Chapter 120
Zhao Ping found a place and tied the raft to one side. The place where the two came down was very slippery because of the high tide.
“Brother, be careful and don’t knock yourself.”
“I know. Just be careful. If it doesn’t work, we’ll go back.”
Zhao Qin shook his head and touched the reef surface on the side, and finally reached the entrance of the cave in front. It was obviously drier here, which meant that no matter how high the tide was, it would not be able to fill it.
The hole is natural, so there are a lot of rocks sticking out, which makes it easier for him to climb, but if he accidentally hits his head, it will definitely be the result of open skin and bleeding.
He thought for a while and said to the elder brother behind him: “Brother, you wait for me below. I will see if I can climb up first. If not, I will come down immediately.”
“Then you have to be careful and don’t show off.”
This place is actually not far from the opening where they came in, only about ten meters. It felt dark before, but that was because the eyes had adapted to the strong light outside and suddenly darkened.
Zhao Qin climbed up for about ten minutes, looking around carefully while sighing at the miraculous power of nature.
At the end of the cave was the upper cave that Zhao Qin saw earlier. The place where he settled was still very narrow, and the height was only about 1.5 meters. He could only bend down.
Following the direction he felt, he walked out. Sure enough, he turned a corner and saw a faint light coming in. The hole above was not far away.
He turned around and walked into the heart of the mountain. After walking for more than 20 meters, he saw in front of him something like a man-made kiln mouth. Although the top was not smooth, it clearly looked like a sky dome and a pot. The cover is buttoned down,
The area is very large, in Zhao Qin’s opinion, it is thousands of square meters. At this moment, the top has also become higher, almost more than ten meters high.
And on the upward eaves, from a height of almost 1.5 meters, all the way up, there are densely packed small transparent corners, like small fixed buckles deliberately left on the eaves climbing wall.
He was overjoyed. They were bird’s nests, and there were so many of them. If he picked them all, he would make a fortune.
Perhaps it was his light that disturbed the resting swallows. They flew around for a while, but strangely, they did not fly out. They all surrounded their own nests. After flying for a while, they fell into the nest again.
Upon closer inspection, he also found that not every nest contained swallows, but only a small number of them. It seemed that some were diligent and foraging outside.
He remembered that water was needed to pick bird’s nests, because the bird’s nests had a very high sugar content and a very sticky texture, so it was difficult to pick them without spraying water. He was just about to try with a sand shovel to see if it would work, but suddenly he felt as if there was an extra person beside him.
“Brother, you want to scare people to death, why don’t you say anything.”
“Aqin, this…this…is this, right? I’m not dazzled, am I?”
In fact, Zhao Ping screamed underneath for a long time. When he saw no response, he was really worried, so he climbed up. When he saw the light here, he wanted to scream, but the scene in front of him shocked him.
It’s also his fault that Zhao Qin wasn’t calm, otherwise he would have been able to notice when the light had become stronger.
“Yes, you are not dazzled, brother, how do you pick this thing?”
“I don’t know. How about we try shoveling it with a sand shovel?” Zhao Ping is not an encyclopedia, and he has never encountered it.
When Zhao Qin heard that he had the same idea as his, he stopped talking and carefully shoveled the sand shovel against the wall. Fortunately, his sand shovel was used frequently and the edges had been polished to a sharp edge.
The bird’s nest was shoveled down almost without deformation.
“Brother, that’s great.”
Zhao Qin was overjoyed, but the next moment he was embarrassed because the bird’s nest stuck to the sand shovel and would not come off no matter how hard he shook it. He had to pick it up with his hands, but the next moment his gloves were also stuck.
“No, this thing is too sticky.” Zhao Qin said depressedly.
Zhao Ping was also a little anxious. It was too much of a headache to see so many but couldn’t pick them.
How can a living person suffocate to death? Zhao Qin thought for a moment and came up with a solution, “Brother, climb down and get on the boat. Tell Ahe that you may have to wait a little longer and ask him not to worry.
Also, bring a bucket of fresh water. We don’t have a watering can, but we can dip our hands in water and just touch the bird’s nest with our hands. ”
When Zhao Ping heard that it was indeed a solution, he quickly turned around and walked back.
In fact, the best way is for the two of them to go back now, prepare the tools, and come back early tomorrow morning. But if they don’t do it now, they probably won’t be able to sleep all night after they go back.
After waiting for nearly forty minutes, Zhao Ping came up with a bucket of water.
Zhao Qin thought of a better way, which is to soak the sand shovel in water, or use a sand shovel to shovel, so that the bird’s nests shoveled will have a better shape, and because the sand shovel is stained with water, the bird’s nests will be easily peeled off.
I tried what I had in mind and found that it really works..
“Brother, what does this thing taste like?”
“You ask me, who should I ask? You make it look like I’ve eaten it before.”
The two brothers chatted while they worked.
“Brother, does my sister-in-law know how to handle it? Otherwise, we can keep some for ourselves…”
“She can’t. Okay, hurry up. You’re thinking about eating all day. You’re not afraid of indigestion of such expensive things.”
“Those who buy it can digest it, why can’t I?”
Zhao Qin was speechless. In his previous life, he was considered middle-class, but he had never eaten it. Occasionally, he wanted to buy it to try, but he just didn’t know how to handle it. He always felt it was expensive, so he bought it and messed it up.
“Brother, don’t move the nest with eggs and chicks.”
“I know. Ah Qin, this place can’t be told. We can come here every year in the future.” Zhao Ping thought that it would be best if he could guard it forever. It would be his own vegetable garden. No, it should be called a treasure land, um, a treasure land that can be passed down from generation to generation.
“Yeah.”
Zhao Qin heard that bird’s nests can be picked three times a year, but he also thinks it is a gift from heaven. After all, it is not farmed, so it is better to pick it only once a year.
If he picks too much, he is afraid of hurting the heaven.
The newly picked bird’s nests are still mixed with a lot of bird feathers. The two of them naturally don’t have the time to remove the impurities now. Of course, even if they have the time, they don’t know how to do it.
Although they are greedy, they really did not move the nests with chicks and eggs.
After working for an unknown period of time, Zhao Qin’s headlamp ran out of power first, and Zhao Ping handed him another one.
“Brother, how many did you bring?”
“All four are on top. I was afraid that there would be no power. Hurry up.”
First pick the simple ones, then tiptoe. In the end, the two had to lift the other to pick, and finally finished all the ones they could reach and pick.
The snakeskin bag brought by Zhao Ping was also full, and the two stopped. There were some bubbles. It looked a lot, but in fact, there were not many in weight.
“Aqin, are you still moving the ones above?”
“Brother, don’t move. Sustainable development is very important. I’ve heard people say that in the main production areas in Malaysia, the weight of bird’s nests harvested is limited every year, for fear that it won’t be sustainable.”
A trace of regret appeared on Zhao Ping’s face. If he continued to harvest, he could bring a ladder to continue tomorrow, but since his brother said so, he still nodded.
“Then let’s do it this way. Let’s come again next year.”
Zhao Qin carried the bucket, and his elder brother carried the snakeskin bag and walked first. When they came to the opening, Zhao Qin hesitated for a moment and put down the tools. He turned around and bowed to the empty field:
“Swallow, don’t blame me. If you bump into others, your children and nests may all be lost.”
After that, he picked up the tools and left.