The water in the creek reached about knee height. Yan Qing wasn’t sure if any edible greens grew nearby, so she planned to bring her wild vegetable guide next time for comparison.
Before leaving, she gathered plenty of mugwort and dug up some seedlings to transplant near the cave. The weather was getting hotter, and soon mosquitoes and other flying insects would appear. Mugwort could effectively repel these pests and even deter snakes. Although she had stocked up on mosquito repellent, she preferred using mugwort outdoors—it was more economical.
Today, Yan Qing decided to stay home and sleep in, a rare treat. She planned to map out the valley more systematically.
Currently, the valley’s layout was as follows:
To the right of the cave entrance lay a clearing with some scattered rocks and bushes. Yan Qing planned to build two small wooden and bamboo houses here. Behind them, she would construct a larger shed to store firewood: split logs, branches, and pinewood. Summer was the rainy season, and leaving wood out in the open wasn’t practical.
She also planned a simple shelter between the old locust tree and the cliff for cooking and storing firewood.
To the left of the cave entrance, about three meters away, stood a tall locust tree. Yan Qing planned to build a house with a courtyard underneath it and enclose about half an acre for growing vegetables.
Near the front of the house, she would build two small sheds on either side for raising livestock. The overall layout would follow a U-shaped plan:
Stone paths would divide the courtyard, ensuring it remained passable during the rainy season.
With the plan finalized, Yan Qing prepared to begin. After days of wandering, she had already gathered a large stock of deadwood and branches.
The first project: building a bridge.
She measured the creek’s width and decided to make a simple bamboo raft bridge—sturdy, durable, and water-resistant.
Her current bamboo supply wasn’t enough, so she headed back to the bamboo grove.
Two hours later, the forest echoed with the buzz of the chainsaw, followed by the cracking of bamboo falling. She selected only the thickest stalks, estimating them to be seven to eight years old. Some reached 20–30 meters in height.
Calculating her needs for both the bridge and the sheds, she eventually cut:
By the time the last stalk was stored in her space, it was around 5 PM. She returned to the cave, where the two bear cubs were climbing onto the tea table. After a quick cuddle, she started working.
The bamboo was laid out in the clearing and cut into 4-meter lengths. She placed them by the creek to dry overnight, ready to be tied together into a bamboo bridge the next day.