Due to the heavy snowfall last night, the pine forest was covered with snow, and the white snow was dazzling in the noon sun.
Carrying a hemp rope on his left shoulder and a hunting bow on his right shoulder, the young man took a breath of white mist and looked up at the south entrance of the park.
The twisted steel bars were covered with ice picks, and a wooden board as wide as a table board was tied to the highest point, with a series of numbers engraved on it.
"404."
After staring at the wooden sign for a while, Yu Hu read out the numbers in a low voice.
This is the method old Charlie taught them, and it is also a habit he has only recently developed.
It is said that as long as the characters are seen on the road, the words that can be recognized should be read out in a low voice, and the strokes are silently counted in the heart.
The more you recognize it, the more familiar it will become.
This method works quite well. Recently, he has learned to write the names of himself, Xiaoyu, his father, his mother, his brother and his sister-in-law. He has also learned basic numbers, addition and subtraction.
A few months ago, this person would have been considered a cultural figure on Beit Street.
But now, it's just average.
The enthusiasm for learning in the town has been extremely high recently, especially among the young men. Ever since everyone heard about the benefits of the new industrial zone from Li Niu and the others, they have all become frequent visitors to the literacy class and wish they could live there.
Of course, part of the reason for this may be that it is warmer in the castle, and you won’t want to leave after visiting it once.
The most dangerous road has passed.
After taking a short rest at the entrance of the park, Yu Hu tightened the rope on his shoulders and continued walking forward through the snow that reached his knees.
Walking through the snow with prey is not an easy task, but for experienced hunters, this problem does not exist.
He made a raft out of wooden planks, tied the mutated wild boar he shot to it, and dragged it with a rope.
In this way, you don't have to worry about the prey getting stuck in the snow and freezing. It is much easier and safer than dragging the prey directly.
As long as you're careful where you step and don't take unfamiliar roads, it's basically not a big problem.
After passing through the woods for several hundred meters, the view suddenly opened up.
Rows of wooden piles piled with snow stood on the open ground outside the ditch. In front of them was the wall and the south gate of the outpost, and behind them were the houses built by the blue coats, and then Brother Chu's home.
Compared with a month ago, the changes here are simply huge.
The tall chimney behind the wall and the clanking sound of iron disappeared along with the trees outside the wall.
Instead, there are huts with unique styles and straight streets paved with stone bricks. There are more and more people and more and more things on the stalls.
Yu Hu had no education and had only recently learned to read a little. He could think of some beautiful words to describe these houses. He just thought they looked strangely beautiful.
Some roofs have upturned eaves, a mixture of bricks and wood, and are square and majestic. Some are completely cylindrical, made of stone and bricks, solemn and mysterious.
Although the styles are different, these houses are all neat and uniform in height. None of them exceeds the roof of the sanatorium in the center of the settlement.
Yu Hu didn't know what those houses were used for. He only recognized the warehouse and the small wooden house with a rattan plaque wrapped around it and an elegant and unique decoration.
He bought clothes there once, and also bought two meters of cloth for his family. My sister's scarf seemed to be made there too.
Occasionally, when he catches some prey with beautiful coats, Yu Hu will take it here first and ask about it. The shopkeeper, who looks like a child, will give him slightly more reward than the one in the warehouse not far away.
Anyway, according to Brother Chu, as long as you bring the things here for trading, you can help him, and Yu Hu doesn't care who he sells to.
But forget about the wild boar.
Yu Hu felt that the cute little shop owner probably didn't need such rough leather, so he dragged the wild boar directly to the warehouse.
The rope was left at the door. Just when he was about to ask the steward to help weigh the prey, he suddenly saw a familiar face from behind the wooden table.
The man also saw him and was instantly happy.
"Yu Hu?"
"Zhao Shu?" Yu Hu looked at him in surprise, "Aren't you in the brick factory?"
While talking, Yu Hu looked up and down at the fur coat the fellow was wearing, and a trace of envy appeared on his face.
This guy is having a good life.
They all have new clothes!
Seeing the surprised expression on the fellow villager's face, Zhao Shu chuckled and said with dignity.
"Recently there has been a lot of construction work at the base, and the warehouses and dormitories are being expanded. There is a shortage of manpower. I thought the salary was good, so I took the initiative to request a transfer from the brick factory!"
In fact, he didn't want to come over originally.
Although the brick factory earns a few less silver coins, it is as warm as spring, and there are always people with stories written on their faces being sent in to work.
All those old guys are talented, they talk nicely, and they love to brag.
When he opened his mouth, he thought about those days, but when he kept silent, it was a long story. When asked where he came from, he was either a mercenary from the Wandering Swamp, or a captain from the far west... In short, they were all places he had never heard of.
.
Zhao Shu has never left Qingquan City in his life, and the furthest he has ever been is the dungeon of the Bloody Hand Clan. He vaguely remembers that the leader of the Bloody Hand Clan is known as the Centurion?
At his peak, that bear-like man, with about a hundred people under his command, ran rampant in the northern suburbs of Qingquan City and committed all kinds of evil.
But what's the use?
In the end, he was taken over by those blue coats. Now he is probably working in the mine in Honghe Town. I don't know if he is still alive.
So...the commander of a thousand people is responsible for a thousand people?
This is not nonsense!
Zhao Shu thought, the total number of people he has met in his life may not be a thousand! It gives him a headache to remember dozens of people's names. If he really has to manage so many people, can he remember who they are?
?
In short, Niu Ma Brick Factory is a good place. Even if he doesn't believe the nonsense those old friends say, Zhao Shu always likes to listen to their bragging.
If he hadn't planned to move his family here from Beit Street in the spring of next year and buy a house while the base expanded northward, he would have really wanted to stay in that wonderful place where it felt like summer all year round.
It's simply paradise there.
"...Don't talk about me anymore, how are you doing over there? Is the impact of the snowstorm big? Also, how is my family?" After explaining his situation, Zhao Shu asked Yu Hu about the family affairs.
.
The blizzard last night blew away the roof of another house. Thinking of that family's shack, he couldn't sleep well all night.
"Our place is very good. Your father asked me to bring you a message yesterday, saying that you should not worry about your family and take care of yourself..." Reciting the greetings that Zhao Shu's father asked him to bring, Yu Hu and this fellow villager
He continued to talk about the current situation of Beit Street.
Although this winter was colder than everyone expected, and the blizzard was blowing hard enough to make people tremble, but thanks to the help of those blue coats, they lived in brick and wood houses of the same style early, and the disaster situation was actually better.
Not as serious as last year.
It would have been hard to tell if the shack had been there before, and a lot of people would have died.
During the most difficult days, old Charlie allowed those poor people whose houses were blown down by the snowstorm to live in the former mayor's castle, and at the same time arranged for manpower to repair the damaged houses.
Under the organization of the street office, everyone is united when facing difficulties.
Facts have proved that without the old mayor's rule, they would only be better off.
After listening to Yu Hu's description, Zhao Shu's face was filled with emotion.
"This was unimaginable in previous years."
Yu Hu nodded in deep agreement.
"yes."
When the old mayor and his family were still alive, they had to work hard just to stay alive. How could they be as comfortable as they are now.
Not to mention opening the castle door to let the victims in.
Even if the disaster victims gather together to save themselves, he will send those scoundrels who only dare to bully his own people to drive the people away.
"Speak of it, Yu Hu."
"What's wrong?"
Zhao Shu hesitated for a while and then spoke.
"How about you come here too!"
Before Yu Hu could speak, Zhao Shu continued to persuade.
"The life here is much better than on Beit Street, and there is a shortage of manpower everywhere. With your hunting ability so good, you will definitely find something to do here! You will definitely do better than me!"
To be honest, Yu Hu was really moved when he saw the changes here.
Anyway, he didn't have a family, so when he moved out of the house, he rarely opened his mouth to eat.
But after thinking about it, he finally shook his head.
"…Forget it."
Zhao Shu was stunned, obviously not expecting him to refuse, and asked hurriedly.
"why?"
Yu Hu said bluntly.
"As you said, I only have a little hunting ability, and this damn weather won't help at all. I may not be able to catch a prey for several weeks. Instead of coming here to cause trouble for you, I might as well stay at home and learn more.
Braille, maybe it will come in handy."
What reason is this?
After hearing Yu Hu's words, Zhao Shu couldn't laugh or cry.
"Hey, the granary next door to you is almost full. How can people miss your food? And learning calligraphy doesn't necessarily have to be in Beit Street. The factories here have night schools just like the guards!"
"That's not possible," Yu Hu said stubbornly, "Brother Chu has helped our family so much, how can I take advantage of him!"
Seeing that this guy was as stubborn as a stone, Zhao Shu shook his head and sighed.
"You guy... forget it, I can't persuade you."
Yu Hu touched the back of his head and said with a smile.
"You don't need to persuade me, I know it well. Besides, Brother Chu said that if I come next spring, he will find something for me to do. I will just come back then!"
Brother Chu is such a smart person, he must have arranged everything long ago.
You will definitely do nothing wrong if you do as he says!
The two of them were not talking about moving. With the help of Zhao Shu, Yu Hu weighed the mutated wild boar and quickly sent it to the slaughterhouse.
The blue coat holding a butcher's knife stood in front of the chopping board, skillfully peeling off the skin to remove the meat, and throwing the bones and sewer into the bucket. The movements were dazzling and dizzying.
Now the price of prey is much higher than before. The purchase price of mutated wild boar skin has increased from 10 silver coins to 20 silver coins, which is a full 400 grams of coarse salt!
In the past, although the price of salt was cheaper, you could exchange it for up to 300 grams of coarse salt.
The same goes for the price of meat. The prices of everything sold here have almost doubled, but the price of harvesting prey has also risen with the tide, so it doesn't have a great impact on him.
The prey can be exchanged for more things, which is a good thing.
The raw hides are put into the warehouse, and a tanner will pick them up soon. The raw meat is divided into two parts, the larger part belongs to Yu Hu, and the smaller part is the reward for slaughtering, and it will be returned to the base warehouse as agreed.
Zhao Shu took out the account book, made a mark on it, and then carefully counted out 20 silver coins from the drawer and lined them up on the table.
"Here are 20 pieces of silver, please keep it."
Looking at the silver coins on the table, Yu Hu picked up one, looked at it, weighed it in his hand, and asked curiously.
"Why did this silver coin change its style?"
It's a lot heavier than before, and it looks newer.
Zhao Shu explained.
"The manager said that the coins used to be inconvenient, but now we will use this new silver coin."
Although he couldn't tell what was inconvenient, this was the explanation given by the manager.
"What about the original silver coins?" Yu Hu remembered that he still had some at home. If they couldn't be used anymore, he had to ask his brother to change them into salt as soon as possible.
Expecting that he would ask this, Zhao Shu waved his hand and responded skillfully.
"It's okay. The manager said that no matter whether it is new currency or old currency, the warehouse and the bank will accept all the coins as ordered, but they will no longer change the money."
Seeing that there was no impact on the family, Yu Hu felt relieved and put the silver coins on the table into his pocket.
Looking at Yu Hu who was packing his things, Zhao Shu asked.
"Are you going back directly later?"
Yu Hu said.
"I'm not in a hurry. I'm going to see my little sister later. Do you have anything you want me to bring back for you? I can give you a ride on the way."
Zhao Shu continued.
"No, our wages are paid monthly now... How about you send a message to me and my family, asking my parents to pay attention to their health, and wait for another two weeks, it will be my turn to take a vacation, I
Just take some time to go home and have a look."
Yu Hu nodded.
"Okay, I will bring the message for you."
After receiving this promise, Zhao Shu showed a comfortable smile on his face.
"Thanks!"
At this moment, several residents of the shelter ran up not far away, pointing at the shelves and chattering something.
The voice was as excited as a quarrel.
"Pepper, I want pepper!"
"I also want!"
"Gan! Don't cut in line, I was here first!"
Looking at the elf king Fugui who was at the front, Ye Shi couldn't help but sneered when he couldn't outrun him.
"What on earth do you, a hunter, need pepper for?"
Brother Fugui rolled his eyes and said confidently.
"I want you to take care of it! Hunters are not allowed to be cooks anymore?"
How could he, the Elf King, miss this opportunity to enter the Hall of Fame!
Although he doesn’t know how to cook at all, it doesn’t matter!
Isn’t cooking just a matter of having hands?
The seasonings are in place, but are you still worried that it won’t taste delicious?
So the key is to grab the seasoning!
Zhao Shu glanced down at VM, skillfully took the last two bags of pepper from the shelf, handed them to the person standing at the front, and said in a non-standard pronunciation.
"This is the last, no more."
Upon hearing this, the few people behind him immediately dispersed with disappointed expressions on their faces.
Only the man in the blue jacket who bought something looked happy. After saying "thank you", he generously took out the VM and paid the money, and left in a hurry.
Watching the retreating figure, Yu Hu asked curiously.
"What did he buy just now? Salt?"
"It's 'pepper', a kind of seasoning with a weird taste. Anyway, I don't like it very much." At this point, Zhao Shu paused and then added, "Unless it's sprinkled on barbecue."
BBQ.
Yu Hu swallowed unconsciously and thought of the barbecue stall at the north gate.
The food sold there tastes absolutely amazing!
When looking towards the north entrance, Yu Hu suddenly noticed that there was something different from the past bustle there. Many people in blue coats were running around there, some were getting things from the granary, and some were carrying things to the granary.
, and some people moved some wooden tables and sheds there from the carpentry cabin.
Usually there are more people there in the evening. Why is it so busy at noon today?
"What's going on over there?" Yu Hu felt that he was curious more times today than in the past week combined.
Zhao Shu said with a smile.
"Tell me, there is a celebration in a week!"
"Celebration?!" Yu Hu looked at Zhao Shu in surprise, "Is anyone getting married?"
He must be a very high-status person to hold a celebration a week in advance.
Could it be...
Is it Brother Chu?!
"What's a wedding? That's called... New Year's Day!" Zhao Shu wasn't very familiar with the pronunciation of that word. He held it in for a while before remembering, "The residents of the shelter plan to celebrate the arrival of the new year, the last day of the year.
The first day seems to be a very important festival for them. I don’t know the details, but it’s just like a celebration.”
Celebration Yu Hu does know.
For example, one time recently, when the old mayor's youngest son was just one month old, he gave them a potato and asked them to go to the castle to work for half a day.
No one is happy except the old mayor and his lackeys.
but……
Celebrating the New Year was something like this. It was the first time for him to hear about this new thing, so he couldn't help but be curious.
Seeing through the expression on Yu Hu's face, Zhao Shu said with a smile.
"It's not the busiest time yet. If you have time on the last night of December, you can come and take a look."
"I bet there will be a lively crowd!"
Yu Hu nodded vigorously and said with interest.
"Yeah! I'll remember that...but it won't be convenient to go back at night, right?"
"Why don't you go back? You can stay here with me then," Zhao Shu patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "My dormitory has enough space, I'm sure you can sleep there!"
…
The north entrance of the outpost.
It's very lively at the moment.
The players were all showing off their talents, either busy setting up stalls or boiling something in the big pot. The entire north entrance was filled with a strange smell that even the north wind passing through the forest couldn't blow away.
Qiuye, who was next to his sister, blinked curiously.
She has never seen such a lively scene.
"Night badger! Flat-headed brother in the wasteland! Does anyone want it? I just caught it outside the Changjiang Farm! If you want it, bring the price. If you want to buy it, hurry up."
"Sweeping buildings on Street 76, are there any brothers who can get on the bus? I heard there is a hyena's den there."
"A three-person team will wait for a while to get a feel for the relationship. Newcomers are also fine."
"Lao Na, what did you throw into the pot just now?!"
"Boss Crow!! Help Tai Tai see if this is poisonous!"
"Help me too!"
"Hey!! Just put it on the table, don't stuff duck into my mouth!" The mournful cries of crows echoed on the mushroom beach, causing the guards to look over there, and then walked away when they saw nothing was wrong.
Not far from the market entrance.
The Elf King Fugui shook the two bags of pepper in his hand towards Ye Shi and walked proudly in the direction of his teammates. Brother Mole and Irena were waiting for him.
The guy's back was heard as he was injured, and Ye Shi cursed and walked to the side of his teammates.
"Gee! I didn't buy any seasoning! It's outrageous that all the peppers are sold out!"
When did these people become so rich!
1 silver and 1g of pepper, I bought two packs at once, it’s really too much!
Lao Bai comforted him.
"It's okay, forget it if you didn't buy it, you may not need it in the end anyway."
Kuangfeng also said.
"Well, it's better if we try to use some simple materials. I feel that the probability of winning the game will be higher."
The condiments would be sold out, which was not unexpected by Guangfeng.
After all, the reward of the event is not only the annual limited title, but also entry into the Hall of Fame.
It will become as fierce as a competition, which can only be said to be reasonable. Everyone wants to be the first, after all, it is there.
If no one takes this game, Guangfeng will have to wonder if he is playing the national server.
At this moment, a split-claw crab was lying next to them.
The newbies passing by nearby all looked sideways involuntarily, and while envious, they couldn't help but secretly curse the hateful Europeans.
In this winter, the roads are buried, and you can still find the nests of cleavage crabs.
Isn’t he the European Emperor?
Carrying a bag of flour and walking out of the north gate, Zhang Hai's eyes widened when he saw the big crab.
Walking up and taking a look, he couldn't help but ask.
"Where did you get such big crabs?"
Ye Shi didn't hide it and said lazily.
"There is a hole in the ground on the north shore of Linghu Lake, and there is a hibernating split-claw crab in it. We saw it sleeping, so we took the opportunity to give it a stick in the face."
Although it cost a little money, it was well worth the money.
Zhang Hai cursed and said: "Mom Pi! Why do you always find such good things?"
Seeing his envious and jealous look, Ye Shi chuckled.
"Maybe it's luck?"
Zhang Hai: “#%@!”
Fang Chang stood with tomatoes and scrambled eggs, staring at the split-claw crab on the ground and discussing how to cook it.
One is very good at eating, and the other is very good at cooking. When they stand together, they become a strange combination.
"I carefully studied the event announcement, and the requirement stated above is 'simple and delicious.' We have to use ingredients that are easy to obtain as much as possible, so the probability of winning should be higher."
Tomato Fried Egg shook his head.
"This request is too abstract."
Fang Chang said thoughtfully.
"Indeed, and how to preserve crab meat is a problem."
Even in winter, it is difficult to preserve crab meat from hunting crabs until the third day, and by the fourth day, even if the meat does not deteriorate, the taste will be much worse due to dehydration.
And now there are still 7 days until New Year’s Day!
Finding this claw-hunting crab was purely accidental, and he had no confidence that he would be able to find another one.
Tomato Fried Egg touched his chin and suddenly said.
"Preserving crab meat...I have some ideas about this."
Fang Chang looked at him.
"oh?"
Tomato scrambled eggs continued.
"I have observed the workers in the brick factory before. They will pick some grass from the lake and use it to process the uneaten fish meat, so that it can be kept fresh even if it is left for the second or third day. I don't know about crab meat.
Does it work, but I think I can give it a try."
Fang Chang had never heard of such a strange plant.
"What grass?"
Tomato scrambled eggs said.
"Looking at the official website, it says it's called buffalo grass, but the specific effects are not listed."
Fang Chang immediately asked the most critical question.
"Can I find it in winter?"
Tomato scrambled eggs shook his head and said.
"That's not clear, but after I found out about it, I picked a lot out of curiosity. I dried it and put it in a locker to study slowly, but I never put it to use."
Upon hearing this, Fang Chang was instantly excited and said excitedly.
"Good brother! Here comes the opportunity to come in handy!"
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes scratched the back of his head.
"But even if the problem of preserving crab meat is solved... what should we make it into? We can't just grill it over charcoal fire, right?"
Although it's not impossible, it's too low-tech, so it's probably a bit difficult to win a prize.
"That's easy to say," Fang Chang continued with a confident smile on his face, "I just noticed that the warehouse's sales restrictions on green wheat and potato have been temporarily lifted."
Tomato scrambled eggs were stunned for a moment and didn't understand.
"What do you mean..."
"Obviously, the label of 'cheap and delicious' lies in these two items! Otherwise, why are the sales restrictions lifted at this point in time?"
Fang Chang looked at Brother Scrambled Egg with bright eyes and continued.
"Brother, have you ever heard of crab cakes?" -
(The word count and content of the next chapter are a bit too long. I will never dare to flag it again. Anyway, I will try my best to get it out at 11 o'clock. If it doesn't come out at 11 o'clock, it will probably be at 12 o'clock. QAQ)