The men were putting the finishing touches on this house, which was a little different from their winter camps. In Li Long's view, these young men were putting more care into this house than their own winter camps.
To keep the wood from cracking in the sun, they had laid a thick layer of dry grass over the roof, then plastered it with mud. The mud had dried by now, leaving the roof looking rather gray, but it was enough to keep the rain out.
The walls had also been coated with mud. With the double protection of wood and mud, the cold winter wind would not get in, and it offered some protection against fire too.
A wooden deck extended two meters out from the front of the house. The open grass beyond had been leveled, with drainage ditches dug along both sides. The yard had been tidied up and was very level. Two wooden posts stood on its eastern side, with two sheep already tied to them. Their occasional bleats mingled with the cries of the fawns grazing behind the winter camp.
Some of the young men sat on leftover logs, chatting and laughing. Others felt there were still things about the house that needed adjusting and were working on them with their tools.
When they saw Harimu and Li Long coming with their bicycles, the men called out excitedly and all ran over to help push the bicycles up to the winter camp.
Once the bicycles were propped up, Li Long unloaded the goods with everyone. Jade Mountain River squeezed over and said with a smile:
"Li Long, the winter camp is finished. You can take a good look now. If anything isn't right, we can fix it up right away. We have to make sure you're