Chapter 385 My Paradise and Natural Swimming Pool
"Lin Heng, there seems to be something wrong with my shrimp pond."
From a distance, Lin Xutao shouted to Lin Heng.
"What's the problem? How could it go wrong?"
Father Lin asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"I don't know either. I put out feed these past two days and it seems like there are no shrimps eating it. I didn't see many shrimps when I shone a flashlight at night."
Lin Xutao helplessly spread his hands, looked at Lin Heng and said, "Good nephew, come and show me."
"Okay, I don't have anything to do right now anyway." Lin Heng nodded, having anticipated this.
Breeding seems simple, but there are actually many things to pay attention to, and novices can easily run into problems.
But he didn't expect that in less than a month, his third father would have run out of shrimps.
After going down the mountain, Lin Heng put down the honey, rubbed the area bitten by the bee with cooling oil, and then went to Sandie's house with his father.
When they arrived at the pond of his third father's house, his third mother Li Xue was checking the situation. When she saw Lin Heng, she hurriedly said, "Good nephew, show me what's going on."
Lin Heng looked around. The water in the pond was lush green, visibility was less than 20 centimeters, and the algae bloom was quite serious.
He also found some shell remains of dead shrimp fry on the side. They could be seen on the edge, and they were probably scattered all over the bottom of the pond. It was obvious that they were beyond saving.
"What are you feeding, Sandie?" Lin Heng asked curiously.
Li Xue rushed to answer: "It's the same feed as yours. Your father brought it to us."
Lin Heng nodded: "Is that so? Then I guess it was due to lack of oxygen. The concentration of algae in the pond is too high. Didn't you guys pay attention to it?"
"The algae concentration is too high? What's the reason?" Lin Xutao wondered.
"There are many reasons for this. The most likely reason is overfeeding. There may also be other reasons. I can't be sure." Lin Heng shook his head.
Li Xue asked anxiously: "What should we do now, Lin Heng, do you still have shrimp seedlings?"
Lin Heng shook his head: "I don't have any shrimp seedlings now. I suggest you stop raising shrimp. Raise grass carp instead. They can also sell for a lot of money. They are much easier to raise than shrimp and can be fed with grass."
Father Lin also nodded and said, "Yes, the grass carp fry in my pond eat grass very quickly, and I feed them several hundred kilograms a day."
Li Xue was still a little unwilling, and gritted her teeth and said, "Is there someone in the village causing trouble? Otherwise, how could we all die if we were fed the same way as Lin Heng?"
Lin Heng didn't say anything. It's not impossible, but he still tends to believe that their skills are not good enough.
Generally speaking, no one would do such a wicked thing unless there is a deep hatred. If discovered, the whole village will despise you.
But it's hard to say. His third mother is mean and snobbish, so maybe she offended someone.
This is also the reason why he fenced off the breeding base, to prevent some people from causing damage.
"Don't talk nonsense, it's probably because our skills are not up to par."
Lin Xutao criticized his wife, turned his head and looked at Lin Heng and said with a smile: "Nephew, where can we get grass carp fry now? Is it really easier to raise than shrimp?"
"Of course. It's much easier to take care of. When the time comes, you can just run some water here and it will survive if you just take care of it."
"As for grass carp fry, we can only buy them. We have already missed the hatching time."
Lin Heng explained that no one had listened to his advice at the beginning, and now that the problem had arisen, he had no way to deal with it and didn't even want to help.
He knew how many fish fry his eldest brother had in his pond, because when he was breeding, his eldest brother was afraid that there would not be enough, so he bought five pairs of grass carp.
But he wouldn't say that; he couldn't make decisions for his elder brother.
"Oh, if I had known this would happen, I should have listened to you and raised grass carp directly." Lin Xutao smiled and shook his head.
"How much do grass carp fry cost?" Li Xue was concerned about this. She also felt a little regretful. Maybe she should really raise fish.
Lin Heng thought for a moment and said, "It depends on the size. The small seedlings that were just born this year are cheap, and they cost dozens for one cent. The big seedlings are expensive, and those weighing one or two taels are one cent each."
"Then let's think about it." Li Xue immediately backed out when she heard the price.
After talking for a few words, Lin Heng and his father went to his house to drink some tea before leaving and going home.
"It seems that raising shrimps really requires skills." Father Lin sighed on the way back. He admitted that he was too arrogant before.
Lin Heng smiled: "Of course, otherwise it would be too easy to make money."
"Haha, you're right." Father Lin said with a smile.
After returning to Hongfeng Mountain, Lin Heng picked some vegetables and went back, telling his eldest brother the news first.
Upon hearing this, his sister-in-law Liu Juan also came to her senses and was glad that she had not thought of raising shrimps, otherwise they might be in the same situation now.
Lin Heng went home and told Xiulan about this matter again. He didn't laugh at her, he just gave her something to talk about.
After hearing this, Caiyun said, "Given Sanma's personality, she would probably think someone is playing tricks on her, rather than feel that she has failed."
"As long as it has nothing to do with us, we have helped those who need help." Xiulan shook her head. She was not very interested in these things.
Instead, he found out that Lin Heng was injured by a bee, so he pulled him over to take a closer look and applied medicine on him.
"Do you want to eat a peach? I'll peel it for you." Lin Heng picked up a peach and asked.
Xiulan shook her head: "It's just eaten. It tastes better after being frozen in the freezer. You can help yourself."
"good."
Since his wife didn't want to eat it, Lin Heng took a peach that had been frozen in the freezer, peeled it and started eating it. The flesh was sweet and cool, and it quenched his thirst.
Since I got a freezer, my quality of life has been elevated to a higher level. Not only can I eat fresh meat at any time, I can also make my own ice cream with milk. Some of the delicious foods I make can be frozen and eaten for a long time.
Xiulan didn't go to pick mushrooms in the afternoon. She washed her clothes and then was busy making stuffing for dumplings. She made more this time because she had a freezer to store them.
In the evening they ate buns with four different fillings: mushrooms and lean meat, leeks and eggs, oil residue and sesame, and red bean paste. They also made a soup with yellow thorn bone, loofah and mushrooms. They had a delicious meal.
The next morning, Lin Heng went to kill a sheep with his father. He was too lazy to find a good day, so he just killed it when he wanted to eat it.
When Lin Heng came over, his parents went with him to see the sheep. The white goats were tied outside and raised in the wild, and their meat was better than that of the black goats in the pen.
"This is the little ewe, one of the ones born last year. Go weigh it and see how much it weighs."
Mother Lin grabbed a young sheep and said, "This fellow is disobedient and likes to steal vegetable leaves. Now that he has been caught, he has no idea of his situation and is still butting his head against her."
"good."
Lin Heng carried the sheep's front legs directly to the warehouse and put them on the scale to weigh them.
When he saw the number, Father Lin immediately shook his head: "It's only 35 kilograms. It really can't be compared with the black goat."
Mother Lin also nodded: "It is true that black goats are not as good. Now the black goat ewes in the pen are almost 50 kilograms. I just don't know whether black goats or white goats taste better."
"We'll know when we kill one and eat it next time."
As Lin Heng spoke, he tied up the sheep, then pressed it on a rack and placed a basin underneath to collect the sheep's blood.
After he was ready, he let his father hold him down, took out his sharpest Damascus dagger, and cut his trachea and aorta with one stroke, giving him a quick death.
He didn't have that much sympathy, and letting it die quickly was the greatest respect. He collected the sheep's blood in a basin without wasting any of it, and when the blood was drained, he and his father began to peel the sheep's skin.
One person helps to pull it while another person cuts it with a knife. The peeling process is very fast and will not cut the sheepskin.
It was already half past ten when they finished skinning and slaughtering the sheep. Lin Heng and his father took half of the mutton and all the internal organs to the new house.
The mutton was frozen to keep it fresh, while the internal organs and sheep's head were prepared for Xiulan to stew and then frozen to eat slowly. The sheepskin was prepared to be dried in the shade and sold, as it was troublesome to tan it by yourself.
Then Lin Heng and his father returned to Hongfeng Mountain, cut the mutton to be barbecued into small pieces and marinated it, waiting to eat it after the sun went down in the afternoon.
It was already noon when they finished all this. Lin Heng asked his father to go take a bath in the swimming pool they had built in the stream. They held their breath, doggy paddled, did breaststroke, dived to touch rocks, and did all the activities they liked to do as a child.
He also went to dive in the pool formed by the waterfall in the reservoir. This place is now one and a half meters deep and about three or four meters wide. When diving in, he could see groups of brook groupers swimming at the bottom of the water, and occasionally two mullets.
It’s so refreshing to swim in the cold mountain stream. It is a natural swimming pool gifted by nature to rural people.
People will be troubled for their entire lives by things that they could not obtain when they were young.
When I was a child, I wanted to have a paradise of my own where I could swim, barbecue, and do whatever I wanted, and it would be best if my father could be with me.
Now Lin Heng has done it. Looking at his father soaking in the water, whose complexion and spirit are much better than before, he feels sincerely happy.
"Let's go. It's getting a little cold. It's not suitable for soaking anymore."
Half an hour later, Lin's father spoke up to remind him.
"Well, let's go back." Lin Heng nodded, shook the water off his hair, took off his swimming trunks, put on his clothes and walked back.
In such hot sun, soaking in water for half an hour can cool you down for two hours.
Mother Lin looked at him and asked, "I cooked corn porridge and some buns made by Xiulan, would you like some?"
"Let me have a bowl of porridge." Lin Heng said with a smile. The porridge was cooled and contained corn, glutinous rice, red dates and dried sweet potatoes. It tasted rich and sweet.
After finishing the porridge, he walked back home. As expected, Xiulan also cooked porridge at noon, but she cooked eight-treasure porridge, and they ate the steamed buns that had been made yesterday afternoon.
"Dad, come back for dinner!"
Xiaoxia saw him come back and pulled her and said that she had been scolded by her mother several times for not eating on time. When she saw her father coming back late, she was afraid that he had no food to eat, so she hurried over to pull him.
"Thank you, dear. I'll be there right away." Lin Heng smiled, sat down next to Xiulan, took a bun to eat, looked at his daughter, and then took a spoon to feed his two sons on the bed the porridge without grains.
"Did you feel comfortable taking a shower?" Xiulan looked at him and said.
Lin Heng smiled: "Why don't you go together? It's really comfortable."
"I'll go wash my hair in the afternoon." Xiulan said while eating.
Lin Heng quickly said: "I will help you then."
After dinner, everyone sat on the sofa to rest. Since the thermal insulation cotton was installed, the room was quite cool with an electric fan.
Lin Heng played with his daughter, and he was in a good mood watching her happy and silly smile. Xiulan and Caiyun were both reading a book, looking a little bored.
After a while, at around two o'clock, the door was pushed open, and Lin Yue walked in and shouted, "Let's go take a bath."
"Then let's all go, and then have a barbecue in the afternoon." Lin Heng looked at his wife for advice.
Xiulan shook her head and said, "You go ahead. The sun will burn your son and daughter. I'll go later."
Lin Heng continued to persuade: "It's okay, I'll hold the umbrella for you, it's cool over there too."
When Xiaoxia heard about playing in the water, she immediately became interested and ran over to hug her mother's legs and acted coquettishly: "Mom, let's go!"
"Okay, okay, okay." Unable to persuade her husband and daughter, Xiulan had no choice but to get up. She went back to the house to pack up and took her swimsuit and some fruit.
Lin Heng put his two sons in the stroller, held an umbrella for them, took Xiongba with him, and the family set off directly to Hongfeng Mountain.
My eldest brother's whole family also went out, and this time my eldest sister-in-law Liu Juan also went along to play.
After they got there, Lin Heng put his two sons on a cool mat and asked his mother to watch over them. They went to the natural swimming pool. Although the water here came from underground and was very cold, it was still quite warm under the strong sun because the water was large and shallow.
This is also why Lin Heng wanted to build a reservoir to raise plum fish. The water must be much deeper to maintain the original temperature. If you go up the mountain, even at the waterfall, the temperature will be much lower.
A temporary sunshade net was pulled across the stream to provide a shaded area. Everyone came into the water one after another to soak in it. Even if they couldn't swim, it was very comfortable to soak in the water in such a hot summer. Xiaoxia, Lin Tao and Lin Shan, three children, sat in swimming rings and played in the water.
Lin Heng washed Xiulan's hair and taught her how to swim while holding her breath. However, she accidentally choked on a large mouthful of water and got so angry that she bit Lin Heng's arm.
"Eat a grape to relax a bit. I'll get some for you." Lin Heng said with a smile, and ran to the deep pool above the waterfall to get some chilled grapes, black plums, and pears.
These fruits are ripe during this period.
"I won't learn to swim again next time." Xiulan ate grapes and shook her head. She felt so upset.
Lin Heng nodded: "Haha, I don't want to learn anymore, just take a bath."
Swimming and playing in the water always makes you hungry quickly, and eating fruits is not enough to keep you hungry, so everyone got up at around 3 o'clock to make a barbecue.
Seeing them coming back, Father Lin smiled and said, "We have prepared everything. The meat has been skewered and the vegetables have been prepared. We are just waiting for you to grill them."
If he were alone, he would definitely not have the time, but with his family together, he would have the motivation and time.
"That's great, I'll make the charcoal."
They were having a barbecue under the east wall of the house, but now it was shaded and there was no sun.
The charcoal fire was lit, and the fresh mutton was put on the grill. It started to sizzle and ooze oil after a while. The rich aroma of roasted mutton floated throughout the field. Xiaoxia and Lin Tao, who were chewing pears, had already run over and were waiting to eat.
"Wait a moment, it will be ready soon." Lin Heng said to them.
The ones who were grilling the meat were him, his elder brother, and his father. Xiulan and the others were tired enough from cooking, so now it was time for them to enjoy themselves.
Soon the first batch of grilled skewers was ready. Everyone was given two skewers of lamb and ate while sitting on small stools.
Fresh goat meat is very fragrant even without any other ingredients, let alone seasonings. The thick fat carries the burnt aroma of the lamb, and the hints of cumin and chili are so delicious that it will make your tongue fall off.
"tasty!"
“It smells so good!”
The children praised the food as they ate, and the adults nodded repeatedly, eating the mutton with big mouthfuls.
"It's worth the time I spent raising it for a year. It tastes really good." Mother Lin said with a smile.
"Everyone, eat as much as you can. There's plenty left today. Once you're warmed up we can go take a bath."
Lin Heng smiled and said, this is what life should be like.
(End of this chapter)
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