Chapter 57 Ultra-High Temperature Warning
The animal footprints on the ground are not large, so we can rule out the presence of bears, and other herbivores are mostly not a threat.
A few meters ahead of the grapevine is a small stream. The stones along the stream are covered with moss. The ferns and mosses near the water grow particularly well. The weather has been getting hotter recently, and the humidity is high near the stream. This small area has almost formed the climate characteristics of a tropical rainforest.
This place is close to the water source, seldom visited by people, and small animals often come here to look for food, so it is more likely to attract carnivores. The two decided to make a quick decision.
Mu Xi put the backpack on his back on the ground, picked a few grape leaves and spread them under the basket, and when he saw a bunch of grapes he liked, he used his fingernails to pinch the connection between the bunch and the vine.
The grapes are sweet, and when picking them, you must pay special attention to the gaps to see if there are any wasps attracted there.
They stopped only after they had filled a full basket.
The return trip was much faster than the coming trip as the cleared road was unobstructed.
When I get home, I first deal with the grapes in the basket. This thing can't stand being pressed, so I have to take it out quickly, otherwise the fruits underneath will go bad.
I took a medium-sized stainless steel basin, took the bunches of grapes out of the basket and put them in, then filled the basin with water and washed them.
You definitely can’t finish eating so many grapes, so pick out three or four bunches to eat as fruit, and use the rest to make wine.
Cut the grapes one by one with their stems attached. Discard those with even slightly broken skin.
Grapes for winemaking cannot be washed too cleanly. Zhao Yeqing only rinsed them briefly and then stopped. The grapes in the mountains are not sprayed with pesticides like those in the city, so just washing off the dust is enough.
Grape skins contain wild yeast, and washing them too cleanly will be detrimental to the fermentation of the wine.
After washing, spread the grapes flat to dry the moisture on the surface. The sun has been very strong recently and they are almost completely dry in just a few minutes.
Zhao Yeqing poured the grapes from the winnowing basket back into the oil-free and water-free basin, and saw Mu Xi driving the tricycle out from behind the house.
Before she could ask, he said, "The soybeans at the foot of the mountain can be harvested. We could have waited another 20 days, but the weather is too hot now. If we don't harvest them now, it might be too late."
Zhao Yeqing had almost forgotten about the field of soybeans, but now when he mentioned it again, he could already harvest it. It felt like pie in the sky.
"Are you going by yourself? Without my help?"
"No need." Mu Xi opened the gate and rode out. "Close the door. I'll be back before dark."
Zhao Yeqing reminded them to be careful, closed the door and continued to work on the grapes.
The jars for making wine have to be glass. Almost all the jars are used up by various seasonings and pickles at home. When I got home, there were only two glass jars left from the purchase, one large and one small.
Zhao Yeqing took out the big one, cleaned it and put it in the sun to dry.
The utensils for brewing wine are quite picky. In addition to being basically oil-free and water-free, they must also have never been used to pickle kimchi before, and brand new ones are best.
Zhao Yeqing estimated that the size should be enough. He waited for the glass jar to dry and then crushed the grapes.
Put on disposable gloves, grab the grapes from the basin, and feel the grapes popping one by one in your hands.
It can be said to be very decompressing.
After crushing everything, use your hands to carefully scoop out the grape juice in the basin to make sure nothing is missed, then add rock sugar and stir evenly.
After the glass jar has dried, pour the grape juice mixed with rock sugar in the basin into the jar along with the water and residue, fill two-thirds of the jar, and put the lid on.
There was a little grape juice left in the basin, but it was poured away. The bottle could only be filled two-thirds of the way, and the remaining one-third was space for it to ferment.
The wine jars were also placed under the stairs. At the current temperature, they will be fermented in about a week.
After processing the grapes, it’s time to deal with this unexpected harvest, the pheasant eggs.
Zhao Yeqing took out the pheasant eggs one by one and held them up to the light, carefully identifying whether there were fertilized eggs.
There are thirteen eggs in this nest, but only three are fertilized. The probability is quite low.
Zhao Yeqing didn't feel it was a pity. It was an unexpected surprise, so she was happy no matter how much she got.
He walked to the chicken coop with three hatchable eggs. The chickens were not inside. They were all huddled by the reservoir under the eaves to cool off. Zhao Yeqing put the pheasant eggs in.
I hope the hen doesn't find out that these three chicks are not hers.
When washing the grapes, Zhao Yeqing picked out the damaged fruits and collected them and threw them into the rabbit pen.
It was already three o'clock in the afternoon. Mu Xi said he would be back before dark, which means before eight o'clock in the evening, five hours away.
She wasn't really hungry, so she sat on a bench with a bunch of grapes in her hand, watching the show.
I was almost finishing an episode when the radio in the middle of the living room started to make a crackling sound.
Zhao Yeqing felt a chill in his heart, feeling that it would not be good news.
'Issued an ultra-high temperature warning: In the next 24 hours, the temperature will reach above 45 degrees. Relevant departments and units shall, in accordance with their duties, take emergency measures to prevent heatstroke and reduce temperature at rescue sites, stop outdoor reconstruction and open-air operations, take protective measures for the elderly, weak, sick and young people, and relevant departments and units shall pay special attention to fire prevention.'
If the temperature in the city is 45 degrees, it will reach nearly 40 degrees in the mountains.
While Zhao Yeqing was worried, he was also very glad that he had prepared a water curtain device for cooling. Although the vegetables in the vegetable garden would definitely be affected, there would still be some harvest.
What she is worried about now are the rice fields and corn fields, which have almost no protection.
When the sun rises in the morning and starts to set in the afternoon, it can be blocked by the surrounding trees, but the midday sun is not the same and shines directly overhead.
It would be fine if it was almost time to harvest, but now it is still in the seedling stage and it will definitely not be able to withstand the 40-degree sun.
There is very little plastic film left at home. The damage in the vegetable greenhouse can be repaired with some, but the rice fields and corn fields are too big to have enough.
We could only use local materials to build a sunshade on both sides.
The support for the sides and top of the awning is easy to solve. There was a lot of wood left over from cutting down trees to make tables yesterday. Each piece is a little over one meter high. This height can only be used temporarily, and it will definitely have to be increased as the corn grows taller.
If there is not enough wood, bamboo can be used instead. Bamboo grows fast after being cut down and is not painful to use.
The key point is what to use for sunshade on the ceiling.
The area is too wide, so the bark is definitely not enough. The previous bark has to be reserved for the greenhouse. If the roof is entirely covered with bamboo, the workload will be huge, and it will have to be dismantled for subsequent heightening.
Zhao Yeqing considered two materials, one was the large banana leaves, and the other was the thatch that could be found everywhere on the mountain.
The former is more durable and has a better shielding effect, but it is a bit troublesome to pick as you need to go down the mountain. The latter is convenient and can be cut anywhere, but it is not very durable and often needs repairs.
If hail continues to fall, banana leaves will definitely be better than thatch. Although they may not be able to withstand the very large ones, they can still block the small ones.
She planned to build the supporting pillars around the house first and then wait for Mu Xi to come back to discuss it.
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