War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 497 Slowly Getting Better Shelter and Cooking Competition

Since the roof was added to the basement that was originally open-air, Wei Ran and others never went out unless necessary, and the main daily activities became digging the silted soil and charcoal, as well as the gravel mixed in between.

In the day and night of the four of them in the geographical sense, the added roof has now been covered with a thick layer of soil and snow enough to blend in with the surrounding environment.

And in the warmer basement, no, maybe it can be called an underground shelter at this time.Today, most of the area in this underground shelter has been cleared.

Not only could everyone stand up straight, but a one-meter-wide entrance and exit had been dug out on the wall facing the direction they had come from.

Not only were the two sides of the entrance and exit reinforced with collected wooden sticks, but also a wooden door was installed with the remaining canvas and wooden boards enough to block the cold wind.

Not only that, but on the side next to the wooden door, Dorian, who became a mason, also used mud mixed with a lot of pine needles and stones dug out to build a fireplace with a chimney.

Even, in order to be able to eat bread earlier, Dorian built the small oil barrel he found before into the fireplace, and got an oven that worked well.

And the price for all this is that the small wooden board hanging on the chimney of the fireplace has been marked with a "卌" character and a "Chuan" character by Kan Tan with charcoal.

In other words, this is already the eighth day they have been here, and the clock on Kan Tan's wrist has turned 16 and a half times.For such a long time, neither Quentin nor the German pursuers came over, but the people hiding in the shelter lived more and more comfortably.

In the warm shelter baked by the uninterrupted fire, everyone only wore thin knitted clothes, and the chilblains on everyone's bodies were also thickly coated with bear fat with a little fragrance of pine trees.And beside almost everyone, there is a tin can with a flame as a limited lighting.

Dorian, who had recovered from a cold, turned into a carpenter again after building the chimney. At this time, he was busy making a third bed with a few thigh-thick logs and boards. Not only that, but those around these beds On the burnt log walls, he carefully nailed a layer of thin planks.

Also not idle, there was also Kang Tan, whose leg wound had scabbed over. He was holding a Finnish hunting knife, and carefully shaved a five-centimeter-thick wooden sole.

After comparing the size of another shoe that had already been made, Kang Tan nodded in satisfaction, picked up a long piece of canvas and a piece of bearskin cut to the size of a shoe sole, with the canvas on the bottom and the furry side of the bearskin on the bottom. on wooden soles.

Immediately afterwards, he took a tube-shaped brown bear hind leg skin that was originally worn on Gail's foot, with the hairy side facing inward, and pressed the edge of one end onto the sole covered with canvas and bearskin insole. Before it was over, he took another piece of cut canvas and bear skin and covered it.

After aligning all the parts, Kang Tan took out a few nails from the iron box beside him, the smallest nails he found in the oil barrel, picked up the ax beside him, and carefully smashed a circle along the edge of the wooden sole.

After a final pruning, Kang Tan nodded in satisfaction, picked up another shoe that was already made by his side, raised his head and shouted to Gail who was swinging his pickaxe, "Gail, come and try on your shoes .”

"We have already done?"

Hearing this, Gail immediately dropped the tool in his hand, turned around and walked over, and Wei Ran, who was digging the soil with a shovel, also came over.

"Try it!"

There was a hint of oil on Kang Tan's face covered with bear fat, "I used a layer of canvas and a layer of bear skin for the sole, and an additional layer of canvas and a layer of bear skin were added to the upper, and the wooden sole is also enough. It's so thick, I can guarantee you won't feel cold even if you walk in the snow all day in it."

Hearing this, Gail immediately sat down on the newly laid wooden floor, and took off the canvas that was randomly wrapped around his feet.

"Victor, teach me how to tie a foot wrap."

Gail asked for help after taking a piece of clean cloth from Kantan. The cloth used to bind the feet came from the rags they wore before they escaped from the clutches of the German army. In the past few days, Kantan had already used the metal They were carefully steamed and washed in boxes and boiled snow water.Of course, in addition to wrapping the feet, these cloths are also used to bind wounds.

"You put some bear grease on the chilblains on your feet first."

While Wei Ran was speaking, he had already sat down on the floor full of sawdust, took off his boots, and unwrapped the foot wrap. After Gail had applied the bear fat, he patiently instructed him to wrap the cloth in the on the foot.

After wrapping the foot wrap according to the method taught by Wei Ran, Gail couldn't wait to put on the first bearskin wooden shoes, and then under the guidance of Kang Tan, he tied the shoes tightly with a long strip of canvas nailed to the bottom of the sole.

Putting on the second shoe in a similar manner, Gail tried to take two steps, sat down again and looked at the furry upper and said with satisfaction, "The feet are soft and warm, but the soles are a bit hard, but It's been very comfortable!"

"After all, it's a wooden sole," Kang Tan said with a smile, "but you seem to have grown a lot taller."

"That's true." Gail grinned silly. The wooden sole of this pair of shoes is only five centimeters thick, not to mention the thick bearskin lining inside.

"I also just finished the third bed"

Dorian said as if to take credit, "Give me a few more hours, just build another bed, and all of us won't have to sleep on the floor."

Hearing this, Wei Ran sat on the wooden bed that the other party had just made and tried it out, and said with a smile, "Let's sleep on this bed for Gail first, and after you get me a bed, we'll get some more." Wooden boards, try to wrap the surrounding walls with a layer."

"Except for the lack of windows, this place is even more comfortable than my home." Dorian couldn't help but admire, "Leave these tasks to me! Although I'm not a carpenter, it's very simple to just make a bed."

"Dorian, can you get an extra bed?" Gail asked abruptly.

"Get one more?" Dorian looked at Gale in confusion.

Gail was silent for a moment, then picked up the pickaxe again and said, "Maybe Quentin will find us sometime?"

"Leave it to me!" Dorian promised without any hesitation, "I will help Brother Quentin make a bed too."

Looking at Dorian and Kang Tan, Wei Ran sighed secretly. He finally knew why there were one more bed than the corpse when it was discovered in later generations.

"Gail, let's get something to eat." Wei Ran stood up and walked to Gail's side, "I'll keep digging, you get something to eat."

"Barbecue?" Gail asked immediately, "Dorian's oven is very useful, and it can be made quickly."

"Or another way?" Kang Tan suggested helplessly, "We've all eaten broth and barbecue for a week, and now I can hardly even poop."

"We only have onions, potatoes and bear meat." Gale flipped through the wooden box next to the fireplace. "There are five German cans left."

"Eat the can," Dorian begged.

“Let's eat the broth”

Kang Tan's tone became more and more helpless, "Keep the cans, they can last long enough, so let's use broth, put more potatoes and onions in it, I've almost had enough bear meat."

"Then let's make the broth." Gail was also quite distressed, "Our seasoning is only salt and not much cheese, otherwise it will definitely be better."

If I knew it earlier, I would have taken out the seasoning in the food box in advance.
Wei Ran secretly regretted that now there are as many seasonings as tea leaves and even chocolates in the food box, and there is even a barrel full of beer, but he can't find a suitable excuse to take them out.

Thinking about the stewed bear meat with onions and potatoes that he had eaten for a week, Wei Ran angrily picked up his pickaxe and slammed it hard on the slightly softened soil on the surface.

"crash"

This unusual movement immediately attracted everyone's attention, and Wei Ran immediately took out the flashlight he had been carrying in his pocket and turned it on.

When the slightly dim beam of light shone on the wall where Wei Ran had just tapped, everyone saw a hollow that was only the size of a washbasin at a glance.

"It's not completely collapsed inside."

Dorian leaned over and looked in, "Just like the bear cave back then, there is a triangular space inside, but it's very small. I'll crawl in and have a look."

"Let me do it"

Wei Ran grabbed Dorian and pulled him behind him. He was still worrying about how to take out the food box. This might be a rare opportunity.

"But I'm better." Before Dorian could finish his sentence, Wei Ran had already picked up the pickaxe again, aiming at the edge of the hole that just appeared and lightly pried it.

There was another soft crash, and a few pieces of gravel shook down, and the hole finally got bigger.Pulling away the pried stones, Wei Ran handed the pickaxe to Dorian, and at the same time explained, "I've been digging here before, so I probably know where the force is, you go in, if you touch It will be troublesome if it is buried somewhere."

After finishing speaking, Wei Ran didn't wait for Gail, who had already approached, to open his mouth, he got down on his stomach, and slipped in cautiously.

Just like what Dorian said just now, this place is much smaller than the bear cave where he lived briefly. Even though he could climb in, it was extremely difficult for him to squat down.

However, although the space here was pitifully small, he found a lot of interesting things.

First of all, on the wall facing him, besides a string of rusty animal clips, there are also two kerosene lamps that seem to be in good condition, and a milk lamp with a lid that looks quite large. Yellow enamel jug.

But compared to these, the most conspicuous thing is an enamel bathtub that is upside down and pressed against the edge.

"No wonder there is a task to take a bath, so I'm waiting here."

Wei Ran muttered to himself, and looked back at the hole that was tightly blocked by himself. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out and took off the enamel kettle hanging on the wall with great effort, and then moved towards the bathtub. Only then did he take out the food box in the metal book.

He opened the lid of the kettle and checked to make sure there was nothing dirty in it. Wei Ran quickly took out the seasonings in the food box and a pack of jasmine tea wrapped in paper and threw them in. After hesitating for a moment, he again Throwing a few pieces of chocolate wrapped in baking paper into it, I put away the food box contentedly.

"Victor, what's going on inside?" Gail asked worriedly behind him.

"It's not bad luck, I found some good things." Wei Ran responded to the other party, and at the same time, he took off the animal traps and kerosene lamps, and crawled out a little bit backwards.

"What did you find?" Dorian asked impatiently.

"Some Beast Traps"

Wei Ran propped up his upper body, handed the string of rusty animal clips to the other party, and then took out a kerosene lamp and handed it to Gail, "And there is a kerosene lamp, now we don't have to guard the choking person." tin cans."

"It's really a good thing!" Gail took the kerosene lamp in surprise and checked it over and over again. "I'll go outside and fill some oil to try."

"I'll go later, just as I'm going to pee." Wei Ran took out the important enamel pot at the same time as he finished the errand, "I also found an enamel water pot, and there seems to be something in it."

"What?" Now, even Kang Tan came over.

"Let me open it up"

Wei Ran carried the enamel pot to the edge of the fireplace, and by the light of the fire, he took out the paper bags that he put in just now and opened them, pretending to be pleasantly surprised, "It seems that we can eat something else. It's full of spices. It seems to have tea, sugar and...chocolate!"

"Is there God living in that cave?" Dorian asked dully.

"I don't know if there is a God in there"

Wei Ran had already distributed a few chocolates to everyone while speaking, "But there is a bathtub in there, and when we dig it out, maybe we can all take a hot bath."

"Bathtub? There's a bathtub in there?!"

At this moment, the eyes of the other three people were all rounded. Speaking of which, they didn't have any decent containers for more than a week, so at most they just found a piece of cloth and dipped it in the heat from the two steel helmets on the fireplace. Just wipe your body with water.

Now that food and clothing are solved, if they can still take a hot bath, it will definitely be the best comfort for them in this long winter night.

"Although we don't know if the bathtub can still be used, we can dig it out first."

While Wei Ran was speaking, he had already put the spices and tea leaves that he had just taken out of the kettle into the metal box by the fireplace, "Dorian, go outside and brush the enamel pot with snow, I'll go Fill up the lamp. Gail, how about you get me some brown bear guts?"

"Brown bear's intestines?" Gail looked up at Wei Ran, "What are you doing? Do you want to make Lyon sausage?"

"Lyon sausage?"

Wei Ran was stunned for a moment, and belatedly remembered that the cats in this shelter were a group of authentic French people, more precisely, they were a group of foodies who had the same pedigree as the Huaxia people.

"It's not a Lyonnaise sausage, but it should taste just as good."

Wei Ran didn't bother to explain too much, he opened the wooden door with a kerosene lamp, and walked towards a pine tree not far away through the knee-deep snow against the strong wind mixed with a lot of snowflakes.

Pulling back the small tent built around the pine tree with the remaining canvas, Wei Ran glanced at Gail who had already dug up the brown bear carcass near the door, and Dorian who was brushing the enamel water bottle. Seeing that they didn't notice him, he immediately bent over Waisted into the tent, an empty oil drum and a 20-liter oil drum full of gasoline were dug out of the sled trailer full of various seized items.

Waving his hand, he took out the oil barrel full of kerosene in the metal book. After filling up the kerosene lamp, Wei Ran poured all the rest into the empty barrel he found, and then poured the gasoline in another oil barrel into it. took his oil barrel and put it away in a metal book.

The reason why it is so troublesome is that Wei Ran is worried about the risk of explosion if he directly uses gasoline for the kerosene lamp.Even if the probability is not high, but since he brought kerosene, of course there is no need to take that risk.

By the time he returned to the door of the shelter with the kerosene lamp and oil drum, Dorian had already cleaned the enamel kettle he found with snow and filled it with clean snow.And Gail also chopped off a large lump of brown bear intestines with an axe.

"Aren't you really planning on making Lyonnaise?" Gail asked finally.

"Of course not." Wei Ran shook his head, pointed at the intestines that had just been chopped off and said, "I want to use the large intestines."

"Since it's not, then I'll make a big Lyon sausage!" Gail didn't show any surprise on his face. While speaking, he pointed to the frozen part of the small intestine and said, "I'm going to use the part of the small intestine." and liver, and maybe stomach and heart."

"Since this is the case, let's compare it! By the way, cut off a bear's paw for me too, and I want the front paw."

When Wei Ran said this, he was extremely confident. He had been preparing the spices specially used for braised braised sauce since he entered the Finnish battlefield last time, so let alone bear intestines and bear paws, he has them even for insoles. Be sure to get the color, fragrance and taste.

"Then let's compare!"

While Gail was speaking, he swung his ax and chopped off Wei Ranyao's two bear paws, "I have been an apprentice with Quentin for almost four years, and I can't be compared to you."

"I haven't been a teacher for four years, but I'm ashamed to show off." Wei Ran muttered to himself, and left the work of dividing the ingredients to Gail with peace of mind.

He lowered his head and got into the shelter. The heat wave that hit his face made him shiver uncontrollably, and then he began to sweat on the back of his forehead.

Glancing at the enamel kettle that had been heated on the fireplace, Wei Ran first put the oil barrel in his hand at the farthest position from the fireplace, took off his cloak, and took off the glass lampshade of the kerosene lamp to wipe it carefully. , and then lit it and adjusted it to the brightest level, and hung it on the wall with a nail.

"It's great, there is no lack of lighting now." Kang Tan looked at the kerosene lamp obsessively, then lowered his head and continued to make bearskin wooden shoes for himself.

"And there should be something delicious today." Dorian was even happier. "I just heard that Victor is going to compete with Galby in cooking."

"I'm afraid it will be a long time before we are done."

Wei Ran smiled and said, "Dorian, go and brush some cups, we can taste the tea later, there seems to be a lot of sugar cubes in the paper bag I just took out."

"I'll go now!"

Before Dorian finished his sentence, he picked up the cup from a wooden table he made not long ago, and left the shelter happily.

　Even Jia Geng is together, so I am too lazy to divide another chapter.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)