Chapter 122: Chapter 122: If Only We Had a Wagon

The lead wolf howled at Yi Meng, causing the pack to converge immediately and head toward the bucket of water Yi Meng had set down.

At this moment, Yi Meng approached Qi Quanjin and whispered, “Brother Jin, Little White might be able to make the horses obey.”

“Little White? That white snake?”

Qi Quanjin was surprised.

Yi Meng nodded, “When we were looking for the water source with the villagers earlier, there were animal tracks near the water but no animals. I suspect it’s Little White’s doing. Little White is in the space now; shall we let it out and give it a try?”

“Sure!”

Qi Quanjin made a quick decision.

It would be great if it worked; if not, it didn’t matter since they were at a distance from everyone else, and with their bodies to block the view, there shouldn’t be any issue.

Little White, who was coiled like a mosquito coil and sleeping, suddenly felt a chill that almost took its life.

“Little White, make the horses obey and obediently pull our cart.”

Yi Meng’s voice came from above.

Little White was not pleased, raising its triangular head and hissing at Yi Meng.

I’m not human, but you are truly a dog!

Don’t treat a snake’s life like it’s nothing!

Little White complained, but Yi Meng couldn’t understand, thinking it might be unable to do it. She immediately said, “Can’t do it? Then I’ll let Manbao try instead!”

Since the wolf pack had moved to another area, having Manbao come over shouldn’t be dangerous.

Upon hearing this, Little White’s eyes almost bulged like glass balls, hastily hissing and turning towards the five wild horses, furiously hissing.

Soon after, everyone saw the five wild horses visibly becoming docile at a remarkable speed.

No longer in their previous agitated state, they even snorted gently when drinking and obediently approached Yi Meng and Qi Quanjin.

Having completed its task, Little White skillfully wrapped around Yi Meng’s wrist.

This was to say: I’ve finished my work; I want to go back!

Yi Meng didn’t rush to put Little White back in the space; instead, she carefully extended her hand to stroke one of the horse’s faces.

Not only did the horse not avoid her, it even lowered its head to make it easier for Yi Meng to pet.

“It’s done!”

Yi Meng was overjoyed.

Qi Quanjin was also very pleased, stepping forward to stroke another horse’s face.

The five horses transformed from their confrontational stance with the wolf pack to behaving as if they had been domesticated for years, leaving everyone nearby astounded.

“My goodness, your family’s fourth couple truly is extraordinary!”

Aunt Zhou nudged Mrs. Qi with her elbow, “They really made the wild horses tame.”

Mrs. Qi had mixed feelings at that moment.

Pride, yes, but mostly fear.

Especially seeing the fourth couple with silly grins while petting the wild horses, Mrs. Qi became even more exasperated amidst her fear.

Honestly, not a single one of them gives any peace of mind!

The five wild horses thus became the group’s draft animals for pulling the carts.

However, their previous carts were hand carts—difficult even for humans to pull, let alone horses.

So, they decided to stay a few more days to build five horse carts.

The men were quick with their hands, and though not professionally trained in carpentry, they had guidance from the Qi Family, so by midnight, they had assembled the first cart.

It was almost twice as big as a hand cart, with sides about half a meter high for protection. At night, they could cover it with a canopy which acted as a temporary tent.

By the afternoon of the next day, another cart was completed.

Seeing everyone working so energetically, Aunt Zhou couldn’t help but remark, “If there was an oil-paper canopy on this cart, and you could put the kids inside while traveling, it would definitely be much warmer than outside.”

Granny Sun chuckled and chided, “You think of a lot! An oil-paper canopy? We don’t have much oil-paper left, where could we get enough for a canopy?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Ercai, who was helping carry a large tree back with others, quickly looked towards his mother, “Mom, I remember buying quite a bit of oil-paper when I went to town before. Can it work?”

Mrs. Qi was momentarily confused, apparently not recalling this, but after thinking carefully, she called out to Yi Meng, “Meng Niang, come over. Do you know where the oil-paper your second brother bought is stored?”

Mentioning the oil-paper, Yi Meng also pondered for a bit, then her expression became a bit awkward, “I remember; it’s in our luggage! Mom, do you need the oil-paper? I’ll look for it then.”

She remembered the oil-paper well; it was just stored in the space.

All families had some oil-paper stored, but they had used a lot while in the cave earlier.

Qi Ercai had bought twenty feet before going to town, used a few feet, so they had about fifteen feet left at home.

Three feet make a meter, so fifteen feet equals five meters.

Five meters would not be enough for a fully enclosed cart compartment.

But it would suffice for the roof and two sides.

So, Qi Sanlang and a few younger children were tasked with selecting branches from the big trees the adults brought back.

They needed branches two to three fingers thick and of sufficient length to build the cart frame.

After selecting, all forks and rough surfaces had to be smoothed with a small knife.

Then, the branches were wrapped with fabric scraps selected by the women at home and sewn together for reinforcement.

Oil-paper was precious, so they covered it with patches made from fabric scraps on both sides.

As a result, no family had fabric scraps left; all were used to make this cart canopy.

The cart compartment was about 1.2 meters wide and less than 2.2 meters long.

This space could not accommodate many adults but could fit several children.

Moreover, bedding from each household could be spread inside.

Firstly, to reduce shock, and secondly, to free up space in the other carts.

In no time, everyone was busy for seven days here.

The cart panels were easy to make, but the wheels required more time, which is why it took so long.

The sky still showed no signs of rain, remaining cloudless during the day and starry at night.

However, temperatures dropped further.

During the day, they had to keep fires burning, and at night, they constantly added logs to prevent waking up from the cold.

Over these seven days, the wolf pack returned three times.

Each time, they brought prey, drank water, and then set up formations nearby before vanishing into the forest without looking back.

Though the group’s food supply was resolved, their water was nearing depletion.

Had Yi Meng not discreetly added some, they would be singing about resistance long ago.

“Wife, we’re setting off tomorrow, but what about the water…”

In the middle of the night, Qi Quanjin quietly woke his wife, looking worried as he brought up the issue.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep