Fisherman Fubao made his fortune by fishing

Old man Li was an honest man. When he got rich, he first thought about paying off his debts. He said to his wife, "Mother, tomorrow, let's pay off the debts we owe to the village."

Mrs. Cai was instructing her eldest daughter-in-law to cook. Upon hearing this, she stopped what she was doing, thought for a while, and then said, "It's not urgent. Our family paid back several hundred dollars at once. The villagers will definitely be suspicious. We have to keep the whale meat secret for a while.

It’s best not to tell anyone about it in the future. It’s best if this matter can be kept secret forever.”

Old man Li slapped his forehead and said with a simple smile, "Look at me, I was so happy that I almost did something wrong. The boy's mother was right. Tomorrow I will take the eldest brother and the second brother to dig out all the whale meat and bring it back."

"That whale is as big as several houses. It would take a day to catch it. Besides, where should we put it after bringing it back? What if someone comes and sees it?" said Mrs. Cai.

"If one day doesn't work, two days will. We have to do this as soon as possible. When the weather is good, there's no guarantee that some naughty kids will come out to play and see us. You're right, but where can we put them after we pick them all at once?" Old man Li was in a dilemma.

Old Mrs. Cai couldn't think of a suitable place for a moment, as their house was just that big.

Li Yuer, who was standing by, had an idea and she told the old couple her idea.

"Grandpa and grandma, I heard people at the dock say that when the weather is extremely cold, you can build an ice house to store New Year's goods."

In the past, there were no refrigerators in rural areas. When pig farmers slaughtered the New Year pigs, they could not eat them all at once. Some smart people came up with an idea. They built ice houses when the weather was particularly cold, and the refrigeration effect was similar to that of a refrigerator.

Old Man Li was very interested when he heard this, and came over to ask, "Yu Baoer is really smart, then do you know how to build an ice house?"

Li Yuer brought a wooden stool to Old Man Li and asked him to sit next to her.

"Grandpa, I also heard gossip when I was watching the stall at the dock. Some people didn't believe it, so he gestured and explained how to build an ice house. That person said that you have to choose a thick layer of ice and then cut it into ice bricks of the right size..."

In the previous life, the ice house was built by a tribe called the Inuit. They lived in the Arctic region close to the extremely cold land, where it snowed all year round and the climate was extremely cold.

Because the temperature was very low, ordinary houses and tents could not keep out the cold, so the Inuit invented and built dome-shaped igloos, also called ice houses.

The hemispherical igloo is like a big pot upside down on the ground, firmly covering the foundation pit below. It is not only wind-resistant and snow-proof, but also able to keep in warmth.

He did what he said. Old man Li put on his hat, picked up the fish knife and went out to cut ice bricks.

Li Yuer naturally had to go with them. She was an engineer at the time and had to direct her "subordinates" to do their work.

"where to?"

As soon as Li Yuer got off the boat, he was spotted by Li Meir who was making fire in the kitchen.

Li Yuer did not hide anything and said happily: "Let's go cut ice bricks with Grandpa."

"What are you chiseling that for?"

"Build a house!" Li Yuer said and was about to chase Old Man Li to the beach, but was stopped by Li Meir.

A loose cotton jacket was put on her body, and the cold wind was instantly blocked out.

The cotton-padded jacket warmed Li Yuer's body and also her heart.

It feels so good to have family members caring about you.

This cotton-padded jacket was the one Li Meir wore when she went to town. It was Old Lady Cai’s dowry jacket and usually only people who went out to do business were qualified to wear it.

Li Mei'er looked at Li Yu'er's dazed look and said jokingly, "What's wrong? You're so happy about a cotton-padded jacket. Why don't you chase him quickly? Grandpa will be far away soon."

"Hey!"

Li Yuer concealed her emotions and jumped after Old Man Li.

Old man Li deliberately slowed down his pace and waited for her.

The grandfather and grandson discussed the construction methods of the ice house while walking towards the beach not far away.

The sea surface was covered with thick ice and ice blocks could be seen everywhere, so the raw materials for making an ice house were not difficult to find.

"Grandpa, you need to cut ice bricks this long and this wide." After choosing the place to chisel the ice, Li Yuer stretched out his hand and gestured.

There are certain requirements for the ice bricks used to build the ice house. The bottom is large and the top is slightly smaller, and so on. The size of the ice bricks decreases layer by layer. In this way, the walls built will be wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, and finally gather into a hemispherical shape.

Old man Li was used to this job and had a lot of strength in his hands. He chopped the thick ice into pieces.

Soon, a fairly square ice brick was cut.

Li Yuer gestured with his hands and asked Old Man Li to remember the approximate length and width so that the next piece could be cut according to the size of the previous one.

It took about half an hour to cut about forty ice bricks in total.

Old man Li put them in baskets in batches, hung them on a shoulder pole and carried them along. Li Yuer also put a piece in his basket.

The location where their boat docks is not far from Qiantan, just a few hundred meters away.

The number of ice bricks is far from enough, but Li Yuer wants to stack them up first to test the size. If it doesn’t work, she can modify it instead of waiting until there are too many and they are not suitable, which would be a waste of effort.

"Grandpa, let's build the ice house on this flat ground." Li Yuer said, pointing to an empty space.

The location of the igloo is also important. It should be sheltered from the wind and flat.

The best igloos require digging foundations downwards. The deeper you dig, the warmer the igloo will be and the more comfortable it will be for people to live in.

But this was the first time they built an igloo, and it was used as a warehouse, so there was no need to dig a foundation. If they dug a foundation, it would be too warm inside and would be difficult to store things.

After clearing the ice, snow, gravel and weeds off the ground, Old Man Li began to build the wall according to Li Yuer's instructions.

"Grandpa, it should be tilted a little so that it will be easier to build the next layer." Li Yuer gave instructions from time to time.

The size of the ice brick was just right, and if there were any unsuitable edges or corners, Old Man Li would just use a fish knife to trim them on the spot.

Soon, the bottom circle of walls came out.

Old man Li looked at the fruits of his labor, grinning with a sense of accomplishment, "This thing looks pretty realistic, it would be great if it could really be built into a house."

"Grandpa, don't worry, it will definitely succeed." Li Yuer said confidently.

She picked up the prepared snow and sprinkled it into the cracks in the wall, then used a pot-scrubber to throw some water on it. As the water and snow froze, the cracks in the wall were filled.

Li Meier, who had just finished cooking, came over curiously and looked at the circle of ice walls, exclaiming in amazement, "Are you really planning to build an ice house?"

She didn't believe it in her heart. Over the years, she had never heard of anyone in the surrounding area building an igloo.

However, she did not discourage the two of them. Once it was done, the whale meat would be saved and their family would be able to turn things around.

Even if it fails, it will just be a waste of effort.

The following year, she was going to be an adult. With such a big thing happening in her family, she had been planning to wait a few years before getting married. Unexpectedly, her cousin luckily discovered a stranded whale, which gave the family hope. Maybe her situation would turn around, too.

Li Yuer touched his nose confidently: "Of course, Mei'er sister, don't worry, Grandpa is very skillful, he will definitely build a big and good house."

After hearing his granddaughter's praise, Old Man Li worked even harder and more seriously.

At this time, laughter came from not far away, and my uncle and his friends came back.

The shoulders of several people were heavily loaded with burdens, and their arms and legs were bent from the weight. One could tell at a glance that they had gained a lot.

Boss Li, who was always silent, became talkative. He put his load at the door of the straw hut and said with a gasp, "Dad, there really is a whale, Boss!"

Li Dalang unloaded the burden. He looked and had the same temperament as his father. He didn't talk much, but he took on the responsibilities of the eldest brother very early on.

He has been working behind his father and second uncle since he was young. He is willing to endure hardships and is also very caring towards his younger siblings.

"Grandpa, where should I put the whale meat?" Li Dalang looked around but couldn't find a place to put it.

Old man Li put down the fish knife in his hand and said, "I am building an ice house here. I think it will be finished by tomorrow afternoon. I will put it behind the stove shed tonight. Be careful not to let anyone see it."

"Igloo?"

Only then did a few people notice the circle of ice wall built by Old Man Li and gathered around curiously.

Old man Li stretched out his hand to push away the people who were approaching, saying, "Stay away, don't knock us down. Yes, we're going to build a house out of ice. Once it's built, we'll use it to store whale meat. If you have nothing to do, go to the beach and chop ice bricks!"

After saying this, Old Man Li continued with his work.

As expected, Li Lao Da and his son went to the boat to get another fish knife and asked Li Lao Han how to chisel ice bricks. They planned to hurry up and chisel ice bricks.

Li Yuer gave them a few instructions, but saw Li Erlang curled his lips in disdain and got into the boat.

Is this blatant laziness or is he looking down on her ice house and thinking that she can't build it?