Pei Yao recalled a time when she was preparing to make a video about seaweed, but she bought too much seaweed and there was still a lot left after filming. The refrigerator couldn't hold that much, and she didn't want to waste it.
I just searched online for ways to store kelp.
Then, following the tutorial, I dried and stored the remaining kelp.
However, her storage method at the time required blanching the kelp before drying it. Now that we don't have the means to blanch it, I don't know if it will work to dry it directly like that.
"Dry it in the sun???" Pei Yichen felt his brain freeze for a few seconds.
He had never seen seaweed before, let alone dried seaweed, and asked in disbelief, "This... can it be dried?"
"Of course, but we need to find some kudzu vines to use as ropes so that it will be easier to dry later." After explaining, Pei Yao also explained to Pei Yichen that dried kelp is not only lightweight and doesn't take up much space, but it is also very easy to store.
Pei Yichen was completely shocked upon hearing this.
He wasn't shocked that the seaweed could be dried like this, but rather that Pei Yao was incredibly versatile.
They actually came up with such a brilliant idea.
My admiration for my cousin grew a little stronger.
Pei Yao, of course, had no idea what her cousin was going through at that moment, as she was leading him in the woods to look for kudzu vines.
Fortunately, there were plenty of kudzu vines in the mountains, and Pei Yichen soon discovered a large patch of them.
He stood on a large rock, raising his hand excitedly to call out to Pei Yao, who was searching on the other side not far away: "Cousin, there are some over here, there's a huge pile over here, come over quickly."
Hearing the shouts, Pei Yao quickly ran over. As soon as she climbed up the big rocky slope, she saw the kudzu vines behind the large patch of dry thatch that Pei Yichen was pointing to.
These thatch grasses grew long and thick, like dried straw, completely blocking the kudzu roots behind them. If Pei Yichen hadn't just been standing on this big rock, he probably wouldn't have been able to see them.
"Not bad, kid. Your eyesight is much better than mine. When I came over, I was so focused on looking at this patch of thatch that I didn't even notice the kudzu vines hidden behind it."
When Pei Yichen heard Pei Yao praise her, he became a little arrogant and smug: "Of course! Don't you know who I am!"
Pei Yao chuckled and gently patted his head: "Just a few words of praise and you're already on cloud nine."
........
Pei Yao picked out a few kudzu vines, each as thick as her little finger, and had Pei Yichen cut them along the roots, the longer the better.
She went to the side and used scissors to cut the dried thatch, which Pei Yao would need later.
There was a lot of thatch, and we collected a lot in no time.
"Cousin, is this enough?" Pei Yichen dragged a large bunch of tangled kudzu vines over to Pei Yao.
Pei Yao glanced at it and said, "That's enough."
After saying that, he stopped using the scissors and found a shady spot under a tree to start tidying up the kudzu vines.
Pei Yichen cut down a dozen or so long and resilient kudzu vines, each over ten meters long.
Pei Yao tried it, and it was just as sturdy as a hemp rope.
Pei Yao instructed Pei Yichen to clean away the leaves and thin branches from the two thick kudzu vines, leaving only the thicker vine in the middle.
She then cleaned the dry thatch she had just collected, bundling it up like straw.
After Pei Yichen finished cleaning up, Pei Yao was almost done with her work as well. Pei Yao walked over, picked up two kudzu vines and tugged at them. These kudzu vines were very hard and resilient.
However, it would be too stiff to use directly as a rope, and the kudzu vine is smooth and not resistant to stress.
Pei Yao recalled that when she was a child, she would go up the mountain to chop firewood and split these kudzu vines in half. This would make the kudzu vines soft and flexible, almost like ropes.
She first used a kitchen knife to make a cut at the top of a kudzu vine, then tore it in half.
Tearing kudzu vines this way is very smooth and much faster than cutting them with a knife.
Pei Yichen watched her cousin's actions and followed suit, tearing apart other kudzu vines.
Pei Yao quickly obtained four split kudzu vines, which became soft after being split.
However, if it's just like that, it's not strong enough for drying seaweed. Pei Yao plans to braid several strands together to make it stronger.
She quickly thought in her mind how to weave the most sturdy yet least strenuous method.
She quickly came to a conclusion: two strands of rope were fast to braid but not strong enough; four strands of rope were strong, but very time-consuming to braid; only three strands of rope were both fast and strong to braid.
And so Pei Yao made up her mind: she would braid a three-strand rope.
But she had only ever braided bracelets with thin strands of thread before; this was the first time she had ever braided one with kudzu vine.
I don't know if it will succeed.
But since they're all the same way of weaving, there shouldn't be much difference, right?
Pei Yao acted immediately, taking out three split kudzu vines, arranging them neatly, and tying a knot at the base.
Then tie the knot to a thick wooden stick and secure the stick by wedging it into a crevice in the nearby rocks.
Pei Yao first took out two kudzu vines, crossed them and twisted them into a double-strand rope. After twisting them to a certain length, she took out another kudzu vine and wound it clockwise down the double-strand rope. This way, she could make a very strong three-strand braided rope.
(For detailed tutorials, you can search online for tutorials on braiding three-strand ropes.)
When Pei Yao ran out of woven material, she continued to add new kudzu vines and keep weaving.
Pei Yao never expected that the skill of making bracelets with rope, which she used to enjoy, would be used in this situation.
Deep down, I'm still grateful to the person I used to be who loved handicrafts.
Pei Yao quickly wove a three-strand rope that was over ten meters long.
She then proceeded to draft the second one.
Having succeeded with the first one, Pei Yao found it much easier to weave the second one, and soon finished the second and third ones.
Pei Yao stopped braiding when she finished the third one.
"No, if I keep knitting like this, my palms will start to bleed," Pei Yao thought, looking at the large blisters that had formed on her hands. Even touching them hurt.
He shouted at Pei Yichen, who was still tearing kudzu vines, "Cousin, you don't need to tear anymore. There are already three, that should be enough."
If that's not enough, there's probably only one basket of seaweed left, so we can just take it home.
"good."
Pei Yichen stopped what he was doing, walked over, and directly rolled up the rope that Pei Yao had already braided.
Pei Yao carried the bundle of dry straw she had tied up earlier, and only then did the two of them have time to walk towards the spot where they had just placed the seaweed.
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