Chapter 345 Hatching
Originally, he had no special feelings about the citrus orchard; it made no difference whether he ate there or not.
But when Zhao Yeqing wanted to eat it, he thought about managing the citrus orchard well. As he managed it, he developed a sense of responsibility and couldn't let it go.
After the weather warmed up, the only time he went down the mountain was to retrieve the iron plow. He was pressed for time and had no time to check on the condition of the citrus trees. He just glanced at them from a distance when he passed by, but couldn't see them clearly.
"I want to go down the mountain to check on the fruit trees today. I'll take my two dogs with me. Should we not let the sheep out to graze today?"
Someone or a dog had to be left at home to guard the house. There were only two dogs left at home. If he wanted to go into the mountains, he'd better bring a gun with him. If the dogs went out to graze, Zhao Yeqing would be left alone at home. The last incident with the black bear had scared him badly, so he didn't dare to leave home too far easily.
Zhao Yeqing understood his concerns and didn't want to show off. "It's okay. I won't let the sheep out today. You can go early and come back early."
It’s a pity to throw away so many citrus trees like this. I don’t know if there will be any fruit trees left after this winter.
After thinking for a while, he said, "How about this? It's too difficult to manage such a large area down the mountain. This time you go, see if you can dig up two trees and plant them back. If you manage the two trees well, they will be enough for us to eat."
Mu Xi thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement, "Then I'll go out now and come back before evening."
If it weren't for extracting orange peel essential oil, they would never have been able to consume the fruits they harvested last year.
Later, the skin was peeled and the essential oil was extracted. The remaining pulp was made into jam and canned food and was eaten for a whole year.
There are two varieties of fruit trees at the foot of the mountain. Planting one of each at home is enough to satisfy your cravings. If managed properly, there may be enough to make canned food.
When Mu Xi arrived at the orchard at the foot of the mountain, the road leading into the orchard had been blocked by dead branches and broken trees. He had to use a knife to clear the way before he could go in.
While clearing the road, Mu Xi looked over the top of the branches and saw the general situation of the orchard.
When we walked in, we could see more clearly that most of the citrus trees had been crushed, and some that were not crushed had been frozen to death.
The orchard that was green and lush two years ago is now barren and dilapidated, with dead branches lying everywhere. Weeds and vines sprouted from the ground and covered all the land as far as the eye could see, some of which grew taller than the broken citrus trees.
Mu Xi frowned and began to wander around the garden, trying to find a surviving fruit tree.
The two dogs lowered their heads and sniffed the ground. They came to a fruit tree, smelled a fragrance, and raised their heads and barked twice.
Mu Xi came over when he heard the sound. The weeds on the ground were already knee-high. He walked up to the tree and saw that it had been crushed. He lowered his head and pulled aside the grass, only to find that although the crown of the upper part of the fruit tree was broken, new leaves had grown on the part close to the ground.
This tree is located in a low-lying area where the snow is the thickest. It is estimated that it was able to survive and grow branches and leaves again because it was covered by the snow and was warmer.
Mu Xi raised his hand and stroked the dog, "Good dog."
"Woof!"
He followed the terrain and indeed found some living fruit trees. He picked the best-looking tree of each variety, cut the nearby weeds and started digging the soil.
The survival rate of tree transplanting is not very high, so all the soil has to be dug up, and efforts should be made to ensure that the roots are not damaged and are intact when dug out.
The two trees are no longer saplings. The ones chosen by Mu Xi are relatively sturdy, and the weight of their roots carrying soil is even heavier.
Transplanting the tree with the soil from the original planting site can increase the survival rate. In order to prevent the soil from falling off, Mu Xi found vines around to wrap up the roots and the soil.
It was almost dark when I returned home carrying the saplings.
Zhao Yeqing heard the barking of a dog outside and came out to pick someone up. He saw Mu Xi coming back with two bald trees. He was stunned for a second before he took them.
Mu Xi avoided her hand: "It's heavy, all dirt, don't dirty your hands."
The tree was planned to be planted in the yard. Zhao Yeqing had already dug up the area where he wanted to plant it at home and planted it in the right corner of the backyard.
Manure is spread in the transplanting holes, and after the fruit trees are placed in the holes, the soil is filled and compacted, and then watered again to help them take root.
The purpose of rooting water is to allow the plant to integrate closely with the new soil more quickly. Water a part of it first, and then continue watering after the water has penetrated. It is considered a successful watering only after the water has penetrated three to five times in a row. This is one of the most important steps to ensure the success of transplanting.
This method is the same whether it is for fruit trees, flower plants, or fruit and vegetable seedlings.
After watering the plants, the two washed their hands and prepared to eat. They should have trimmed the plants again, but this was not a job suitable for doing at night.
You have to wait until the sunny day to start pruning. The wounds left by pruning the branches will not be infected by the sunlight.
The recent temperature rise was faster than the two had expected. After 10 consecutive days of sunshine, it rained a little.
The sun these ten days is not as mild as before, and you can feel that it is slightly hot.
Zhao Yeqing took the dogs to herd, and the dogs caught seven or eight rabbits. She took out a knife and skillfully skinned them on the spot. After skinning, she dug a hole on the spot and buried the rabbit meat.
The truth is that I can’t stand eating rabbit meat anymore.
Rabbit with fresh peppers, spicy rabbit head, rabbit hotpot, cold rabbit...she cooks them in different ways. She still carries cold rabbit in a brown paper bag in her bag and eats it as a snack when she feels like it.
The hunting results during this period are very obvious, so there is no need to continue. I will cook something else for the dogs tonight. The dogs have gotten tired of eating rabbit meat recently, and when I let them eat it, they are hesitant and lick it for a long time before taking a bite.
When Zhao Yeqing brought the dogs back in the evening, Mu Xi had already finished today's weeding work and was cooking in the kitchen.
When he heard the sound of Zhao Yeqing leading the animals into the yard, he hurried out to help drive the cattle and sheep into the shed, and said with a smile, "Come and take a look."
Zhao Yeqing was a little confused and was pulled to the original owner's house by Mu Xi.
He walked to the incubator in front of the table before reacting. Inexplicably, he spoke in a low voice, with a very pleasant tone, "Is it broken?"
The PC board on top is translucent, and you can vaguely see four small shadows moving inside.
4? Zhao Yeqing's eyes sparkled, "They're all born!"
After saying that, she turned around and wanted to ask something, but Mu Xi interrupted her, "I've also checked the chicken coop. The eggs have already been born and are huddled together to keep warm. Not a single egg has been wasted."
Zhao Yeqing smiled foolishly at the incubator when he heard that. He didn't dare to open it yet, for fear that the ducklings inside would catch a cold. With the current temperature over 20 degrees, they had to stay in it for at least a week.
The earliest you can see them is tomorrow when the food is released.
Life in the mountains was lonely. He felt like he had gotten a few ducklings as if they were rare treasures. He woke up earlier than Mu Xi in the morning, and as soon as he got up, washed up, he went straight to the original owner's house.
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