socalfunplaces Chapter 11 Building a Duck Shed
Chapter 11 Building a Duck Shed
Zhang Niu thoroughly enjoyed the stewed rabbit meat he had that evening.
With his round belly bulging, carrying King Kong, the little one returned to the hut at the foot of the mountain. Zhang Niu felt like the Japanese invaders had come down the mountain for a massive sweep. He hoped to eat and drink his fill and maybe even kidnap a pretty girl to take home.
Back at the cabin by the mountain, Zhang Niu hadn't been back for two days, and the table was covered in a layer of fine dust. A gentle blow sent the dust flying everywhere. Having no other choice, Zhang Niu decided to treat it as post-dinner exercise.
As the saying goes, a little exercise after a meal keeps you healthy and long-lived. That's quite true, at least for Zhang Niu. He busied himself fetching water and wiping the table for a while before finally finishing. "Little Dot" and "King Kong" had already returned to their own territory to rest. Only Zhang Niu was left to battle the dust.
After all that activity, since we hadn't dug a well at home yet, I just went to the pond to wash up. Feeling completely refreshed, I lay down on the bed and fell asleep immediately.
September weather is still early and early. The sparrows in the trees are chirping and chattering, making quite a scene.
I bought some ducklings but don't have a place to keep them. Now I'm planning to build a stilt house. The front half will be on land, and the back half on the water, so the ducks can sleep on the land side at night and on the water in the summer. Cleaning the duck droppings will also be easy; I can just buy a small water pump and a few meters of pipe for regular cleaning.
Zhang Niu wanted to use pine trees from the mountain for the foundation piles, as they are sturdy and durable. After all, they would be driven into the water, and pine trees are prone to rotting. He planned to use bamboo from the mountain for the rest; a small amount would suffice. Zhang Niu didn't intend to build a large structure; a little over a thousand bamboo poles would be enough. Too much would be too hot, and too little would be too cold in winter.
In the afternoon, I went to the village. Introduced by someone, I went to Uncle Wang's house. I said I wanted to buy some bamboo. Uncle Wang agreed without hesitation. In the end, we bought 1000 jin (500 kg) at 28 yuan per 100 jin. However, Zhang Niu had to go to the mountains to cut the bamboo himself. After asking around, I learned that Uncle Wang's children all lived away from home and couldn't cut the bamboo, so Zhang Niu had to do it himself. Since it was still early, Uncle Wang took Zhang Niu to the bamboo-growing area to familiarize himself with the route. He pointed out the bamboo groves; the bamboo on the mountain was all planted in one continuous stretch, and it was really hard to spot without someone explaining.
After finding out where the bamboo was, Zhang Niu went down the mountain and home. It was getting late, so he could only come back to cut it down the next day.
Zhang Niu arrived at the bamboo field early in the morning, along with Xiao Budian and Jingang. They now have a fixed team when they go out.
The bamboo in the mountains is generally old. New shoots are rare. Every spring and winter, bamboo shoots emerge from the ground in vast stretches of bamboo forest. Skilled anglers can identify shoots just by looking at a crack or split in the ground. During these two seasons, many people go to the bamboo mountains to look for bamboo shoots. Winter bamboo shoots are the most expensive, while spring shoots are generally cheaper. At that time, small bamboo shoots and wild bamboo shoots are plentiful in the mountains, causing prices to drop significantly.
When winter bamboo shoots first come into abundance, many secondhand dealers come to the village to buy them. Most families only keep a small amount for themselves and sell the rest. Some people don't sell but instead use the shoots to make dried bamboo shoots or pickle them. If the weather is good, you can enjoy dried bamboo shoots during the Lunar New Year; bamboo shoot stewed with old duck tastes exceptionally good.
Uncle Wang's bamboo stalks were all exceptionally tall. They had no branches, growing straight to the top. It's not about choosing the biggest bamboo; you have to choose older ones. Older bamboo is easy to spot; you can tell at a glance. Zhang Niu focused on the old bamboo, quickly felling each stalk down. He trimmed off the forks and the tips, and that was it—a bamboo stalk was done.
They were busy with this simple task until noon. After carrying it down the mountain and weighing it, they hauled it to Zhang Niu's place in a tricycle. This cost Zhang Niu a considerable amount of RMB, which made him feel quite distressed.
Freshly cut bamboo is piled up in the open space in front of the yard. After the bamboo is cut, it needs to be dried for a few days to remove moisture. Otherwise, even if it is tied tightly with wire, it will loosen again after a few days. This is because the bamboo still has moisture.
After a day of rest, Zhang Niu called his father, uncle, and a group of relatives to help build the duck shed. In the morning, they dug pits and drove in stakes, and also sawed the bamboo into strips of varying lengths. They split the bamboo into thin, even strips, which would later be used as webbing.
In one morning, three large stakes were erected by the pond, and six smaller stakes formed the basic framework of the shed. After lunch, work continued. With the framework in place, the afternoon progress was rapid. Asphalt tarpaulin was laid on top, and bamboo strips were secured with wire. A simple land-based duck shed was completed; many hands make light work. However, this was contingent on providing good food and drink. The remaining water-based portion will begin tomorrow.
Because driving the piles for the amphibious section was quite troublesome and took Zhang Niu a considerable amount of time, after three days of hard work, the duck shed was finally completed. The power lines were brought in, and light bulbs were hung up; all that was left was for the ducklings to move in.
That evening, Zhang Niu took all the ducks out of the space and put them in the duck shed. The ducklings were quite excited about the new place, walking around and quacking loudly, creating a symphony.
Zhang Niu doesn't want to use traditional duck feed. He plans to let them roam freely since he still has a lot of old rice at home that he can use to feed them. During the day, the ducks will catch small insects and fish in the pond. At night, he'll herd them back to the shed. After a few times, they'll go back to the shed on their own as long as the lights are on. It was a bit tiring for them recently.
After finishing his work with the ducklings, Zhang Niu planned to properly develop the things in the space. It would be a shame not to utilize such good resources. But Zhang Niu had been quite busy lately.
Standing in the space, I kept thinking about what to plant. I didn't have much money left, and if I didn't get something new, I'd really run out of food.
The price of corn is high now, so we can plant several batches. The seedlings by the pond have already sprouted new tender leaves, forming a stark contrast with the bare seedlings outside. Zhang Niu estimates that these seedlings will soon flower and bear fruit.
There are still quite a few fish fry left in the pond, each weighing about a pound now. They're ready to be served. However, I feel they're still a bit small. Perhaps in another two weeks they should weigh four or five pounds.
The sweet potato vines I planted in the ground last time are now ready to be dug up, yielding at least several hundred kilograms of sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes in my own plot are considered early-maturing. The sweet potatoes in my own field aren't even as big as mine yet.
In the village of Fanshu, people like to dig a cellar and cover it with piles of pine needles. This way, they can be stored until the following spring. Otherwise, the needles will easily rot, or there will be no sweet potato seeds left by spring.
First update. I had something to do this morning and only just finished writing it now, sorry. Corn (the author) is clamoring for recommendations and favorites!