99: Cutting hay, going out hunting

After some careful weaving, two uniquely ingenious bamboo hats were freshly completed.

One was slightly larger, with a simple and grand design, custom-made by Lu Fan for himself; the other was small and exquisite, with delicate patterns intentionally woven into the brim, clearly prepared with care for An Lan.

"An Lan, come and try on the hat I wove," Lu Fan said, his face brimming with an irrepressible smile.

An Lan put down the herbs she was carefully organizing, took the hat with a smile, and gently placed it on her head. She even gave a playful twirl before nodding in satisfaction, saying, "The sun protection is quite good. Thanks for your hard work; I didn't know you had this skill."

"Haha, you're welcome. It was no trouble at all."

Lu Fan scratched his head and responded with a laugh. Then, he put on his own hat, one hand steadying the brim and the other on his hip: "I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King!"

With that exaggerated expression and tone, he looked exactly like a chuunibyou teenager.

Seeing Lu Fan like this, An Lan couldn't help but laugh. She turned around and began preparing dinner.

Today's menu consisted of pan-fried lamb chops and cold seaweed salad—one meat dish and one vegetable dish, complementing each other perfectly.

The lamb chops sizzled in the pan, fried to an enticing golden brown. Their surfaces were evenly sprinkled with some unique spices collected from the wild. The rich aroma instantly filled the air; just the smell alone was enough to make one's mouth water.

The cold seaweed salad was refreshing and cut through the richness. The seaweed was sliced into uniform thin strips and paired with chopped fresh Wild Green Onion and wild ginger. The red, green, and white colors were vibrant, and just looking at it greatly increased one's appetite.

"Wow, Teacher An, your cooking skills are becoming more and more supernatural. I can hardly hold myself back."

Lu Fan took an exaggerated sniff, and his stomach let out a timely growl. He couldn't wait to pick up his utensils.

The two sat at the dining table, enjoying the delicious food while excitedly sharing their gains and feelings from the day.

Occasionally, a few small flying insects were attracted by the firelight and buzzed around them. From time to time, Lu Fan would wave his arm to drive away these uninvited guests, muttering, "Go away, go away, don't disturb our wonderful dinner time."

This kept An Lan laughing, and the entire Shelter was filled with warmth and joy.

After dinner, night had quietly fallen. The sweltering heat of the day had slightly receded, and there was a rare hint of coolness in the air.

The collected saltpeter was placed neatly under the shed, shimmering faintly under the moonlight.

For the time being, it wouldn't be used to make ice. After all, ice made in advance would melt quickly; it was better to save it until it was truly needed.

Lu Fan put down his bowl and chopsticks, patted his round belly, and said contentedly, "I'm so full. I should take advantage of this cool breeze to go prepare some fodder for Big Horn and the others."

An Lan nodded in agreement. "Alright, stay safe. I'll tidy things up here."

Lu Fan picked up his blade and went to the nearby grassland.

The moonlight spilled over the grass like a silver veil, making it look dreamlike.

He bent down and skillfully swung his tool with a fluid motion. Bundles of green grass quickly took shape under his hands.

Occasionally, a few startled insects flew out of the grass, but Lu Fan didn't mind. He just focused on cutting the grass, thinking about preparing the freshest and most tender fodder for Big Horn and the others.

In a short while, he had cut a huge pile of grass.

He tied the grass into bundles, hoisted them onto his shoulders with effort, and walked back step by step.

Big Horn seemed to hear his master's footsteps and bleated happily in the distance, as if saying, "Master, you're finally back! I'm starving."

"Big Horn, don't worry, there'll be something good to eat in a moment," Lu Fan replied, panting heavily.

By the time he returned to the Shelter, he was exhausted and covered in sweat, which soaked through his clothes. But seeing the expectant looks from Big Horn and the others, his fatigue instantly vanished.

He stacked the grass neatly next to the feeding troughs for Big Horn and the rest.

Baa Baa and Lightning immediately gathered around and began to eat heartily, letting out satisfied cries from time to time.

Watching them eat with such relish, Lu Fan wiped his sweat and said with a smile, "Now you can have a full meal. I hope this high-temperature weather passes quickly so everyone can have it a bit easier."

After a short rest, Lu Fan began to ponder other ways to deal with the high temperatures.

He remembered finding some large leaves during a previous exploration. These leaves might be used to make sunshades to further lower the temperature inside the Shelter.

So, he took some rope and tools and headed back toward the place where he had found the leaves.

The mountain forest at night held a bit more mystery. Occasionally, the cries of unknown animals could be heard, making one feel uneasy.

Lu Fan felt a bit apprehensive and couldn't help but let his imagination run wild: "In this wilderness, I hope some terrifying thing doesn't jump out."

He gripped his tools tightly and quickened his pace.

He arrived at the area and carefully selected large, thick leaves, examining each one in his hand as if choosing a precious treasure.

After selecting them, he began to string the leaves together one by one with the rope. Although his movements were a bit clumsy, he was very focused, muttering to himself, "One leaf, two leaves..."

By the time he returned to the Shelter with the finished sunshade, An Lan had already tidied everything up and was organizing the herbs collected that day.

Seeing Lu Fan return, An Lan hurried to meet him, her eyes full of concern. "You're finally back. Why did it take so long? You didn't run into any danger, did you?"

Lu Fan shook his head with a smile. "I'm fine. It just took some time to find the leaves and make the sunshades. Look at this; if we hang it outside the room, it should block a lot of sunlight."

As he spoke, he displayed the sunshade in his hands.

Together, they hung the sunshades at the entrance and windows of the room.

An Lan looked at the hung sunshades and nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, this is much better. It even feels a bit cooler. This was a great idea."

The next day, sunlight spilled over the Shelter early, coating everything around in a layer of golden light.

Lu Fan got up early. Looking at the scorching sun still hanging high, he thought that he must stockpile more food to deal with this high-temperature weather, which had no end in sight.

He decided to go further away to hunt. After all, nearby prey had become scarce after this period of searching.

"An Lan, I'm going to ride Lightning to a place further away today. You stay at the Shelter and finish organizing the herbs from yesterday. If you have time, you can also research how to use that saltpeter to make ice."

Lu Fan said to An Lan while packing his Bow and Arrow.

An Lan put down the herbs she was drying, walked over to Lu Fan, and urged, "Be careful. You might run into danger going so far. If something feels wrong, come back immediately." Her eyes were filled with worry and concern.

"Don't worry, what danger could I possibly face?" Lu Fan patted his chest and said with full confidence.

Then, he flipped onto Lightning's back and galloped toward the distance.

Along the way, heatwaves hit him in the face. Lu Fan felt like he had been placed inside a giant steamer. Sweat kept pouring from his forehead, soaking his hair.

Lightning's hooves kicked up clouds of dust. Lu Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead from time to time, but his eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings, not missing any corner where prey might appear.

After some trekking, he finally arrived at an unfamiliar mountain forest.

The trees here were denser, their branches and leaves intertwining to block out some of the sunlight, making Lu Fan feel slightly cooler.

[A herd of Rock Sheep has appeared on the stone wall ahead]

Lu Fan felt a surge of joy, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up. "I've really got what I asked for. This is going to be a feast. I should hunt a few more to take back."

He carefully dismounted from Lightning and quietly approached the herd of Rock Sheep, preparing to start a tense and exciting hunting operation.