Li Long had no intention of staying in an Earth Cellar-it was easy to develop rheumatism living there, and the cramped interior was terribly stuffy.
By the time he left, Tao Daqiang and the others had finished work and stopped weaving Taibazi. Instead, they began lighting fires around the Earth Cellars, piling wet grass on top to send up clouds of smoke.
Li Long knew they were smoking out mosquitoes-the mountain mosquitoes were already out.
Some of the mosquitoes here looked big but did not actually bite, while some of the small ones had vicious bites.
Tao Daqiang and the others simply pulled up whatever green grass they could find and put it on the fires, mainly to produce smoke. Li Long, however, knew that mugwort could repel mosquitoes-unexpectedly, he had learned that in his previous life from the cartoon Boonie Cubs while visiting someone else's home.
Li Long came across some mugwort on the way and pulled up a few handfuls. When he got back to the Winter Camp, he did not burn it, but put it straight into the bedroom.
As usual, he locked his bicycle in the small room, then went into the bedroom to get ready for bed.
Almost everything in the small room had already been moved out. He could simply take the little remaining fritillaria back on his bicycle tomorrow.
Once the job at Small White Poplar Gully was finished, Li Long figured he could roam the mountains every day-no, that would not do either. He had to spend a few days catching fish first. He had been wandering the mountains every day lately; the fish in Little Haizi must have been getting lonely, right?
The next morning, Li Long got up and made himself a fairly lavish breakfast with the few supplies left