newbobooks Chapter 167 Ice Making
Chapter 167 Ice Making
Perhaps because of the drought, although the two people watered different crops every day, the amount of fruit produced this year was still much less than last year.
During this period, Lu Chuan did not go hunting in the mountains. When he was free, he just took the dogs to hunt near home. He did not go far, and the distance was controlled to ensure that he could come back that night.
Because the dogs have grown up, and with Lu Chuan's special training, they have caught a lot of prey during this period.
Xu Han was completely trapped at home. For half a year, there was not a drop of rain. The crops at home needed water, and Xu Han had no way to travel far.
I can only stay at home every day, and wander around the valley near my home when I have free time.
During this period, I didn’t just water the plants every day. After all, the things I planted were limited. In my free time, I picked a lot of honeysuckle and some seasonal wild fruits near my home.
Xu Han and Lu Chuan got up early in the morning as soon as it was light, and after quickly finishing their breakfast, they went to the wasteland together.
The peas and broad beans planted years ago are now mature and ready for harvest, and the peas have now turned completely yellow.
A few days ago, when the peas were still green, Xu Han picked a lot of peas, some of which were peeled into peas and stored in the space.
When you want to eat it, you can use it to cook porridge, or add it to stir-fried dishes.
The other part was directly cooked and eaten by Xu Han. After washing it, she put it in the pot and cooked it, and ate it as a snack.
Because the yield is not particularly good, there are not many pea pods on the pea vines at present.
Although some pea vines are still blooming, the plants have turned yellow and will not produce many fruits. Moreover, they need to be watered every day. It is not worthwhile to continue planting them.
Lu Chuan and Xu Han unanimously decided that it would be better to accept it directly.
The pea seedlings were cut directly with a sickle and piled on the tattered oilcloth. When there was no more room, Xu Han put the oilcloth into the space, then carried it back home and put it in the yard to dry.
It was very easy to harvest peas. We had almost finished harvesting them by around ten o'clock. We had planned to finish harvesting them all in one go and then take a break. However, the sun was too strong and our backs were hurting. We had to go home and rest and come back to harvest when it was cooler in the afternoon.
After returning home, Xu Han took out some ice jelly from the space and ate one portion each. After resting for a while, she said, "This damn weather is too hot! It feels like death to do any work."
"It's really hot, much hotter than in previous years. I thought it would be hot during the drought, but I didn't expect it to be this hot. It's only May, and even hotter weather is yet to come!"
"Luckily we froze some ice, why don't we use it now? Didn't we also buy saltpeter? This can also be used to make ice, but I haven't tried it yet!"
"Okay, take out a piece and use it first! We'll try to make ice later. I'll go get the wooden basin first." After saying that, he got up and left the room.
After Lu Chuan brought over the two wooden basins, Xu Han took out ice cubes from the space, put one cube in each wooden basin, and then placed them in the room where they lived.
Then I closed the door of the room. It was very stuffy at first, but after the ice melted a little, the room gradually became cooler.
Maybe it’s because of the high temperature that the ice melts very quickly, and it doesn’t take long for an ice cube to melt completely.
"This is too extravagant! If we use it like this, the ice in the space will not be enough for us to use for long." Xu Han said with a bitter face.
Lu Chuan also discovered this problem, so he said, "Let's try the saltpeter you mentioned first. If we can make it, then we don't have to worry. If we can't, we can find a way to save it."
The two of them started preparing things right away. But then they thought that it was too sunny outside and they would not be able to do it in the yard. They were afraid that the ice would melt as soon as it formed, and the work would be much slower.
The two had no choice but to make ice in the bathroom, but the bathroom was small and hot, and it was really not convenient to stay in it.
So Lu Chuan put ice cubes in the shower room, thinking that it wouldn’t be too hot!
To make ice with saltpeter, you need two containers, one large and one small. Lu Chuan prepared a large water tank and a large bucket.
Fill half a tank of water into the large water tank, then add a large bucket into it, and then add water to the bucket.
After everything is prepared, add saltpeter into the large water tank. When the saltpeter dissolves in water, it will absorb a large amount of heat. When it reaches a certain temperature, the water in the tank will turn into ice.
When Xu Han put saltpeter into the water tank, he waited for a long time but didn't see any ice, so he asked, "Did you not add enough? Why is there no reaction?"
Hearing this, Lu Chuan was also confused, so he touched the water in the water tank with his hand and said, "The water is slowly getting colder. Don't worry, we'll wait."
After waiting for another half an hour, it still didn't freeze. It was the first time for both of them and they didn't know the proportions.
Xu Han added some saltpeter into the large water tank. Wouldn't it be absorbed faster if a little more heat was added?
It should be fine! It doesn't matter if it fails, saltpeter can be reused.
After the temperature of the water drops, or when it is placed outside in the sun to evaporate the water, the saltpeter in the water tank will precipitate again and become crystals, which can then be collected and used again.
Xu Han knew this, but despite this, Xu Han and Lu Chuan still bought a lot of saltpeter last time just in case.
By lunch time, the water tank still hadn't frozen, so the two of them had no choice but to wait no longer. The weather was so hot that they decided to take a nap first!
At around three o'clock, Lu Chuan and Xu Han got up. The first thing Xu Han did after getting up was to run to the bathroom to see if the ice-making was successful.
"Lu Chuan, come here quickly, we seem to be able to succeed." Xu Han shouted loudly to Lu Chuan in the room.
When Lu Chuan heard the sound, he quickly went into the bathroom.
"Look, it's frozen! But the ice is not very thick now, so we may need to wait for a while." Xu Han said excitedly.
"Hmm! It looks like this can be successful. It should be almost done by evening."
Lu Chuan also seemed particularly excited. After all, it was the first time for him to see such a magical thing!
From putting saltpeter in, to the water slowly cooling down, and finally turning into ice, isn't that surprising?