Novel Bin
Chapter 18 - How to Tell When Someone Left
Chapter 018: How to Tell When Someone Left
With enough wood gathered, the only thing left was the roof.
Fortunately, Mu Liang had already carved grooves into the walls, making it easier to set up the wooden beams.
Thanks to his enhanced strength, the entire process took only ten minutes.
“Mu Liang, I’ll handle laying the stone tiles! Just pass them up to me!”
Mino climbed onto the roof agilely, her rabbit ears twitching with excitement.
Mu Liang handed her a brick and reminded her:
“Be careful. Watch your footing.”
“Got it!”
Mino cheerfully arranged the stone tiles, already daydreaming about living in their new home.
By the time they had finished half the roof, the sky had gone dark.
They lit a bonfire in the courtyard for light and continued working.
An hour later—
The roof was complete.
Xiao Xuanwu used its ability to fuse the stones together, ensuring that even heavy rain wouldn’t cause leaks.
“We finally finished!”
Mino jumped off the roof, eyes sparkling with excitement.
She clenched her small fists, feeling a mix of joy and accomplishment.
The overwhelming excitement from earlier had settled into a warm satisfaction.
Mu Liang patted her shoulder.
“Let’s move in. Time to bring everything over.”
“Mm!”
Mino nodded vigorously.
Moving didn’t take long—
After all, she didn’t have much.
Her belongings included:
- A pillow
- A wooden bed board
- Two wooden bowls
- A wooden bucket
And…
The wooden door from her old hut.
Mino insisted on taking it and planned to install it as her new bedroom door.
It was a sentimental piece, a symbol of her past life.
Eventually, the only thing left behind was the structure of the old hut itself.
Everything else had been moved.
Mu Liang stood at the doorway, holding a torch.
He silently watched as Mino hugged her pillow, standing motionless in the middle of the hut.
But he didn’t interrupt her.
Mu Liang had no illusions about finding Mino’s sister.
But he understood—
Keeping small pieces of their shared past might bring her some comfort.
A moment later, Mino bit her lip, turned around, and said softly:
“Let’s go.”
She clutched her pillow tightly, her expression unreadable.
Who knew if she would ever return to this place again?
Mu Liang didn’t say anything.
At this moment, words were meaningless.
He simply walked beside her, leading her back to Xiao Xuanwu.
Even as the hut disappeared from sight, Mino stole glances over her shoulder several times.
But once they arrived at their new home—
Her mood completely changed.
Mino beamed, running in and out of her new bedroom, examining every corner.
She clutched her pillow and excitedly ran up to Mu Liang.
“This whole room is really mine?!”
Mu Liang laughed and nodded.
“Yes. You can decorate it however you like.”
“Hehe~~ Then I’m going to organize everything!”
Mino giggled happily and dashed back inside to start setting up her space.
Meanwhile, Mu Liang turned his attention to the courtyard.
They still needed a proper firepit for cooking.
His stomach rumbled, and he decided to set it up immediately.
The process was simple:
- A square firepit, identical to the one from the old hut.
- A layer of soil, followed by a layer of sand, for insulation.
- A chimney system, ensuring proper ventilationfor smoke.
Once the chimney was secured, Mu Liang dusted off his hands.
He grinned.
“That’s done.”
Then, he chuckled to himself—
“Looks like ‘Earth Spike Burst’ has more uses than I thought.”
He set up a cooking rack, hung the steel pot, and started boiling meat soup.
At the same time, he placed skewers of meat over the fire to roast.
At that moment—
A small nose twitched in the doorway.
Mino peeked out, her blue eyes wide with surprise.
She stared at the firepit, then at the simmering soup and roasting meat.
Her ears twitched in disbelief.
Mu Liang smirked.
“Why are you just standing there? Aren’t you hungry?”
“Of course I’m hungry!”
Mino immediately ran over and sat cross-legged by the fire.
She stared eagerly at the meat, but then hesitated—
She wanted to remind Mu Liang to ration their food.
But—
When she looked up and saw his dust-covered face, she swallowed her words.
Instead, she simply asked:
“Is it ready yet?”
Mu Liang raised an eyebrow.
He had expected her to lecture him on saving food.
But instead—
She had let it slide.
He smiled.
“Meat soup takes time to absorb the flavors.”
Then, he flipped a skewer over the flames.
Mino hesitated for a moment, then asked:
“You said a group of scouts will come tomorrow, right?”
Mu Liang glanced at her.
“Yes.”
Mino bit her lip.
“So… how do we make it look like the villagers just left?”
Mu Liang turned a skewer, then asked:
“If you were a scout, how would you figure out when people left?”
He didn’t give her the answer immediately.
Instead, he wanted her to think for herself.
After all—
They were going to survive together in this world.
And she needed to learn the skills he knew.
Mino pouted in concentration, her rabbit ears tangling together as she tried to think.
She looked down at her bare feet and wiggled her toes.
Suddenly—
Her eyes lit up.
“Footprints!”
She beamed.
“You can tell when people left by looking at their footprints, right?!”
Mu Liang nodded approvingly.
“That’s correct. The depth and freshness of footprints can tell you how long ago someone passed by.”
But then, he added:
“However, there’s an even easier way.”
Mino’s ears perked up.
“What is it?”
Mu Liang smiled.
“The condition of charcoal and ash.”
He explained:
“By observing how long charcoal takes to burn out, and how long the ground beneath a fire remains warm, you can estimate how recently someone was here.”
Mino’s eyes sparkled with understanding.
“That makes sense!”
She nodded eagerly—
Even though she didn’t fully grasp it yet, she would learn.
Mu Liang handed her a skewer of roasted meat.
“Now, eat first. You’ll need energy to work tomorrow.”
“Okay!”
Mino took the skewer absentmindedly, still deep in thought.
“Snap!”
Mu Liang flicked her forehead.
“Ah! That hurt!”
Mino yelped cutely.
Mu Liang smirked.
“Focus on eating.”
He handed her a bowl of hot soup.
Mino pouted but accepted the bowl.
Even as she sipped the soup, she kept thinking about what she had learned.
Tomorrow, they would put it to the test.
What do you think?
Total Responses: 0