Cheng Hao had no time for melancholy; he was very busy.
He had to supervise the logging.
Logging wasn't as simple as picking any tree and chopping it down.
First, they had to select trees that were old enough and strong. The chosen tree shouldn't have too many other trees around it, otherwise, if the felled tree got stuck on a neighboring one, all their efforts would be in vain.
They also needed to consider the direction the tree would fall, ensuring no one would be hit.
The consequences could be fatal.
Past servants or guards, mostly housed in city residences, were unfamiliar with such agricultural tasks and therefore didn't understand these rules.
There were many young servants, many of whom were just children.
Worried about accidents,
Cheng Hao decided to personally supervise and help out.
But clearly, others couldn't be entirely relied upon.
By the time he arrived,
Cheng Dazhuang and his brother, along with Cheng Xiaoxi, who all lived in the countryside and frequently entered the mountains, knew how to log.
Moreover, they were fast and efficient.
"Watch closely, three inches from the ground, that's where you should chop! The angle of your axe should be aimed at the direction the tree will fall, don't stand on the side it's going to fall on! Be careful not to get crushed, or you could lose your life! There's a technique to chopping too!"
Cheng Dazhuang, encountering something he was good at, eagerly taught everyone, holding nothing back, and explaining in great detail.
He even demonstrated how he selected trees and swung his axe.
"See? It should be like this, the edge of the axe blade angled downwards for one cut, then the edge of the next cut angled upwards, targeting the same spot."
Cheng Dazhuang was tall and strong, the epitome of a sturdy man with a broad back and strong arms. Each swing of his axe cut deep into the wood, sending splinters flying.
Cheng Xiaoxi thoughtfully urged everyone to step back a little, to avoid getting chips in their eyes.
Cheng Dali also stood guard, ready to take over for his brother, allowing them to take turns when tired. This saved time and allowed for rest.
They often worked in this manner.
They were long accustomed to it.
The other guards, witnessing this logging spectacle for the first time, immediately applauded their skill and were eager to try, but they patiently watched how it was done.
Following Cheng Dazhuang's instruction, the tree quickly developed a notch, demonstrating remarkable efficiency, and the notch was shaped like a fork.
"When you've cut about two-thirds of the way, stop chopping like this, understand? You need to start chopping from the opposite side, and then the tree will fall in the direction you want!"
Cheng Dazhuang said in his deep voice, and then demonstrated again. When he got tired, he signaled his brother to take over.
Cheng Dali immediately stepped in. The brothers were indeed capable.
In less than half an hour, they had felled a tree the size of a large bowl's rim.
Initially, everyone else was trying to find suitable trees to log. When they were told to stay away because the tree was about to fall, they all quickly moved to a safe distance, their eyes wide with anticipation.
When the large tree crashed down, crushing some smaller branches, it settled.
Everyone became excited and cheered incessantly, truly impressed by their skill!
Despite the brothers' prowess, felling one tree had already consumed most of their strength. From then on, it would take them double the time to fell another, and eventually, they might not have the energy to continue.
But they had already done exceptionally well.
At least, everyone present was filled with admiration, and they began to cooperate with the logging.
Cheng Hao had initially been concerned about their safety. Seeing their expertise, he didn't deliberately try to "show off" his own skills. After finding Su Miaomiao, he took her to help gather some wild goods in the forest.
There were no mosquitoes during the heavy rain.
Mosquitoes typically appeared after the rain, and some were already noticeable today.
"Look, there's some mugwort over there. I remember we can harvest a batch in late autumn. Let's pick this now; burning it later will repel mosquitoes."
Su Miaomiao held Cheng Hao's hand, pointing to the mugwort with her other fingers, her eyesight sharp enough to identify so many wild plants.
Cheng Hao smiled and praised her, "Those old medicinal books you read weren't wasted after all."
Su Miaomiao puffed up proudly, "Of course not. Anything I've seen, I've absorbed into my brain. How could it be considered a waste?"
However, she only knew a part of it, and naturally couldn't compare to professionals. But for everyday life, knowing some of their uses was already quite good.
Now, it was coming in handy.
Once Su Miaomiao found useful medicinal herbs or wild vegetables, she would get completely absorbed.
Cheng Hao watched her the entire time, occasionally helping to pick things. When he looked up, she would often be out of sight, and he would have to find her nearby and then hold her hand firmly.
Su Miaomiao knew he worried about her and couldn't stand being apart from him for too long. But she couldn't help but feel a little impatient, "I'm only a few steps away from you..."
She was so anxious that she almost acted like a spoiled child.
Cheng Hao, however, told her to stop fooling around. He couldn't feel at ease if he wasn't watching her.
Su Miaomiao had no choice but to endure.
The two of them were as clingy as conjoined twins, sticking close to each other.
But their harvest was also considerable.
Su Miaomiao also set a few traps. When they went back to get their tools, they were praised by the head of the Cheng family, who had clearly heard about the wild rabbit. He even sent two guards to set traps.
The two guards exchanged bewildered glances; when had they ever learned to hunt?
In the end, they had no choice but to go, bracing themselves.
The head of the Cheng family's original intention was: "My daughter-in-law, this little girl, can catch wild rabbits. How can you two grown men be inferior to her?"
The two guards finally had to admit they had never hunted before, nor had they ever set traps, and could only learn, or try their best, without any guarantees.
The head of the Cheng family, naturally assuming it was easy, told them to just try. He said it didn't matter whether they caught anything or not, but his implication was that it was very easy.
In his eyes,
Su Miaomiao catching prey was purely luck, the little girl playing around haphazardly. What could she possibly understand? Clearly, it was a time when prey was abundant, so placing a few traps randomly could easily catch two large rabbits.
The guards felt speechless but could only nod in agreement and then set off.
The head of the Cheng family was also tempted by the wild game. After all, at this time, no one complained about having too much food, let alone meat. This was why he was willing to spare two of his six guards, keeping the rest by his side.
He was still afraid of dying.
Everyone else could see this, but no one pointed it out.
There was no need to.
Everyone was busy with their own tasks, contributing their part.
The young couple, encountering good medicinal herbs, would discreetly store some in their spatial dimension. However, the convenience store also had some commonly used medicines, so they didn't keep many herbs, with most being kept in the caravan to save lives later.
At such times, good teammates couldn't die; they had to stay alive.
If all the herbs were stored in their spatial dimension, it would be inconvenient to retrieve them later.