While the rice dried, two dogs stood guard, so he wasn't worried about chickens, ducks, or small birds coming over to cause trouble. Li Xiang didn't leave, though. He was in the gazebo, doing some woodworking.
The Three-pronged Steel Fork he had forged earlier still needed a handle. He hadn't had time to make one before, so today was the perfect opportunity.
The rice also needed to be turned frequently so it would dry faster.
Based on his childhood experience, you usually had to turn it once an hour in the autumn, and it needed at least three full days of sun to dry completely.
Li Xiang held a long piece of Birch Wood in his hands.
He had cut it down and brought it back from the mountains on a previous trip. The original plan was to use it for firewood in the winter, but this particular piece was quite thick, long, and exceptionally straight. Figuring it might be useful later, he had set it aside.
He used a saw to cut it to a length of about 2.4 to 2.5 meters. Then, using his High-Density Blade, he began shaving off the bark, working his way around the wood. The piece of Birch Wood had a diameter of roughly seven to twelve centimeters, which Li Xiang whittled down to a five or six-centimeter-thick staff. After that, he switched to a wood plane for the "fine-tuning."
In the end, the Birch Wood became a perfectly straight, evenly thick, and rather handsome-looking fork handle with a diameter of about four centimeters.
He gripped it with one hand. It was a perfect fit.
He then attached the head of the Three-pronged Steel Fork and drove a nail through it for reinforcement.
Li Xiang stood up and gave it a few practice swings. It felt pretty good.
He had forgotten to forge a melon-head pommel to act as a counterweight, so the whole fork felt a bit top-heavy—after all, the head was made of a full five kilograms of special steel. But Li Xiang was incredibly strong and handled it with ease, so the slight imbalance was hardly an issue.
Most importantly, if a Three-pronged Steel Fork meant for farming was made to look like an ancient polearm or a hunting spear, Li Xiang worried it might be classified as a regulated weapon.
In short, the more rustic, the better. So rustic that anyone who saw it would immediately assume it was just for farm work.
Therefore, this Three-pronged Steel Fork had no fullers or barbs. Aside from the very sharp tips, each prong was rounded, and the shafts of the tines weren't bladed.
'Birch Wood isn't actually the best material for a spear shaft—oh, I mean, a fork handle. Although Birch Wood was used for spear shafts in ancient times because it's reasonably hard and stable.'
But there were better materials, such as ash, walnut, red oak, and cudrania.
Furthermore, ancient spear shafts weren't made of solid wood, but from a unique composite of bamboo and wood.
This involved a core made of a hard wooden rod, which was then wrapped in one or two layers of long bamboo strips. High-quality rattan was wound tightly around the bamboo, and then secured with a dense binding of strong silk thread. Finally, it was coated with layer after layer of raw lacquer, bonding all the materials into a single, smooth, and beautiful piece.
A spear shaft constructed this way was far superior to one made of solid iron or wood. The wooden core provided rigidity, while the bamboo layers on the outside added flexibility, making it far less likely to break even when thrust powerfully against enemy armor.
A solid iron shaft, on the other hand, lacked flexibility, was too heavy, and would quickly exhaust its wielder.
An even more advanced craft than the bamboo-wood composite was the method used to make the shaft of a Lance.
A single Lance shaft was exceptionally complex and time-consuming to produce, often taking five years to complete. In ancient times, only the great Noble Families could afford to own one.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Shan Xiongxin wielded an enormous Lance named "Cold-Bone White." The spearhead alone was said to weigh 70 jin—nearly eighty pounds. He once nearly skewered Li Shimin with it, but luckily Xu Maogong shouted for him to stop just in time, allowing Taizong to narrowly escape.
This story doesn't come from the Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, but is recorded in the Old Tang Book: Biographies, Volume 3.
Although the Birch Wood fork handle wasn't high-quality, Li Xiang felt it was perfectly fine for a "farming tool." Of course, if he ever had the chance to get better wood, he wouldn't mind replacing it.
'If I ever find the right wood, I'd like to try making a Lance shaft and film a video: "Crafting a Lance Shaft with Ancient Methods".'
'It just takes a rather long time. The video wouldn't be out for another three to five years.'
'Besides, if I actually managed to make one, wouldn't a superior Lance shaft look ridiculous paired with such a crude Three-pronged Steel Fork?'
"Heh, I'm overthinking it. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."
'Besides, when the Apocalypse comes and there's no one left to enforce the rules, I can always re-forge the Three-pronged Steel Fork into a proper spearhead.'
Around 3:30 in the afternoon, Li Xiang began gathering the rice. As before, he wrapped the pile of grain tightly in a tarp and left it in the courtyard. The weather forecast predicted sunny days for the next few days, so there was no fear of rain.
The next morning, as Li Xiang passed by the cat's den, the old tabby cat had a huge surprise for him.
A glance revealed several tiny creatures in the den. He crouched down for a closer look and counted exactly five little ones, all snuggled against their mother's belly, jostling for milk.
"This mama cat's got a complicated social life," Li Xiang remarked, looking at the adorable kittens.
Because out of the five of them, no two had the same coloring.
There was a white one, a tabby, a calico, a black-and-white "tuxedo," and a little ginger.
The kittens were still too young to tell their gender. Li Xiang didn't touch them, either, because you're not supposed to handle newborn kittens.
Newborn kittens have a very simple, pure scent. If a human touches them, their own complex scent—from all the things a person's hands touch—gets on the kitten. This can cause a major problem: the mother cat might no longer recognize it as her own. She might refuse to nurse it, or even kill it.
Even though Li Xiang was her owner and the old cat was familiar with his scent, he still wasn't willing to take the risk.
Furthermore, newborn kittens are extremely fragile. Their only immunity comes from their mother. A person's touch could transfer bacteria or viruses and make them sick.
"Congratulations. You and the babies are all safe and sound," Li Xiang said, waving at the old cat. She looked up and meowed a few times, as if quite proud of herself.
Li Xiang could tell the old cat was exhausted and weak, however. He decided he should make her something nutritious to help her regain her strength.
He still had some of the rice-paddy fish he'd caught when draining the fields. Li Xiang went over to his Overlapping Waterfall, picked out the largest one, and decided to make a delicious spinach and minced fish congee.
'Meat and vegetables—a balanced meal.'
By this time, his grandmother was also awake. She was delighted to discover the five new little lives in the house. Being very experienced herself, she knew better than to touch the kittens.
When Li Xiang told his grandmother his plan, her interest was piqued. "I'll go start the congee," she said. "You can prepare the minced fish."
"Leave it to me!" Li Xiang grabbed a kitchen knife and cutting board. He cleaned the fish just downstream from the Overlapping Waterfall, descaling it, removing the gills and guts, but saving the swim bladder.
The swim bladder, also known as fish maw, was a real delicacy. It's packed with nutrients like collagen, amino acids, vitamins, and trace elements. It's said to help promote bone development, enhance the immune system, improve skin complexion, protect eyesight, and aid in brain development.
The most expensive type of fish maw is likely the "golden coin" maw from the Chinese Bahaba, also known as "yellow-lip fish maw." It's revered as one of the "Eight Treasures of the Sea."