Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 132. Processing Beef Tendon

Daddy is truly amazing!!

Daddy has excellent hands-on skills, and the furniture he makes is renowned in the neighboring villages. Without dismantling it, he can replicate nearly identical parts for a crossbow, something very few people can achieve.

"Alright, if my daughter says I’m impressive, then I must be impressive."

Hua Chengtian grinned completely; actually, he also thought he was quite impressive, having managed to create something he’d never attempted before.

"Dad, can they be used already? How’s the elasticity?"

Ever since getting up, Hua Jin had been curious, and she couldn’t hold back any longer. She was eager to find out.

"...They should be usable," Hua Chengtian felt somewhat confident about his creations, but having never tested them, he still felt a bit unsure.

You’ll know if it works by trying it.

Hua Chengtian didn’t waste any more words and directly took down the finished sinew hanging on the rope. The moment he got it in his hands, his confidence soared.

The texture in his hands felt noticeably better than it had in the early morning; a gentle squeeze revealed its taut and elastic quality, just the feel of it suggested it couldn’t be bad.

He then hurried to his workspace, under the shed at the west side of the courtyard.

The bow and crossbow components they made were all stored in boxes under the shed. These parts were frequently assembled and disassembled by the father and son, so well-played with that they didn’t need polishing or lacquering; they looked glossy as soon as they were taken out.

After retrieving these parts, he hurried back to the house to get the treasured crossbow.

Although Hua Chengtian was so accustomed to the assembly and disassembly process that he could do it with his eyes closed, that was without the sinew installed. He wasn’t sure how it would ultimately turn out with the sinew in place.

Having everything prepared meant he could make immediate adjustments and comparisons.

Hua Jin sat on the side, resting her chin in her hands, watching her father intently. Their actions attracted Hua Old Lady and Qi Shi, who sat next to Hua Jin, watching curiously.

Seeing her grandmother and mother, Hua Jin’s smile deepened, and she refocused her attention on the parts that had been placed on the table.

Who says only men like weapons? Other families’ women may not know, but her grandmother and mother were very interested.

During the leisurely days of winter, they would also join Daddy and the others in practicing crossbow shooting.

But perhaps because women are naturally more afraid of the cold, even if they dressed warmly, they only practiced every few days. Being very accurate wasn’t something they could claim, but they could hit the target body.

The men in the family were different. They were resistant to the cold and quite bored too, so the crossbow became one of the few pastimes they had during winter.

Even Grandpa, the oldest, practiced his accuracy well, not to mention the younger ones with better eyesight.

The two older brothers found an object like this in the house quite peculiar, and whether they had sensed something or secretly asked dad, Hua Jin didn’t hear them prying for more information openly.

Little Four, because of his age, focused on different things and was just happy to join in and play.

As for herself, she had space to practice, so she didn’t fight the family for it. Of course, disliking the cold was the main reason.

Hua Chengtian remained unaware of the eyes watching him, his full attention on the sinew in his hands, testing its maximum resilience.

Despite exerting great effort, he didn’t manage to break a single sinew, revealing a satisfied smile on his face.

This hardness and toughness meant... success.

He hadn’t wasted the sinew his daughter had procured, and Hua Chengtian breathed a sigh of relief. freēnovelkiss.com

Just because he pretended to not know how hard sinew is to come by, doesn’t mean he actually forgot; since the child changed the subject yesterday, she clearly didn’t want to discuss it, and as the father, what could he do but pretend not to know?

Thinking that the child wasn’t indiscreet and since they had bought them and returned safely, asking wouldn’t achieve much.

Glancing at his daughter, Hua Chengtian looked again at the sinew in his hand, unable to suppress his excitement.

"Dad, it’s done..." Hua Jin’s voice stretched with obvious excitement, her little face blossoming into a flower, her slender crescent-moon eyes shining with starry twinkles, slightly upturned eyes tinged with an excited blush, making the little girl appear even fairer.

Hua Old Lady and Qi Shi were also very pleased. For months, Hua Chengtian had been tinkering with these things endlessly. Other than eating, working in the fields, or woodworking, most of his time was spent on this.

As the mother and wife, they naturally hoped he would succeed rather than tinker aimlessly, and this thing looked powerful and reassuring just by looking at it.

Especially because the father and son liked to go up the mountain during their spare time, having one each on them helped reassure them a bit.

"...It should have succeeded," Hua Chengtian nodded happily and then couldn’t wait to start the next process—turning the dry sinew into elastic sinew ready for use.

Too hard wouldn’t do, so first, it needed soaking to regain some softness. Hua Chengtian took out two strands and tossed them into a bucket of water.

Time flew by, and it was sunset again. Except for Hua Jin, Hua Old Lady and the daughter-in-law had already returned to the kitchen to prepare the evening meal.

Hua Old Man had also returned from his walk, just as the sinew regained its desired softness, and Hua Jin took out a hammer from her space. The father and son, each with a hammer, swung with full force, pounding the sinew on the woodblock until it was pressed into a thin sheet.

This process required a lot of time. By the time the brothers returned, dinner was ready, yet they were still some distance from achieving the thin sheet they desired.

Even the meal was hastily consumed; once their stomachs were filled, they moved the woodblock into the main room and restarted the task.

Hua Yunao and Hua Yunxiang also wanted to help and were clearly eager to see the sinew their father and grandfather had made, showing an excited readiness to try.

Unfortunately, their father and grandfather sent them back to their rooms with the excuse of doing homework.

Remembering their teacher’s assignments, the two brothers could only drag Little Four, who was petting the dog enthusiastically, back into the room. They intended to finish their teacher’s tasks quickly, hoping they might still be able to help Father and Grandpa.

It was yet another day of envying their sister, who got to sit beside Dad and Grandpa.

Ultimately, they did manage to help. When they finished their work and came out, Grandpa and Dad were still tirelessly repeating the action of pounding on the sinew.

After such a long time of pounding, anyone would get tired. So when the two sons eagerly wanted to help, the hammers were immediately handed over, albeit after a demonstration of the force required, to avoid any mishaps.

Teenage boys have a lot of energy; they pounded continuously for a tea break’s worth of time.

With Grandpa and Dad taking turns for over half an hour, the sinew was finally hammered into the desired thinness.

Then everyone in the family pitched in, dividing the thin sinew into several portions and then tearing it into strands as fine as possible.

Although only a thin sheet, tearing it into strands took time, requiring all seven family members, except for Little Four whose strength wasn’t as good, the time it takes to burn an incense stick to complete this task.

Next came the final step—twisting the strands of sinew together one by one.