I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 31 Chiseling Ice to Get Water
Phew~~~
The cold wind blew through the bare branches and hit Luc's face, making it instantly cold.

Dancing snow fragments swirled before his eyes. Luc stepped into the snow with his big feet and staggered towards the Agate River in front of him, braving the whistling snowflakes.

The Agate River is two hundred feet wide, with a complex network of rivers. In addition to the small streams that extend to the cabin, there are several tributaries flowing into it on the upstream banks, but they are all frozen at this moment.

Walking slowly along the river bank, Luc, wrapped tightly in a blanket, held the mattock tightly and looked at the ice from time to time.
He needed to chisel the ice in a place where the water looked clearer.

When there were no wells, this clumsy way of getting water was the only option in winter.

After walking upstream for a while, Luc stopped, lay down, and blew a breath on the ice to clear the mist. The still water under the ice was still clear.

"This is it."

Luc stood up quickly. The stream beside the cabin had been completely frozen by mid-month, but the Agate River only gradually froze due to the sudden drop in temperature in the last few days of the month.

The ice is three feet thick, and it didn't freeze overnight. At this time, the ice on the Agate River, which is six or seven meters deep, is about four inches thick, which is enough to support people walking on it. However, Luke still carefully placed one foot on it tentatively, rested the other foot on the shore, and then slowly put his whole body weight on it.

It was not until half a day later when I heard no more sound of ice cracking that I felt at ease standing on the ice.

If you want to break ice to get water, now is the most suitable time. The ice is neither too thick nor too thin. It will be difficult to break through it after a while.

He tapped the ice with a mattock, stopped at a place that sounded relatively thin, spread his legs slightly, swung the mattock and began to chisel the ice.

The ice was slippery, and Luc had to steady his stance every few times. The mattock chiseled vertically, making a ping-ping sound. Luc held back his strength and didn't dare use all his strength, fearing that excessive force would cause the ice around him to crack. At the moment, he was still standing on the ice and couldn't be careful.

The sharp side of the mattock kept hitting the ice, causing ice flowers to splash, until beads of sweat oozed out of Luc's head and finally an irregular round hole appeared.

Luke worked hard and quickly dug and hammered at the round hole. Finally, a fist-sized hole appeared in front of him, penetrating the ice.

The unfrozen river water under the ice flowed slowly. Luc put his hand in and found that the water was warm!

At least it's much warmer than outside.

After feeling it for a while, Luc pulled out his wet hands, rubbed the water stains on his leather coat to prevent cracking, and then carefully broke the surrounding ice and slowly enlarged the hole.

He didn't stop until the hole was the size of a human head.

With a chill on his nose, Luc turned around and took out a clay pot from the shore. He didn't have any wooden barrels or other water containers.

In fact, half a month before Ryan fell ill, he had been working on building a wooden barrel.

Making a wooden barrel is by no means a simple carpentry job. On the contrary, it is very difficult to make. It is not as simple as splicing a few wooden boards together. There are many steps to complete. A good cooper can even make a living from it.

Besides, it takes a lot of effort to create those slightly curved wooden boards.

Luc scooped water into clay pots one by one, and instead of transporting the water to the wooden house immediately, he moved it to the wheat field.

Luc took out all the containers that could hold water and placed them one by one in the field.

During this time, he went back to the house to check on Ryan and little Charlie. Seeing that there was no problem, he waited until the snow gradually stopped, and then the day disappeared. When the wheat soil melted slightly and was about to freeze again at night, Luc started to act again!
Carefully, the river water is gently poured over the roots of each grain plant. The cool water seeps into the soil, instantly moistening it. While it might seem detrimental to pouring ice water over wheat during the coldest months, it's actually an effective way to alleviate frostbite on the grain!

——Why was the water warm when Luc just reached the bottom of the river? It was because the thick ice layer isolated the cold and provided protection for the river water below.

Similarly, the river water used for irrigation at this time is also to form a layer of ice on the soil to protect the grains from frostbite as much as possible.

This is the same principle as Luc covering wheat with thatch, both are insulation measures.

However, ice water is ice water after all, so you can't water it too much, and you can't water it at night, otherwise it will have a counterproductive effect.

After pouring all the pottery with water, the night chill began to rise, and Luc went back to the river and filled a jar with water for drinking, and then returned to the house.

"Master, how is the wheat?"

As soon as Luke entered the house, Ryan couldn't wait to ask about the situation. At this time, Ryan was already bound to Luke, and whether Maizi could survive was equally important to him.

"We've done everything we can. We'll just leave it to fate. But I guess nothing will happen."

Agricultural planting often depends on the weather. This is an eternal truth and also a rather sad thing.

Luc did not take off his clothes, as he had to go to the cellar to get out the pork for the day.
He slaughtered and ate the four wild boar piglets one by one in the past few days. I have to say that the meat of the piglets is quite delicious.

After hearing what Luc said, Ryan took out a small wooden cross from behind him, closed his eyes and murmured silently, apparently praying.

Luc pursed his lips, wondering when this guy had made the cross.

Ignoring Ryan, he pushed the door open and walked to the cellar. He lifted the wooden board to let some air in, then cautiously entered with a torch in hand.

The cellar was rather dark, and even if Luc had eagle eyes, he could not see the way clearly. The cellar was expanded a little by Luc and Ryan, but it was far from the level of a basement. He bent down to pick up a piece of dried meat, and suddenly, a rustling sound came into his ears.

First there was the grinding sound of teeth gnawing on something, then the rustling sound of claws hooking into the wall, and finally the squeak.
All the sounds mixed together and entered his eardrums. In the darkness, Luc slowly turned his head. Suddenly, a pair of dim lights met his pupils. Luc's face suddenly changed. He quickly moved the torch with his arm and shone it forward!

It would have been fine if he hadn't taken a photo. Once he did, Luc took a deep breath.

——A mouse as big as a human foot was lying in the corner, drooling and staring at him!

The slender and smooth rat tail looked like a greasy snake. Around it, there were several smaller rat cubs running around.

Luc suddenly got goose bumps all over his body!

Seeing his gaze coming towards him, the mouse didn't even try to avoid it. Instead, it panted and stared at him. Its belly, covered in dirty hair that looked like it could never be cleaned, was bulging.
Luke's face changed from disgust to astonishment to shock and anger, and he finally couldn't help but curse:
"Damn guy!!"

I picked up a clod of earth and threw it at the mouse. The mouse just crawled along the wall.
It disappeared into the corner in a moment!

(End of this chapter)