Chapter 70 (continued)

These bamboo shoot husks are all resources, the more the better, Qing Mengzhu doesn't mind that they grow too many.

After resting for a while and feeling better, Zhao Hexi slowly peeled the bamboo shoots with a knife.

The root of the bamboo shoot is quite tough and doesn't taste good, Qing Mengzhu casually peeled off a ring of it, leaving only the tender white part.

Zhao Hexi imitated his actions in processing bamboo shoots, then weighed the cleaned shoots in her hand and said, "Each cleaned bamboo shoot must weigh two or three pounds, right?"

Qing Mengzhu: "The weather is nice now, so the bamboo shoots are a little bigger than usual."

Zhao Hexi didn't understand. "It's still so hot, what's so good about it?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's quite hot during the day, but it cools down at night. The days are short and the nights are long, with a large temperature difference between day and night. This allows the bamboo shoots to accumulate more flavorful substances, making them big and delicious now."

Zhao Hexi thought for a moment and said, "You know what, I'll have to wear a light shirt every now and then."

Qing Mengzhu: "That's right, today is White Dew, the weather will definitely get cooler gradually."

The two carefully processed the bamboo shoots, then shouldered their baskets again and headed down the mountain.

Bamboo shoots are much lighter after the outer husk is removed, making them easier to carry.

After descending the mountain, the two simply walked home.

When they reached the backyard, Zhao Hexi saw Qing Mengzhu's ducks roaming freely nearby and stopped. "These ducks seem even plumper now. Can we use them to cook bamboo shoots?"

Qing Mengzhu glanced at the ducks. "If you don't mind that the ducks are molting and covered in stubble, then go ahead and catch them."

Zhao Hexi imagined the pain of plucking the duck feathers. "Forget it. How about we eat the bamboo shoots? Stir-fried with chicken?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Bamboo shoots and chicken don't really go well together, so I asked the supermarket to reserve some beef tenderloin for me. I'll stir-fry beef later. If you want chicken, that's fine too; I'll go to Uncle Changhong's and buy two."

Zhao Hexi hadn't had beef in a while and was craving it. "No need, let's just have stir-fried beef. Beef tenderloin is delicious too, tender and fresh."

Qing Mengzhu: "I'll go pick some vegetables from the field later, and we'll eat them tonight. We'll eat them together when Ming Chunxi comes back. At noon, I'll blanch the bamboo shoots first, then soak them to remove the oxalic acid and bitterness. I'll also marinate the beef while I'm at it."

Ming Chunxi has been quite busy lately. She has switched from a two-day weekend to a one-day weekend, and she works on Saturdays as well. She only eats at home in the morning and evening.

Zhao Hexi had no objections. "Okay, we'll have a simple lunch. Your side dishes are quite delicious."

In the afternoon Qing Mengzhu went to pick vegetables, and Zhao Hexi went with her.

The vegetables at Qing Mengzhu's house grew very lushly. Chili peppers and tomatoes were laden with fruit, and okra, green beans, and other vegetables also produced a lot of fruit. The red and green colors looked very festive.

Zhao Hexi stood in the field, looking around with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Qing Mengzhu knew he was thinking about starting a company, so she didn't urge him.

After picking the vegetables, Qing Mengzhu went to inspect the pond.

There are very few lotus flowers left now, and the lotus pods have been almost harvested. It is estimated that the lotus leaves will gradually dry up and wither in the next period of time, and then we will need to arrange for the digging of lotus roots.

Qing Mengzhu parted the lotus leaves to see the shrimp.

The shrimp in his house have grown a bit bigger; they're now five or six centimeters long. Judging by their appearance, they'll grow to at least ten centimeters or more.

Qing Mengzhu originally wanted to catch some shrimp to eat that night, but seeing the shrimp swimming around underwater and looking so good, he was a little reluctant to part with them.

The otter was lazily soaking in the pond, and when it saw Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi coming over, it even greeted them with a "Ying".

Looking at the well-behaved little creature, Qing Mengzhu suddenly called out to it, "Little Otter, come here, help me catch a fish."

Zhao Hexi snapped out of her daze, her eyes widening. "This works? Can it even understand?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, you can."

As she spoke, Qing Mengzhu pointed to the river and gestured towards the otter. "I want a fish, a big fish."

The otter tilted its little head and stared at Qing Mengzhu for a while, then seemed to finally realize what was happening. It darted out of the pond, quickly crawled towards the riverbank, and then jumped into the river with a splash.

The red fox peeked out from the bushes, glanced at them, and then disappeared back into the bushes, looking just like a socially anxious fox.

The otter disappeared beneath the wide surface of the river.

Zhao Hexi craned his neck, longer than an otter's. "Will this work?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's already jumped into the water, so it should be fine."

Zhao Hexi watched for a while, observing the otters struggling to swim around underwater, appearing and disappearing intermittently. He clicked his tongue and muttered, "You're even bossing around otters now. You're such a capitalist. I feel like you could easily start your own company."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Let's ask a good friend for a favor; it's a mutually beneficial thing."

After a while, the otter climbed up carrying a large fish in its mouth.

The big fish weighed at least five or six pounds and was struggling desperately in the otter's mouth, looking extremely ferocious.

Zhao Hexi recognized it at a glance. "Wow! A snakehead fish! I knew there was a snakehead fish down there!!!"

The otter, its belly almost dragging on the ground, struggled to pull the fish towards Qing Mengzhu, whimpering.

Qing Mengzhu quickly stepped forward to take it. "Thank you, Little Otter."

Zhao Hexi, standing nearby, exclaimed excitedly, almost crying as she looked at her dream fish, "What a huge snakehead fish! Little Otter is amazing!"

Qing Mengzhu happily patted the otter's little head. "That's why it's also called the otter cat, it's especially good at catching fish."

Otters are already quite clever, and after eating so much of his jerky, they've become even smarter.

Qing Mengzhu patted her pockets. It was a pity that Zhao Hexi was there; otherwise, she would have fed the otter a piece of jerky.

Dinner featured beef, fish, and vegetables from Qing Mengzhu's garden; it looked very plentiful.

Qing Mengzhu started cooking around 5 p. m., and the aroma of the dishes gradually filled the courtyard.

When Ming Chunxi arrived home at 6:30, Qing Mengzhu had just put the vegetables into the pot.

Stir-fry the greens in hot oil until they crackle and pop.

Qing Mengzhu stir-fried the vegetables for only a minute before serving them on a snow-white plate, still steaming hot and looking incredibly appetizing.

Qing Mengzhu called from outside, "Wash your hands, get ready for dinner."

The first to respond were the two dogs, "Woof woof!"

Zhao Hexi ran in to serve the dishes, Qing Mengzhu washed her hands and mixed dog food for the two dogs.

Puppies have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. If you feed them after they've finished eating, they'll smell the aroma and go hungry for another half hour, which is inhumane. Therefore, Qing Mengzhu usually mixes the cooked dishes with rice for the two dogs.

The dishes that had been served in advance were almost cooled down, so Qing Mengzhu mixed the white rice with vegetables and freeze-dried food and frozen offal from the refrigerator, making the dog food the perfect temperature.

Everyone did their assigned tasks and soon sat down at the dinner table.

Zhao Hexi looked at the stir-fried beef with bamboo shoots. The dark brown beef, the snow-white bamboo shoots, the bright red pepper strips, and the green scallion segments—a plate of stir-fried beef tenderloin with bamboo shoots—the colors alone were enough to make one's mouth water.

He couldn't wait to pick up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth to taste. He found the beef to be tender and juicy, breaking easily with a bite, and the bamboo shoots to be fresh, crisp, and tender, with not a single bit of residue.

The savory aromas of beef and bamboo shoots intertwine and complement each other, creating an incredibly delicious flavor.

Zhao Hexi adjusted his trousers and said to Qing Mengzhu, "No wonder you said bamboo shoots taste better this season, they're so fresh!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Right? Take some back with you when you go back tomorrow."

Zhao Hexi nodded repeatedly. "Now I understand why bamboo shoots are called 'mountain delicacies'; they seem quite different from the bamboo shoots you buy in the market."

Qing Mengzhu: "There are so many kinds of bamboo shoots, and different varieties must be different too."

Then, Qing Mengzhu turned to Ming Chunxi and asked, "What do you think?"

Ming Chunxi nodded. "It's delicious. I'm going to eat another bowl of rice, and then I'll go upstairs and work out for an extra hour."

Qing Mengzhu chuckled, "There's no need to be so strict. Come, try the mandarin fish; wild mandarin fish is especially delicious."

The mandarin fish caught by the otter was exceptionally plump and delicious, with no muddy taste whatsoever. It tasted completely different from other sea fish.