Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 133. Wisdom should not be underestimated

As Hua Old Man said, a single chopstick is easy to break, but a bundle of chopsticks held together is hard to break easily.

The same principle applies to twisting multiple strands of tendon into a single thread.

Jin’er admired her grandfather and father. The space had no internet to search for the method, so she relied on memories of what she had seen before and insights from books. However, she truly did not know what to do next.

Indeed, the wisdom of the working people is not to be underestimated. Her grandfather and father, with their accumulated experience, figured out what steps to take next by themselves.

Tying so many tendon threads into one looks easy, but is quite challenging in practice. In any case, Jin’er tried several times without success. The tendon threads seemed to have their own minds, always twisting in their own ways instead of according to her wishes.

Little Fourth was also unsuccessful, and even Second Brother’s attempt was not up to par. Although he barely twisted a thread, it was loose and slack, clearly not acceptable.

It seems simple but is not as easy as it looks to twist a few or even dozens of tendon strands into a single thread; it requires skillful technique. Jin’er tried several times, but besides getting flustered and a headache, she found it was impossible.

Eventually, she gave up. Since there were only so many tendon threads, it was better not to be a hindrance if she couldn’t help. She noticed her father’s pained expression as he hesitated to speak, so for her father’s sake, she decisively stopped and turned from a participant into a spectator.

Alas! It seems she’s destined to enjoy leisure.

With eyes similar to hers, her second brother and younger brother petted the little dog while watching their grandparents, parents, and older brother busy at work.

The process was time-consuming and tiring, taking over an hour, and the night grew darker as it approached midnight.

Little Fourth, whose eyes had already narrowed to slits, was soon carried to bed by Second Brother, while Older Brother also faced pressure to rest. However, through his actions, he refused the others’ urging and continued twisting the tendon threads.

Knowing the personalities of their own children, Hua Old Man didn’t force them when it was clear they didn’t want to go. The children wanted to help relieve their burden, and as elders, they couldn’t refuse excessively. It was just staying up a bit later, and young people are full of energy, so it wouldn’t impact much.

Moreover, wasn’t it during the busy farming season that they worked until the middle of the night, then rose early in the morning?

Jin’er was actually sleepy too, but she wanted to accompany her parents. While she couldn’t offer much help, she could at least provide simple companionship.

Even Elder Brother, who had to get up early, managed to persist, so she, who could sleep in, could certainly hold on longer.

By late night, when the entire table was covered with strips of tendon, Hua Old Man happily hurried his eldest grandson to rest, followed by his granddaughter.

Even Hua Chengtian went to rest with the children’s mother under the two old folks’ watchful eyes, though he was impatient to see their achievements.

As expected, Jin’er slept a long time the next day and when she woke, the sun was already high, filling the courtyard with sunlight.

Hua Chengtian, who had something on his mind, rose at dawn. Unlike usual, his first chore wasn’t sweeping the yard, but lighting the oil lamp and taking the crossbow components from the wooden box under the shed into the main room, determined to assemble one before sending the children to school.

When he spread everything out on the table, Hua Old Man, hearing the commotion, was already sitting by the table waiting. Even the three sons washed up quickly, gathering around the table with eager faces.

"Dad, hurry up," Little Fourth, holding the black dog in his arms, couldn’t help but urge, his attention drawn by the items on the table.

Eyeing the many tendons on the table, he secretly hoped his father might give him one. Just one tendon would allow him to try making a slingshot by himself.

Of course, a crossbow would be even better. He had coveted it for a long time, but unfortunately, the one in the room was treated like a treasure by his father, not to be touched, even during practice.

The heap in the middle of the table consisted entirely of tendons. Over more than two hours the previous night, almost a hundred tendon strands were made. Not only Little Fourth, but even Eldest Brother and Second Brother were deeply tempted.

Hua Chengtian didn’t spare even a glance for his youngest son, as his full attention was focused on the tendons at that moment.

The lengths of the tendons varied, with some longer and some shorter, yet even the short ones were much longer than those in the crossbow Jin’er had brought out. Hua Chengtian and Hua Old Man were contemplating the specific sizes of tendons needed for the crossbow components they had polished, trying to minimize waste, as the material was too hard to procure, uncertain of when they might get more.

Simply determining the length of tendons took father and son half the day. Eventually, they decided to proceed with assembling the crossbows immediately, having produced these components long ago. For a more in-depth understanding of the crossbow’s structure, with their daughter’s consent, they disassembled the crossbow taken from the blessed land space.

To prevent mistakes, they marked each piece and noted the disassembly order, assembling them back in reverse order for the safest method, ensuring they wouldn’t fail to reassemble it.

After several assembly trials, they had a thorough grasp of the internal structure of the crossbow. They even traced the metal parts forged from iron and copper and sought out town blacksmiths to try crafting them.

The blacksmith at the shop didn’t question the unfamiliar parts, but due to the intricacy of some components, requiring greater effort, the price was naturally high.

Fortunately, the Hua family no longer lacked silver. Moreover, it had been a long time since father and son had been so passionate about something, swiftly placing a deposit and manufacturing many components at once, preparing for the possibility of future wear and tear replacements.

Mainly, the craftsman hadn’t made them before, and one or two items might not have interested him, so they ordered more to avoid future trouble.

In addition, they also crafted smaller and more delicate parts; if successful, Hua Chengtian planned to create an even smaller crossbow for his daughter, both convenient to carry and for her self-defense.

The actual assembly found father and son both excited.

Though they had assembled it many times before, aside from lacking the tendon component, everything seemed functional, giving them a lot of confidence that success was certain.

With the three sons watching expectantly, Hua Old Man and Hua Chengtian each assembled a crossbow. Hua Chengtian often tinkered during his free time, and being young with strong hands-on skills, his assembly was much faster than his old father’s.

As he continuously adjusted the tendon length and tension, Hua Old Man only then completed the framework assembly. Eldest Brother assisted Grandpa, while Second Brother and Little Fourth focused unblinkingly on Dad’s nearly finished crossbow.

"Phew..."

With a long sigh of relief, after countless attempts, Hua Chengtian finally felt the force exerted when the tendons of the crossbow were pulled during shooting.

Feeling the familiar sensation, Hua Chengtian knew he had succeeded.

Finally, his efforts and the substantial silver spent on crafting parts and arrowheads didn’t go in vain.

Only the arrowhead crafting had been a bit troublesome. As arrowheads are categorized as weapons, despite Ancient Yan Country’s not-so-strict regulation on weapons and arrows, artisans are also cautious, responsible towards others.