Chapter 469 Rainy Season
The best containers in the wild are animal fur or stomach bags, which have sufficient toughness and elasticity, and are very good choices whether for holding water or other things.
The only problem is that it is not easy to get these things. At least Bifang has not seen any large animals that can be hunted.
The trees that replaced them were actually better materials.
Bifang climbed up along the big roots of a huge tree, chopped off a branch with a stone axe, and then slid down the side and returned to the ground like a slide.
It just hurts my butt a bit.
The height of the entire giant tree is unknown, but the underground root system is visibly huge, supporting the huge crown like a pyramid. Many northern viewers find it incredible to see such a giant tree.
This is one of the most unique features of rainforest trees - buttress roots.
"In tropical rainforests, there are many species, so the competition for space and resources is very fierce. Plant roots play the role of absorbing water and nutrients and are the 'main force' in the competition for resources."
“Because the surface soil is fertile, the closer you get to the ground, the more competition there is between plant roots.”
Bifang returned to the ground, found the branch he had just dropped, picked it up and walked towards the camp.
"Because of the fierce competition, the plant roots have experienced a crazy growth similar to an arms race. Whoever is bigger, thicker and digs deeper into the fertile soil can live better."
"In addition, the trees in the rainforest are tall and heavy. To support their canopies and expand their territory, the trees need strong root systems."
Many of the buttress roots can even reach more than ten meters in height and extend more than ten meters in width, forming huge flanks, which are quite spectacular. The one that Bifang just climbed up is no less impressive, and its flanks can be used as slides.
"It is said that some of the exposed roots cover an area of more than 500 square meters, which is larger than the tree crown. I wonder if we will be lucky enough to see them."
[You can see a lot of things by following Boss Fang]
[Yes, I grew up without knowing that the rainforest was so spectacular and dangerous]
[Alas, it’s a pity that I don’t have Lao Fang’s ability, so I can’t learn it.]
【The club welcomes your registration】
【I will send the money right now. 】
Putting the branch on the ground, Bifang rotated the stone axe in his hand, gripped it tightly again, and then swung it down hard at the branch.
"When you chop, don't let the force be directed at your body. Try to avoid it. Even a good knife can fall down because of it."
Bifang spread his legs, stepped on the branches with his toes, and swung the stone axe in his hand towards his crotch, so that even if it slipped out of his hand, he would not be hurt.
If a hole is opened in the rainforest, it may start to stink within a few hours and rot in half a day, which can be fatal.
Bifang cut off several sections of the branch that was originally as thick as his arm, each section being as long as his forearm. He picked up a section and sat next to the burning campfire.
"I want to try to make a set of bowls and chopsticks out of wood, so that we can eat more conveniently and try some more diverse eating methods, such as steaming and boiling. We can quickly make wooden bowls and wooden spoons using fire. We just need to put charcoal on the wood and control the fire."
The log in Bifang's hand was about thirty centimeters long. He stood the log upright and then split it into two halves with force.
Unfortunately, I don’t know if it was because the stone axe was too brittle or the log was too hard, I failed to avoid the first blow and instead broke a small hole in the stone axe.
This forced Bifang to change his approach. He found a sharp stone chip to use as a wedge, aimed it at the target and hit it on the back with a big stick, hammering it in little by little, and only then was he able to successfully split the log in half.
He used a stick to rummage through the campfire, picked out a piece of glowing red charcoal and placed it in the center of the flat surface. Bifang blew carefully on the charcoal, letting it slowly burn the wood. Soon, charcoal ash formed and sank to the bottom.
Bifang used small branches to control the direction of the burning charcoal fire, and soon it burned into a hole.
"If you find that it's burning too close to the edge or bottom, put some sand or soil in those areas to stop the charcoal from burning further. If you want it to burn more slowly, you can scrape off the charred areas on the surface of the wood."
"If you want to speed up the burning process, you can use a hollow stem like elderberry, reed or bamboo, or even an animal's windpipe to blow through the coals."
Bifang holds a cone-shaped stone in his hand, the purpose of which is to control the direction and scrape off the surface.
These stone tools were not found randomly on the roadside, but were hammered out from other stones, using the old method of using the big head to hammer the small head, which makes the work more convenient.
In just ten minutes, most of the log was burned. Bifang poured the charcoal back into the campfire and scraped the surface with an awl to make it smooth.
A semicircular bowl appeared.
The audience was amazed, but many were left scratching their heads.
[Why not just use bamboo? I'm scratching my head.jpg]
[Ah, yes, if we just split it in half, we can use it directly. 】
【Did Fang Shen forget】
[No, isn’t the shack he built still in use?]
[I think I forgot, after all, there is no bamboo nearby, haha]
…
After a moment of silence, Bifang explained: "I am just demonstrating the technique. After all, not all rainforests have bamboo. Most of the original rainforests are abroad. I am looking for a more universal method."
Oh, I see. It’s not because I forgot.
The audience suddenly understood and said that it was well-reasoned and convincing, and that he was worthy of being called Master Fang.
Forgetting the unpleasant scene just now, Bifang showed the bowl in his hand to everyone. There was a large hollow section inside the 30-centimeter log, leaving only a thickness of about 1 centimeter, so the capacity was quite large.
"After firing, the bowl can be used directly. If you scrape off all the burnt surfaces and polish the bowl with sand, it will be perfect. In that case, the food in the bowl will taste better, but I don't have this condition."
"The principle of making a spoon is the same as that of making a bowl. After the spoon is fired, it is trimmed to a suitable degree for holding rice. When using this kind of wooden utensil to hold food, some particles will enter the wood, so it is best to put it on the fire after each use to sterilize it."
After doing all this, Bifang did not stop.
Instead start making a larger container, a bark frame.
“A wide variety of species are suitable for bark containers, such as birch, cedar and elm. Try to use trees that have already shed their bark or are in the process of shedding it.”
"If you must use the bark that is still on the tree, don't cut more than a third of its circumference to ensure the tree remains viable."
"For best results, we soak the bark ."
A bark basket is relatively easy to make and can be used to hold many things, such as tools or edible plants. Bifang had picked a piece of bark before.
The tree was so huge that it required two or three people to carve it, so even if it was one-third or one-quarter of the tree, the bark frame would be quite large.
The campsite is not far from the stream, and it only takes about ten minutes to walk there and back.
Bifang pierced a hole in the bark, used a vine to hold the tree, and dropped it directly into the stream. Then he took a detour and returned to the bamboo forest where he had met the Bamboo Leaf Green according to the direction he remembered. He found a thick bamboo and cut it down.
Cut the bamboo into three sections along the joints, return to the camp and use charcoal fire to burn two small holes, pour out the water inside the bamboo, and string them together with a rope, so that it becomes an airtight container that can hold water.
"Many times, people use the water from bamboo to replenish their body water. Although this is possible, it is easy to get upset if you are not someone who has lived in the mountains for a long time."
[Why is bamboo used again now? 】
[I still suspect that Fang Shen just forgot about it. The evidence is irrefutable.]
"Just now it was to demonstrate skills, now it is to facilitate use." Bifang said righteously.
[Ah, yes, yes, yes]
【We believe whatever you say】
【hey-hey】
While waiting for the bark to soak, Bi Fang returned to the bamboo forest.
"If you find a bamboo forest in the rainforest, the easiest food to find is of course bamboo shoots. It's June now, so although it's a little late and there aren't as many bamboo shoots as in May, they can still be considered spring bamboo shoots. If you can find a few and the traps you set up earlier also yield some fish, you can have a meal today."
Bifang advanced cautiously in the bamboo forest. He did not forget the bamboo pit viper he met before. This creature lives in groups.
If you find one on a bamboo, there are probably a lot of them in the bamboo forest.
In addition, the colors all around were very similar, so Bifang moved forward very cautiously, scanning the surroundings several times before daring to move forward.
Even the audience has stopped making noise now, because it is really scary. Just based on the bamboo pit viper's mimicry, it is obvious that I am in the open and the enemy is in the dark. If I get bitten, it will be terrible.
In the narrow bamboo forest, many bamboo shoots have sprouted, towering above the soil, showing their vitality wantonly.
But are they edible?
The audience wondered why Bifang didn't go digging.
Because unfortunately, they are not edible.
"Digging bamboo shoots is actually a technical job. It is not as simple as everyone imagines. The bamboo shoots that have not yet emerged or have just emerged are the freshest. They are about two to three centimeters above the ground. If they are more, they will be old and hard. Those that can be clearly seen are completely inedible. Therefore, it is not easy to find spring bamboo shoots."
"When digging bamboo shoots, pay attention to the soil. If the soil is soft and slightly raised, there is a high probability that there are new bamboo shoots underneath."
Bifang poked around with the stick in his hand: "Experienced people can tell there are shoots underneath from the cracks in the soil, especially when the cracks are very big. If you dig with a hoe once and don't see anything, you can dig twice to see a little bit of the shoot. This kind of shoot is the most delicious."
After searching for a long time, Bifang finally got something. He found a bamboo shoot that had not yet emerged from a crack, and he immediately squatted down and dug out the mud.
"Digging bamboo shoots requires a certain amount of experience. An experienced person can tell how big it is by looking at the head, where it is heading, and where it is going. He can dig down with a hoe and pick up the whole thing."
"Inexperienced people may not know how to dig, and may just pull them out with their hands, but it is difficult to pull them out because even the tenderest bamboo shoots are actually very large and buried deep in the soil. Generally speaking, loess and places with a certain slope are the easiest to find and dig bamboo shoots."
Unfortunately, Bifang didn't have a hoe, so he could only dig up the surrounding soil and then pull it out with his hands.
"If you see the top of the bamboo shoot is yellow, it may have just broken through the soil and is very tender. If the top is black, it is already very old. If only a little bit is exposed, don't dig it up, because it has basically become woody and you can't bite it or digest it."
After working hard for a long time, Bifang finally dug out the bamboo shoots buried deep in the soil, tied them up with rattan and fastened them to his back.
He kept repeating the process for the next few hours, and actually encountered a bamboo green snake in the process. Unfortunately, Bifang was not very lucky this time.
It was a very timid venomous snake, and it quickly slithered away before the Bifang could get close. The audience finally saw how fast the Green Bamboo Leaf Snake was leaping through the forest.
It disappeared in just a few flashes, and if you weren't careful, it would be really scary.
Fortunately, by around three or four in the afternoon, Bifang had dug up eight large bamboo shoots. Even if the skin was peeled off, it would be enough to eat for several meals.
With such a harvest, Bifang walked back to the river. The bark should have been soaked by now. On the way, he also checked the traps, but found them empty.
This slightly reduced Bifang's joy at the harvest, and he could only pin his hopes on the fishing grounds.
At the water's edge, Bifang picked up the bark, shook off the water, and rolled it into a barrel shape, which was as thick as a pure water bucket and could hold a lot of things. He then wrapped the bottom with palm leaves and tied it with a rope.
"Because it is tree bark, if we tie the rope directly, the bark frame will collapse directly, so we find a few branches with good elasticity and support it inside, and the job is done." Bifang explained.
In just over half an hour, Bifang had made a bark frame, tied a few vines to it, and even had shoulder straps, so it could be used as a backpack.
After putting all the original bamboo shoots in, there was still a lot of space left, and the several bamboo tubes hanging around the waist were also filled with water.
Looking at Bifang, which already has everything, the audience shouted 666. Today can be said to be a fruitful day, with a lot of bamboo shoots, various tools, and even a job.
[From nothing to something, awesome, this is becoming more and more complete]
【God Fang is awesome! 】
[The Little Prince of the Mountain Stream presents the anchor with a spaceship*1. 】
Following the stream to the river, Bifang found the place where the fishing ground was previously set up. At this time, the water in the fishing ground was very turbid and appeared to be brown muddy water.
Bifang looked at the fence and found that it was not damaged, which meant that the fishery was still effective.
He walked closer and took a look. The muddy water was very calm. Just as Bifang was about to insert the tree stick, suddenly, a fish tail jumped out of the water, creating ripples.
In stock!
Bifang was overjoyed, but he did not act rashly. Instead, he put the tip of his spear into the water and stirred it: "We need to make sure there are no other dangers in the water, such as water snakes."
The water rippled, and the sharp wooden spear was inserted into the water, instantly causing a large splash of water.
fish!
So many fish!
The audience was stunned. There was definitely more than one fish that had just appeared.
At least three! And they are all big!
Bifang spotted a sturdy catfish that was as big as his forearm.
Watching the moment it jumped up, he stabbed it with the spear and pierced the catfish instantly.
After stuffing it into the bark frame, before Bifang could continue to spear fish, the rainforest, which was originally daytime, suddenly became dim.
Bifang looked up in surprise and a drop of water fell on his face.
It's raining.
