Chapter 169 - 72: Miscellaneous Matters Summary_2
The return to primitive farming often meant relying on the whims of the weather.
...
While tending to the rice, barley, wheat, the seeds left by the ship's doctor, and food for the chinchillas, he didn't forget to dry the seeds left over from earlier planting, fearing they might get damp.
Chen Zhou had initially planned to plant these seeds on better, more fertile soil once the fertilizer was ready.
However, plans couldn't keep up with changes, and he hadn't anticipated the rainy season being so severe.
If this trend continued, by the time the rainy season ended and the fertilizer was ready, the seeds might have sprouted mold.
To avoid unnecessary loss, he screened the seeds once more, picking out shriveled and damaged rice, barley, and wheat.
He found several glass bottles and clean socks, categorizing and using the old method to start seedlings in advance, preparing to plant these crops before the first batch of grain matured.
...
The cultivation of the grains went mostly without a hitch.
The rainy season greatly limited the activity of birds and rodents, which mainly ventured out during a brief sunny or post-rain respite, and essentially didn't enter the fields to ravage the crops.
Not to mention recently a new mouse-catching expert had appeared near the cave—Tizi.
As a cat who had grown up in the wild, it had to face the harsh nature and hunt for itself since leaving its mother, honing exceptional hunting skills; whether dealing with mice, wild hares, or birds, or small creatures like insects and frogs, it was all in a day's work.
Centered around the cave, it enjoyed the small dried fish provided by humans while being self-sufficient, "supporting" this family.
The lazy Xiao Huihui was Tizi's main relief effort target.
In its eyes, the mighty beast Lai Fu and Chen Zhou frequently going out to hunt on his own, often returning home with a bucket full of fish, seemed like a highly capable big cat.
Even though this big cat was without fur, a tail, and couldn't meow, Tizi had great respect for it.
Meanwhile, Xiao Huihui lay around at home all day, either sleeping or on the way to eating.
After establishing its familial status, Tizi began to fulfill its elder duties, sometimes bringing a mouse back for Xiao Huihui, other times a small bird.
Seeing that Xiao Huihui was not interested in these prey and only ate small dried fish, Tizi even dragged half-dead prey into the cave.
The most outrageous time, it brought back a frog with a leg bitten off in the middle of the night.
The frog, once on the ground, hurriedly hopped away.
Xiao Huihui was indifferent, continuing to snore on the bed, but the frog's croaking awakened Lai Fu.
Lai Fu, having been teased by a group of frogs before, harbored deep hatred for them, and he began the hunt as soon as he heard the croak, day or night.
Thus, Chen Zhou, asleep, heard all sorts of crashing noises throughout the cave, accompanied by barking, meowing, and frog croaking.
Half-awake, he thought a wild beast had entered the cave, hurriedly got up to light the lamps, and grabbed the Long-handled Axe, joined Lai Fu in circling the cave five or six times before finding the small frog hiding under the storage rack.
The cave was relatively dry, while the little frog had damp skin, getting covered in yellow sand while evading Lai Fu, as if wearing camouflage. If not for its croak after hiding, Chen Zhou might not have found it until dawn.
After such a "lively" night, Chen Zhou had had enough of Tizi, yet he couldn't prevent Tizi from bringing trophies to Xiao Huihui.
That was the elder sister's care towards the younger brother, and it also impacted the rodents and birds near the cave, any way you looked at it, it was legitimate work.
Given such a performance from the bold warrior, as its owner, he couldn't possibly tether Tizi and put it in confinement—that would dampen its enthusiasm, wouldn't it?
Reluctantly, he temporarily assembled two large wooden boxes for Xiao Huihui, confining it inside, separated from Tizi, hoping this would reduce the frequency of Tizi feeding Xiao Huihui and restore peace to the cave.
...
Mentioning the fields, one must talk about the "scarecrow" and that row of rabbit-skin banners.
Chen Zhou always thought they were a unique scene outside his door, capable of scaring birds while also being decorative, offering great value for money.
Unexpectedly, after a rainy season's ravaging, the base of the scarecrow rotted, the rabbit-skin banners shed their fur, and all toppled over.
The beautiful scenery thus became history.
Chen Zhou then used a clean old goat skull and ribs to put together a new scarecrow.
The new scarecrow was of similar height to him, about one meter eighty-four including the goat horns.
It was supported by a wooden frame stuck into the soil, draped in a ragged Armor made from woven vines—Chen Zhou's latest research result, with the skin peeled off after soaking, the bark was quite flexible, more suitable for weaving than pure vines.
Behind the "goat-headed man" was a mantle stitched from fur-less rabbit skins, topped with a bone-white goat skull, hollow eye sockets facing forward, and ribs wrapped around its legs, looking more sinister and intimidating than the previous scarecrow.
After its completion, Chen Zhou circled the goat-headed man several times with satisfaction, believing its deterrent effect on birds was several times stronger than the first-generation scarecrow, and equally increased for humans.
If a native lost in the forest accidentally stumbled upon the fields and saw such a thing, they would surely be scared half to death.
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was March 27th.
It was pouring rain in the morning; Chen Zhou's raincoat was missing just a few last touches, and he couldn't yet venture out in such weather.
After eating, he huddled in the cave, lit an oil lamp, and unwillingly threaded the needle, sewing the hem of the leather raincoat.