frightfiction Chapter 298 Traditional Honey Harvesting Methods Lead to a Bumper Harvest at the Bee Farm
Chapter 298 Traditional Honey Harvesting Methods Lead to a Bumper Harvest at the Bee Farm
The next day, Li Ju'an was at home, embracing his wife Lin Mei affectionately. He hugged Lin Mei tightly and kissed her, saying, "Wife, you smell so good. What did you put on?"
Lin Mei giggled, both shy and coquettish, and pushed him away, saying, "Is it the scent of hand cream? Did you buy it for me?"
Li Ju'an held his wife's slender, fair hand, sniffed it, and said, "It doesn't smell like face cream. Come here, my good wife, let me smell it." He leaned in to kiss her, and Lin Mei tried to dodge, giggling. She didn't really dodge, and soon the two of them rolled onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
The large tiger lying at the entrance was no longer surprising.
At first, Da Hu and his hunting dogs were somewhat wary, wondering if their master's strange noises meant they were in danger. Later, the hunting dogs were also puzzled; they could now droop their ears and lie down on the terrazzo floor, fast asleep.
Li Xiao and Lu Wenqian were looking at the bees at the apiary at the entrance, while Sun Hao was also staring at the bees with great interest, finding it amusing.
Li Xiao said, "My brother said a big boss is coming today."
Lu Wenqian didn't dare get too close to the bees. Looking at the beehive, she said, "Is the big boss here to collect honey or fruit? Your fruit trees haven't produced any fruit yet."
"They're too small. They'll grow taller in a few years and then bear fruit. What's the rush?"
Sun Hao watched the bees flying around, feeling quite bored, and said, "You guys are lucky, your families are all here today. My family all went into the mountains and haven't come out yet."
Sun Quande organized a rafting trip, leading almost the entire village into the mountains. Only the Li and Lu families left the group, each forming a small team, and then descended the mountain early.
Sun Quande and Sun Weimin were still in the mountains, so Sun Hao had to stay at home with his grandmother. The old lady cooked the same two dishes over and over again: cabbage stewed with radish, and radish stir-fried with cabbage. The chubby boy was at the age where he was growing rapidly, and eating vegetarian food every day made his mouth taste bland.
Mother Song Lanhua is harvesting honey from the beehive. These past few days, Li Ju'an has frequently invited Old Wang, the old beehive of the production brigade, to come over, firstly to ask him about the techniques for quickly building queen cells in the fall, and secondly to ask him about honey harvesting techniques.
When Old Wang was teaching Li Ju'an the secrets of building the royal platform, he revealed a simple yet extremely practical tip.
He said that all you need to do is sprinkle a layer of honey into the bamboo basket used for catching bees, then hang this sweet trap high on a branch and wait for dusk to fall. Swarms of bees will then come following the scent.
When the time is right, these little bees that have come from afar are led into the beehive woven according to ancient methods, and a natural and harmonious beehive is born, thus completing a beehive.
Looking back, it was with this simple yet ingenious method that Old Wang personally nurtured the first vibrant beehive in the history of the production brigade's apiary. In those days, he carried beehives, chasing the footsteps of the flowering season, traversing mountains and valleys, leaving his footprints on every inch of the Xing'an Mountains.
From the golden rapeseed fields to the white locust groves, the nectar from rapeseed, locust, and vitex flowers are all traces of his collection.
Just as it was time to cook, Li Ju'an came downstairs feeling refreshed and went to the bee farm courtyard. He took the work from his mother, Song Lanhua, and said, "Mom, you should rest. I'll finish these today; someone else will be coming to see me later."
Song Lanhua, the mother, turned to look at Lin Mei, who was also coming downstairs, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy and happiness. She thought to herself, "It seems I'll be able to hold my big, healthy grandson next year. I'd better knit more sweaters and socks to prepare; this is truly a joyous occasion!"
Song Lanhua responded softly, then walked into the kitchen side by side with her daughter-in-law Lin Mei to prepare dinner. As she worked, she turned back and said to Lu Wenqian and Sun Hao with a warm smile, "You two can stay here for dinner. I'll go tell your families later so they won't worry."
Upon hearing this, Lu Wenqian and Sun Hao readily agreed with a "Okay!", their faces beaming with childlike joy.
In the 1980s, the village was filled with a strong sense of community. On ordinary days, children, like a flock of happy little birds, freely roamed between the houses. At mealtimes, the women of each household would warmly invite the children to stay for a meal, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Everyone in the village knew that everyone was related, and relatives would worry about their children playing at someone's house. Therefore, such scenes were commonplace here.
Li Ju'an slowly put on his protective suit, covering his forehead, cheeks, the backs of his hands, and palms completely, ensuring there wasn't a single flaw that exposed his skin. He took the heavy beehive and began harvesting the honey, a process known locally as "traditional honey harvesting," a skill passed down through generations.
This craft originated from the teachings of the old bee king, and it has been passed down for a long time in the Xing'an Mountains. It can even be traced back to the time of his great-grandfather's generation. It is the wisdom of honey extraction passed down by the beekeepers of that generation who carried beehives to catch the flowering season.
Hidden among the lush apple orchards of Changchonggou is a row of suspended barrels, which is the honey-harvesting site cultivated by Li Ju'an using the ancient barrel beekeeping method, specifically for extracting honey.
His movements were light and practiced, the knife gently gliding across the surface of the honeycomb, careful not to disturb the industrious bees. The bees remained engrossed in their daily work, unaware of the impending change. Li Ju'an's hand had already reached deep into the intricate honeycomb, slowly and carefully cutting away the honeycomb brimming with sugar with the knife.
Old Wang once earnestly told him, "When harvesting honey, you must be very gentle, extremely gentle. Otherwise, your hands will suffer."
Only a light touch that doesn't cause a ripple in the air is enough to allow one to maneuver among the honeybees with ease and avoid being accidentally injured by the hardworking bees.
Then, he took out the honeycomb, placed it in an empty barrel, and pressed down the handle to shake it. This is called shaking honey; the force of the shaking is used to fling the viscous honey into the barrel, and then it is filtered out. But he couldn't waste the other honey on the hive.
He carefully crushed the honey that couldn't be squeezed out with a wooden mallet, then gently spread it on a soft cotton cloth, letting it slowly seep in. The pressure had to be light; brute force couldn't be used. Patience was required.
The viscous honey, following the laws of nature, slowly drips through the delicate weave of gauze into the waiting earthenware jar. Only in this way can we extract drops of clean, pure honey.
The rich aroma of honey instantly filled the air. Sun Hao, who had been waiting anxiously nearby, couldn't hold back any longer and excitedly begged for mercy, drooling.
"Brother Li, please, just let me have a bite."
The chubby boy couldn't wait to dip his finger in the honey and take a sip, but Li Ju'an slapped his hand away. He said, "What's the rush? We'll jar it up later, and you can take a jar back with your family."
Sun Hao was delighted and said with a smile, "Alright, Brother Li is still the best at taking care of me."
"He's got a sweet tongue like a young lady; he'll definitely know how to make girls happy when he grows up," Li Ju'an said with a smile.
He went to great lengths, using a friend at the factory as a middleman, to purchase a batch of empty cans at a very reasonable price. Thus, with careful preparation, jars of honey, embodying the essence of traditional brewing methods, appeared in his hands.
At this moment, the two bosses, Pang Duolai and Huang Xinliang, arrived at the Li family's self-built house. As soon as they approached the fields, they smelled a sweet fragrance in the air.
"What does it taste like? It's so sweet."