On a day in August, the early birds were eating insects, and spiders were diligently weaving webs in the rising morning sun.
A small stream was flowing quietly, when suddenly a group of wild animals stepped into the water, looked around, and began drinking.
Bang!
The nearby birds flew away.
A gunshot rang out as Wen Qian hit a deer, having good luck today.
She had seen footprints and droppings in this area a few days ago, so she lay in wait here today.
It didn't take long before the animals appeared, and she managed to hit one of them.
Looking around, Wen Qian quickly dragged the prey away. After confirming its death, she smeared mud on the wound and placed it into the Space, immediately leaving.
If she didn't have the Space, she would still need to smear mud on the prey's wound following normal procedures.
This reduces blood loss and avoids the scent of blood attracting other wild animals.
In nature, bleeding is never a good thing at any time.
Similarly, injured animals are more likely to die.
Wen Qian had weighed the meat earlier, which could last her many days. She planned to eat some fresh and cure the rest into dried meat once the weather turned cold, which should be quite good.
Without the Space, the higher temperatures during this season would cause many things to spoil easily.
Wen Qian could only brine it with salt and smoke it into jerky that day.
However, Wen Qian didn't really like smoked meat, although she would make it, but not unless absolutely necessary. She wouldn't make too much smoked meat.
Since the hunt was successful, Wen Qian went to the riverside after returning home.
She used bamboo to make a frame and wove a net to create a fish trap.
She placed chicken guts or other bait inside and staked the rope to the shore, leaving it unattended.
In the past, these devices were prohibited because they posed a great threat to the extinction of fish resources.
But here, with only Wen Qian, regularly taking what she needed, there was no significant threat to the environment or resources.
The trap caught quite a few fish. Wen Qian set up a net cage by the river, putting the excess catch inside after keeping what she needed to eat.
Whenever she wanted fresh fish, she could scoop them out with a net.
She cleaned a plate-sized fish by the riverside and returned to the kitchen.
Then, with a basin and scissors, she went to a nearby field and cut some pea shoots to bring back.
After washing off the fuzz in the river, she brought them home and boiled them in a pot.
She picked three small chili peppers from the yard, chopped them up, and made a dipping sauce.
After tasting that the pea shoots were cooked, she scooped out the peas, putting the dipping sauce directly into the pot and mixing it.
Next, she poured out the water from the pot, waited for it to get hot, added oil, and placed the cleaned fish into the pot to pan-fry both sides until golden brown. Then she added a little water and seasoned it.
With both dishes done, Wen Qian brought the plates to the window and took out a box of rice from the Space to start eating.
Before this year, she hadn't eaten boiled pea shoots for a long time. Since the pea pods became plump, Wen Qian had eaten them several times and didn't find them greasy.
She didn't finish both dishes, so she put them in the Space, planning to eat them later.
For one person, unless she only made one dish, there would always be leftovers.
After eating, Wen Qian went to check on the rabbits she had brought back, which had given birth to a litter of baby rabbits.
They looked quite cute, and would probably taste good when grown.
Previously, Wen Qian had cut a lot of grass and stored it in the Space. Now, she regularly fed the rabbits every morning, so she didn't need to cut grass every day.
After checking on the rabbits, Wen Qian went to the riverside to clean her prey, spending a lot of time skinning, dissecting, and disposing of the innards.
What could be used as fish bait was stored in the Space, and anything useless was thrown into the river.
Previously, Wen Qian had dug a relatively large trough by the shore and laid a large stone slab at the bottom.
Then she laid two more stone slabs on top, forming a very wide three-level step, like the common laundry and vegetable washing steps by the water in the past.
These stones were originally lying by the water's edge, very smooth and even, which caught Wen Qian's eye, so she took them.
The water level submerged the second step.
This way, Wen Qian could do laundry, fetch water, and wash vegetables here.
On one side of the second step, a relatively flat large stone protruded above the water's surface.
Wen Qian usually processed her food ingredients on this stone, which she could easily rinse clean after use.
On both sides of the steps, she had also laid bricks to form a wall, preventing her from getting muddy while using them.
The steps extended upwards to the small path she had paved, with bricks laid all the way to the shore, so she wouldn't step in mud even in the rain.
If possible, she had actually wanted to build a bridge, but then realized its usefulness would be too infrequent.
And not building a bridge had its advantages, so she abandoned the idea.
More than a bridge, she hoped the well could be completed soon.
Since digging the steps by the water had taken a lot of effort, she planned to take a break before digging the well.
After cleaning the prey and storing it in the Space, Wen Qian carried a bucket and tools to collect wild fruits from the surroundings.
The ones she had propagated would take at least a year or two before bearing fruit, so she went to the spots where she had collected fruits last year, which she remembered.
Carrying her hunting rifle, she foraged among the bushes, occasionally using binoculars to scan the environment, ensuring it was safe before continuing her foraging.
In the wild, ears and eyes must be exceptionally sharp; being dull could lead to trouble.
Wen Qian could discern subtle movements, often quite accurately, like the sound of a snake slithering nearby while walking on the path.
Snakes, insects, rats, and ants were unavoidable in the wild, especially during this season.
She deliberately applied insect repellent and snake deterrent, which were on her original stockpile list.
As the day grew late, Wen Qian would return home and gently pour out the fruits she had collected with her tools.
She removed debris, washed a small portion, and stored the rest in the Space.
The washed fruits were placed on a wooden table. Wen Qian hung her soiled outdoor clothes on the wall, then went to check on the rabbits and gave them some grass.
Afterwards, she locked the doors and windows, not planning to go out again.
She took out the leftovers from lunch and finished eating, ending her daytime activities for the day.
In the evening, Wen Qian carried a bowl of fruits into her bedroom, lit a lamp, and read books.
Recently, she had been reading about how to dig wells, build walls, and mix mortar.
After reading these practical books, she would read something else and write a diary, recording her recent activities.
After all these were done, she went to wash up.
The hot water heated in the morning was stored in the thermos bottle. After soaking her feet in the bedroom, she was about to go to sleep.
The day ended like this.
Wen Qian did not know in her sleep that her future neighbor was on the way northward.
They were called neighbors, but in fact they did not live close by, yet this piece of land welcomed a new migrant.
