The craftsmen first wrapped the iron chains around the small hill and then secured them to the rocks with over a dozen iron nails, each a foot long.
This was the first step. To be safe, three more iron chains were used to pull this thick chain in different directions and secure it.
Each iron chain required more than a dozen iron nails.
All of this was to ensure the rope bridge was absolutely safe.
It had to be said that the craftsmen’s attitude towards their work exceeded Chen Xiaobei’s expectations. His initial idea was to simply wrap the chains around the hill and fix them, but he hadn't expected them to reinforce it further.
For the connection between every two chains, even with ready-made rivets, they would double-check and confirm everything was correct. Then, they would use iron wire as thick as chopsticks to bind the connection point a dozen or twenty times. This way, if there was any problem with the rivets, these iron wires would be enough to prevent the chains from breaking immediately.
To prevent rust, the craftsmen also smeared tung oil on the iron chains.
Watching the meticulous movements of these craftsmen, Chen Xiaobei secretly marveled, "Professional."
Absolutely professional. In his previous life, these people would have been engineers.
At the same time, Chen Xiaobei also secretly felt fortunate that they had come.
He himself wouldn't have thought of these details at all.
If there were any oversights and the rope bridge failed shortly after being built, wouldn't that be a joke? A joke was the least of it. If it broke, cracked, and people fell, that would be the end of everything.
With more procedures, the speed naturally slowed down. By the time it was dark, a single iron chain had only reached the middle of the gorge.
Excluding the time spent setting up the ropes in the morning, at this pace, completing one iron chain a day would be considered good. Not to mention the subsequent work of laying wooden planks.
Calculating this way, building such a rope bridge would take at least over ten days.
With this timeline, Chen Xiaobei felt more at ease.
What surprised him a little was that at noon the next day, while everyone was resting and eating lunch, Li Dong arrived with his men. Based on the timing, they should have entered the mountain in the late hours of the previous night.
"Brother Li Dong, you're quite daring. What if you encountered wild beasts while traveling at night?"
Li Dong chuckled, "Brother, I’ve calculated it. If we go up the mountain in the late hours of the night, we’ll reach that section of steep cliffs by dawn. After lunch, you’ll head back. Before dark, you’ll climb up the slope. Going further to the Mountain God Temple and descending, you’ll be quite safe."
Chen Xiaobei was secretly surprised. He hadn't expected Li Dong to be so thoughtful about the timing. But thinking about it, this arrangement made the night journey in the relatively safer initial part of the mountain, and the daytime journey in the deeper mountains also relatively safe, while improving efficiency.
It was a good method.
After lunch, Chen Xiaobei bid farewell to Li Dong, Chen Dachun, and the others one by one. Especially to Chen Dachun, Chen Xiaobei gave extra instructions, "Brother Dachun, when I go down the mountain, you must listen to Brother Li Dong. A true man never breaks his word."
Chen Dachun patted his chest, "Don't worry, brother. I'll keep my word and make sure to listen to Brother Li Dong."
Chen Dachun was a concern for Chen Xiaobei. He pulled Li Dong aside and instructed him further.
"Brother Li Dong, just to be safe, when you reach the edge of the gorge, you must send Dachun to the other side."
Li Dong couldn't help but laugh. This was a good idea. If he were on the other side, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble, no matter how capable he was.
After bidding farewell to Li Dong, Chen Xiaobei led everyone back.
This time, he brought Chen Dayong back with him. This way, if he were unable to enter the mountain for any reason, Chen Dayong could lead the team.
Moreover, large numbers of people wouldn't need to enter the mountain from now on. Only wooden planks remained to be transported; everything else was basically ready.
Therefore, cultivating a few core members as soon as possible became even more necessary.
As they walked, Chen Dayong suddenly shouted again, "Look quickly, that light has appeared again."
Following Chen Dayong's pointed finger, they looked. Indeed, far away on that small hill, a rainbow had appeared again.
Seeing the rainbow for the second time in a row piqued Chen Xiaobei's curiosity. He was determined to investigate the situation there the next time he went into the mountain.
By the time they returned to the foot of the mountain, it was already past midnight. However, to Chen Xiaobei's surprise, through the crack in the door, he could clearly see that the lights in the house were still on.
Chen Xiaobei gently knocked on the courtyard gate. Cui Hongyu immediately rushed out. Hearing it was Chen Xiaobei, she hurried to open the door.
As soon as the courtyard gate opened, Chen Xiaobei eagerly squeezed in.
"Husband, you're back!" Cui Hongyu's voice was already choked with emotion, from excitement, immense excitement.
Perhaps the worry caused by the message of 'waiting in vain' had taken its toll on Cui Hongyu. Seeing Chen Xiaobei, her body began to tremble slightly.
Chen Xiaobei, even more excited, reached out and pulled Cui Hongyu into his embrace.
The two held each other tightly, able to hear each other's heartbeats.
By the dim light from the house, Chen Xiaobei could see tears welling up in Cui Hongyu's eyes.
They looked at each other for a few seconds, and then Chen Xiaobei suddenly kissed her.
This time, Cui Hongyu didn't flinch or refuse. She boldly responded to Chen Xiaobei's advances.
Clearly, a mere kiss couldn't extinguish the raging fire in Chen Xiaobei's heart.
He swept Cui Hongyu into his arms and strode into the house.
Cui Hongyu clearly understood what was about to happen. She shyly wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Don't, Qiao'er just fell asleep."
Chen Xiaobei paid no heed. As soon as he entered the room, he extinguished the dim oil lamp.
Although it was pitch black, Chen Xiaobei unerringly began to undress Cui Hongyu.
Just as his hand reached her bodice, Cui Hongyu stopped him.
"Husband, if you take off any more, will it pass review?"
The newly built bed by Carpenter Zhang also seemed unable to withstand the vigorous Tai Chi, emitting a series of creaking sounds.
Outside, it was silent. The four puppies lay still, wisely ceasing their barking.
Even the two wolf cubs merely stared curiously into the house with wide eyes.
The stars in the sky shyly covered their eyes, and the moon hid behind the dark clouds.
Gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and the essence of the sun and moon, Chen Xiaobei finally unleashed his first "bag" in life. (He silently prayed, "It must pass review.")
The next day, while Chen Xiaobei was still groggy, he was woken up by someone. Opening his eyes, he saw Chen Qiao'er standing by his bed, her face filled with excitement.
"Brother, brother, you're back." Chen Xiaobei then realized that it was already bright outside and he had slept for so long.
"Qiao'er, where is your sister-in-law?" Chen Xiaobei asked subconsciously.
Chen Qiao'er pointed outside, "Sister-in-law is cooking. Sister-in-law said you were too tired and told me not to wake you, but, but, Qiao'er missed brother."