Chapter 100: Good dog, actually kidnapped a vixen? (Please subscribe, please vote)

Chapter 100: Good dog, actually kidnapped a vixen? (Please subscribe, please vote)

Compared with the calabash ladle, making a wine gourd is much more difficult. Li Xiang searched for a lot of information on the Internet, and had a good understanding of the whole process, and then he started to work.

He practiced with the first gourd first. Even if he failed with all three, it didn’t matter. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future when his own gourds grew bigger.

I took the smallest one among the three first, but even the smallest one was more than 30 centimeters high.

These three gourds are the best looking among the eight. Because wine gourds have relatively high requirements on the overall "shape". Not only should they be used to hold wine, but they should also have an artistic touch. If they are crooked, they will be ugly even if they are made.

For the gourd ladle, the requirements are lower. As long as it is round enough and has a big enough belly, it doesn't matter if the upper belly is smaller and the lower belly is bigger.

However, the wine gourd has strict requirements on the roundness and size proportion of the upper and lower belly, and it must look particularly comfortable at first glance.

Use a ruler to measure the appropriate opening position and mark it with a marker. Then use a saw to saw off a section of the top of the gourd along the line and smooth it with a file.

The neck of this gourd is very beautiful and the length is just right, so Li Xiang chose the Japanese opening that is more commonly used on the Internet. But if we really trace back to its origin, it was also passed down by our ancestors to our daily lives.

Drill a round hole about eight millimeters from the faucet.

The next step is to dig out the seeds.

This is different from making a gourd ladle. When making a gourd ladle, the gourd is completely sawed in half, which makes it much more convenient to take out and it is also easy to scrape clean, and it can be seen with the naked eye.

However, the wine gourd is a whole piece with only a small outlet at the top, which requires more effort.

Many shops selling wine gourds, because they are selling to others, will not do this carefully at all, it is too time-consuming and laborious. Then after the buyer buys it back, when he drinks, flocculent things float out of it, which is very disappointing.

Li Xiang was making it for himself, so he strived for perfection in this process.

He folded a long iron wire back and forth to make a simple iron spoon, and took out the seeds and most of the pulp from the gourd. These seeds were still kept for seed.

Then throw the gourd into cold water, soak it for about ten minutes, then put it into boiling water, and press it into the water while it cooks.

Until the gourd can sink to the bottom by itself, at this time, the gourd is soaked.

If the cooking is not over after it has been soaked thoroughly, cover the pot and continue to boil over high heat for 20 minutes. Then let it sit and wait for the water to cool down. Do not open the lid during this time and simmer overnight.

The next day, add water to the pot and continue to cook over high heat for about half an hour, then let the water cool down.

The reason why it takes so long to cook and the process is so complicated is to ensure the long-term use of the gourd and your health. First, cooking thoroughly can completely remove the pulp, and second, the taste after cooking is like red dates soaked in water, while the gourd that is not cooked thoroughly will become sour and smelly when filled with water.

Third, the boiled gourd will be much heavier. If the uncooked gourd is likened to thick kraft paper, then the boiled gourd is like glass, which is almost a qualitative change.

The raw gourd before cooking was a little yellow and whitish, but after Li Xiang repeatedly cooked it over high heat, the gourd not only became harder, but the color also turned into a beautiful purple-red color with a very bright luster.

Li Xiang had always thought that this legendary purple-gold color was "colored" by lacquer, or by applying special oil, or by boiling and soaking in strong black tea, Chinese medicine water, etc. He did not expect that directly boiling it could actually produce this "ancient" color.

The gourd gourd his family used to have was a single-bellied gourd. After being boiled and dried, it turned bright yellow. After being used for a long time, it turned dark yellow. This might be due to the different varieties of gourd.

"Could it be that the species of this gourd is actually extremely extraordinary? A natural purple gold gourd?" Li Xiang couldn't help but have this thought in his mind.

Yesterday's bottle gourd was not cooked for so long, nor was it left overnight. The color was also a little reddish, but not as purple-red as this one. It was dark gold in color.

Continue to scoop the upper part of the cooked gourd with a wire scoop, and fill the lower part with screws and shake it. After about ten minutes, pour out the screws and flocs inside, wash the gourd with water, and repeat several times. Li Xiang took a flashlight, shone it inside from the opening of the gourd, and checked whether the inner wall of the gourd was clean.

I have to say, although the angle is limited, it can basically be seen that the scrape is quite clean.

Then it is hung upside down under the corridor to dry in the shade. Of course, it cannot be placed directly under the sun, as it is easy to crack or deform.

There is actually a very important step in making a wine gourd, which is making the stopper.

Li Xiang preferred a wooden stopper. After measuring the size, he went straight to golden nanmu. He had practiced making hairpins before and was quite skilled. In less than half an hour, he made a wine gourd stopper with perfect fit and beautiful texture.

However, the gourds need to be treated to prevent seepage after drying in the shade, and Li Xiang used lacquer to do so.

Although lacquer can cause allergies before it dries and it takes a long time to remove the odor after it dries, it is a very good and permanent solution.

Other materials, such as glutinous rice soup and some chemical coatings, are not as healthy and practical as lacquer.

Lacquer, also known as natural lacquer, earth lacquer and national lacquer, is a natural resin coating obtained by artificially cutting lacquer trees. It has a long history of application and is well-known both at home and abroad in ancient and modern times. It is known as one of my country's "three major treasures" (lacquer cut from trees, silkworms spinning silk, and bees making honey).

This kind of lacquer can be found in the mountains, but now is not the time to harvest the lacquer. Generally, the lacquer is harvested in the dog days of summer. However, there is a shop in the town that specializes in selling this, so Li Xiang went directly to the town to buy some.

On the way to the town, there was a makeshift market in the woods, and Li Xiang went in for a stroll when he turned back. He bought some fresh fish that had just been caught by the fishermen to change up the dishes at home, and the kittens could also eat them. They were probably tired of eating dried fish and snake meat every day.

"The best cowhide, sold at a low price!"

An old man's hawking voice caught Li Xiang's attention, and he walked over.

In front of the old man, the ground was filled with cowhides, whole pieces of yellow cowhides, at least five or six of them. Li Xiang asked curiously, "Uncle, where did you get so many cowhides?"

After all, this small forest market is just a place where some farmers from the surrounding areas come to set up stalls and exchange what they have, and there is no one who does business here specifically. Many people don’t have stalls, but set up their goods directly on the ground.

The old man sighed and said, "Oh, don't mention it. I used to raise cattle and sell them, but there was a heavy snowfall. My cowshed collapsed and the cows were buried in the snow. When we dug them out, several of them were dead."

"How much is one?" Li Xiang asked. The old man was also pitiful, so Li Xiang wanted to take care of his business. When he released the chopper version of "Horse Racing" before, a fan praised him, saying that his hands were so flexible and neat, and if he went to beat the war drum, he would definitely have a different momentum.

Li Xiang then came up with this idea, so he bought the cowhide and went back to make a cowhide drum!

He has a few favorite musical instruments, and drums are one of them. Yellow cowhide is a good material for making drums.

It’s not entirely for the purpose of making money by shooting videos and live streaming, but he really enjoys this kind of thing. In these rare peaceful days, why not please himself and do something he likes to do?

Ask those fishermen selling fish nearby why they fish from morning till night and don't leave when it gets dark? It's to please themselves and make themselves happy. They come here to sell fish not just to make money, but also to show off.

The old man said, "200 each. They are all salted, so they are not bad."

The price was reasonable, and Li Xiang did not bargain. He took out six red plates and said, "Give me three!"

The old man was immediately excited, and his cloudy old eyes lit up: "Thank you very much, I'll help you move it to the car!"

Li Xiang originally wanted to do it himself, but the old man insisted on helping, so he let him do it.

The old man was very emotional: "I have been selling for so many days and have only sold two. You are the first one who is so generous and bought three at once."

Li Xiang laughed and rode his tricycle back.

Cowhide can not only be used to make drums, but also to make belts, leather boots, leather bags, chairs, etc. It’s just a little more troublesome to handle.

Since these cowhides of the old man were simply pickled and air-dried to prevent them from spoiling, Li Xiang had to continue processing them when he returned.

He threw three pieces of yellow cow hides into a large vat to soak them. This process would take about three or four days, because the old man's cow hides were not only pickled but also dried in the sun, and the texture was relatively dry and hard, and needed to be soaked in water for a long time to soften it.

After throwing it into the water jar, he covered it with the lid and left it alone, and then went on to work on the wine gourd.

The finished product of painting the wine gourd with lacquer is quite beautiful. Li Xiang also recorded a video.

Then there were two gourds that had not been processed before, so we followed the previous steps and processed them together. The height of the two gourds at the back was about 40 centimeters, and the other was nearly 60 centimeters, which was much larger than the previous one.

Because the gourd is big, the opening is slightly larger, and the corresponding wooden stopper should also be larger.

These three gourds can probably hold most of his jar of spirit wine.

Li Xiang also used hemp rope to weave a beautiful net bag so that he could hang the gourd on his body when the time comes.

…

After eight or nine days of "high temperature", the cold wave hit again and the temperature dropped sharply. The highest temperature during the day was less than 10℃, and the lowest temperature at night was as low as minus eight or nine degrees Celsius. However, it was still sunny and there was no heavy snow.

Li Xiang got up early in the morning and found a thick layer of ice in the water tank in the kitchen. However, the waterfall in the yard was flowing mountain spring water, so there was only a circle of thin ice on the edge of the water tank and there was also thin ice on the edge of the drainage ditch. The living water was still flowing.

Suddenly, the system prompted: "A sixth-order mutant creature, a three-tailed red phoenix fox, has been detected."

Li Xiang was startled and looked towards the chicken coop in the distance. Don't foxes like to steal chickens? But soon, his eyes fell on the dog shed.

Because in the doghouse, inside the thick straw, besides the Erhuang, there was also a faint hint of fiery red.

He walked over quickly and took a look. Oh my god, Erhuang was sleeping with a little red fox. When the little fox saw Li Xiang coming, it immediately jumped up and hid in the corner of the doghouse.

Er Huang barked at Li Xiang twice, as if to say, "She is my friend, Master, please don't hurt her!"

"You bastard!" Li Xiang cursed angrily. Da Huang just died, less than a month ago, and you're hooking up with a fox? Are you doing Da Huang justice?

Well, Dahuang is a male, and this fox is obviously a female, both of them look handsome, and their fox eyes are charming.

Li Xiang had seen the three-tailed red phoenix fox in his previous life. Its entire body was fiery red, as if it was burning in flames. Its three large furry tails were flying in the air like a phoenix's tail. It was a very beautiful and powerful monster.

In the end times, in the dark and cold environment, monsters that carry plenty of heat in themselves are often blessed with a great advantage, and many creatures depend on their nests for survival.

This fire-attributed monster is the "oasis in the desert" and the "source of life" in the dark and cold environment.

Of course, since the end of the world has not yet arrived, the fox in front of him is just an ordinary, beautiful fire fox. But it has extraordinary potential.

"This bastard is really amazing. He can actually bring back such an exotic beast. Is this love that transcends race?" Li Xiang was convinced.

Perhaps, everything is destined, every sip and every bite. Erhuang was sad about Dahuang's death, so he often ran to the back mountain to visit Dahuang. That's how he got to know this fox?

“Woof woof~”

Erhuang continued to look at Li Xiang pitifully, as if begging. This dog was very spiritual, and was pleading for Huohu. These days, he ate the spiritual medicine porridge every three or five days, and Erhuang's spirituality increased greatly.

And that fire fox was no less intelligent, with a look of pity in its eyes and brows, it seemed as if it were a spirit that could speak.

"Do you want to live here in the future? Live together officially?" Li Xiang thought for a moment and asked tentatively.

"Woof woof~, woof woof~" Erhuang seemed to understand and shouted excitedly.

The fire fox also nodded repeatedly and made a "chirp chirp" sound, a bit like a baby.

"Oh my god, is he really a spirit?!"

Li Xiang's mind raced, and he immediately made a decision. He said to the two little guys, "Then stay here. However, you can't steal chickens or go to other people's homes to steal chickens without my permission! Otherwise... I'll kill you!"

If this fox had any bad intentions, the chickens at home would probably be in trouble. It's not that Li Xiang was reluctant to do so, because he still had a big rooster with a red crown and colorful feathers that could also mutate and was very spiritual.

Besides, grandma would be sad if all the chickens died.

Killing a few chickens to eat at home is different from being bitten to death by a fox and being dragged away.

In addition, if the chickens in the village suddenly became less, and everyone knew that he had a fox at home, there would definitely be disputes among the neighbors.

So Li Xiang had to take precautions in advance.

Erhuang barked again, and the fire fox also barked a few times.

Li Xiang shook his head, went to the chicken coop to let the chickens and ducks out, counted them, and found that there was nothing missing.

However, it is difficult for interracial love to have offspring.

Although dogs and foxes are both members of the Canidae family, foxes belong to the genus Vulpes and dogs belong to the genus Canis. There are records of mating, but no cases of survival.

Especially under natural conditions, reproduction is extremely difficult, and even if they are born, their offspring will not be able to reproduce.

However, in the last few years, what appears to be a dog-fox hybrid was discovered in Brazil, which scientists named Dogxim.

Dogxim is a cross between a Pampas fox and a domestic dog, and her name is a combination of "dog" and "graxaim-do-campo" (the Portuguese name for the Pampas fox).

The chickens and ducks were having fun in the backyard, but when Erhuang came out with the fire fox, they were so scared that they hid in the chicken coop.

Then the mother cat brought the five little ones out to practice their skills. When she saw the fire fox playing with Erhuang, she was so scared that she bent her body and her fur stood on end. She protected the five little ones tightly behind her.

Li Xiang hurried out to comfort the little animals.

He waved his hand, motioning the little fox to come to him.

At first, the little fire fox was a little scared, but Erhuang barked to encourage it, and the little fire fox ran to Li Xiang. Li Xiang picked it up, stroked it, and found it was extremely smooth, and then put it back.

When the mother cat saw how close her owner was to the fox, she relaxed. However, she did not dare to get close. Instead, she took the five little ones to climb up the tall persimmon tree and then onto the roof.

When grandma came out and saw such a big fox, she was also very surprised.

Li Xiang told her that Erhuang had found a new girlfriend and would live in our house from now on. It didn't eat chicken either. I ordered chickens at home and there was not a single one missing, so grandma was relieved.

However, what grandma said next was a little heartbreaking: "Xiang'er, Erhuang has found a wife, don't you have to pay more attention too? Grandma is still looking forward to having a great-grandson soon."

Li Xiang: “…” I am really worse than a dog.

"The New Year is coming soon, so don't mess around with those gourds, snake wine, cowhide and the like all day long. Go to city and buy some nice clothes and dress yourself up handsomely. When those girls come back in a few days, go meet them one by one. When you see a suitable one, settle down with them quickly. You are not a child anymore, and your parents passed away early..." Grandma was very happy at first, but she started wiping away tears as she spoke.

(End of this chapter)

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