Even if I didnāt have all these side jobs, there is plenty of other work to be done.
Since the field is already planted, mom alone is enough. Though I help by plowing the land and harvesting.
For firewood I need to cut down a tree every four days. That takes about 2 hours. Using an air chainsaw, itās about an hour to cut it down. Itās still an hour even with an axe or a kimono. Then another hour to collect. It takes less than half a day.
When harvesting and drying ramuno, it can get busy. During those times, the ladies in the mountains help, so the time is shortened. Then, they would start some girl talk and I would go do something else. I donāt want to be in the middle of that.
The grandpas and grandmas usually milk the mountain goats so I leave it as it is. The pastor is also left to the other neighbors. But I have to spread fertilizerā¦
Itās almost time to cut the mountain ramās fur, but I can get that done in a day using a knife affixed with a barrier to shear the fur.
Tota hunts but can get a lot in only one to three days. Occasionally, I will go hunting, increasing that amount excessively. However, itās all for helping the other residents of this mountain.
I think its fine to relax and play sometimes, but there is no form of entertainment and no one to play with in the rural countryside.
That doesnāt mean I donāt have any friend. Itās just that there is not much time to play!
The closest village is about five to six kilometers away. Itās half a fishing village and half an agricultural village, so itās split in two. Each industry has different working times.
For the fishing side, they get up from the moment the sun rises until the evening when they return home.
For the agricultural side, they get up at the same time by finish their work around 8 in the evening. Candles are cheap ā so farmers can prioritize their side jobs first and wake up to work even when itās night/dawn.
Though I said their hours differ it does not mean they donāt keep in touch. The two types of villagers donāt act separately. I called it a half agricultural, half fishing village for a reason, that being the bartering (market) of fishes and vegetables which connect the two sides of the village.
We mountain residents also eat fish, so we trade meat at the market.
But since the village population (around 500 people?) is small, the market is usually finished within an hour so. Afterward, the women meet up and chat.
Also, the men donāt just work on endlessly. They occasionally get together with friends and go out drinking to catch up.
Thatās fine for the adults, but they often work and do not have time to play with their children (between 8 and 15 years old). So, the children instead play with other kids near the village.
Some kids in the village are the same age as the kids from the mountains. However, the life for those living in the mountains is rougher than those living in the village.
Even so, since there is not much time to play, friendly relationships form when they talk while sharing in any kind of work.
Still, I find free time.
Using that free time, I built another preservation shelter, a secret base high in the mountain, a secret tunnel leading from the mountain to the sea, and I also built a secret harbor there. Only an idiot like me would dream of doing that. The best time I spent was from building that secret harbor which took 4 days to complete.
Since the villagers donāt know about it, it takes some weight off my shoulders.