Chapter 80 (continued)

Qing Mengzhu breathed in the fresh, moist air of the bamboo forest. "The bamboo forest has grown to a considerable size now; walking through it feels completely different."

Ming Chunxi looked at him, who was wearing a V-neck sleeveless sweater. "The humidity in the bamboo forest is relatively high, and the temperature is low. It was very noticeable when we first came in."

Qing Mengzhu: "That's not what I meant. I meant it's more comfortable here."

Ming Chunxi: "The oxygen content is quite high. Taking a walk here in the morning makes me feel much more refreshed."

Qing Mengzhu: "Really? I always feel like the air rising from the bamboo contains something else, it's especially comfortable to breathe. I'll see if I can find an organization to test the air composition in the bamboo forest when I have some free time in a couple of days."

Ming Chunxi: "Then sell the air from the bamboo forest?"

Qing Mengzhu thought of those canned air ads online and chuckled, "Forget it, there's no need to be that frugal. Hey, there's a bamboo shoot sticking out in front of us."

The two men, carrying baskets on their backs and hoes, went ahead to dig up the bamboo shoot.

The bamboo shoots have just sprouted, pushing up the soil to form small mounds.

They used hoes to dig through the soil, and the underground part of the bamboo shoots was quite thick, with white roots that looked very tempting, but they were difficult to dig, especially the part closest to the rhizome.

Qing Mengzhu, panting, dug up bamboo shoots. "I asked Nian Xinfei a few days ago, and he said there are already handheld mini tree diggers. I'll go check if I can buy two; digging by hand is too strenuous."

Ming Chunxi: "If not, a handheld chainsaw should also work."

Qing Mengzhu: "That makes sense. It's better to cut down the bamboo shoots underneath after digging through the soil than to dig them like this."

Ming Chunxi: "You step aside, I'll dig."

Qing Mengzhu was indeed tired, so she stepped aside, resting her hands on her knees. "You do it, you do it."

Ming Chunxi used a machete to cut the bamboo shoot close to its root, then weighed it in his hand. "Four or five catties."

Qing Mengzhu took the bamboo shoot. "I'll peel off the outer layer before I look at it."

Carrying the bamboo shoots down the mountain with their outer shells was too heavy. Now, when they dig bamboo shoots, they peel off the outer shells on the spot and carry only the bamboo shoot flesh.

Qing Mengzhu was used to peeling bamboo shoots. She would simply make a cut in the middle with a knife, peel it with her slender fingers, and then use the knife to remove the old, tough parts at the root. That was how she prepared a bamboo shoot.

After peeling the bamboo shoots, Qing Mengzhu weighed them in her hand. "Three and a half catties."

Ming Chunxi: "Exactly three and a half jin? No more, no less?"

Qing Mengzhu raised an eyebrow. "I think it's just right. How about we make a bet?"

Ming Chunxi: "What are we betting on?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Whoever loses gets to choose their date this week."

Ming Chunxi: "I bet, you scan it."

Qing Mengzhu then took out her phone from her pocket, opened the Mall Assistant, and scanned the bamboo shoots. "Here, exactly 1750 grams, a full three and a half pounds."

Ming Chunxi took a closer look and exclaimed in amazement, "Zero error!"

Qing Mengzhu put the bamboo shoots into her basket, proudly revealing a set of neat white teeth. "Selling vegetables is mostly about luck. I had a feeling it would weigh exactly three and a half pounds, not a bit more or less. Remember to think about our date this week!"

Ming Chunxi: "Okay, I'll tell you before the day after tomorrow."

The two continued digging for bamboo shoots, and after digging up a few more, they suddenly heard two dogs barking ahead of them. Their barks sounded both excited and frightened, and they knew immediately that something was wrong.

They exchanged a glance and immediately walked over to the two dogs.

Qing Mengzhu raised her voice. "Dharma Protector, Guard, what's wrong with you?"

The barking of two dogs echoed through the bamboo forest, "Woof! Woof!"

Qing Mengzhu tensed up. "Could there be a snake? Let's hurry!"

Ming Chunxi pulled him along, saying, "Don't rush, walk carefully. They shouldn't be injured."

The two rushed over and saw two dogs barking frantically at a bamboo stalk. With their heads held high and chests puffed out, it was clear they had discovered something special.

Qing Mengzhu looked closely and discovered several plump beetles crawling on the bamboo.

The two dogs were barking at the beetle.

Ming Chunxi examined it carefully and asked, "What kind of insect is this?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It looks like a bamboo weevil. We call them bamboo worms here. Wait a moment, let me check."

Qing Mengzhu took out her phone, scanned the beetle on the bamboo, and showed it to Ming Chunxi: "It's a bamboo weevil, a beetle of the family Cetacea in the order Coleoptera. I haven't seen one in years."

Ming Chunxi separated the two dogs to prevent them from being bitten by insects. "Coleoptera—I remember our Insect-Killing Bacillus can infect its larvae?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, Coleoptera should be within the scope of control for Insect-Killing Bacillus, but I don't know how effective it will be. Wait a moment, let me catch it first."

Ming Chunxi: "Just grab it with your bare hands? Wait! Will it bite?"

Before he could finish speaking, Qing Mengzhu had already caught the three bamboo weevils off the bamboo and said with a smile, "Don't be nervous, they're not very agile. Just grab them from behind, and they won't be able to bite you. Do you want to take a look?"

Ming Chunxi took a small step back, warily asking, "No, could it be carrying a virus?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's generally fine. Bamboo worms are edible; we used to eat them a lot when we were kids, and they tasted pretty good."

Ming Chunxi's expression became even more conflicted.

Qing Mengzhu: "Don't be fooled by its menacing appearance; it's actually quite scary. If you handle it properly, it'll be fine. Hey, quickly find me two pieces of bamboo husk; I'll put them in a cage."

Ming Chunxi went to find several large, smooth, hard bamboo husks.

Qing Mengzhu stacked the bamboo shells, rolled them into a tube, and then stuffed the three bamboo weevils she had caught inside. She also casually plucked a clump of grass and stuffed it in to prevent them from escaping.

Qing Mengzhu glanced at the time. "It's past seven, you should go to work. I'll check again."

Ming Chunxi hesitated. "You're going to catch them all by yourself?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's alright, they really don't bite much and they're not poisonous. You go to work now, we'll come back together tonight and fry bamboo worms."

Ming Chunxi seemed to want to stay and keep him company, but was refused, so she went to work with worries.

Qing Mengzhu discovered that there were an unusually large number of bamboo worms in this bamboo forest, suggesting that the forest might be severely infected and the worms would emerge once they were fully developed.

Fortunately, the damage caused by bamboo insects to the bamboo forest is relatively limited, and the bamboo has not been severely affected for the time being.

Qing Mengzhu was catching bamboo worms alone in the bamboo forest. After a while, feeling that she couldn't catch them all, she called Zhao Hexi: "There are so many bamboo worms in the bamboo forest, do you want to come and catch some with me?"

Zhao Hexi exclaimed, "What kind of bamboo worm? You mean the kind that's eaten with alcohol? Wait a minute, I'll turn around right now."

Qing Mengzhu: "Take two small buckets with lids with you, I can't fit them all here."

Zhao Hexi was very interested in all jungle activities, and upon hearing this, he immediately responded loudly, indicating that he was already looking for a bucket.

When Qing Mengzhu was looking for bamboo worms, the two dogs followed her.

When they see bamboo worms, they bark loudly, alerting Qing Mengzhu that there are bamboo worms nearby that can be caught.

Therefore, Zhao Hexi didn't need to ask for directions at all; she just jogged over when she heard the dog barking.

Zhao Hexi, carrying two small red buckets, said breathlessly, "I was afraid you'd need them urgently, so I went to the supermarket and bought two buckets. Where are the bamboo worms?"

Qing Mengzhu emptied the bamboo worms out of the bamboo shoot husk and showed them to him. "Here they are."

Zhao Hexi: "Wow, they're so big and fat! You caught so many in such a short time?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's not just me; the Dharma Protector and Guard are also helping to search. They have sharp eyes and are finding things very quickly."

Zhao Hexi exclaimed excitedly, "I'll catch some too! Hey, don't close the lid completely; leave a crack so the bamboo worms inside don't suffocate!"

Qing Mengzhu transferred all the bamboo worms from the bamboo shoot husks into a small bucket. Seeing his reaction, she said, "Why are you even more excited than I am?"

Zhao Hexi: "Which boy didn't go fishing in the river or catching insects in the mountains when he was a kid? When I was little, my classmates and I often went to the nearby park to catch bamboo worms. We would bring them home for our dads to eat with his drinks. It was so much fun."