Favorite of the Beast-world: I Got Rich Through Farming-Chapter 103 - 97: Plot Hodgepodge
Xi placed the blocks of ice he brought back by the window vents, and the room quickly grew cool and refreshing.
The ice was heavy and dense, almost like stone, and it melted very slowly even in the scorching dry season. A single block was enough to last her for several days.
Although the room was much cooler, An Jin didn’t slow her progress on the bamboo mat. After soaking the bamboo strips for a few days to soften them, she carefully and meticulously pulled them apart into thin strands.
She removed the grassy outer layer from the edges and then coated the strips with an insect-repelling sap.
First, she started the bamboo mat by weaving a right-angled triangle, about five inches wide at the base. She wove in a herringbone pattern to the right for about a meter, then settled down to continue weaving the main part of the mat.
She used a bamboo plank to hold down the starting section and sat cross-legged on the half-finished mat. She interlaced the slender strips, then tapped them down firmly and evenly to tighten the weave.
Weaving a bamboo mat required exceptional skill, so neither Mi Yin nor Xi could help. An Jin had no choice but to spend the extra time to finish the main body of the mat herself.
The final, and most important, step was finishing the edges.
She tucked the ends of the strips into the seams of the mat, arranging them in order so they didn’t overlap, and carefully trimmed away any frayed bits from the edges.
And so, a perfect two-meter-long by one-meter-wide bamboo mat was complete.
However, one final step was needed for the perfect finishing touch. Bamboo is rich in fiber and sugar, making it prone to borers, termites, and other insects, so it was best to treat it with high-temperature steam.
Mi Yin and Xi were shocked to see An Jin place the bamboo mat over the large stone pot the tribe used for feasts, preparing to steam it.
Mi Yin looked down at An Jin without a word. ’Did I get lazy with my hunting recently? Is that why she’s starving?’ he thought, instantly falling into a spiral of self-blame.
Xi couldn’t resist stepping forward. He stared at her with wide eyes. "Ah Jin, are you going to eat the bamboo skin?"
’If I’d known she was going to eat it, why would she have gone to all the trouble of weaving it together? No, that’s not the point... can you even eat bamboo skin?’
’We’ve caught plenty of prey recently, so Ah Jin isn’t starving. Why would she suddenly want to chew on bamboo skin?’
An Jin couldn’t help but chuckle, covering her mouth. "Why would I eat it? This is a cooling mat for me to sleep on. There might be bugs inside, so I’m steaming it to make it safe to use."
Only then did the two of them understand.
An Jin coated the mat with the boiled Tung Oil she had bought from the city last year. This would not only prevent pests but also make the mat more durable and beautiful.
When the bamboo mat wasn’t in use, she would fold it up and store it in a dry, well-ventilated spot near the window to prevent mold and pests.
Thanks to the bamboo mat and the ice, An Jin spent the rest of the hot season in relative comfort. When the weather cooled down a bit, Xi took her to explore the surrounding areas, following the waterways.
An Jin brought a charcoal pencil and some beast-hide paper, marking each new, unfamiliar place they visited.
The simple map she drew wasn’t precise enough for accurate measurements, but it noted the unique resources of each region and the layout of the mountains and forests, creating a blueprint for the tribe’s future development.
The days passed, one after another. Life was peaceful and relaxed, yet incredibly fulfilling. The sweltering hot season gradually moved into its later stages.
The wheat, corn, and sweet potatoes in the fields had all ripened. The Beastmen toiled under the scorching sun, sweating as they harvested the crops. After An Jin distributed a portion to each of them according to their work, the rest was stored in the warehouse as reserves.
"Ah Jin, Hei Xuan picked a lot of fragrant flowers and herbs for me, so I brought some for you!" Gou Ni held a bamboo basket, peeking her head in the doorway. She only dared to enter after seeing that the Snake Beast wasn’t home and had gone out to hunt.
"Really?"
An Jin put down her work, took the basket, and leaned in for a sniff. "They smell wonderful! Where did he pick them?"
"At this time of year, they’re everywhere around here. They’re just so common, you probably haven’t noticed them."
An Jin’s interest was suddenly piqued. "I’d like to pick some, too. Let’s go for a walk, and we can look for some tasty fruit while we’re at it."
"Okay! Okay!"
On the way back, both women carried baskets full of flowers, herbs, and fruit. Gou Ni gestured with her chin toward the busy Beastmen in the distance. "Look, Ah Jin. A lot of the Beastmen in our tribe gather these flowers and herbs. They dry them and put them inside their houses, and they smell amazing!"
Following her gaze, An Jin could see more clearly as they neared the tribe. Groups of Beastmen, large and small, were busy in front of their homes.
Moving stones, weaving vines, hanging things outside their houses...
Everyone looked happy and fulfilled.
The log cabins were adorned not only with tanned hides and beast teeth—the iconic decorations of the Beast World—but also with all sorts of dried flowers, dried herbs, and beautiful flowering vines.
