I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 159 Accident
Hans was unusually tall in the Middle Ages when most people were short.

Luc believed that he was much bigger and stronger than an average person, otherwise he would not have been selected as an elite soldier by the former baron. But Hans was still a head taller than Luc. During this time in the tavern, with all the food and lodging included, Hans ate as much as two people could eat. Although they ate cheap wheat paste and black bread, the stingy owner showed a distressed expression several times.

At this time, Hans was walking briskly with two bags of rye on his shoulders. In half a day, he transported all the food to the granary.

"Captain John." Butler Dio stood behind them at some point, took out an iron key from his waist and tossed it to Luc. "This small warehouse is full of your own food. If it gets lost, don't blame us."

"A reasonable request." Luc nodded. Keeping them separately was exactly what he wanted. It would be troublesome if they got mixed up.

Watching Dio go away, Luc tucked the key into his arms. Dio must have inflated the price of the food, but he didn't care. First, the amount was not large, and second, in this era, it was considered honest to accept money and really do the job.

After having George fasten the iron lock, Luc began to check the equipment:
Transporting food through the mountains and snow has never been an easy task, so Luc was very well prepared for this.

The first is the grain transportation equipment.

The mules and donkeys were already brought in, and with them came little Charlie and the light sled, all pulled by the mules.

Luc miscalculated a little. It was true that they could carry a total of 400 pounds, but in addition to rye, there were also their rations.

"The mule eats about eight pounds of concentrate a day, Charlie eats two pounds of groceries, and there are five of us, including Hans, so that makes six of us.
This place is about fifteen miles away from the valley. Although there is a load and the road is snowy, a path has been opened up last time. It will take two days to get back.

That means we have to reserve space for nearly forty pounds of rations."

Luc calculated silently, "Oh, and there's a spare wooden frame for the sled."

The sled was newly built, and there was no guarantee that there would be no accidents during the grain transportation. In order to prevent damage, Luke specifically asked little Maiman to make a few more crossbeams and slides before leaving, and George also brought them.

Besides that, there are some torches.

I used to dislike torches because they consumed too much oil, but in order to ensure food security, I still made six.

There is not much gold content in torch casting. Some pine wood with a relatively thick resin is used. After drying in the shade, a notch is made at the front end, animal fat is put in, and then linen strips are wrapped around it. Naturally, all these processes are handed over to little Maiman.

That’s the benefit of having an independent carpenter.

Let George bring the livestock over. Little Charlie ran in front with his head shaking, touched the dog's head and then put the rope around the dog's head.

Seeing little Charlie sticking out his tongue, Luc piled all the rations, torches, spare sled parts and other items for several people on top.

The original plan was to have all three dogs pull the sled, but Luc had tried it before at Chevalier Castle and realized he was overthinking it.

Led by little Charlie, the two puppies were able to pull the sled for a while, but problems arose after a while - little Charlie was too strong, and the two puppies could not keep up with him at all, and they were so tired that their saliva was flying everywhere.

It was still early, and Luc led everyone to have a hot meal first, then fed all the livestock, and carried the 350 pounds of food separately: the mule had the strongest endurance and was responsible for 180 pounds, the black donkey was responsible for 140 pounds, and the last 40 pounds was handled by little Charlie.

After organizing their respective equipment, the grain transport team officially set off with Luke's order.

……

The mountain roads are difficult to travel on and the snow is hard to melt.

Winter has arrived, but there are still a few squirrels flying around in the treetops from time to time.

In the dense forest, the creaking sound of heavy dragging continued to be heard. A group of people and horses were seen walking hard in the snow. A series of hoof prints were sometimes deep and sometimes shallow, like marks imprinted in the snow.

"Master, let's camp here tonight. The snow isn't deep here!"

George, who was leading the group, suddenly stopped, stepped on the frozen ground, turned around and shouted to Luc, "No problem."

Luke nodded in agreement, took off the deerskin bag from his waist, took a sip of hot wine, and then threw it to Ryan.

A whole day had passed since they left David's territory. The pace of progress was slower than Luc had expected, only about two miles in an hour. It seemed like a lot, but the weather was too cold and their physical strength was consumed quickly. They had to rest for a while after walking for too long.

Fortunately, the sled has not broken down and seems to be quite sturdy.

George, who had ample experience in reconnaissance, also took out a sheepskin bag from his waist, drank some wine to warm himself up, and then handed it to Miller and Hans.

"First, clear the snow around, then dig up the frozen soil and dig a shallow pit. Unload the food and place it around the pit. Lead the mules and donkeys into the pen. Finally, Ryan, hurry up and build a fire to boil the snow!"

Walking on the squeaking snow, Luc directed everyone to work in an orderly manner. The most important thing for resting at night is to keep warm. The grain bags, mules and horses are all used to block the wind and cold and increase people's body temperature. In addition, several people have to sleep leaning on each other at night. Luc has a large deerskin blanket, which is carried by Hans.

After digging a shallow pit together and retrieving some branches, they also took the clay pot and flint from the back of the humanoid animal Hans. Ryan prepared to make a fire and cook, while Hans continued to unload the food from the mule. When they finished unloading the livestock and continued to unload the sled, Luc suddenly called him,
"Wait a moment!"

Hans muttered, "What's wrong, Master?"

Luc didn't answer him, but walked towards Hans with a grim expression. Under the puzzled gaze of Hans, he suddenly reached out and touched the grain bag on Hans' shoulder. Feeling the dampness, he immediately cursed inwardly: "Damn it, it's really damp!"

"Miller George, hurry up and unload the food from the sled!"

After Luke finished speaking hurriedly, he picked up a bag of food and carried it downstairs.

George's expression changed when he heard this. He rushed up and quickly carried the things down.

Wet grain is no small matter, and if not handled properly it can cause mold.

"Don't move. Keep making the fire. And see if you can find some thin stone flakes."

Luke stopped Ryan who also wanted to help, and while putting the food on the ground covered with branches, he couldn't help but feel a headache when he saw the obvious dried water stains under the sack.

It would be foolish to not know why it got damp at this time.

Yes, the sled was sturdy, but there was one thing he overlooked when he built it.

—The sled base is too low!

As the sled was being pulled, the small amount of snow that was pressed into the lower base would wet the bottom layer of grain.

Several people worked together and finally unloaded all the food amid the chaotic sound of footsteps. Looking at the three and a half bags of damp food, Miller couldn't help swallowing. This was food that cost a thousand pfennigs.
"Master, what should we do?" Miller raised his head and asked.

"There's no good way, so I can only use the stupid method."

Luc suppressed his frustration and thought that the right thing to do now was to remedy the situation.

"First, take out the deerskin coat and spread it out. Then pour out all the grain, carefully sorting out the ones that have gotten damp and setting them aside. Don't let the intact grain get contaminated."

Seeing that it was getting dark, the three of them didn't dare to delay any longer. They quickly poured out the food and then gradually separated the wet wheat grains. At this time, Ryan also ran back from the valley with little Charlie. The good thing about the forest was that it was not difficult to find a few stones.

While Ryan was heating the stones, Luc rubbed his dry eyes and continued to pick. It was a patient job.

Unfortunately, no matter how patient you are, you can't beat the sunset. After you finally divide the wheat grains, it's already dark.

Luc pulled the torch from its holder. It was slightly damp, but not seriously so. He lit it and, using the faint flame to gently heat the damp wheat grains with the heated thin stone slab.
(End of this chapter)