91: An Lan shaves Lu Fan's beard

"This tastes really good. I've rarely had the chance to eat such authentic, pure wild mutton before," An Lan praised indistinctly while devouring the food.

Lu Fan laughed heartily. "That's why participating in this has its pros and cons. Although we face various dangers every day, it's actually not bad when you think about it—at least no one's pressuring you to go to work."

The two of them feasted while enthusiastically sharing their wonderful experiences and inner feelings from the day.

"Whimper, whimper~"

Lu Fan looked back and saw that Da Hei's drool was about to hit the ground.

Lu Fan smiled as he cut off a piece of tender mutton and gently tossed it to Da Hei.

Da Hei leaped up excitedly, caught it steadily, and began to chew happily, letting out satisfied low growls from time to time.

After eating and drinking their fill, Lu Fan lay comfortably on the rocking chair, hands behind his head, leisurely gazing at the azure sky.

His stomach bulged slightly, and his face was written with satisfaction.

At this moment, the warm sunlight spilled over him. Lying down like this after being full and satisfied was truly the happiest moment in life.

Da Hei also lay at his feet, his belly rising and falling with steady breaths, occasionally smacking his lips as if still savoring those delicious bites of mutton leg.

An Lan was busy on the side, spreading out the herbs she had collected today one by one to dry.

She squatted on the ground, her fingers gently fiddling with the herbs that still carried the fragrance of the earth, her eyes focused and serious.

The warm sunlight bathed her, outlining her slender and graceful silhouette, like a serene and beautiful pastoral oil painting.

Occasionally, she would look up, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward Lu Fan.

After finishing drying the herbs, An Lan paced around the Shelter out of boredom, inadvertently looking at Lu Fan again.

In his deep sleep, Lu Fan appeared exceptionally peaceful, with a faint smile hanging at the corner of his mouth. Although his thin face was tanned dark by the sun, it possessed a resolute handsomeness.

An Lan only then noticed that a layer of thick stubble had grown on Lu Fan's chin, making him look a bit more weathered and rugged.

This was also unavoidable; rushing about in the wilderness every day, combined with a heavy diet and an accelerated metabolism, naturally made his beard grow rapidly.

A thought suddenly flashed through An Lan's mind—helping Lu Fan shave.

She walked lightly to Lu Fan, squatted down, tilted her head, and carefully examined his beard.

The more she looked, the more it felt like an eyesore.

In his daze, Lu Fan felt a dark shadow moving in front of him.

He subconsciously narrowed his eyes and saw An Lan holding a dagger, gesturing around his head.

"Whoa!" Lu Fan was startled awake instantly. He reflexively clamped his legs together and almost flipped the chair over.

Looking at the startled Lu Fan, An Lan's face was full of apology as she hurriedly stood up to explain, "Don't misunderstand, I just saw that your beard was too long and thought about helping you shave it."

"You scared me to death! I thought you were going to 'dismember' me and use the pieces for a stir-fry!"

Lu Fan breathed a long sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling a trace of chill even under the hot sun.

"Shave? That's a good idea! But what will you use? You're not thinking of using that sharp dagger, are you?!"

Lu Fan looked at the glinting dagger, his eyes widening like copper bells, his face written with horror and resistance.

The livestream room instantly exploded.

"Hahaha, first time seeing Great God Lu Fan so flustered from fear!"

"Full marks for detail, I saw Great God Lu Fan clamp his legs!"

"Sigh, a man's pain, you guys just don't understand!"

An Lan was amused by Lu Fan's exaggerated reaction and laughed heartily. "Look at you, acting like a scaredy-cat. My skill is actually very good!"

"No, no, absolutely not!" Lu Fan still refused flatly, a horrifying image of his chin being sliced by the dagger and his face covered in blood already surfacing in his mind.

"This is no joking matter. If your hand shakes even a little, my handsome face will be completely disfigured!"

Seeing Lu Fan's firm attitude, An Lan didn't force him further.

However, she smiled and came up with another idea: "Then find a way yourself. You can't just keep this big beard forever; you look like a primitive man!"

Lu Fan touched his thick beard and sighed helplessly, feeling that An Lan had a point.

He sat up, thought seriously for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He shouted excitedly, "I've got it! We can make our own scissors and a Razor!"

"Huh? Make them ourselves? Will that work?" An Lan was full of suspicion. In her understanding, fine tools like scissors and Razors were extremely difficult to make and couldn't be produced easily.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine for sure!"

Lu Fan patted his chest with confidence. "Where do you think all my weapons came from? Although the process is a bit troublesome, as long as there's enough patience and perseverance, we'll definitely succeed!"

No sooner said than done. Lu Fan instantly gained energy, throwing the idea of sleep to the back of his mind and focusing entirely on tool-making.

He took out a few pieces of iron ore, swung his pickaxe, and with a few "bangs," smashed them into small pieces.

Next, he skillfully molded a template out of pottery clay, his movements as smooth as flowing water, like a master potter.

Then, Lu Fan carefully placed the ore into the smelter, staring without blinking, constantly monitoring the changes in the ore.

Every minute and second of waiting was filled with anticipation and tension. Watching Lu Fan's busy figure from the side, An Lan's heart was full of admiration.

Although she didn't understand much about these technical tasks, she knew that refining metal was no easy feat and required immense patience and perseverance.

She silently handed him tools from the side.

After a long ordeal, the ore finally began to melt slowly, turning into glowing molten metal.

Lu Fan carefully poured the hot molten metal into the prepared mold, as if pouring out a piece of hope.

Once the metal solidified, he gently opened the mold, and a simple scissors part and a Razor prototype appeared before his eyes.

He quickly took them out and threw them into the water for quenching.

"Sizzle~"

The parts after quenching emitted a black luster.

Next was the polishing process. This step also allowed for no carelessness; it required twelve-tenths of care and patience.

Lu Fan took the rough metal products, sat on a flat stone, picked up a whetstone, and began to polish them carefully.

Every one of his movements was cautious and fully focused, fearing that a single mistake would waste all his previous efforts.

An Lan also leaned in and took the initiative to help with the polishing.

The two of them talked and laughed while polishing, occasionally bursting into laughter over some small mistakes.

The scissors were divided into two halves, with a precise hole left in the middle for easy fixation, while also ensuring they could open and close flexibly.

After a period of unremitting effort, the scissors and Razor were finally completed.

Lu Fan held them and waved them proudly in front of An Lan. "See? I told you I could make them!"

Looking at these two tools that, although crude, embodied the blood and sweat of both of them, An Lan couldn't help but give a thumbs-up and praise, "You're amazing, Lu Fan! Now we can finally shave off your beard!"

Lu Fan smiled and sat down, and An Lan picked up the Razor, preparing to help him shave.

Lu Fan was so nervous that his legs couldn't help but tremble slightly. No matter who it was, having a blade held near their neck would make anyone feel uneasy.

"Don't be afraid. When I was an intern at the hospital, I often worked with scalpels and learned quite a few techniques. I guarantee I won't hurt you," An Lan comforted him softly, her tone full of confidence and tenderness.

Lu Fan felt that these words were somewhat familiar, as if he had said something similar before, but he couldn't remember it for the moment.

"How could that be? No way... would that Stinking Bear be so kind... Ah, no, I'm not scared at all. Go ahead."

He spoke with feigned composure, yet a trace of imperceptible tension still flashed across his face.

Seeing Lu Fan's act of forced calmness, An Lan couldn't help but purse her lips and smile.

She first used some honey locust liquid, rubbing it gently in her hands to create a fine and dense foam, then tenderly applied it to Lu Fan's beard, preparing for the upcoming shave.