Zhao Yuan cautiously approached the torch to the black shadow, and then the firelight saw that it was really a snake, a large cauliflower snake was hibernating in the stone crevice, motionless.

"It's a cauliflower snake, it's not poisonous." Zhao Yuan stabbed the snake with a hoe and remained motionless, apparently hibernating.

"It's more than two pounds, what should I do, the owner?"

"Just let it stay here, and hopefully we won't freeze it to death if we come in with ice."

The place where the ice is hidden Zhao Yuan was going to put it in the innermost part of the cave, and originally wanted to use a hoe to dig a pit in the cave, but it was full of stones, but fortunately, the innermost terrain was relatively low, and it was also suitable for hiding the ice.

After carefully inspecting the situation in the cave, Zhao Yuan and the others walked out of the cave, ready to start transporting ice cubes into the cave.

"Uncle, can we go in and have a look?" Luoluo stretched his neck and looked into the cave, saw Zhao Yuan coming out, and asked.

"It's dark inside, aren't you afraid, and there's a snake in there." Zhao Yuan said with a smile.

"And the snake, Brother Yuan, you haven't been bitten, have you?" Meng Ying asked with concern.

"No, it's so cold, the snakes are hibernating, and the snake inside is a non-venomous cauliflower snake."

"Brother-in-law, what is hibernation, is it winter sleeping?" Meng Xiaobao also asked.

"Yes, uncle, I want to know too." Luoluo also asked curiously.

"Hibernation means that some animals stay in one place almost motionless in winter, and in addition to snakes, there are other animals that also hibernate, such as frogs, bats, bears, etc." Zhao Yuan popularized common sense.

"Uncle, why don't we hibernate?"

"Because hibernating animals have evolved over a long, long time to adapt to the harsh environment of winter, and we humans have the creativity to build houses, produce food, make clothes, etc., so humans do not have the ability to hibernate."

"Oh, how long will they hibernate?"

"They won't wake up until the weather gets warmer."

"If you don't eat or drink for so long, won't you starve and die of thirst?"

"Not usually, but there are animals that starve to death during hibernation."

"They're so pathetic."

"I've seen it for a long time, I really didn't think about why these animals didn't understand in winter when they didn't move, it turned out that there was still knowledge in it." Tao Pu said with a sigh.

Several other people also sighed, but Meng Ying's eyes were shining, this is my man, he always knows more than others.

"You guys are not cold, if it's cold, go back first, here I and Uncle Tao can be two people." Zhao Yuan said to everyone.

"It's not cold, uncle, can we make a fire here?" Luoluo shook her head and said.

"Yes, but there's not a lot of dry firewood here." Zhao Yuan said with a smile.

"Brother Yuan, do you have to go to the fish pond to bring ice cubes up, there is so much snow on this mountain, can you take the snow and move it to the cave?" Meng Ying suggested.

"Why didn't I think that this would be completely okay, Uncle Tao, we don't have to go down the mountain, just collect the snow on the mountain." Zhao Yuan said with a laugh.

found some dry pine needles and dry wooden sticks on the platform, made a fire to keep the three little guys warm, and then Zhao Yuan and the others began to collect clean snow, shoot porcelain and send it to Shandong, and after a while, a small pile of hard snow was piled up in Shandong.

"Owner, this doesn't seem to work, this snow is melting." Tao Pu, who had carried the snow, said while putting down the basket.

"It's going to melt some, and if we get more into it after a while, the temperature inside will drop down, and it will naturally freeze slowly." Zhao Yuan said with a smile.

However, this era lacked things that were specially used to keep warm in later generations, so we had to put as much ice and snow as possible in the innermost part of the cave, so that the temperature was reduced to a minimum, and sealed it with thick soil to form a frozen layer, and then it depends on luck, I don't know if it can be preserved until summer.

The relatively clean snow near the mountainside was collected, and the people behind had to go farther to collect it, walking up and down, plus it was difficult to walk on the mountain, and the occasional snowflakes blown down by the wind on the trees were sprinkled on their heads, and several people looked a little embarrassed, and their heads and bodies were a little wet.

However, this year's snow was quite heavy, and the innermost few meters of the cave was completely filled with ice and snow, and the hibernating cauliflower snake, Zhao Yuan had to help it move a distance outside and cover it with some pine needles.

"Xiaoying, Aunt Pu, Yingchun, you take the three little guys back first, go back and boil some boiling water to scald your feet, don't catch a cold, Uncle Tao, you and I have to dig some soil to seal the ice and snow transported in." Zhao Yuan patted the snow water on his body, and said as he baked his hands in front of the fire.

"Uncle (brother-in-law), we're not little guys!" Luoluo said dissatisfiedly to Xiaobao, and even Xingxing nodded on the side.

"I'm saying the wrong thing, so go back first." Zhao Yuan said with a laugh.

Watching Meng Ying and the others walk down the mountain, Zhao Yuan and Tao Pu roasted the fire for a while, felt that their bodies were warm, and began to dry again, first cut some dry thatch with a sickle, weave it a little and cover it on the snowdrift, and then began to dig the soil and seal the entire snowdrift.

After a busy time, Zhao Yuan's whim idea was finally completed, and when he got home, Meng Ying brought two bowls of ginger boiling water for Zhao Yuan and the two of them to drink to dispel the cold.

"Brother Yuan, Uncle Tao, you hurry up and take your clothes, your clothes are wet, change your clothes to burn your feet, and you will have lunch immediately." Meng Ying said.

"Okay, do you have any clothes at home Uncle Tao?" Zhao Yuan asked with a smile.

"I really don't have any thick clothes." Tao Pu said with some embarrassment, his hometown itself is relatively southern, his clothes are relatively thin, and on the way to escape, some clothes have been lost, and he did not buy them here in Zhao Yuan.

"Xiaoying, go and get a set of my clothes for Uncle Tao, don't you still have a few pieces of cloth at home, get one for Aunt Pu." Zhao Yuan said to Meng Ying.

"Owner, I can't help it, I can still wear this body when I bake it." Tao Pu waved his hand again and again.

"Uncle Tao, you're welcome, my clothes are also old clothes, but we are about the same size, we should be able to wear them, Xiaoying!" Zhao Yuan said to Meng Ying again.

Meng Ying nodded, returned to the room and turned out Zhao Yuan's relatively thick old clothes, picked up a gray linen cloth, and went to the kitchen to hand it to Aunt Pu.

"Uncle Tao, Aunt Pu, this is Brother Yuan's old clothes, Uncle Tao, you try to see if you can wear them, Aunt Pu will help you change it if it is inappropriate, and this cloth, Aunt Pu, you and the Spring Festival girl will take it back to make a few clothes, we have forgotten about it in the past few days." Meng Ying said with a smile.

"Take it, thank you to the owner and the lady of the owner." Tao Pu looked at Aunt Pu looking at him, nodded at his wife and said.

After scalding his feet with hot water, after lunch, Zhao Yuan taught Luoluo, Xiaobao and Xingxing some words, and then sat by the fire and roasted the fire, chatting with Tao Pu, and the afternoon passed slowly.