Boom—
A thunderclap tore through the sky.
"Ugh…" Mino stirred in her sleep, roused by the noise. A flash of lightning flickered past the window.
"Boom…"
Another muffled roar of thunder followed.
"Is it thundering?" Mino blinked her eyes and hurriedly sat up. She padded to the window, stood on tiptoe, and gazed at the sky.
It was already light outside. What should have been a pale dawn was instead covered in rolling black clouds, making her feel very small and in awe of nature's grandeur.
"A whole night has passed already." Mino smiled, turned lightly, and looked at the painting hanging on the wall. She stared at it in fascination. "Every time I look, I still can't believe it." She had spent the entire night trying to understand how such a painting could have been created.
"How embarrassing." Mino covered her face with her hands, remembering her own drawing from yesterday and how utterly shameful it had been.
Boom—
Thunder roared again. Snapping out of her embarrassment, Mino stole one last glance at the painting before opening her door and stepping out.
The hearth fire was already burning in the hall. "Where is everyone?" she wondered. Scanning the courtyard, she found Mu Liang busy at work.
"What are you doing, Mu Liang?" she asked.
"Preparing to collect rainwater." Mu Liang, aided by Rock Turtle, was remodeling the courtyard. He'd made the ground slope so that rain would gather and flow into large wooden tubs placed at the low end.
"What should I do?" Mino rolled up her sleeves.
"First, make breakfast." Mu Liang considered for a moment, then added, "And gather some extra charcoal—we'll need it later."
"All right." Mino replied obediently.
"I never expected that after wishing for rain last night, it would come today." Mu Liang looked up at the churning clouds. He recalled the morning report from Three-Colored Lizard that Blood Beard had already set out.
"They'll probably pass by us around noon," he mused, estimating the distance between their groups.
"For now, it's best to collect as much water as we can." Mu Liang fetched some good planks and set about crafting more large tubs.
Chop, chop… Wood shavings flew as he split each plank, planed the edges smooth, and polished the joints on a flat stone. Making the tubs wasn't difficult—when compressing the wood, he filled any gaps with spider silk so they wouldn't leak. It took just over an hour to finish each one, and he made three in total. Mu Liang paused only briefly to eat breakfast.
The thunder rumbled intermittently until midday, then the rain finally began. It came down in a deluge, the raindrops stinging to the skin. Rock Turtle tucked its limbs and head into its shell and waited quietly beside a ridge.
"Mu Liang, what do we do now?" Mino asked, watching the rain, tempted to dash out and bathe. She hadn't forgotten Mu Liang's question: "Can't you smell how rank you are?"
"You'd bathe in your clothes?" Mu Liang said, eyeing her filthy garments. Enough water, yes, but she'd never get properly clean.
"Where else?" Mino asked in confusion.
"Go to the washroom—I'll take off the roof." Mu Liang glanced at her dirty clothes. Of course she couldn't wash properly in them.
"All right." Mino's cheeks turned red as she entered the washroom.
"I never thought taking a bath could be so difficult," Mu Liang muttered, scratching his dripping hair. He looked around, shrugged off his shirt, and stepped into the downpour.
After a dozen minutes, he returned wearing the clothes he'd washed in the rain, water dripping from him, and re-entered the hall. He fed the fire and set a pot of meat broth to simmer.
"No dry clothes is troublesome." Mu Liang ruffled his wet hair. Then he remembered the five bolts of cloth they had. He cut a three-meter strip with his machete, folded it, and cut a hole for the head at the center.
"No needle or thread—spider silk will do." He folded the cloth again, cut slits for the shoulders so arms could pass through, and stitched the sides together with strands of silk, creating a sleeveless, round-necked robe.
"Sss…" Mino shivered as she stepped into the hall, cold air cutting her breath. She had bathed for over half an hour. In Mu Liang's hands was the odd-looking new robe.
"Come change into this," he said, handing it to her.
"How do I wear it?" Mino asked, puzzled.
"Head through the middle hole, arms through the side slits." Mu Liang explained once more and gently guided her inside the room.
Catching a cold here in the wasteland would be disastrous—there was no Western or herbal medicine, only their own immunity to rely on.
"I'll need to make another robe," Mu Liang sighed. "Wet clothes sticking to the skin are uncomfortable."
Mino reemerged, stepping hesitantly. "Mu Liang, this feels so strange."
"It suits you," he praised, momentarily struck by how the now-clean girl looked transformed. Her face, cleansed of dirt, was porcelain-smooth with a delicate oval shape and large blue eyes. Her water-blue hair fell to her waist, and her rabbit ears gave her an otherworldly charm.
"Sit and drink some hot broth to warm up." Mu Liang didn't want her to catch a cold—it would be the worst possible start.
"Mm, you too," Mino replied, blushing as she poured two bowls.
Mu Liang waved her off. "You drink first. I'll finish the other robe."
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]