Chapter 107 - 101: Day 21 Settlement
Sliding slowly down from the tree, Qin Ziwen approached the wild boar’s corpse, reached out, and grabbed the Card.
The glow on the Card’s surface faded, revealing its true form. It was a purple Card.
It was a Recruitment Card.
He picked up the Card and looked at its face.
A bay-colored horse was depicted mid-stride.
[Recruitment Card] Common · Tamed Mongolian Horse *1
(Image: Mongolian Horse)
’A horse?’
’This horse is nice, but it’s not like the Beaked Eagle that can just fly in through the window. I can’t just lead it up and down the building’s stairwell every time.’
’Besides, a horse’s appetite is much bigger than a Beaked Eagle’s.’
’But... the next map is the Gobi Desert. I could summon it there.’
’If I remember correctly, Mongolian Horses are supposed to be quite hardy. They can adapt to all sorts of harsh environments, unlike those more delicate breeds.’
Qin Ziwen patted the Beaked Eagle’s head. "Go on back and bring the others. Don’t fly too fast, or they’ll lose you. Lead them here. I’ll wait for you."
After speaking, he looked around and gathered some dry leaves. Then he cleared away the nearby weeds and dead foliage to prevent any accidental fires.
He lit the leaves. The ones that were still a bit damp gave off gray smoke.
The gray smoke drifted up toward the sky through the gaps between the branches.
"Hurry back."
The Beaked Eagle let out a cry, spread its wings, and soared into the sky.
"A boar this big will feed us for a long time," Qin Ziwen remarked. ’When we get back, we might not even have enough coarse salt.’
’Luckily, the cellar is cold, so it’ll keep for a couple of extra days. We’ll have to push hard these next few days and produce more coarse salt for curing.’
He looked down, walked over to the boar’s corpse, and took a crowbar from his bag, preparing to remove the large trap.
A Beast Trap, once sprung, couldn’t be opened by hand. It had to be pried apart with a crowbar.
"Sir, let me. You might hurt yourself," Du Yu said, taking the crowbar. Working together, they slowly removed the Beast Trap from the boar’s leg.
Looking at the giant boar’s trapped hind leg, they saw it was nearly broken. The Beast Trap was partly to blame, but the boar’s own struggles had constantly aggravated the injury.
...
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
A tapping 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 Beaked Eagle flew in and let out two urgent cries.
Qin Ziwu hurried over to the Salt Well and said to the refugees, "Let’s go. Stop what you’re doing and follow me. Bring the wheelbarrows."
They had been briefed beforehand, so upon hearing the order, they began to put down their work.
"Sir, the salt in the pot is only half-boiled..." Da Zhuang hesitated. He was standing on a stool, stirring the contents of a large iron pot.
Qin Ziwu frowned. ’My brother said to be quick. What if we delay and mess up his plans?’
His gaze hardened instantly. He pointed to the salt-drying area nearby. "Pour it there. We’ll collect it and boil it again later."
Da Zhuang looked like he was about to say something else, but Liu San tugged his arm and shot him a look, silently telling him to drop it.
The group of six then carried three sheet-metal wheelbarrows down the stairwell and pushed them all the way out through the east gate.
This peculiar sight attracted the attention of some residents of the Gated Community along the way.
Huang Tao had just finished some business and was coming out from the second floor with a few men when he saw Qin Ziwu’s group leaving the Gated Community with their wheelbarrows.
Huang Tao turned his head and asked the old man behind him, "Engineer Yao, are those the wheelbarrows we made?"
The man he called Engineer Yao was a tall, thin old Carpenter with skin darkened by the sun.
Engineer Yao only needed a single glance before shaking his head. "Not ours. Those wheels are wood. We use rubber tires."
Huang Tao frowned. ’Is someone in the Gated Community trying to compete with my business?’
When he looked back again, they were already far away, disappearing around a corner.
More than three hours later, as the sun was setting, Qin Ziwu and his men finally found his brother by a fire, in the middle of butchering the wild boar.
"Brother!"
"Yeah, give me a hand," Qin Ziwen said, gesturing to the butchered giant boar on the ground.
Knowing it would take a while for Qin Ziwu’s group to arrive, and not wanting to waste time, he and Du Yu had started butchering the large boar.
If they had waited until the others arrived to start, it would have taken several more hours.
Several men worked together to place one section of the carcass onto a wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow dipped under the load but held steady, supporting the three-hundred-plus-pound piece of boar.
After all, the wheelbarrow had been designed to transport heavy granite from a quarry. Though crude in appearance, its materials and sturdiness were second to none.
"Go find some vines or flexible branches nearby and use them to tie this down to the wheelbarrow."
The men pushed the carts, slowly making their way back.
...
Wang Xiaoli carried her bucket to the riverbank.
Even though Granny Li no longer needed her to fetch water, she had still fallen into the habit of going at this time of day.
Perhaps because it was getting late, the surface of the river was dim.
She reached the water’s edge and carefully scanned her surroundings for a moment. Only after making sure there was nothing lurking beneath the surface nearby did she crouch down to fill her bucket.
As ripples spread across the water, a dark shadow shot toward her from the depths.
Ever vigilant, Wang Xiaoli shrieked and scrambled backward to flee.
As she let go, the bucket tipped, then bobbed on the water, slowly drifting away from the bank.
"Oh no, my bucket!" Wang Xiaoli said, annoyed. She hadn’t even gotten a clear look at what was under the water, just a long, thin, dark shape.
She picked up a nearby branch and hesitated, but she still didn’t have the courage to get any closer to the river.
She was sure it wasn’t a crocodile. A crocodile wouldn’t have been that small.