
"Don't look around. I'll call you when it's time to eat." Chang Xia rolled her eyes at Nan Feng who was usually calm and solemn. She didn't recognize this foodie in front of her.
Nan Feng chuckled foolishly.