The monkeys certainly ruined more grapes than these, but most of the others were smashed and unusable.
However, there were 7 dead monkeys, the largest weighing nearly 20 pounds and the smallest weighing about 10 pounds.
Although their meat isn't particularly tasty, they do have quite a bit of liver.
This is what Ye Feng lacks most right now, so it can be said that the grapes weren't wasted.
Ye Feng let out a helpless sigh...
That's good, really. With these livers, we can now focus on running the shelter properly.
After returning to the camp, Ye Feng tidied up and then led Qi Xiaojie and Liu Sisi to a spring stream about 200 meters away.
They were then tasked with skinning the monkeys and washing the grapes.
He then wandered around the area...
Grapes are a very perishable fruit. In the rainforest, once they rot, they will attract all sorts of flies, no matter what they are.
These little things are the embodiment of bacteria and viruses. Ye Feng has no intention of provoking them.
The goal is to avoid waste and quickly dispose of these grapes.
The best way is to boil it into syrup.
The grapes we picked weighed about 50 jin (25 catties).
Ye Feng calculated that even without adding rock sugar, he could conservatively estimate that he could cook 4 to 5 catties.
This is no small amount.
He originally had some wooden jars, but the large ones were too big to be sealed properly, and the small ones were too small to hold all the contents.
Furthermore, in the absence of a refrigerator and under such conditions, if the syrup is not properly sealed, it may not last a week.
Therefore, he needed to make a suitable wooden jar and fit it with a lid that fit perfectly.
The forest is never short of trees...
Soon, he found a deciduous tree about the thickness of a thigh.
This type of tree has a high water content and density, so when hollowing out its interior, as long as the right force is applied, it is easy to succeed.
It generally won't split open like firewood...
It's not only the best material for making wooden jars, but also excellent for building treehouses. It's just that it's so sturdy that it's somewhat difficult to cut.
Because of his hand injury, Ye Feng went back to get a saw.
It took him about forty minutes from sawing the tree to cutting it into a stump.
Then he picked up his long-unused chisel and began working from about 5 centimeters from the edge of the tree stump…
chisel deeper and deeper...
This is a job that requires a lot of patience and skill; you need to carefully control the force and angle.
If you're not careful, it can easily be chipped, and then the whole wooden stake will be ruined.
However, this wasn't Ye Feng's first time doing this job. Although he wasn't exactly adept at it, he knew the steps clearly.
Like sculpting a work of art, one dares not be careless in the slightest, and every chisel stroke is made with utmost care.
The center of the tree stump was gradually sinking, forming a pit.
Slow and steady wins the race...
Half an hour later, as he pulled the last handful of sawdust from the hole, a large pit was formed.
This wooden jar is about 30 centimeters tall, and it should be able to hold four or five kilograms with some room to spare.
He took out a kettle, poured some water into it, and then picked up the wooden jar to examine it closely.
After finding no leaks, he smiled with satisfaction.
But that's not all; the syrup must be sealed tightly, otherwise its shelf life will be greatly reduced.
He then took out a section of tree stump that he had already cut beforehand.
The tree stump was only seven or eight centimeters tall; it was the material he planned to use to make the lid.
The method is still to hollow out the wood inside, but the goal is to securely cover the wooden jar.
The dimensions must be accurately determined...
He took a measuring tape, first measured two centimeters from the edge of the wooden jar, and then used a knife to carve out the specific chiseling lines.
Then, in the same way, the carving was done on the wooden lid.
What follows is the tedious craft work…
Wooden jars are fine; you just need to chisel lightly along the lines, being careful not to crack them or make the gaps too big.
But with wooden lids, you have to be careful with the dimensions. If you widen the inner wall, the lid will be loose.
But if you cut it too narrow, you won't be able to get up there at all.
Ye Feng, his forehead covered in sweat, carefully tapped the chisel.
This mistake means starting all over again, and the cost is too high for him to bear.
Qi Xiaoyan was originally the most suitable person to do this job because she has a steady hand and won't chisel off-center.
His practical skills are not much worse than Ye Feng's.
It's a pity he's still unconscious, otherwise Ye Feng could save himself a lot of trouble.
Time passed slowly, and another half hour went by...
Ye Feng finally stopped. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked very tired.
Qi Xiaojie and Liu Sisi had already washed the grapes and disposed of the monkey's body.
At this moment, the two are respectively smoking monkey meat and peeling grapes in the treehouse.
After Ye Feng stopped, they all gathered around...
"Did it work, Brother Feng?"
Ye Feng shook his head, indicating that he wasn't sure if it would work.
You'll only know once you try.
He took the wooden lid and, under the watchful eyes of the two men, slowly placed it on the lid.
However, only one side could be barely covered; the width of the other side clearly overlapped with the edge of the wooden jar, making it impossible to cover.
Ye Feng touched the inner edge of the wooden lid and realized what the problem was.
It's obvious that the groove in the lid wasn't wide enough.
"As expected, carpentry is not an easy skill to learn."
"Don't be discouraged, Brother Feng. If we chisel a little more, we can cover it up."
Liu Sisi comforted her…
Ye Feng continued chiseling, and after carefully polishing for about ten minutes, he stopped again.
This time, the lid was easily put on, and the opening of the jar fit perfectly.
Liu Sisi was overjoyed.
"Hey! This works!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Feng frowned, his face darkening, and he simply lifted the lid with one hand…
The fact that it was done so easily can only mean that the opening of the lid was made too big again.
Clearly, this level of airtightness was not the result he had hoped for.
"It seems we've failed. Carpentry is really not a job for humans."
Seeing his unpleasant expression, Liu Sisi took the lid and tried it, finding that it was indeed a bit loose.
However, she felt that things weren't so bad after all...
"It's not that bad, Brother Feng. We can find something to cover the mouth of the jar, and then put the lid on. Wouldn't that reduce the area?"
It's like buying shoes that are too big; you just add two insoles and they'll fit perfectly.
Ye Feng raised his eyelids; he wasn't unaware of this method.
The only thing he could cover such a large opening was the clothes he had stripped from the dead.
Those clothes are mostly breathable, so if you have to carry syrup on your journey and accidentally spill it, the whole backpack will be soaked.
Not only am I too lazy to clean it, but I'm also afraid of wasting so much syrup.
Therefore, the material of this covering must be airtight enough, and preferably waterproof...
Ye Feng stroked his chin and murmured:
"Waterproof, waterproof...waterproof!"
His eyes suddenly narrowed with excitement, and he abruptly turned around to look at the backpack…
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