I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 74 Peaceful Sleep

After lunch, everyone started to get busy. The first thing they had to do was build a temporary shelter for themselves.

According to Luc, the temporary residence for six or seven people could not be built by digging a cellar like he had done before, but by building several simple conical houses with some wood on an open space and covering the top and surrounding areas with thatch.

The advantage of this type of house is that it can be built quickly and will not delay autumn plowing.

The disadvantages are also obvious. It can only provide simple shelter from wind and rain. Once it rains continuously, it will become damp, dark, and leaky.

But it’s better than being outdoors, and it’s not too late to build a real townhouse after the autumn plowing is completed.

This time, Luc did not go out again. The house was not difficult to build, so he just left it to Old Eike to direct. He and Ryan stayed in the cabin. He thought to Ryan and said:

"We need to find a way to deal with the bear on the other side. It looks like it's expanding its territory. If we let it continue like this, we won't be able to pick grapes anymore, and we won't even be able to reach the other side. The resources there are just as abundant as ours, so we can't just abandon them."

Ryan nodded in agreement, "Master, when are we going bear hunting?"

"hold on."

Luc rubbed his temples. He hadn't slept for the past few nights and had a headache. "Let's wait until the house is built, and then take Gil and Robert with us. Old Eike is too old, so let him take care of the house in peace."

"Robert"

Ryan smacked his lips, somewhat embarrassed, "Master, can he do it? You saw it this time when we went back to suppress the bandits. He didn't dare to go in at all. If he hadn't chopped the bandit leader with an axe at the last moment, I would have wanted to teach him a lesson. We were fighting for our lives in the front, and he was dazed in the back!"

When talking about Robert, Ryan had some complaints.

Ryan was not stupid. He had noticed something strange about Robert when the village chief arrived. At that moment, Ryan knew that only he and his master were truly the masters of the forest. He knew that Robert was unreliable, but he didn't expect him to be so unreliable. If he hadn't had the wooden thorn at the time, he would have been strangled to death by the strong bandit, while Robert just stood there stupidly and didn't come to help.

Luc rested his chin on his hand and remained silent.

Robert was originally a farmer, not a warrior who lived on the edge of a knife, so it was normal for him to be a little cowardly. However, he and Ryan had the same idea. Robert could be an ordinary conscript, but it was difficult for him to take on a big responsibility. However, there were only four young and strong men in the mountains, so Robert had to go with them.

He waved his hand and asked Ryan to go out to guide the peasant woman to build a house. Luke was alone in the house, putting the supplies he got in the mezzanine on the second floor.

Luc was now very glad that he had built a small second floor in advance, which could be turned into his own storage room. He first placed the three sets of armor on the far left, and then put the extra weapons aside. In the center of the two were various farm tools with exposed handles, which were easy to reach out and take.

Luke was really generous to Ryan. He gave Ryan the broad shield and butcher knife he got this time without saying a word, and gave Ryan one of the nine pieces of linen.

The leather round shield naturally returned to his hands. As for the long-handled blade, he could give it to Gil to use in the future. Compared with Robert, Luc valued this young man more.

On the walls, there are deer antlers, crossbows, fishing nets, and straw raincoats. Next to the fireplace are charcoal and vegetable oil.

There was a partition in the middle of the second floor of Luc's house. Above Luc's head were weapons, and above Ryan's head were various grains, including flour, dried meat, bread, cheese, eggs, kvass, etc. The good food brought back from the bandit's lair was moved upstairs. Those that could not be put in were placed beside Luc's bed. Only some wheat bran was put into the firewood shed outside.

These are the best foods and need to be kept in Luc's house to feel safer.

Later, whenever Luc wanted to reward someone, he only needed to give them any one of these foods, which would be enough to make them smile. This was the most valuable asset in times of scarcity.

Luc never thought of promoting equality and fraternity. In the Middle Ages, playing with fire was tantamount to playing with fire. Being a lord who was more law-abiding than others was already progress.

If you progress too much, you will die quickly.

No one in Ward Village has the money to redeem their freedom, so now they are all his serfs. Luc just needs to make sure they don't go hungry.

Luc carefully counted his property again. He had only bought a small amount of farm tools to accommodate himself and Ryan, but now he had seven sickles, one of which Jill and Robert had handed over, five hoes (not counting the mattock), two shovels, two flails, and two axes and saws each given to old Eike to cut down trees, a plane, a chisel and other carpenter's equipment, plus the last remaining butcher knife. In the future, Luc would no longer need his dagger when he wanted to dissect meat, and the dagger could truly return to the ranks of armed weapons.

In fact, the bandits did not take away all the supplies in Ward Village, such as some wooden furniture or hoes and sickles. They focused on stealing food. They only needed to make sure each person had one piece of ironware. They could not handle more. Besides, Ward Village did not have much ironware. It was good enough to get seven pieces. Otherwise, they would not have refused to trade with Luke.

Looking at these farm tools, combined with the curved plow, they were more than enough to clear the wasteland. While everyone was busy building the house, Luc walked out of the wooden house and went to the black donkey, untied the reins and led it to the stable.

The stable was designed to be very spacious, and it was more than enough to accommodate a donkey. The warhorse did not show any reaction to this alien creature. This is what makes the Percheron warhorse so outstanding and very obedient.

The black donkey in Ward Village was also very obedient. After they were given some fodder, the horse and the donkey soon got along peacefully and started eating the grass together.

"It's a pity they're all females, otherwise, judging by their appearance, they might be able to conceive a mule."

Luc was joking when he heard shouting and cursing from the front. He saw One-Eyed Gil, who was beating the captive Martin with nettles handed to him by someone, and cursing viciously as he beat him: "Damn you, why don't you go burn the ashes after moving the wood? If you slack off again, I'll pull out all your teeth!"

"Yes Yes."

Martin, whose arm wound had not yet healed, did not dare to talk back. He nodded like a chick pecking at rice, and then quickly burned the ash. Because the ground of the conical house was actually mud, after removing the grass, he needed to spread a layer of ash to prevent some insects from entering.

Seeing Martin's miserable appearance, Luke ignored him completely. Although this guy often said that he had not killed anyone in Ward Village since he was captured, he was obviously unable to calm the anger of the other people in Ward Village, especially the hot-blooded Jill, who abused Martin in various ways. He had just finished burning the ashes and kicked Martin in the face, telling him to make thatch quickly.

Luc went to see the goats and chickens again. The chicks in this brood of the hen were basically free-range. Except for the time when they had just hatched, when Mary took good care of them for a while, the rest of the time the hen had to raise them on her own. How many of them could survive depended entirely on fate. However, chicks were actually very fragile. Luc estimated that it would be good if half of them could grow up in the end.

Julie had heard that Luc had returned a long time ago, and when she saw Luc, she ran over happily. She was no longer so afraid of Luc, and she bowed to him from a distance.

Luc smiled and asked her to come closer. He took out a thumb-sized cheese from his arms and gave it to the girl who was not even as tall as his knees, which made Julie smile.

Luc still likes this little girl very much. The overall atmosphere of the villagers in Ward Village is still depressing. Having a girl like Julie who is at an innocent age adds a bit of vitality.

Amidst Martin's screams from being beaten and Julie's laughter, Luc put away the donkey cart's planks and wheels. With the concerted efforts of ten adults in the entire forest except Luc, they built three temporary shelters the next day. Old Eike and Jill lived in one, and the other five women lived in the other two.

The four circles of the shelter are all made of wood, converging towards the center, and then staggered and bound with rattan. The bottom is fixed with earth pits and clay. The outermost part and the top are covered with a thick layer of thatch from top to bottom. There is a gap near the north, which is also a door made of thatch.

There was nothing in the house except a straw bed.

But even so, the Ward group finally had their first peaceful sleep after the destruction of their village.

(End of this chapter)