The next morning, Chen Lan woke up to see the system time showing nearly six o'clock. She immediately got up, rushed to the washroom, and quickly tidied herself up. After finishing her morning routine, she opened her car door and hurried towards her mother-in-law's vehicle. As she approached, Chen Lan noticed a makeshift earthen stove with a large iron pot set up not far from her mother-in-law's car. Lin Mai and Cui Qiao were busy by the stove, griddling pancakes, while Zhao Xiaoyue was tending to the fire. Just then, Hu Yuzhen emerged from the car, carrying a tray of freshly made raw pancake dough. Seeing Chen Lan, she greeted her, "Xiaolan, you're up. Auntie was waiting for you!" Chen Lan quickly greeted all three of them and then got into the car. As soon as she entered, she whispered, "Mother-in-law, I'm here! Mother-in-law, what are we putting in the pancakes today?"
Her mother-in-law pondered for a moment and replied, "Let's stick with braised meat. But make it a bit more strongly flavored. It's hot, and they'll want something with more punch."
Chen Lan suggested, "Mother-in-law, how about mildly spicy braised meat? If it's too spicy and they're out in the sun all day, I'm worried they'll get heat rash."
Her mother-in-law nodded and said, "Xiaolan, then hurry and buy it. It's getting late! Let's get twenty-five catties of braised meat. After a day of hard work in the sun, they'll be hungry early this afternoon. I've prepared extra flour today to make more pancakes, so they can have something to fill their stomachs if they get hungry. Xiaolan, you need to prepare more water for everyone today."
Chen Lan agreed and, following her mother-in-law's instructions, mentally accessed the system to make the purchase.
The mother and daughter-in-law worked diligently, constantly filling the freshly griddled pancakes with meat. The pancakes were still hot from the griddle, and both their hands were turning red from the heat.
After they, along with everyone else, had finished making the pancakes, they prepared a large pot of cured meat, sausage, eggs, and cabbage noodles for everyone's breakfast.
After breakfast, everyone went about their respective tasks.
At this point, Uncle Fu and Uncle De approached Chen Lan. Uncle De said, "Xiaolan, your Uncle Fu and I have finalized the irrigation well for the fields. We've found people to help; we're just waiting for your tools and materials."
Chen Lan asked, "Uncle De, Uncle Fu, have you also decided where to dig the drainage ditch?"
Uncle De replied, "We've walked over the entire field several times and finally determined the route for the drainage ditch. We've decided to build one that can both drain water and be used for irrigation."
Chen Lan immediately agreed, "That's excellent! No waste of resources."
So, Chen Lan followed Uncle Fu and Uncle De towards the valley. They arrived at the chosen location for the well, and Uncle De pointed it out to her.
Chen Lan stepped forward and quickly opened the system with her mind, scanning the ground within a 50-meter radius. The underground here had abundant water, with an estimated water table within 40 meters. This spot was ideal for drilling a well. Chen Lan then retrieved the well-drilling tools and materials from the system's warehouse and placed them aside.
After clarifying the route for the drainage ditch, she also placed the pre-fabricated concrete materials for its construction along the planned route, convenient for the upcoming construction.
Once the tools and materials were in place, Uncle Fu told Chen Lan to go about her own business. Uncle De also urged her to attend to her tasks, as her help wasn't needed here.
Chen Lan left the area somewhat sheepishly. Everyone was busy with their own affairs, and she wasn't sure what to do with herself for a while.
As she walked, she wondered if she had forgotten something.
Hearing the chirping of birds in the woods, Chen Lan suddenly remembered the crossbow she had purchased in the system last night. She immediately ran to a nearby wooded area, found a shady spot with rocks, and sat down. She took out the crossbow she had bought, unpacked its parts, and followed the assembly diagram on the system's screen. She quickly assembled the crossbow, which was very light and compact, easily lifted with one hand. Since the crossbow was assembled, she decided to test it. She found a large tree with a thick trunk, paced out an estimated 40 meters, and stood there. She took out six reusable, spool-attached darts, loaded them according to the system's prompt, aimed at the tree, and pressed the firing button. A dart whooshed towards the tree and firmly embedded itself in the trunk with a "bang." Chen Lan then consecutively fired the remaining five darts. With a series of "thud, thud, thud," the five darts also lodged themselves securely in the tree trunk. Chen Lan pressed the recall button, and all six darts flew back with a "whoosh," carrying with them pieces of bark. Chen Lan plucked off the bark and decided to try her luck in the woods, hoping to improve the diet of the comrades who had been working hard for days.
Chen Lan tied up her hair and put it in a bun, then put on a straw hat. She also cinched her pant legs and sleeves tightly. She purchased a carrying basket from the system and slung it over her back, then took out a machete from the system. She reloaded the six darts, holding the crossbow in her left hand and the machete in her right. She used the machete to clear branches and vines as she walked, as it was impossible to move through the woods otherwise.
Chen Lan mentally activated the system's search function, scanning for animals within a 500-meter radius. The system screen immediately displayed red dots indicating over a dozen locations.
Chen Lan headed towards the closest red dot. She stopped about fifty meters away and cautiously peeked ahead. She saw a group of wild pheasants foraging in the grass, numbering about seven or eight, likely a family. Chen Lan aimed at the largest cock pheasant and pressed the button, then quickly aimed at the hen next to it. With two muffled "bangs," the pheasants fell. The other foraging pheasants, startled by the sound, scattered in all directions. Chen Lan approached, picked up the two pheasants, and retrieved her darts. The pheasants weren't critically wounded and were still alive, though a pool of blood had formed on the ground. Chen Lan quickly used her machete to scrape up soil and cover the blood, then cut some thin vines to tie the pheasants together and placed them in the basket on her back.
She continued towards the second closest target. As before, she stopped about fifty meters away and carefully observed her prey. It was a family of rabbits, about a dozen in total, big and small. She used the same method, using two darts to take down two plump rabbits. The rest fled.
Chen Lan remembered the idiom "cunning rabbits have three burrows." She approached, retrieved her darts, picked up the two injured rabbits, placed them in her basket, and dealt with the bloodstains by burying them. She put the crossbow back into the system's warehouse. She mentally activated the system to search within a five-meter radius and confirmed that the rabbit holes were indeed within this area. She scouted around the five-square-meter area for rabbit holes and soon found one. Chen Lan then moved a large rock to block the entrance. She found a second entrance and blocked it with a rock as well. The third entrance was more concealed, and after a long search, she found it at the base of a large tree. Sudan Novel Network
She purchased a large basket from the system and inverted it over the hole, weighing it down with a rock estimated to be twenty catties. Chen Lan ran to the second entrance and cut some semi-yellowed, half-green dry grass and twigs nearby. She took out a lighter purchased from the system, put down her backpack, took out the tied pheasants and rabbits, placed them aside, faced the opening of the basket towards the hole, moved the rock, and used the lighter to ignite the dry grass and branches. Thick smoke billowed out. She took off her straw hat and fanned the smoke into the hole with it. Chen Lan herself was choking on the smoke, coughing continuously. While fanning, she kept the opening of the basket aimed at the hole. Soon, she heard the sounds of rabbits colliding with the basket, "bang, bang, bang."
After a considerable amount of time, the branches and dry grass had all burned away, and no more rabbits emerged. Chen Lan quickly picked up the basket, covered its opening with her straw hat, and pressed down firmly with her hand. Fortunately, she was fast enough; otherwise, the rabbits would have escaped. She removed her straw hat and discovered four rabbits of varying sizes inside the basket. Chen Lan quickly tied them up with thin vines. She then placed the previously hunted pheasants and rabbits into the basket on her back.
She reached the third entrance at the base of a large tree. From a distance, she could hear the "bang, bang" sounds of rabbits hitting the basket. Chen Lan ran over quickly and plopped down on the basket. She was immediately faced with a dilemma: the opening of the basket was quite large, and she feared the rabbits would all escape if she opened it quickly. She set down her backpack, fashioned a noose with a thin vine, opened the basket slightly, and extended the noose into the basket. She yanked it out suddenly. If it didn't budge, it meant a rabbit's leg was caught.
Chen Lan tried this method for a long time, exhausting herself, but still couldn't be sure if all of them were caught. She then purchased an extra-large snakeskin bag from the system. She covered the entire opening of the basket with the bag, quickly moved the rock from the basket, and swiftly opened the basket, then quickly tied the opening of the snakeskin bag tightly. Oh my goodness, it was exhausting!
Chen Lan shouldered her backpack and carried the snakeskin bag, deciding to head back. On her way back, she hunted two more pheasants. Thus, she walked and hunted, finally returning triumphantly, laden with her spoils!