Ever since they moved to the Zhi Qing District, not only did Ling Chengyan feel more carefree and comfortable without those annoying people buzzing around, even Xiao Xing also seemed to have become more lively.
Xiao Xing really loved Big Yellow, to the point where she wanted to share her food with it. This morning, she had only eaten half of her porridge and then claimed that she was full.
Ling Chengyan smiled and touched the tip of the little girl's nose."Don't worry and finish your food, I've already prepared some food for Big Yellow."
Xiao Xing's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really?"
"If you don't believe me, you can go and take a look." Ling Chengyan smiled.
Xiao Xing ran out and saw Big Yellow eating beside his kennel. Xiao Xing took a closer look and saw that it looked like some sort of meat soup.
When Big Yellow saw Xiao Xing coming over, it stopped and walked over to rub against Xiao Xing's leg.
Xiao Xing patted the dog, then turned around and ran back into the house. "Mother, did you give Big Yellow meat stew?"
Ling Chengyan nodded. Before Xiao Xing could start asking questions, she continued,"Those are the internal organs of a wild rabbit. I've stewed them."
When she was in the Great Chu, she always fed her hunting dogs raw meat and raw internal organs. However, Big Yellow was just an ordinary guard dog and wouldn't be used to eating raw meat, so Ling Chengyan decided to make it into a stew.
"Mother, you're the best!" Xiao Xing happily pounced over to hug Ling Chengyan, but Ling Chengyan raised her hand to block her. "You have to wash your hands after touching the dog."
"Oh, alright. You're really the best, Mother. Hehe..." Xiao Xing said as she broke into a smile and ran off to wash her hands.
Not long after lunch, Zhao Er'ni and Zheng Xiaotian had arrived with the new shoes they had made for Ling Chengyan and Xiao Xing. Afterwards, they even helped clean up the abandoned vegetable field in the yard.
Zhao Er'ni had strong arms. She flipped the shovel on the ground and muttered, "We're going to start digging now and plant some scallions. In a few days, we'll plant some eggplants and chilies. Then, we can get some ropes and branches to tie up the fence. When the vegetable seeds are planted, you have to be most wary of the chickens as they love to eat seeds."
Hearing this, Ling Chengyan thought, 'I don't know how to soil and grow vegetables, but I should be able to cut down branches.'
"Let me borrow an axe so I can cut some branches."
Xiao Juan came out of the house and handed Ling Chengyan an axe. "Here, this is the axe you asked for. We have a few other tools in the house, so feel free to take whatever you need."
Back then, there were more than five people living here. When those people returned to the city, they abandoned the things they had used and gradually piled them up in the house. It was a waste to just leave them there, so it was better to let Ling Chengyan use them.
Ling Chengyan took the axe and inspected it. The quality and workmanship of the axe was not bad, but there was a little rusty. Not only was the edge of the axe dull, but the entire head of the axe was covered in a thick layer of rust. It was obvious that no one had used it for a long time.
Xiao Juan followed Ling Chengyan's gaze and noticed the rust on the axe. She sighed as she said, "Sorry, but none of us know how to deal with the rust."
Ling Chengyan smiled. "It's still a good axe. It'll be usable after some sharpening. Thank you."
With that, she went to the gate with the axe. The gate was decorated with a few pieces of shiny stones, and there were more on both sides of the gate. There was a box near the gate, and it contained a few sharpening stones. Ling Chengyan took out one of them and observed it. It was just nice for her to use to sharpen the axe.
After carrying half a basin of water, Xiao Xing tactfully brought over a low stool. Ling Chengyan sat down at the entrance and began to sharpen her axe.
She first rubbed off the rust on the axe using the rough side of a stone, then took out clean water to wash it.
The water was poured on it, washing away the dirt and dust on the surface of the axe, revealing fine shiny metal. Ling Chengyan then used her hands to wipe off the excess dirt on the axe.
If she wanted to properly use the axe in her hand, she had to first understand the temperament and characteristics of the axe itself. Sharpening the axe was undoubtedly an effective way to familiarize herself with the tool, which was probably common to all axe users.
Ling Chengyan looked at the axe that still had some irremovable rust left, and began to sharpen it. She was focused as she began scraping the axe against the sharpening stone.
Not long after, the axe in her hand had taken on a completely different appearance. After most of the rust had been removed, the axe was revealed to be a dark iron color.
Ling Chengyan raised the axe and touched the edge of the blade with her finger. The corners of her mouth curled up in satisfaction as she admired her work.
The fish that Qu Cui had stewed two days ago was so fragrant that Wang Lianxiang couldn't forget it. After Ling Chengyan had moved away, Wang Lianxiang spent her days wondering if Ling Chengyan had caught a lot of fish again and had made a lot of fish stew.
Wang Lianxiang's heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat. Not being able to hold back her curiosity, she sneaked to the Zhi Qing District and peeked from behind a poplar tree. She didn't expect to see Ling Chengyan walk out while holding an axe. Wang Lianxiang watched as Ling Chengyan put the axe on a sharpening stone and began sharpening it until sparks flew. Wang Lianxiang felt so scared that her legs went numb. She couldn't even run.
After grinding the axe madly, Ling Chengyan raised the now sharp and shiny axe and smiled while touching the edge of the axe. Her smile was so strange and creepy... Oh God, she couldn't be holding a grudge and thinking of using the axe to chop people, right?
Wang Lianxiang was so scared that she almost peed her pants. Her legs started shaking like a pendulum. After Ling Chengyan finally went back in, she dragged her feet out from behind the tree. She didn't dare to stop at all as she stumbled back home. Once she entered the door, she shouted, "Mother, this is bad. Ling Chengyan, that crazy woman, is planning to kill us..."
Ling Chengyan didn't notice the peeping tom's presence at all. After sharpening the axe, she entered the house to greet Zhao Er'ni and Zheng Xiaotian. After giving Xiao Xing some safety advice, she picked up the rope and left with the axe in her hand.
They didn't need thick branches to build a fence, but the people in the northern part of the district had planted acacia trees along with willow trees. These trees had slender and flexible branches, which were very suitable for building a fence.
The willow and acacia trees were harvested once a year. A portion of the trees were left for the brigade's own use. They could be used to make things like baskets, and a portion could be sold to the acquisition station. It was more or less a form of income.
The weeds in the fields were messy, and because the land was barren, the weeds were shorter. Most of them were only about one and a half meters tall, so they weren't suitable to be made into baskets. However, the sizes of those weeds were suitable enough when it came to making fences.
Acacia tree branches were usually harvested in between spring and autumn, but it was also a good time to harvest them before spring. After cutting off the old branches, new ones would grow from the roots.
Ling Chengyan found a field of acacia trees. She laid the rope on the ground, and began to chop the tree with her axe. It was very easy for the sharp axe to cut the branches. In less than half an hour, Ling Chengyan had chopped down a large bundle of acacia tree branches.
Ling Chengyan tied up the branches with her rope, squatted down, and carried the branches on her back. She walked home steadily.
"My goodness, you've only been out for a short while. How did you already get so many branches?" Zhao Er'ni was shocked. She dropped the shovel in her hand and ran over to help Ling Chengyan.
Zheng Xiaotian, who was raking the ground, ran over after dropping all her things. She helped Zhao Er'ni put down the acacia tree branches Ling Chengyan had brought back. She took a look at them and praised, "Chengyan has put in a lot of effort. These branches are perfect for making fences."