Ye Hao and the others didn't know that Niu Jianwen was injured. The few of them chatted and laughed, changing direction and walking back.
During this time, Ye Hao still gave Sun Chaoshu and Lu Bingsheng some diluted spring water to prevent them from falling behind.
By around four in the afternoon, the five of them were almost back at the camp. Less than five hundred meters from the camp, Captain Xu did not head straight for the camp, but turned towards a patch of bushes nearby.
Ye Hao and the others didn't know what Captain Xu was doing. Ye Hao asked, "Captain Xu, aren't we going back to the camp? Where are we going?"
"Haha, I'm taking you to a good place. Whether we can eat meat today depends on what happens next," Captain Xu said, building suspense.
As they neared the bushes, Ye Hao heard a flapping sound.
Getting closer, Captain Xu also heard the flapping sound, and his face lit up. "It looks like we'll have an extra meal tonight."
Captain Xu led them into the bushes. As soon as they entered, Ye Hao saw a wild chicken caught in a snare.
"Captain Xu, is this your snare? When did you set it?" Sun Chaoshu was very excited to see this.
"This morning, before you all woke up, Er Gou and I set it. We basically set snares every day, but it takes many days to catch one. We usually only set one snare at a time. It's best if we catch something, but we don't mind if we don't. We're not hunters; hunters set multiple snares at once, increasing their chances of catching something," Captain Xu explained to them.
"Captain Xu, why don't you set more snares so you can eat wild chicken every day?"
"If we set many snares every day and caught wild chickens every day, the wild chickens here would have gone extinct long ago. We're not hunters who rely on this for a living. We protect the animals and plants in the forest, we don't destroy them. Setting one snare at a time like this is just relying on luck. If we're lucky, we'll have a treat. If not, then so be it; we don't lose anything. We've been here for over a year, and wild chickens still frequently pass through this area, which means the ecology here is still very good." After speaking, Captain Xu untied the snare from the wild chicken's leg and carried it back.
Back at the camp, Er Gou and the others hadn't returned yet. Seeing that it was still early, Captain Xu didn't think much of it. "Zhang Shan, today, make these young Comrades our specialty dish, stewed chicken with mushrooms. There are hazel mushrooms I brought up in the storeroom; use those. The broth from stewed chicken with hazel mushrooms is the freshest."
"Alright, Captain. I'll process the chicken now." Saying that, Zhang Shan took a basin and went to the stream to kill the chicken.
"You've definitely never eaten hazel mushrooms. These hazel mushrooms are one of the best mushrooms we have here, and also one of the best mountain delicacies. Today, I'll let you taste them. Try not to swallow your tongue," Captain Xu said to the three of them.
"If it's really that delicious, then I'll have to eat more today. There's no chance for this in the capital." Sun Chaoshu's expectant expression made Ye Hao want to kick him. Couldn't he be a bit more promising? It's just a mushroom; how good could it be?
It was still early, so the few of them, having nothing to do, strolled around the camp.
Lu Bingsheng came to the front of the storeroom and saw a woodworking plane inside.
He asked Captain Xu, "Captain Xu, why do you have a plane here? Do you have a carpenter?"
"Oh, that. We used to have a teammate who knew a bit of carpentry. You see, these tables and chairs were all made by him. Later, he returned to his village, and he didn't take the tools back, so they've been in the storeroom ever since. Why do you ask?"
"Captain Xu, I'm a carpenter by family tradition. I just saw this and was a bit curious. Do we have a full set of woodworking tools here? If so, I can make furniture. I've been doing this since I was a child."
"That's wonderful! I'll go find the tools for you. Just yesterday, I was thinking about going down the mountain to make some chairs for you. Since you can do it, that's great! The tools should all be in the storeroom. Wait a moment," Captain Xu said, then ducked into the storeroom to look for things.
Soon, he came out carrying a pile of woodworking tools. Lu Bingsheng saw that they were quite complete: saws, rulers, ink markers, planes, carving knives, various chisels, and a wooden drill.
"Captain Xu, your tools are quite complete. With these, I can make most furniture."
"That's wonderful, then. You can get familiar with them first. Tomorrow, you don't have to patrol the mountain. Just make a few stools now," Captain Xu said.
"Captain Xu, it's not that much trouble. A few stools will be done in no time; it won't take until tomorrow. I see a lot of wood behind the house; can these be used?" Lu Bingsheng said confidently.
Ye Hao noticed that the moment Lu Bingsheng got the tools, he became confident and composed. It seemed this was the real Lu Bingsheng.
"Feel free to use them. Those are all wood for burning as firewood."
"Okay, then you all go about your business. I'll be done in a bit." With that, he walked towards the back of the house to select wood.
Sun Chaoshu, seeing this, followed along, wanting to join the fun. Ye Hao also followed behind to see Lu Bingsheng's skills.
Lu Bingsheng picked out a large log about a meter long and began to saw it, cutting it into a pile of small long strips and several wooden boards. Then, he used a plane to smooth them.
"Bingsheng, do you need help?" Sun Chaoshu wanted to lend a hand but didn't know how to intervene.
"Brother Chao, no need. I'll do it myself. I could do this when I was five," Lu Bingsheng replied with a smile.
"Holy cow, you could do carpentry at five? That's amazing! When I was five, I was still peeing in the mud and playing," Sun Chaoshu was shocked to hear that Lu Bingsheng could do this at five.
"I grew up surrounded by wood, following my grandpa every day, so I learned pretty quickly."
In the time it took to speak, Lu Bingsheng had already cut mortise and tenon joints into the wooden strips and boards. Then, he joined these strips and boards together, and in a short while, a small chair was made.
"It's done so quickly. Bingsheng, you're amazing!" Seeing Lu Bingsheng make a chair in just a few movements, Sun Chaoshu didn't hesitate to praise him.
"This is the simplest. You can make do with these for now. In a few days, when I have time, I'll make each of you a Grand Master's chair," Lu Bingsheng said indifferently.
"A Grand Master's chair, yes, yes, that's possible, haha."
Lu Bingsheng then made four more chairs, one for each person.
The three of them moved the finished chairs back into the house. Captain Xu was also astonished to see how quickly they were made. Their previous carpenter teammate only made one chair a day, but Comrade Lu made five chairs in such a short time. It seems his skill is exceptionally good. Captain Xu thought to himself that he should have him make more furniture in the future and replace all the old ones.
Lu Bingsheng didn't know that he was about to become the camp's furniture maker. Even if he knew, Comrade Lu would probably be very willing, after all, this was his specialty.
"Captain, Captain, something's happened..."