Chapter 290 - 128: Pure Blue Hell (Part 2)
"You guys never cease to amaze me..."
Chen Zhou internally grumbled, put down the wooden plank in his hand, and unhurriedly began organizing and transporting the wood and stone walls.
In the process of organizing the walls, he stacked many stones and wooden planks directly under the puzzle pieces, quickly building a platform over a meter high.
Standing at 184 cm tall, with this platform over three meters high, the distance to the airborne block was within arm's reach, almost touchable.
"Little rascal."
Not daring to express his inner pride, Chen Zhou controlled his facial expression and reluctantly collected the puzzle pieces into his hiking bag.
During the collection process, he didn't forget to count the total number of these small blocks.
The result was slightly better than expected, the total number of this "Pure Blue Hell" was 3,000 pieces.
In other words, the Space-Time Administration Bureau hadn't gone insane enough to custom-make a 4,000 to 5,000-piece pure blue puzzle for him, which was the best news Chen Zhou received today.
...
After stuffing all the puzzle pieces into the hiking bag, to avoid missing any floating puzzle pieces in the sky due to poor eyesight or counting the total number wrong, Chen Zhou meticulously checked the sky once more.
Confirming there were no omissions, he dismantled the platform beneath his feet and moved it beside other building material piles.
Thinking about the reward after completing the puzzle, he initially planned to head straight home. Seeing Lai Fu squatting pitifully under a tree, Chen Zhou couldn't help but soften his heart and spent more than an hour playing with it on the beach.
A simple retrieve game managed to restore the little dog's good mood, even though the sky was overcast and it was drizzling.
Lai Fu, with its fur completely wet, emitted a unique canine odor, had gravel clinging to its legs, looking quite the sight yet couldn't hide the excitement in its eyes.
Having gotten used to freedom, suddenly being confined indoors was a form of torment for it as well.
...
Happy times are always short-lived.
Lai Fu had been running at high intensity, greatly exhausting its stamina. Seeing it panting with its tongue out, Chen Zhou voluntarily ended the game, even though the little guy hadn't had enough.
In rainy weather when the road is slippery, taking into account Lai Fu's fatigued body, Chen Zhou walked very slowly.
When encountering particularly slippery sections, he would deliberately slow his pace, letting Lai Fu first cross the moss-covered stones or tree roots, then followed along.
...
By the time they arrived home, it was almost completely dark.
Fortunately, the rain hadn't intensified in the afternoon, even pausing for a while on the way home.
Otherwise, Lai Fu would have been forced to take a "rainwater bath," although it was now covered in sand and really needed a bath anyway.
...
Despite encountering heavier rain, the kiln room remained dry after finishing the external walls and installing doors and windows. Stepping from the pitter-patter of rain into the interior and closing the door always evoked a sense of reassurance.
Moreover, the greater the storm outside, the stronger the sense of safety and comfort upon returning home.
Tethering the soaking Lai Fu at the kitchen door, instructing it not to move around, Chen Zhou first unloaded the hiking bag, put away the Hand Axe, and then took off his hat and raincoat, hanging them on the drying rack—
Later, when the fire was lit, the fire wall would quickly dry them.
Lighting the oil lamp, the kiln's interior filled with a soft, warm, yellow glow.
The exhausted Lai Fu lay at the door, eyes constantly glancing at the kitchen's food rack, visibly tired and hungry, almost unable to keep its eyes open, yet still mindful of food.
Hastily starting the fire, pouring half a pot of water into the iron pot—
Chen Zhou thought to give Lai Fu a warm bath, otherwise once untied, it would scatter sand all over the house while wandering around.
...
Before the water could boil, he turned to quickly prepare a few dishes, only to see from the window platform, in the rain, Grape and Tiger Head, one after the other, hurrying home.
They hadn't escaped the subsequent downpour, their fur soaked through, fully revealing their true shapes.
Tiger Head had inherited Xiao Huihui's excellent genes, able to eat and possessing strong athletic abilities from a young age.
Now over six months old, as a male cat, Tiger Head's size advantage had begun to show.
Walking behind Grape, from a distance, its size seemed a whole circle larger than Grape.
Spending all day practicing hunting skills in the forest, although it had a large frame, it wasn't loaded with excess fat like Xiao Huihui had been.
With its fur soaked, its prominent and muscular physique was clearly visible as it walked, matching its black and yellow stripe pattern, truly living up to its name like a little tiger.
Turning back, in his heart, Chen Zhou praised Tiger Head for its extraordinary appearance, possessing the demeanor of a top predator at such a young age.
While processing the ingredients on the chopping board, Chen Zhou momentarily forgot to open the door for the mother and son pair.
...
The kiln had three doors, none with cat flaps.
It wasn't that Chen Zhou intentionally sealed it off or worried that cat flaps would lower the kiln's defense against intruders—
Anyone wanting to get in wouldn't need to open the door, the bright, large window was the most convenient entry point.
The reason for the absence of a cat flap was mainly due to his busy schedule, lacking time to saw a hole and then make and install a small door.
During the rainy season, he mostly stayed home and could promptly open the door for the cats.
In the dry season, in order to avoid the interior becoming too stuffy, the windows were open all day, allowing the cats to enter through the windows when they returned home.
...
On the other hand, among the five cats at home, after entering the rainy season, only Grape and Tiger Head frequently went out.
Xiao Huihui and the father-daughter pair of Hui Hui stayed at home all day, occasionally going out during cooler dry season weather, but mainly dozing off together in the tortoise shell in the storeroom during the rainy season.