As spring arrived, Wen Qian searched for nests of wild waterfowl like ducks by the riverside.
However, it was far from the bird paradise she had seen before, with a much smaller number of birds in this area compared to the protected reserve.
Thus, Wen Qian pinned more hopes on rabbits. If warming continued, she might have more birds here.
Perhaps she could even catch some young ones to raise.
She completed all the busy spring tasks one by one, without overworking herself even if she couldn't finish everything.
At this time of year, Wen Qian felt there was no need to work overtime.
While busy, she ate exceptionally well, sampling all the steamed, stir-fried, deep-fried, boiled, and soup dishes from the Space.
Whether in the past or present, one should eat more during the farming busy season.
Similarly, this area had an abundance of wild vegetables in spring. Although Wen Qian only prepared some for immediate consumption, she didn't spend too much time storing them.
This was because she had stored enough before, with plenty left in the Space.
Loofah grew well in this area, climbing on nearby trees.
Wen Qian was very fond of loofah, as loofah cloths were eco-friendly for washing dishes and scrubbing, so she wanted to grow more for stockpiling.
When loofah cloths got dirty, she could simply discard and replace them, making it effortless.
This year, summer truly arrived, which Wen Qian defined as when she could wear short sleeves.
Although she only wore short sleeves for a while during midday in the courtyard.
After all, it was still quite cold in the forest at night, so she had to wear warmer clothes in the mornings and evenings.
At least, Wen Qian knew that in the south, people could wear short sleeves for an extended period.
As the temperature rose, crop cultivation there should also improve.
This also proved that her prediction of a winter after the volcanic eruption ten years ago was indeed accurate.
Wen Qian wondered if the disaster had finally passed.
However, even if everything was over, the past life could never return.
Wen Qian recalled the cities she had passed through, many of which might never recover.
Wen Qian finally found summer, but summer here was very brief.
The lush grass along the riverbanks made excellent raw material for weaving grass curtains.
So Wen Qian wore weaving gloves, brought a sharpened sickle, and went to cut the grass.
She brought the grass back and spread it along the walls to dry. Once dried, she would collect it and weave grass curtains whenever she had time.
While cutting grass, she was very cautious, creating loud noises and striking the ground with a pole to scare away snakes.
After cutting the grass, she began hunting.
Following the river downstream led to a wider expanse where more wild birds resided.
Wen Qian alternated between using a crossbow and a hunting rifle, but mostly relied on the bow and arrow.
Before making a new batch of bullets, she didn't use the rifle as often, though she had the raw materials to make bullets, just needing time.
She wondered how hunters operated before the invention of hunting rifles.
Fortunately, she could find such information in books.
Wen Qian ventured a bit further, setting up large traps, as the chances of success were lower near her home. She wouldn't venture deep into the forest in summer.
She could only set traps farther away, inserting sharpened bamboo stakes in the pit bottoms and placing bait on top.
Wen Qian set up three large traps in the distance, occasionally catching edible prey when checking them.
These were once protected animals, and Wen Qian would sometimes sigh when harvesting them.
But since humans could no longer be protected, why bother protecting animals? Of course, she had to eat what was edible.
Although Wen Qian occasionally had hunting success, she was not a skilled hunter.
Perhaps because her domesticated rabbits had given birth to more young, she preferred breeding over outdoor hunting.
After all, the large carnivores were foraging in the jungle at this time.
However, Wen Qian was not in a hurry. Becoming a competent hunter took time and experience. In the meantime, focusing on planting and breeding was also commendable.
Wen Qian grew cabbage in the courtyard, planting one in each round hole of the brick pavement.
They grew neatly, like soldiers after drill training.
She also grew chili peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes, with orderly trellises, just needing pruning to shape them.
Unfortunately, Wen Qian didn't have that much time, so she just removed unnecessary branches.
Knowing that tomato axillary buds could be planted to grow new plants, she put the removed buds into the Space.
Perhaps next year, she wouldn't need to start seedlings, directly using these cuttings instead.
Thinking about axillary buds reminded her of the runners she had cut from strawberries, so she also tried using runners to cultivate strawberry seedlings.
Wen Qian realized that besides soybeans and potatoes, she didn't grow many staple crops but a wide variety of vegetables and fruits.
It seemed she really enjoyed fruits.
Fortunately, once fruit plants were established, they could produce yields annually.
Staple crops had to be replanted every year, but based on her stockpile, she didn't need to rush and would diligently plant various crops next year.
Moreover, her courtyard looked exceptionally neat and tidy, making her happy.
Wen Qian also moved richer soil from the mountain to her fields and courtyard, hoping her crops would grow better.
As for her rabbit enclosure, it was located behind the house.
Wen Qian built half-meter-high rabbit burrows along the walls, surrounded by bricks and stones, with suitable iron mesh on top.
This ensured the rabbits couldn't escape above or below ground and could only stay inside.
The burrows were lined with dry grass, and the brick floors were covered with fine sand for easy cleaning.
For rabbit food, she cut grass outside or gave them vegetable leaves she didn't like to eat.
At this point, she hadn't yet experienced rabbits' rapid breeding rate, so preparing their food wasn't a significant burden.
Since she raised rabbits, Wen Qian paid extra attention to pest control.
She bought insect repellents and pesticides, but no internal dewormers specifically for rabbits.
Only external dewormers, as she planned to move the rabbits indoors near the kitchen stove during winter.
The best spot would be near her home's kitchen stove, so she couldn't let them bring in fleas or other pests.
Fortunately, she had stocked up on insecticides and pesticides earlier, as well as insect-repelling materials like mugwort.
With the arrival of spring, various insects were also plentiful, and even some bees attempted to build their nests under the eaves of her house, but she nipped them in the bud early on.
She burned mugwort in her room every day to drive away insects and hung a mosquito net, mainly to keep mosquitoes at bay.
By July of that year, Wen Qian surveyed her surroundings and could say that everything had taken proper shape.
