HBWnovel Chapter 18 - How to Determine When Someone Left
Chapter 18 - How to Determine When Someone Left
Chapter 18: How to Determine When Someone Left
Moving the wood was done; now, only the roof needed to be set up.
Because grooves had been left on the walls in advance and with Mu Liang’s strength, the wooden framework was completed in about ten minutes.
“Mu Liang, I’ll lay the bricks. You pass them to me.” Mino nimbly climbed onto the roof.
“Be careful and watch your step,” Mu Liang reminded as he handed over the bricks.
“Got it.”
Mino cheerfully began laying the bricks, already imagining how wonderful it would be to live in the new house.
Halfway through laying the bricks, night fell.
A bonfire was lit in the yard to provide light, and the two continued their work.
An hour later, the roof was complete.
The Rock Armor Turtle then fused all the stone bricks into a single entity, ensuring the roof wouldn’t leak during rain.
“Finally done!” Mino exclaimed as she happily jumped down from the roof.
Clenching her small fists, she was visibly excited, but a day’s worth of activity had calmed her down enough to face the sight of the new house.
“Let’s start moving in. Bring everything over,” Mu Liang said, patting her shoulder.
“Mhm.” Mino nodded firmly.
Moving in didn’t take long since the girl didn’t have much to bring—just a pillow, wooden planks for bedding, two wooden bowls, a wooden bucket, and the door of her wooden shed.
The wooden planks were for her bed, while the wooden shed door was intended for her new room—a sentimental keepsake of sorts.
In the end, aside from the wooden shed structure, which couldn’t be disassembled, everything else was moved.
“...”
Mu Liang stood silently at the entrance of the wooden shed, holding a torch.
He watched as Mino stood in the center of the shed, holding her pillow and staring blankly.
Mu Liang didn’t stop her.
As for her sister, he didn’t have much hope that they’d find her again. Keeping a few shared items from their time together could provide Mino with some comfort.
“Let’s go,” Mino murmured, biting her lower lip as she turned away with her pillow in hand.
From now on, there was no telling if they’d ever return.
“The soup needs more time to bring out the flavor,” Mu Liang said, somewhat surprised as he looked at her.
He had been expecting her to lecture him about saving food and had even prepared a rebuttal.
“Didn’t you say scouts or thieves might come tomorrow?”
Uncomfortable under his gaze, Mino shifted the topic with a bashful tone. “How do we make the camp look like everyone just left?”
“If you were a scout arriving at the camp,” Mu Liang asked calmly while turning the meat, “how would you determine when everyone left?”
Some lessons couldn’t be handed over directly; Mino needed to think and learn for herself.
After all, the two of them would be living together for a long time. Mu Liang planned to gradually teach her survival skills and wilderness experience.
“Let me think...”
Mino bit her lip, her bunny ears twitching as she pondered hard.
Her gaze fell on her toes as they wiggled slightly. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
“I’ve got it! You look at the footprints, right?” Mino shouted excitedly.
“Correct. The depth and freshness of the footprints can help estimate when people left,” Mu Liang affirmed with a nod. “But there’s an even simpler way to judge.”
“What’s that?” Mino’s blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“The burn state and temperature of charcoal.”
Mu Liang shared the knowledge he’d learned in the army: “Once you know this, practice observing how long it takes for charcoal to burn out and for the soil under the fire to cool completely. With that, you can deduce when people left.”
“I see,” Mino said, nodding earnestly, though still a bit confused.
“Eat up. You need energy for tomorrow.”
Mu Liang handed her a skewer of roasted meat.
“Okay.” Mino absentmindedly took the skewer, her mind still mulling over his words.
“Snap!”
Mu Liang flicked her forehead lightly with a finger.
“Ow!” Mino yelped adorably.
“Focus on eating.”
Mu Liang handed her a bowl of meat soup.
“Okay...” Mino pouted, looking a little aggrieved as she accepted the wooden bowl.