I have a wildlife zoo-Chapter 621 - 620: Brewing Rice Wine

"Haha, the imperial concubine's bath!"

"Cloud's round cheeks, such a cute little fairy!"

Having finished eating and resting, one could also enjoy the lovely sight of pandas bathing—a truly delightful experience!

The visitors' faces were filled with smiles, and their mood was relaxed and joyful.

After resting for a while, the little fatty, who had worked hard in the morning and played enthusiastically, felt quite depleted. After eating, drowsiness crept in, and he yawned with half-closed eyes, sleepy and lethargic.

The big fatty shook him: "Hey, how can you fall asleep!"

The little fatty, groggy, replied: "I'm so tired, let me rest a bit... "

The big fatty dragged the little fatty up from the seat: "Sleep at home! Let's go, let's go!"

Before leaving, the staff even gave them five freshly-picked ears of corn!

They could go home and cook the corn tonight, and once the leftover rice dried out, they'd come back to the zoo in a few days to pick up a bagful to take home.

Anyway, once the rice dried, it could last a long time, and it would be no problem to come and get it within six months.

Some parents left with their children, while other energetic families started touring the zoo together.

Mother Tang, who had heard from Tang Xiaoxin that the gibbon's singing was very beautiful, couldn't imagine what it was like and was quite curious!

It was a pity she didn't hear it, as by the afternoon the weather had gotten hotter and the gibbons were not very active anymore.

Then they went to see the hippos and giraffes and marveled at the graceful balletic movements of the hippos in the water, exclaiming continuously in amazement.

...

Lately, not only had the zoo harvested its rice, but it was also time to harvest the golden glutinous rice.

The golden glutinous rice seeds had been obtained through a lottery draw during the New Year and planted on the barren hills.

Most of the land on the barren hill was tilled once, then sprinkled with some organic fertilizer and mixed with a bit of spiritual soil before being left to lie fallow. They didn't plant anything and let the land restore its soil health for a few years first.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to hire people to manage such a large piece of land all at once. Over the next few years, they'd slowly recruit staff and gradually increase production.

In a few years' time, the fruits and vegetables eaten by the animals in the zoo, as well as the ingredients for the various restaurants, would likely be self-sufficient.

Currently, only one acre of golden glutinous rice had been planted and was meticulously cared for by a dedicated person.

Fang Ye had also visited a few times, and whenever he did, he would water the golden glutinous rice with spiritual water to ensure its healthy growth.

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The harvested golden glutinous rice had dried out in the past two days and was stored in the warehouse.

Fang Ye carried a bag of processed golden glutinous rice back home, eager to brew some wine.

The rice wine made from golden glutinous rice should taste amazing!

When preparing to brew wine, Lan Li also came over.

After glancing at the grains in the bag, she curiously said, "Eh, this rice feels a bit different!"

She grabbed a handful of the glutinous rice and felt that the grains seemed longer and finer than the rice she had eaten before. They looked as shiny as jade, crystal clear, and felt cool and smooth to the touch.

She sniffed it and detected an intoxicatingly fresh fragrance.

Fang Ye said with a laugh, "Of course it's different, this is glutinous rice!"

Lan Li said, "No, this glutinous rice looks very high-end!"

The rice cooked from the organic paddy grown in the zoo was already the most delicious she had ever tasted.

But the glutinous rice in front of her seemed to be even more superior.

After all, it's the golden glutinous rice seeds produced by the system!

A product from the system is bound to be a fine one.

Fang Ye laughed and said, "Well, this is a special variety I got from a friend who is into organic farming! The yield isn't high, but the taste is particularly good. It wasn't easy for me to get some.

Brewing rice wine is actually quite fast, and it can be finished in about a week or two, then we'll have drinks to enjoy."

Lan Li nodded in anticipation, "Mm-hmm!"

Then the formal brewing began.

This was Fang Ye's first time brewing wine, and in order to succeed on the first try, he specifically asked the head chef at Panda Restaurant for advice.

The most important thing is that during the brewing process, the containers must be clean!

Otherwise, if some miscellaneous bacteria get mixed in, the brew might spoil halfway through.

First, the glutinous rice was soaked in spiritual water overnight, while the steaming basket and wooden spatula were boiled and sterilized with high-temperature water.

The Panda Restaurant usually pickles some vegetables, so they borrowed a clean pickling jar for storing the wine. It had a small inverted lid on top which, when sprinkled with a bit of water, could completely seal the jar.

After the glutinous rice had softened, it was put into a pot to be steamed until cooked.

The cooked golden glutinous rice emitted a very fragrant aroma!

Then, using a rice paddle, the glutinous rice was scattered and allowed to cool. While the rice was still slightly warm, the yeast starter was added.

If the yeast starter is added when the temperature is too high, the fermentation bacteria in it would be killed by the heat.

Then, spiritual water was poured in, and the jar was sealed!

Fang Ye carefully placed the jar in a corner and then just waited for the rice wine to slowly ferment.

...

Brewing rice wine turned out to be quite simple, just a small episode in daily life.

In the past few days, Fang Ye had been considering the future construction and development of the zoo.

It's quite astonishing to think about!

From the initial little rundown zoo that was practically nothing, it had become one of the top zoos in the nation, at least on the provincial capital level.

Pandas, giraffes, elephants, hippopotamuses—these star animals are not something every zoo can gather.

The key is not just to introduce animals, but to design enclosures considering their habits, providing various types of enrichment to make their lives enjoyable.

Elephants, which are highly intelligent and can easily become stereotypical in captivity, were living flavorful lives, exploring and playing around, and the once-observed stereotypical behaviors gradually disappeared.

Very few zoos can achieve this, and it's also the accomplishment Fang Ye takes the most pride in.

Another source of pride is the zoo's rice paddy exhibit area, which allows children to experience farming firsthand, understand the ecosystems in the fields, and learn and think about what lifestyles are environmentally friendly.

The first phase of the farming activity ended successfully, receiving praise from all participating families, including the onlookers and visitors.

In recent days, many visitors had been asking animal keepers how to sign up for the next farming activity while touring the zoo.

Fang Ye mulled it over and thought, with everyone being so enthusiastic, maybe it was possible to expand the area of the trial field a bit?

But then he thought better of it and decided to wait until the soil on the barren hill was ready. Those who wanted to farm could go over there and plant.

Actually, it wasn't just the visitors who were inspired by farming once; his own ideas for the native exhibition area also gradually became clearer.

The ideal native exhibition area should be just like this, planted with local vegetation to create a wild environment that naturally attracts local wildlife.

Maybe some elderly visitors will point at a certain wild bird or frog to their grandchildren and say, "Look, when I was young, we often saw it near our home."