Chapter 208 Mutated Fruit
When the two were not at home, they did not dare let the cattle and sheep out, for fear that they would rush into the fields and eat the crops, so they had to keep them all in the cattle and sheep pen.
Mu Xi plans to make a time-delay device that will automatically fill the feed when the time is up.
A crude device is not difficult to make.
Hang the bucket or haystack filled with feed above the feeding trough with a rope, and place a water dripping device underneath. When the water runs out tomorrow morning, the feed on top will fall into the feeding trough due to its heavy weight.
This can only ensure that the cattle, sheep and horses will not starve, but it cannot feed them multiple times a day as usual.
Feeding the chicken coop is also simple, as I had experience in making feeders in Meishan.
This time I only brought Xiao Huang and Xiao Hei with me, and left the job of housekeeping to Da Huang and Xiao Hua.
I had been thinking of bringing Huhu and Xuebing with me, but they haven’t come back in the past two days, so it’s just the two of us and the two dogs.
Zhao Yeqing wrapped himself up tightly. "It won't be hot there anyway. Wear an extra layer so that leeches won't bite my flesh."
Leeches are disgusting things. Not only do they suck blood, they also release toxins to prevent blood from clotting.
If a leech gets into your clothes, the clothes will probably be ruined. There will be blood everywhere and the clothes will look like a crime scene.
The cuffs and trouser legs were tucked in tightly, the zipper of the windbreaker was pulled up to the top, covering the chin, and a hood was worn.
On their hands were gloves made of cowhide by Mu Xi, one pair for each of them.
According to the two's previous estimates, if they wanted to return to Meishan, the road they came from would take too long. If they could find the road back to Meishan from the north, they could go back almost in a straight line.
Walk out of the pine forest and head down the mountain.
There is a stream at the foot of the mountain. It was previously speculated that it might flow to Houshan Lake in the north of Meishan. If we could follow the stream back, the journey would be much smoother.
This time, the two of them planned to see the feasibility first, and if it didn't work, they would think of other ways.
Mu Xi supported Zhao Yeqing and walked slowly down the mountain. The ground was slippery, and the stones and soil on the road near the foot of the mountain were almost covered with moss.
Zhao Yeqing said as he walked, "The biggest trouble with following the water source is that we are afraid of encountering terrain differences such as waterfalls. Once we encounter them, it becomes more difficult to cross them."
She could feel the distinct coolness on her skin and the sound of water gurgling in her ears and knew that she was almost at the water's edge.
It was not clear when they were standing on the mountain, but when they reached the water's edge they discovered that the source of water was much larger than they had previously expected.
Maybe it’s because it rained recently and the water level has increased a lot. The width of the water surface looks to be more than six meters.
The water didn't look turbid. Mu Xi squatted by the water and observed carefully. "It should have receded a lot. The current should have been stronger when the water level rose before. There are still traces of receding water on the shore."
The water was still flowing rather fast, and the vegetation on both sides of the river was lowland rainforest. There were many large rocks in the water and on the edge of the water, and the surface of the rocks covered by water was covered with black algae that she had never seen before.
In the middle of the river in front of them, there was a big rock that slowed down the flow of the water. Next to the big rock, you could see some fish the size of a little finger, clinging to the rock and being washed by the rushing water.
She had seen this kind of small fish before, although she didn't know what it was called. It loved to cling to rocks and play in the water, and its mouth was like a small suction cup.
This is a species of fish unique to the mountainous area of their hometown. It can only be seen in places with good environment and completely unpolluted water.
Mu Xi glanced around and said, "It's still possible to get through this stone, but it's even harder to get through other places. How can you say that it's impossible to get through?"
The original plan was to explore the way forward, and we could go forward on either side of the river, but it was estimated that only here was it easier to cross to the other side, and it would be impossible to go through if we went any further.
Zhao Yeqing, "Since we can explore both sides, let's go ahead. Maybe we can get something special."
The river is not very deep, the deepest part is just above the knees.
However, the stones at the bottom of the river were a little slippery, so the two took off their shoes, held them in their hands, and slowly waded across holding hands.
Xiao Huang and Xiao Hei jumped into the river, swam over in two strokes, and splashed water all over Zhao Yeqing.
As soon as he reached the other side, Zhao Yeqing felt that his trip was not in vain. Not far away there was a tea tree with several milky white tea bubbles hanging on it.
The tea bubble is shaped like a peach. It is a mutated fruit that appears when the leaves or fruits of the oil tea tree are parasitized by fungi.
When the tea bubble first grows out, it is light green and tastes slightly bitter. It will start to shed its skin after it grows more mature.
The taste is best when it turns milky white.
Zhao Yeqing stretched out her hand over there. Mu Xi had just put on his shoes. He looked up and saw where she was pointing. He took two steps to the tree and picked two.
After washing it at the water's edge, he handed it to her and said with a smile, "You have a sharp eye."
Zhao Yeqing's eyes lit up. He hadn't eaten this for a long time.
The fruit of the tea tree is very thick, and there is no sign at all that it was once a thin tea leaf or a tiny tea seed before it mutated. The thick flesh tastes sweet and crispy, and is very refreshing.
The two of them had an unexpected gain as soon as they arrived here, which was a good sign.
The plan was to return before night, so the two could only explore a short distance forward at most.
The mountain road was difficult to walk on, so the two dogs led the way. They walked for four hours and only covered two kilometers.
The good news is that we didn't encounter any ground cracks along the way, and there were no traces of wild animals.
The bad news is that there is indeed a terrain difference.
When the two had walked almost three kilometers, they found that the water surface in front of them suddenly stopped. When they walked to the place where it disappeared, they saw the water falling vertically, forming a small waterfall.
The waterfall is not particularly high, only about eight or nine meters, so you have to take a detour to go further.
Mu Xi said, "That's all for today. If we go any further, we can't go back. Don't you want to pick a few more tea leaves before you go back?"
The river water fell to the bottom, and the sound of the flowing water became louder, so both of them had to raise their voices when speaking.
Zhao Yeqing nodded, "Let's go then."
After eating something, the two returned the same way and arrived at the place where they crossed the river in the evening.
There were only two tea buds left on the oil tea tree. Mu Xi picked them both and put them in Zhao Yeqing's backpack, saying:
"Normally there won't be just one tea tree growing. Wait here for me. I'll go up the mountain a few steps to look for one."
Mu Xi thought that if he could find a few more tea oil trees today, when the tea oil fruits are in season, he would have tea dregs to use to wash Zhao Yeqing's hair.
Zhao Yeqing waved his hands in front of him twice, chasing away the flying insects in front of him, "It's safer to go together."
At this moment, the sun was just about to set in the west. The sunlight gradually turned yellow and fell on the forest, as if sprinkling a layer of gold powder on the vegetation.
After they walked a short distance up the mountain, they clearly discovered the differences between the two mountains.
The more Zhao Yeqing walked, the more shocked he became. He could not help but freeze in his tracks, muttering, "Is this the forest that has been shrouded in white fog for years?"
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