Li Dong secretly gave a thumbs-up, "Clearly, you're someone who spends a lot of time outdoors; you've thought of more than we have."
Ma Xiaoyi led everyone to thoroughly inspect the fence wall. Their next actions further impressed Chen Xiaobei and Li Dongfeng. They selected branches only as thick as a thumb, sharpened one end, and then buried them outside the fence wall.
The branches were buried deeply, with only about half an inch of the sharp part exposed above ground.
There was no discernible pattern in how the branches were buried; they were neither in rows nor in columns.
Some villagers couldn't understand and were whispering, but Chen Xiaobei understood.
If they were buried too neatly, it would be easy to avoid them. The more haphazard the arrangement, the harder it would be to dodge.
This was equivalent to adding another layer of protection outside the fence wall.
To use an imperfect analogy, it was akin to laying landmines outside.
What shocked Chen Xiaobei even more was yet to come.
For safety reasons, Chen Xiaobei decided that everyone would stay overnight. They would make do in the woods for the night, and the next day, those who needed to go down the mountain would go, and those who had work to do would continue.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Xiaobei was awakened by a rustling sound.
The sound startled him, and he abruptly opened his eyes. The bonfire was still lit, and everyone was sleeping soundly, with no apparent disturbance.
Listening closely, the sound was coming from above his head.
Chen Xiaobei stood up and realized that Ma Xiaoyi and the other craftsmen had already woken up and were busy doing something in the trees.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei get up, Ma Xiaoyi smiled sheepishly, "Sorry for waking you up."
"Brother Xiaoyi, what are you doing?"
Ma Xiaoyi jumped down from the tree and held up a section of bamboo tube in his hand.
Chen Xiaobei took it and, holding it up to the firelight, saw something glistening inside. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was water.
"This, this is?" Chen Xiaobei was completely astonished.
Ma Xiaoyi smiled and took the bamboo tube back from Chen Xiaobei.
He then went to his belongings, retrieved a piece of gauze, folded it several times, covered the opening of the bamboo tube, and aimed it at the mouth of a waterskin.
Water slowly flowed from the bamboo tube into the waterskin.
Witnessing Ma Xiaoyi's smooth and efficient operation, Chen Xiaobei was stunned.
This.
People of this era already knew how to extract water from nature.
Chen Xiaobei smacked his own head, "Ah, I'm truly foolish."
In his previous life, he often watched survival shows.
Collecting water in the wild like this was a daily operation for them, although their purification methods were more advanced, using activated charcoal or similar materials.
Ma Xiaoyi and his group, using gauze for filtration, had already employed a very advanced technique.
How could he have forgotten this? He had foolishly brought people to carry water in large waterskins.
The temperature difference between day and night in the mountains was significant, and there was dew on the leaves. Collecting dew would greatly reduce the labor of carrying water.
At this point, everyone else who had heard the noise had also woken up. After listening to Ma Xiaoyi's explanation, Li Dong looked at him with immense respect.
Li Dong, having served in the military, knew exactly what Ma Xiaoyi's actions signified.
Having water meant being able to survive in the wild.
During breakfast, Li Dong discussed with Chen Xiaobei that one of them would stay and the other would go back.
Li Dong insisted on staying, but Chen Xiaobei's consideration was that he was more familiar with Ma Xiaoyi and his group, so he would stay for a few days to integrate, and then Li Dong could bring others up the mountain next time and switch places.
Of course, Chen Xiaobei also gave Li Dong a task: to prepare bamboo sections and gauze and bring them up the mountain next time. This way, they could collect dew like Ma Xiaoyi, and they would never have to worry about water again.
After seeing off Li Dong and the others, Chen Xiaobei hung all the remaining food and water on the branches. After all, they were only three li from the canyon, and they would return for meals and rest at noon after finishing their work, so there was no need to bring food, only a few pots of water.
Additionally, some iron nails, chains, and rivets that were not immediately needed were also left behind.
Besides these, the biggest trouble was Chen Dachun.
Chen Dachun had been sulking by himself since last night, refusing water and food, and ignoring anyone who spoke to him.
Of course, his behavior was expected, so Chen Xiaobei completely ignored him, even deliberately overlooking him when calling everyone to work by the canyon.
Seeing that Chen Xiaobei had no intention of untying him or taking him to work, Chen Dachun finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Brother Xiaobei, untie me, and I promise I won't run."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head, "No, Brother Dachun, you stay here and think it over. I'll untie you when we come back at noon."
Chen Xiaobei was still worried that if he untied Chen Dachun, he would run off immediately. Li Dong and the others heading down the mountain hadn't gone far yet, and it would be troublesome to chase after him.
Chen Dachun was exasperated but could only reassert himself, "Brother Xiaobei, Brother Dayong, you all be witnesses. I swear, if I run after being untied, I, I'll be worse than pigs and dogs."
Alright, with that said, Chen Xiaobei believed that if Dachun had any shred of self-respect as a man, he wouldn't go back on his word.
"Okay, then it's settled. If the iron chain bridge isn't built, you can't go down the mountain. Can you do that?"
Chen Dachun hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly, "Yes, yes, don't worry, I promise I'll do it."
Seeing this, Chen Dayong, who was nearby, also came to plead.
"Brother Xiaobei, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Dachun. If he dares to run, I'll be the first one to stop him."
Chen Daqiang also laughed heartily, "Exactly, exactly. I went through so much trouble to carry him up here. If he dares to run, let him carry me down."
His words made everyone present burst into laughter, and the atmosphere instantly became harmonious.
"Alright, let's go," Chen Xiaobei called out to the group. Out of caution, he remained at the back.
Upon arriving at the edge of the canyon, Ma Xiaoyi looked at the two ropes and gave Chen Xiaobei a thumbs-up.
"Brother Xiaobei, you've done a great job with this."
Alright, although I didn't do it, I was involved, so I'll accept the praise.
Before he could fully savor this compliment, Ma Xiaoyi delivered another one, "Brother Xiaobei, tell us what we should do next!"
If he hadn't witnessed Ma Xiaoyi's performance last night and this morning, Chen Xiaobei might have dared to voice his own ideas. But now, he preferred to hear Ma Xiaoyi's suggestions first.
"You are the craftsmen; you have the final say. We are here to help you with odd jobs."
Ma Xiaoyi didn't stand on ceremony. Pointing to the two ropes, he said, "Let's pull two more ropes over."
"The iron chains are very heavy. I'm afraid one rope won't hold. Once the ropes are secured, we'll pull the iron chains. The bottom should have at least three iron chains, with wooden planks laid on top. Then, the bridge railing will use two strands each. This way, seven iron chains will be needed to build a sturdy iron chain bridge."