Han Cheng wasn't in a hurry. He washed his face with a basin, scooped a bowl of cold water, and walked outside, drinking while watching the Eldest Senior Brothers working on the roof.
The front part of the roof was already well-covered with tiles. The tiles were laid in a specific pattern, starting from one side of the roof's edge, stacking one over the other in a row. The laid tiles created a pattern resembling fish scales.
Squatting on the roof, the Eldest Senior Brother, after checking the alignment, inserted the small end of a black tile into the big end of the one below it. A slight push with his hands secured the two tiles tightly together. He repeated this process with another tile.
As he worked, the four vertical rows of tiles gradually extended from the bottom of the roof to the ridge.
Walking back and forth on the roof was uncomfortable, so the Eldest Senior Brother placed four rows simultaneously, improving efficiency and saving energy.
All the tiles placed by the Eldest Senior Brother had a concave side facing upwards, and there was a gap of about four centimeters between the adjacent two vertical rows. You could see the layer of mud smeared on the lattice below through these gaps.
These tiles, naturally, wouldn't keep out the rain. Another process was necessary to provide shelter from wind and rain, which was what the Third Senior Brother, following behind, was doing.
Holding a tile in his hands, the Third Senior Brother looked at the ends, inverted the tile, and then, with the big end facing down and the small end facing up, inserted it into the gap between the two rows of tiles laid by the Eldest Senior Brother.
Furthermore, the two sides of the inserted tile would press against the middle of the two rows of tiles.
As a result, the entire roof would no longer have exposed areas under the open sky.
When raindrops fell on the slope formed by the higher middle section and the lower sides, they would slide down along this slope, gathering on the narrow, upward-facing tiles left uncovered by about four centimeters. Then, following the small channels, the water would flow rapidly down and drop like a string of pearls at the eaves.
Compared to roofs made of thatch, the rainwater drainage of tiled roofs was undoubtedly better.
As Han Cheng watched the mud-covered roof gradually being concealed by one tile after another, a smile appeared on his face. Soon, he could move into this meaningful house and wouldn't have to listen to the women singing songs at night.
Shaman woke up early today. He couldn't sleep when it wasn't yet dawn.
He glanced toward the Divine Child's location, which was not far away. It was blurry and hard to see, but he knew the Divine Child was sleeping soundly.
Looking at the sky, he could only endure his impatience, waiting slowly for the dawn, for Divine Child to wake up from his dreams, and for the Divine Child to unveil the miracle.
As the sky gradually brightened, there were movements in the cave. Fu Jiang, awakened by these sounds, perked up his ears, glanced outside the cave, then turned his head to look at Han Cheng sleeping soundly with a piece of animal hide covering his belly. Fu Jiang opened his long mouth, yawned, placed his chin on his front paws, and then dozed off again.
Han Cheng woke up from his sleep, grabbed the pottery night pot from the end of the bed, aimed at the pot, and after releasing the accumulated fluids from a night of sleep, he lay back down on the straw-made bed and closed his eyes.
Shaman, who had been anxiously waiting, saw Han Cheng getting up and felt a sense of joy. Finally, he could follow the Divine Child to see how he used the rope to catch rabbits. However, before he could get up, he saw Han Cheng turning over and falling back asleep, leaving Shaman's happy heart momentarily frozen.
He looked outside, and the sky was already bright. Thinking about the times when the Divine Child could sleep until breakfast was ready, Shaman hesitated momentarily. Finally, summoning his courage, he decided to wake up the shaman.
"Is there something wrong?" Han Cheng wasn't annoyed at being woken up abruptly; he had just slept and was still half awake. When he opened his eyes and saw Shaman hesitating, he asked, thinking that something significant might have happened in the tribe.
" Divine Child." Shaman first respectfully saluted Han Cheng to express his apologies and then said, "Rabbits."
Han Cheng slapped his forehead, realizing he had forgotten about this matter. He had been too immersed in his sleep.
Seeing that Divine Child had forgotten such an important thing, Shaman was momentarily at a loss for words.
The Divine Child was indeed the Divine Child; he could maintain his composure. Shaman had lost sleep over this matter, but the Divine Child could sleep soundly.
"Let's go, and see what's happening." Han Cheng, now reminded by Shaman, became excited. He had forgotten about it but was now eager to see the results. After all, it was his first time setting rabbit snares. Previously, he had only been caught in a rabbit snare once.
After a simple wash, Han Cheng called the Tie Tou couple to prepare for departure. However, Shaman also wanted to witness the event firsthand.
Considering that the rabbit-snaring location wasn't too far from the tribe, Han Cheng decided not to insist, but a few more people joined the group.
Looking at the people around him, Han Cheng smiled wryly, hoping that there would be a good harvest. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing.
Summer mornings were dewy, and the green grass appeared white with dewdrops from a distance.
As twenty or so feet stepped through, dewdrops fell from the grass leaves, creating a path more than a meter wide with a distinct color compared to the surroundings.
Han Cheng arrived at the nearest rabbit snare, standing on the edge of the ditch and using a long stick to push away the tall, concealing grass. The rabbit snare, dampened by the morning dew, was revealed. It looked the same as when Han Cheng had placed it there, maintaining the same posture throughout the night.
Shaman finally understood how Han Cheng had arranged everything, but seeing this simple setup, he didn't know how to express his feelings.
He thought Divine Child would develop something intricate, similar to the bone shovel or rake crafted earlier. However, it turned out to be .
Han Cheng was feeling embarrassed. He had anticipated a bountiful harvest, but they were all empty after checking ten rabbit snares. Not a single rabbit hair was found.
Fortunately, he was at the front, and others couldn't see the expression on his face.
"Come on, just one, please, just one." Han Cheng walked towards the next rabbit snare, muttering to himself.
About ten meters away, he saw that the grass's color differed from the surrounding grass. The dew on the nearby grass was white, while the grass was deep green here because the dew had been shaken off.
"There's a chance." Han Cheng, seeing this scene, was delighted. Then he rushed towards that spot, and the others hurriedly followed.
"Damn it." Holding a rope with only one rabbit leg, Han Cheng looked disheveled in the morning breeze. He couldn't help but curse out loud.