Eldest Girl had originally intended to praise Tian Wenmo, but her voice gradually trailed off toward the end.
Qin Sang remembered that when Eldest Girl was only two or three years old, she had been dragged to the kitchen by the Original Body to tend the fire. While scolding her, the Original Body told her to learn well so that when she was older, she could be sold to a wealthy family as a kitchen maid.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Qin Sang gave a light cough and began pouring water into the pot.
"Wen Mo, prying stones and tending fires might seem insignificant, but they are actually very useful. They help us save effort and time. There is knowledge to be found everywhere in life; now that you've entered the mountains, you should learn well."
Tian Wenmo nodded thoughtfully. He stared at the flames beneath the pot and fell into deep thought, though his attention was quickly drawn away by the food cooking inside.
Qin Sang waited for the water to boil, added a spoonful of lard, and then tossed in two handfuls of dried vegetables.
By the time the vegetables were cooked through, the lard had completely melted.
The prepared batter consisted of three spoonfuls of flour, three eggs, salt, and cold water. It was smooth and lump-free, displaying an inviting golden-yellow hue.
Once the vegetables in the pot had softened, she poured in the flour batter. A moment later, the batter was cooked. She added diced sausage, and soon a pot of nutritionally balanced flour porridge was ready.
The two little ones watched, their mouths watering constantly. Qin Sang smiled and handed them each half a bowl.
"Be careful, it's hot. Blow on it to cool it down before you eat."
"Mhm, thank you, Grandma."
"Thank you, Mother."
Third Brother's Wife walked over, supporting her belly. She had just gone to check on her parents' side, and by the time she returned, her mother-in-law had already finished making lunch. This made her very uneasy. She hadn't done much work to begin with, and they hadn't let her help with the settling in; the only thing she could have done was the cooking.
"Mother, why did you cook? Didn't I say I would do it?"
Qin Sang handed a bowl to her.
"I'm just setting an example for you with this meal. From now on, follow this standard for cooking. You aren't allowed to skimp on rice, flour, grain, or oil. I'm not used to eating poorly."
Qin Sang knew that if she didn't do it, lunch would likely have just been some roasted flour or ended with grilled sausage and meat.
Eating those things once in a while was fine, but eating grilled food every day would easily cause internal heat.
Third Brother's Wife took the bowl with both hands, feeling a bit apprehensive.
"Mother, if we eat like this every meal, the water we brought won't be enough."
Qin Sang knew what they were worried about, which was why she maintained such a firm attitude. Otherwise, if they were in charge of the household, they would certainly live a pinched life without salt or oil.
Now that they had entered the mountains, they were in for a long haul. If they didn't take care of their bodies first, it wouldn't be worth it if everyone's health broke down.
Qin Sang had the Mall, so she was even less likely to let her family live that way.
"The supplies for the two nights I spent scouting the mountains as agreed with Steward Huang have been delivered to a designated spot. Once we're settled here, I'll go pick them up, and then we'll have water."
Eldest Girl held her ceramic bowl and said worriedly,
"But Grandma, there's a giant snake in the mountains. Please don't go, okay? It's dangerous."
Tian Wenmo was also nervous.
"Yes, Mother, it's fine if we ration our water. If something happens to you, what will we do?"
Qin Sang gave them a reassuring look.
"I will definitely wait until the giant snake is caught before I go."
Once everyone shared the giant snake's meat tonight, would that snake still be able to hold back?
Qin Sang planned to fly the Drone around tonight to see if she could find a trace of that giant snake.
Third Brother's Wife looked at the mountain forests on both sides with trepidation.
"Mother, do you mean the giant snake will come tonight?"
...
After a day of labor, over a dozen triangular shelters had been erected. Families with oilcloth covered their shelters one after another. They also found some palm trees; the locusts hadn't eaten the leaves of these trees, which were perfect for blocking the wind and sun.
Before dark, to ensure safety, the Village Chief had everyone who was cutting trees on the mountain come down. When it was time to distribute the meat and water, the former members of the Patrol Team took the initiative to speak up.
"Village Chief, just give me the same share as those who cut trees. I don't plan on participating in the patrols anymore."
"Me too, I'm quitting the Patrol Team."
"I'm not going either."
The Village Chief watched as many people requested to leave the Patrol Team. He knew they were afraid of encountering the giant snake at night, and he couldn't force the villagers. In desperation, he leaned on his cane and brought Tian Yougen over to find Qin Sang.
"Village Chief?"
"Da Zhuangs Mother, those Patrol Team members would rather give up their meat than stay. What do you think we should do?"
Qin Sang instinctively looked at the eldest and third sons nearby; both of their faces also showed signs of fear.
"Patrolling is indeed risky. Even without the giant snake, there are other predators. After all, we are in the mountains; I understand everyone's fear."
The old Village Chief looked at her.
"Do you mean we won't patrol anymore?"
"We certainly cannot sacrifice lives to feed the mountain beasts. My idea is to build Watchtowers on the mountain. As long as we have a clear field of vision, we can give timely warnings. Watchtowers provide a certain level of protection, which will also safeguard those on night watch."
Tian Yougen said,
"Da Zhuangs Mother, are you saying we should make them like the city walls in the county seat?"
"Something like that."
The old Village Chief nodded.
"We can do that in the long run, but for now... there is a giant snake in these mountains. With no one to give warning, once the villagers fall into a deep sleep and the snake attacks, it won't just be one or two people who die."
Qin Sang nodded.
"Indeed. My suggestion is that instead of passively waiting for the giant snake to come to us, we should take the initiative and lure it out to deal with it once and for all."
The Village Chief's eyes froze.
"Lure it to us? This..."
"I'm afraid the people won't agree," Tian Yougen said worriedly.
Qin Sang smiled.
"Of course. Everyone worked hard all day, and this is our settling ground. No one wants any lives lost on the first night. When I say lure it, I don't necessarily mean luring it here. We can lure it somewhere else."
"You mean... we set a trap in the mountains?"
Qin Sang smiled.
"The giant snake is also an animal. It needs to eat when hungry and drink when thirsty. We can use chickens or ducks as bait, but we need to think carefully about the trap."
Qin Sang had thought about using knockout drugs, but an animal's sense of smell is different from a human's. Even rats in the future wouldn't eat things with additives. Qin Sang was worried the snake might sense the chemical scent on the bait.
Tian Yougen's eyes lit up as he said,
"My family has a fishing net; we brought it up the mountain. Can we use that?"
Qin Sang really hadn't expected someone to bring a fishing net into the mountains. They truly had brought all their worldly possessions with them.
"That would be perfect. However, regarding the setting of the trap, we must consult Hunter Xu."
"I'll go find him. I'm sure he won't refuse."
Qin Sang didn't know what the Village Chief said to Hunter Xu, and no one came to call for Da Zhuang or San Gui. Qin Sang placed the thorn-covered barricades she had made in the afternoon near the tent, then urged the girls to go inside and sleep.
Once everyone was asleep, Qin Sang sat up, covered her hands with a piece of clothing, and took the Drone controller out of the warehouse.
The Drone had been parked on the mountaintop. Qin Sang operated the Drone and began patrolling the three surrounding peaks.
Thermal imaging showed birds sleeping in the woods, squirrels gathering nuts, and rats scurrying out of caves to forage, but there was no sign of the giant snake.
Qin Sang didn't give up and continued to watch...