178: Chapter 177 Building a Roof

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dappling the ground.

Lu Fan and An Lan woke up early, ready to begin a new day of work.

The monkeys also arrived one after another in high spirits, as if they couldn't wait to continue participating in the house construction project.

The walls of the house had just been laid and needed some time to dry completely, so Lu Fan decided to use this interval to prepare for building the roof.

However, finding suitable roofing materials in this wilderness was no easy task.

After some thought, he turned his gaze toward the lush bamboo forest not far away and decided to use bamboo to build the roof.

"Monkeys, today our task is to cut bamboo. This bamboo will be used to make an awesome roof for our house!"

Lu Fan shouted to the Monkey troop while brandishing the axe in his hand.

Hearing this, the monkeys immediately grew excited, jumping up and down and screeching "Squeak, squeak" incessantly, as if responding to Lu Fan: "Alright, we've been waiting for this!"

The Monkey King took the lead and dashed toward the bamboo forest, with the other monkeys following closely behind. The grand procession looked like an army about to set out for battle.

Along the way, the monkeys skipped and hopped; some shuttled through the branches while others ran on the ground, occasionally stopping to pick wild fruit to eat, looking just like a group of mischievous children.

Upon reaching the bamboo forest, Lu Fan looked at the dense thicket before him and began to pick carefully.

He was looking for thick, straight bamboo, as only such bamboo could withstand the weight of the roof.

"Everyone look, thick and straight bamboo like this is exactly what we need!" Lu Fan said, pointing to a stalk of bamboo to demonstrate for the monkeys.

The monkeys followed his lead and began searching for bamboo that met the requirements.

One Little Monkey finally found a stalk that looked very thick. It ran over excitedly and hugged the bamboo, trying to pull it out. However, despite using all its strength, the bamboo didn't budge an inch.

Anxious, it circled the bamboo while screeching "Squeak, squeak," drawing a burst of laughter from the other monkeys.

Lu Fan walked over with a smile, picked up his axe, and chopped hard at the base of the bamboo a few times. With a "crash," the bamboo fell over.

The Little Monkey stared at the fallen bamboo with wide eyes full of admiration, as if saying: "Wow, so it can be done like that!"

With the joint efforts of Lu Fan and the Monkey troop, they cut down over a dozen thick, straight bamboo stalks in one go.

These stalks were long and heavy; bringing them back to the Shelter would be no easy feat.

However, the monkeys would not be intimidated by such a small difficulty.

They found vines to tie the bamboo together, and then several monkeys would lift them together, chanting "Heave-ho, heave-ho" as they walked back step by step.

After finally bringing the bamboo back to the Shelter, the next step was to trim it.

Lu Fan picked up a saw and cut off the excess branches, leaves, and nodes, making the bamboo smoother and flatter.

The monkeys gathered around, watching Lu Fan's operations with curiosity, occasionally handing him tools or helping to hold the bamboo steady.

The Monkey King refused to be outdone. He picked up a small twig and mimicked Lu Fan's movements on the bamboo, as if performing a serious repair job.

The other monkeys saw the Monkey King's appearance and doubled over with laughter, some even rolling on the ground.

After trimming the bamboo, Lu Fan began another important task—using fire to lightly char the bamboo. Carbonizing it this way would prevent insect infestations and extend its lifespan.

He started a fire in the clearing and then slowly rotated the bamboo over the flames, ensuring the surface was heated evenly.

The monkeys crowded around the fire, staring unblinkingly at the bamboo. Seeing the color gradually darken, they all found it very novel.

After a whole day of busy work, all the bamboo was finally carbonized.

The monkeys headed back with their food.

Meanwhile, Lu Fan lay on a chair, enjoying a massage from An Lan.

"I never thought I would build a house with my own hands. This feels like a dream."

An Lan looked down at Lu Fan and said.

Lu Fan, who had been looking up at An Lan, also snapped back to reality: "Yeah, it's only been over a month, but it feels like a lifetime ago. The house is built, and the fields are planted."

In the livestream room.

"Time flies so fast; it's already been over a month."

"It's really been hard on them. If it were me, being without entertainment for so long and not even seeing other people, I would really go crazy."

"Lu Fan and An Lan are okay since they can talk to each other and have so many pets. Great God Ling Yue is the one who's all alone; I'm afraid he'll lose his mind one day."

"Great God Ling Yue is strong and doesn't lack food or anything, but in this wilderness, he doesn't have a companion."

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and fell in front of Lu Fan's small wooden house.

He stretched his limbs and, after loosening up his muscles, prepared to start working on the unfinished roof.

This time, Lu Fan decided to complete the work alone, no longer troubling that group of cute monkeys.

Because after yesterday's full day of effort, the main structure of the roof was already mostly completed.

The remaining workload today was relatively small, just right for letting those little guys have a good rest.

Lu Fan first found a thick and sturdy main beam and securely mounted it onto the roof.

This main beam was like the backbone of the house, supporting the weight of the entire roof.

Next, he brought over slender bamboo stalks from the surroundings and neatly arranged them on both sides of the main beam in a specific order.

With every piece of bamboo placed, he would carefully adjust its position and angle to ensure they could fit together perfectly, eventually forming a slanted slope.

This way, rainwater could flow smoothly down the slope, preventing water accumulation from damaging the roof.

While arranging the bamboo, Lu Fan paid special attention to the connection between the stalks.

To prevent the bamboo from loosening or sliding during future use, he cleverly carved a small notch at the top of each stalk.

When adjacent bamboo stalks were placed in position, these notches would lock into each other, greatly enhancing the stability between the bamboo.

Once all the bamboo had been successfully put in place, Lu Fan did not stop his work there.

He fetched a bucket of pre-mixed cement and used a brush to carefully and evenly apply the cement to the surface of the bamboo.

This layer of cement could not only effectively prevent rainwater from seeping into the house but also further consolidate the connection between the bamboo and the roof, making it more sturdy and durable.

As time passed, the sun gradually rose higher, and the temperature grew hotter.

But Lu Fan remained fully focused on his work, even as bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, he didn't have time to wipe them.

Finally, after several hours of hard labor, the roof repairs were successfully completed!

Looking at the brand-new, sturdy, and reliable roof before him, a satisfied smile appeared on Lu Fan's weary face.