Don't disturb my farming Chapter 68: Small Life, Big Power
Xiao Yun watched about beekeepers chasing the flowering season. The couple drove a truck with a truckload of bees to chase the flowering season all over the country. It was hard work, but also full of the charm of life.
Later, when I was watching a video on Douyin of a master from Northeast China making a kang, I inadvertently saw the cool tricks of beekeeping performed by farmers from Northeast China. The farmer in the live broadcast was not using the rectangular wooden box as before, but a cement beehive. Later I learned that cement beehives are actually a common operation. First, they are durable, and second, they are cold-proof.
It is impossible to keep bees on the grassland chasing the flowering season. There is no need to carry the beehives everywhere. In addition, the winter in the cold temperate zone is really cold, so cement beehives are definitely more cold-resistant than wooden ones. In addition, if you want to use wooden beehives for a long time, you still need to test the workmanship. Xiao Yun feels that he does not have the skills...
When everything was quiet and the moon was dark and the wind was strong, Xiao Yun took Balke to the depths of the alfalfa field. In addition to carpentry tools and wood, he also prepared cement and bricks.
"We use cement and bricks to make the outer wall of the hive into a rectangle, about this size." Xiao Yun stood at the position he had chosen and gestured with his hands, "Put the nest frames in the middle, and line them up vertically, leaving paths for the bees between the nest frames... The foundation on the nest frames is something that imitates the structure of a honeycomb for the bees to live in. I don't know how to make it, so let's try providing empty wooden boards, or use rattan to try to weave similar small grids, to see if the bees will buy it..."
"If we put the wooden boards vertically and make a honeycomb structure on them, will bees live in it?" Balk asked excitedly.
"...If the bees find the house we provide for them comfortable." Xiao Yun nodded, "How can the bees' nests in the wild not be as solid and warm as the beehives with cement walls?"
Balk thought that was true. His castle was built by summoning low-level demons to dig stones from the mountains. It looked nice, but it was far less comfortable to live in than the cement brick houses of the Snow Wolf Tribe. Now he didn't want to go back to live in the cold castle, so he immediately rubbed his hands... carrying hydrated cement, not even minding that the job was dirty and he worked very enthusiastically.
Xiao Yun was not surprised by this, because, in this world, sugar is definitely a luxury item!
In other words, in a world with backward productivity, sugar cannot be cheap... In the modern history of the earth, countless black people who were captured in the slave trade died in sugarcane plantations in foreign countries. The capitalists plundered black slaves because the profits from growing sugarcane at that time were no less than the huge profits from illegal drugs.
Sweetness is the most popular taste. Not to mention humans, even ants know how to chase after sugar, which shows that the need for sugar is not limited to race or species. Only modern people who are tired of all kinds of sweetness have the right to say that they don't like sweets. If it were a place with backward productivity, haha, ordinary people would have a good living standard if they could experience sweetness once a year.
Balk, the green dragon who owns a forest territory, last had a real sweet food when he was trading with the forest elves... It's not that he can't afford candy, but he has no concept of fair trade with others. He takes everything he sees and never gives it back. It's good enough that the forest elves are willing to treat such a bad guest, but he also gives him candy? The forest elves look like naive people!
So, Balk also craves honey...
It took two nights to make six cement beehives lined up in a row, put the wooden nest frames in them, and cover the top with protruding wooden boards, leaving gaps for the bees to fly around. The next step was to wait patiently for the bees that flew to the alfalfa field to pick flowers to move in... In order to speed up the process, Xiao Yun patiently shook some pollen with a clean cloth and sprinkled it into the beehive, hoping to lure these little honey-making guys in as soon as possible.
During this process, Balke was anxious but didn't want others to see his anxiety. His twisted look made Xiao Yun feel a little anxious for him... Fortunately, hard work pays off. About ten days after the first flowering period of the alfalfa field, five groups of bees happily moved into their new home.
Balk was extremely happy, but he didn't want others to see his happiness, so he followed the warriors in and out with a stern face all day long; the carefree snow werewolves didn't take it seriously, but the gray dwarves and goblins were afraid of him, and when they saw this guy from a distance, they would hide as far away as possible.
"He actually kept his promise and didn't reveal the fact that he secretly raised bees." Xiao Yun touched his chin with satisfaction. This was one of the rare bright spots in the Green Dragon. Although he had a bad personality, a bad temper, and couldn't be beaten up (this was what made Xiao Yun most angry), it was a good thing that he had a sense of keeping his word. This showed that this guy was at least responsible for his words and deeds, and was not too bad.
"Master Xing said, big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp, shrimp... can fight dragons." Turning his gaze to the goblins who were eating in a corner far away, Xiao Yun's eyes flashed with brilliance...
Balk looked at the two trembling little guys in front of him with an expressionless face, and turned to Hongye with dissatisfaction: "Did Ayun really ask me to watch them?"
The two adult goblins, Baron and Gar, almost fell to the ground because of their weak legs.
In her heart, Hongye cursed Xiao Yun for asking her to pass on the message, but she remembered Xiao Yun's words very well. She smiled and said, "Ayun said that the soldiers all go out in rotation, but you go every day. You have worked hard during this period, so I will let you change to an easier job so that you can have a rest..."
Balke felt very relieved when he heard this: "No need, it doesn't matter to me whether I take a rest or not."
Don't forget what you said when you get busy! Hongye complained in her heart, but smiled on the surface: "Of course we know that you are different from us, but we all live together, and it doesn't make sense for someone who is particularly capable to always contribute. Wouldn't it be very unfair to others? Just think of it as not embarrassing us and do some easy work occasionally."
Balk couldn't help curling up the corners of his mouth, pretending to be generous: "Okay, just take care of these two little things, okay?"
"Baron and Gar are going to the forest to collect wild garlic for the tribe. You know, tofu pudding and stir-fried dishes will taste much worse without wild garlic. Originally, we should have accompanied them on this job, but the first batch of alfalfa planted is about to be harvested, so we have to trouble you." Hongye's tongue was almost tied up as she spoke... Ayun asked her to express simple meanings in such complicated words. It's frustrating, isn't it!
"Leave it to me!" Balk waved his hand, walked out with his head held high... After a few steps, he paused and turned back, casting a disdainful look at the two trembling goblins, "Hurry up and catch up!"
Baron and Gar looked at Hongye in fear... but Hongye just urged them to hurry up with her eyes. Unable to hold back any longer, the two goblins could only face the cruel life with tears in their eyes and strength.
"Go quickly and come back soon, be careful!" Hongye waved.
"Don't worry!" Balke said loudly.
Hongye watched this seemingly awkward trio leave the tribe, then turned around and ran to look for Xiao Yun.
"Ayun, are you so confident in letting Balke accompany Baron and Gal?" Hongye felt furious when she saw Xiao Yun actually kneading the clay in a relaxed manner.
"If he doesn't agree, then there's nothing to say. If he agrees, then you can rest assured." Xiao Yun slowly turned the pottery bowl.
"...What on earth are you planning?" Hongye had learned her lesson long ago and would not be easily fooled by Xiao Yun.
Xiao Yun carefully took down the clay bowl and put it aside to dry. He wiped his hands and stood up: "Didn't I tell you to teach that guy a lesson? Even though Balk has never enjoyed much, he really doesn't know what suffering is. As a dragon, the worst and most embarrassing thing for him is that his jewelry and beloved things were robbed by his father. Survival is difficult? Not true. Dragons are not easy to die no matter how hard they are tormented. He has no respect for life. So, let him see how the weakest goblin on this grassland struggles to survive. I don't ask him to have empathy for the goblins, but at least, let him know the weight of the word survival."
"Uh..." It was another tone of argument that was hard to understand but seemed to make sense, leaving Hongye speechless.
"We have suffered and lived through hard times, so we can understand races weaker than us. We won't look down on them just because they are weak, and think that their lives are worthless." Xiao Yun said seriously, "We Snow Werewolves hold this concept, but it doesn't mean that others will be the same as us. Hongye, think about it, how did we first get to know Balk? That guy took away the gray dwarves and took them back as slaves without a care. Do you think he would respect lives weaker than him? To correct this guy's wrong worldview, of course we have to make him understand that small lives also have their own dignity and way of survival."
"Actually, I don't care what will happen to that guy. I'm just worried about Baron and Gar." Hongye said bluntly. Compared to the goblins, the green dragon is not likable at all. It is Ayun who has been coaxing him for the peace of the tribe. Even if others don't know, she doesn't know it.
"Haha... don't worry, I have all his gold, silver and jewelry." Xiao Yun laughed, "If anything happens to Baron and Gar, all his wealth will be gone."
Hongye: "...(o言o)"
Baron & Gar: "Aaaaaaaaaaa——!!"
"Shut up, or I'll throw you down if you scream again." The green dragon Balk, who was flying leisurely with his wings spread, said lazily.
Baron & Gar immediately covered the other's mouth, closed their eyes, and endured the fear of being caught by the dragon's claws and dangling in the air.
It only took a dozen minutes to fly a distance that would take several hours, and that was when Balke intentionally slowed down the speed and lowered the flight altitude.
He released his left claw and threw the two frightened goblins to the ground. Balk took out his robe and put it on, looking at the two goblins expressionlessly.
Baron & Gar: “……???”
"Aren't we going to collect wild garlic?" Balk asked dissatisfiedly.
The two goblins jumped up quickly... and twitched their noses.
Balk loves to eat tofu pudding, cold-mixed elm seeds and bean sprouts (bean sprouts that are blanched and then mixed with water), and naturally likes the taste of wild garlic. When the two goblins were collecting it, the old man followed slowly behind them with his arms folded across his chest, wanting to see what such delicious wild garlic looked like.
Baron and Gar's legs were weak, but that did not hinder their work. After groping for a while at the outskirts of the forest where the trees were sparse, they found their target.
"...Huh?" Balk thought it was a bit strange to see the two goblins lying down to dig up the grass. But when Baron dug out the wild garlic with small and round bulbs and thin stems and leaves like grass from the weeds and carefully removed the large pieces of mud at the roots, he was surprised to find that this thing that looked no different from a weed was actually his favorite wild garlic?!
Wild garlic usually grows in patches. If you find one, you will definitely find some if you look around carefully. The two goblins just knelt on the ground, digging left and right, and they dug out handfuls of wild garlic.
The bunches of wild garlic were folded in half, the leaves were wrapped around the stems, and they were put into a small bag woven from tree bark. The two goblins shrank back and looked at the green dragon who was standing next to them like a boss, and they finally mustered up the courage after thinking for a while: "We have finished picking... around here, shall we go look somewhere else?"
"Lead the way." This time Balk didn't walk ahead. Although he was a little ignorant, he knew a little bit... How could he recognize wild garlic that looked like grass?
So he picked two more plots of wild garlic, and when he continued to collect, Baron discovered something good.
"Bar, Balk, shall we go pick some mushrooms?" Baron, who was considered the bravest among the goblins, stammered, "There are mushrooms over there..."
"What for?" Balk frowned.
"That's right, putting it in when cooking soup can make the soup taste more delicious..." Baron said nervously.
Balk thought about it and since Hongye didn't say that he could only collect wild garlic, he waved his hand generously.
After collecting the shiitake mushrooms, they also found a small piece of matsutake that was growing well. Xiao Yun didn't recognize this thing, but the goblin did, so he happily put it into the bag. There were also some edible mushrooms that grew on the ground or even in the soil, which were also found by the goblin who had first-class collecting skills.
The bags around their waists were quickly filled, which they untied from their belts, sealed, tied, and carried on their backs. They then unfolded the solid bark fiber woven bag and hung it on their belts.
When I was collecting wild garlic again, the ground suddenly shook slightly.
"Hmm?" Balk frowned and looked into the depths of the forest. The branches and leaves blocked his sight. He could only sense the smell of a bear in that direction. Balk didn't like bear meat, which was tough and dry. He lost interest after just one look and looked away.
...Then he saw the two goblins stop collecting, dig out a piece of ground, take out the soil inside, and then rush into the cave.
Balk: “……???”
The two goblins who had crawled into the cave and were about to drag the turf to cover the roof suddenly froze.
Balk realized what the two little guys were doing, and veins popped out on his forehead: "I, Balk, am standing here, and you are afraid of a bear?"
Baron and Gar... jumped out of the hole as if they had pressed the accelerator key, quickly filled in the soil they had just dug out, covered the ground, and then jumped back to their original place and started digging wild garlic, as if nothing had happened just now.
"..." Balk suddenly felt conflicted: if he was really angry, he would lose face, but if he wasn't angry, he would lose face.
Thinking that the little goblin was not even worth a slap from him, and that the other party would be frightened to death if he shouted a little louder, Balk gritted his teeth and suppressed his slight annoyance.
"It's really weird. I actually have to give in to such a little thing." Thinking about his own "surrender", Balke's face looked unhappy.
Gathering is a tedious and time-consuming task, and Balke had no intention of going forward to help. He just wandered around with his arms folded. Naturally, the amount of wild garlic he collected that day was not as much as when the snow werewolves usually came with the goblins. But after returning to the tribe, Balke had just landed, transformed into human form, and hadn't even put on clothes when Xiao Yun came out to greet him. He praised Balke's bear face and said things like "he really helped us a lot" and "he is really reliable" and gave the garlic away for free.
The goblins certainly didn't have the guts to complain that Balk was just overseeing and not putting in any effort, so Balk felt so comfortable that he really thought he was doing a good job of "looking after the goblins" and unknowingly agreed to continue "helping out."
The next day, Balk grabbed two goblins with his big claws and flew towards the edge of the forest. He always felt that something seemed to be wrong... but he really couldn't figure out what was wrong.
After another boring day, Balk, feeling inexplicably depressed, took the little goblin back to the tribe. This time, he ran into the old chief of the Snow Wolf tribe, Cao Gen...
The acting of the Grassroots chief was much more natural and smooth than Hongye's. It seemed that the Grassroots had just returned from the greenhouse area with three tribesmen and "happened" to see Balke volunteering to be a transport plane. He stared at Balke with a very natural look of surprise, then turned to his own people and said, "No wonder Hongye and the others went to harvest alfalfa with confidence, it turned out that Balke helped them a lot!"
The three tribesmen had no idea what the grass root was talking about. They were all confused: "???"
Balke, who was still confused and wondering what he was doing, subconsciously puffed out his chest...
On the third day, Balk still felt vaguely that something was not right, but he was in a generally good mood when he flew to the forest... It was true that he was tired of the boring job of hanging out with the little goblins for the whole day, but as a dragon, he had spent so many boring days, so one or two days like this wouldn't make a difference.
"Today's flattery...Maomao, you will be the one to do it."
In the tribe, Xiao Yun looked around for several tribesmen who could be useful in the Green Dragon Training cause and named Yu.
Lan Guo breathed a sigh of relief, and Yu immediately showed a very reluctant expression.
"Have some team spirit. Hongye and Caogen have all contributed. How can you slack off?" Xiao Yun persuaded, "You don't have to recite a long paragraph like Hongye. Just learn from the method used by the Caogen chief yesterday and say something that Balk can hear. If you are really unhappy, then think about it: the preferential treatment, consideration, and special care given to this guy now are all for making him work ten times or a hundred times more in the future. The guy can only laugh now, and he will cry in the future... Do you feel better when you think about it this way?"
Feather, Blue Fruit, Grass Root, Red Leaf: "..."
"Okay, everyone get busy. Maomao, come here and I'll tell you what to do..."
Yu...Yu, what else can I say? I'll just go ahead with it!
On the fourth day, when Green Dragon Balk "went to work", he took the initiative to find the two goblins...
If we were to ask which race in the world is most capable of doing boring things with great enthusiasm, the first place would definitely be the dragon race - they have a long lifespan, can guarantee survival by not doing stupid things, and they are full of energy, so what else can they do besides doing boring things?
So the dragons can sleep casually for a whole winter, and if they get a toy, they can just stare at the toy and giggle for ten days... So it's really nothing to let Balk be the "supervisor" for the two little goblins for a few days, as long as he is willing to work...
After three days of wandering around with his hands on his hips following the goblins who were collecting, Balk was really bored. On the fourth day, he decided to find something to do while "helping out": he watched the two little goblins who were busy collecting and used their work process to pass the time.
Someone on Earth once said this when accusing a direct blood relative: the greatest cruelty is to be ignored. There is some truth to this. If you ignore a person who is right in front of you, it must be more hurtful than deliberately targeting him.
This was Balk's view of the goblins before. Even though his father had forced him to stay home and live with others, he did not take the goblins, who were a minority and absolutely weak in the Snow Wolf tribe, seriously. In other words, he did not think that the goblins were also intelligent creatures . If the goblins had not arrived earlier than him and had already integrated into the life of the Snow Wolf tribe, Balk would have established a first impression as soon as he arrived. He would probably be dissatisfied with the Snow Wolf people providing the goblins with food of the same quality as his.
Balk finally decided to pay some attention to the goblins (on the premise that he had nothing else to do), and found that the goblins, who were ugly and weak and whom he even looked down upon as slaves, were not completely useless - the two of them collected a lot of wild garlic, and in addition they were able to find some game that tasted good, so they were not as useless as he had imagined.
Balk, whose mentality had changed a little, returned to the tribe that day. The cats Qingyan and Qiu were responsible for recognizing his "contributions". The two stood at the door of the big kitchen and chatted. They were very happy to see the wild garlic and game ingredients brought back by the goblins. They said to the two goblins and Balk, "Thank you for your hard work. We can put plenty of wild garlic in our food these days. It's all thanks to you."
Balke held his chest high out of habit, feeling a little guilty for some reason... Perhaps he should try to collect some wild garlic tomorrow?
When Balk was struggling with the fact that doing the same work as the goblins was a bit of a loss of status, Xiao Yun came up to him and said with a smile: "You have been very hard-working these past few days. You don't have to go to collect starting tomorrow."
Balk breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Yun continued, "During this period of time, we have to quickly collect the alfalfa in batches. We are really too busy... Balk, the goblins are going to collect limestone tomorrow. Can you please look after them?"
"Okay." Balke didn't hesitate.
Xiao Yun said with a smile, "I knew you were reliable. Thank you for your help. The safety of the nine goblins in our tribe is in your hands. To be honest, this batch of limestone is very important. It will rain heavily in a month or so. We need to reinforce the riverbank, which requires a lot of cement..." After a pause and a look around to see that there was no one around, Xiao Yun lowered his voice and said, "It's the cement . Cement is made from limestone. The houses we live in are also built with this. We can't live without it."
"Oh..." Balk understood and felt a little proud. It turned out to be such an important thing. No wonder he was the one being asked for help!
The next day, Balk, with his chest puffed out, followed a group of goblins of all sizes to the low mountain quarry southeast of the tribe, outside the dry land. On the way, he remembered something, thought about it carefully, and suddenly realized - wait, the cement that is so important to the Snow Wolf tribe is actually mined by the goblins?
When they arrived at the quarry, Balk was stunned for a moment by the small slope of a low hill that had been dug out... For the dragons, it would not be difficult to flatten such a small hill by using all their magic, but... how could the goblins, who are as weak as reptiles, actually dig such a gap in the mountain?
While he was in a daze, the self-aware goblins had already started working. This hill, which was bulging due to the movement of the earth's crust, was dug out of the limestone layer below the surface. The height was about 30 to 40 meters, not high, but it was also a very dangerous height for the goblins, so they dug from top to bottom in a step-like manner; nine goblins, old and young, climbed to the top, their tiny figures strolling on the white and slightly steep mountain wall, as inconspicuous as ants climbing up a tree.
Balke suddenly felt that something in his heart was touched, but when he thought seriously about where it was touched, he really couldn't feel it.
