Chapter 81

Qing Mengzhu: "Today feels like a return to my childhood."

Zhao Hexi snapped his fingers, "That's right, let's go, let's keep hunting. Alright, let's split up, you go to the left, I'll go to the right, Guard, you come with me."

Guard: "Woof woof."

Zhao Hexi's mind was completely focused on the bamboo worms. Without waiting for Qing Mengzhu's objection, he grabbed the Guard and ran off.

The Guard were still a bit slow to keep up with him, barking behind them.

Qing Mengzhu felt sorry for her dog and called out, "Slow down, don't rush."

Seeing that they had already started moving, the Dharma Protector, tugging at Qing Mengzhu's trouser leg, urged, "Woof woof!"

The Dharma Protector called out to him while gesturing with his eyes, signaling him to hurry forward.

Qing Mengzhu: "Dharma Protector, don't be in such a hurry! Sigh, I should have let you go with He Xi just now. You two are so impatient, it's good that you both went together."

Bamboo worms were originally considered pests, but because they were edible and because of childhood nostalgia, Qing Mengzhu was still in a good mood when she saw many bamboo worms on the bamboo.

He led his Dharma Protector, searching through the bamboo stalks one by one, and catching the bamboo worms if they could reach them.

The man and his dog wandered around for over an hour and caught more than a hundred live bamboo worms.

Qing Mengzhu was surprised to find so many bamboo insects here. While marveling at the sight, she couldn't help but take pictures to show Ming Chunxi.

Ming Chunxi has a bit of OCD and is also a bit of a germaphobe. When he took the photos, he deliberately put a few handfuls of grass in the small bucket to cover most of the bamboo worms and avoid an overly strong visual impact.

Ming Chunxi replied instantly after seeing the picture: [So many!]

Qing Mengzhu: [Yes! That's all. Looks like we'll have to go up the mountain to catch more insects in the next few days.]

Ming Chunxi: [Are you really not going to give me any medicine?]

Qing Mengzhu: [No, no, I just secretly checked, bamboo worms are so expensive! Bamboo is only a little over a dollar, but bamboo worms can sell for over twenty dollars!]

Qing Mengzhu was referring to Star Coins, but deliberately made it vague because it was a chat on a social media platform.

Ming Chunxi understood: [So expensive!]

Qing Mengzhu: [Yes! I suspect it's more expensive than our prawns!]

Qing Mengzhu: [I feel like even raising bamboo worms in the bamboo forest would be worthwhile. There's no need to use pesticides. We can just come and catch as many as we can every day.]

Ming Chunxi: [That works too.]

Qing Mengzhu: [I reckon these bamboo worms will taste pretty good. Come back early this evening, we'll fry them.]

Ming Chunxi: [Fear. JPG]

Qing Mengzhu sent a laughing emoji, followed by an emoji that said, "Don't be afraid, your brother will protect you."

Ming Chunxi Chunxifa: [You're the younger brother. JPG]

After posting that, Ming Chunxi posted another: [Hugging and giving a kiss. JPG]

So, the two of them childishly engaged in a meme war during work hours, sending out a flurry of emojis.

When Zhao Hexi returned, Qing Mengzhu was searching for GIFs online with a big smile on her face.

Seeing the brightness in his eyes, Zhao Hexi couldn't help but say sourly, "This is the stench of love."

Qing Mengzhu put away her phone, sniffed, and chuckled, "Really? I can't smell it. Is it only dogs that can smell it?"

Zhao Hexi snorted, "So what if you're single? You guys are dating dogs!"

Qing Mengzhu: "So what if you're a love addict? How many bamboo worms have you caught?"

Zhao Hexi: "Half a bucket! I'm rich today!"

Author's Note:

See you tomorrow! There will be an extra chapter with nutrient solution tomorrow!

Chapter 81

Qing Mengzhu and the others carried small buckets, along with bamboo worms and dogs, down the mountain.

When they got home, Qing Mengzhu weighed the bamboo worms in the small bucket and found that after deducting the weight of the bucket, the bamboo worms actually weighed more than three pounds.

These bamboo worms were large and fierce, their strong claws constantly scratching at the small bucket, making a "crackling" sound.

Two dogs curiously ran over to watch.

The Dharma Protector also tried to sniff, and whenever the bamboo worms tried to attack its nose, it would suddenly retreat.

This guy went back and forth several times, and seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Zhao Hexi watched from the sidelines, thoroughly amused. She filmed the scene and posted it on her WeChat Moments, showing off her morning's haul.

These days, wild bamboo worms are rare. As soon as he posted his video, people immediately liked and commented on it.

He moved a small stool and sat under the eaves, replying to messages while taking a break.

A while later, Qing Mengzhu's phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was Zhou Yan calling.

Qing Mengzhu was a little surprised. "Brother Zhou?"

Zhou Yan: "I saw He Xi's WeChat Moments. Did you guys catch any bamboo worms?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, we arrested some. What happened?"

Zhou Yan: "You saw some good ingredients and got tempted, huh? Are you guys home? I'll come over and take a look?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I'm at home, come over."

Zhou Yan quickly drove over and knocked on their door.

Qing Mengzhu opened the door, Zhou Yan, without bothering with pleasantries, asked, "Where are the bamboo worms? Let me see them?"

Qing Mengzhu pointed to the small red bucket at the base of the wall. "It's in that bucket. Be careful when you look, Brother Zhou, bamboo worms can bite."

Zhou Yan: "I know, hey, I haven't seen bamboo worms in ages."

Zhou Yan opened the bucket lid, looked at the bamboo worms crawling around inside, reached out and scooped up a handful, then smelled them under his nose.

Qing Mengzhu asked, "Can you smell it? I don't think these bamboo worms have any smell."

Zhou Yan said with certainty, "It has a faint bamboo scent. This bamboo worm is really well-grown, plump and clean."

Qing Mengzhu: "Our bamboo forest is very clean, with basically no weeds or shrubs. The bamboo worms grow up eating bamboo, so it's naturally clean too."

Zhou Yan: "That's true, it feels like we don't even need to wash them. Do you sell your bamboo worms?"

Qing Mengzhu her hand. "I won't sell it; I'll keep it for my own consumption."

Zhou Yan persisted, "A little more expensive is fine too. You might not be able to finish all this, and if we don't finish it today, it won't be as fresh tomorrow."

Qing Mengzhu: "How could we not finish it? There are three people and four small animals. After removing the heads and wings from these bamboo worms, and squeezing out their internal organs and cleaning them, there's not much left."

Zhou Yan reluctantly picked at the bamboo worms. "I thought you wouldn't be able to finish them all, and that you could buy some."

They're known for being very kind to animals, and if they say they want to keep it for the animals, then they really won't sell it.

Qing Mengzhu laughed and said, "It's not for sale, Brother Zhou, if you're interested, come and eat with us."

Zhou Yan: "Oh, how could I possibly come to your house for a free meal again?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Do you know how to fry bamboo worms? I don't think I've ever done it before. If you come, I'd love to learn a trick from you."

Zhou Yan was reluctant to part with such good ingredients. "Noon is not possible, I have to work at noon. How about evening?"

Qing Mengzhu: "We were planning to eat there tonight anyway, Ming Chunxi went to work and won't be back for lunch."

Zhou Yan: "Okay, I'll come over after work this afternoon to clean the bamboo worms. How do you plan to fry them? With lard or vegetable oil?"

Qing Mengzhu hadn't expected this distinction. "What's the difference?"

Zhou Yan: "For lard, choose pork fat. Frying with pork fat will make it more fragrant, but it will be a bit greasy. Frying with vegetable oil will preserve the aroma of the ingredients to the greatest extent. I think the quality of this batch of bamboo worms is very good. If you're going to fry them with vegetable oil, I'll bring some corn oil with me. That oil has a milder flavor."

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment and said, "Deep-frying them is a good way to taste the bamboo worms themselves."

Zhou Yan: "Okay, I'll bring a bucket of corn oil over after work. See you in the evening."

Zhou Yan and Zhao Hexi both had to go to work, while Qing Mengzhu rested at home for a while before getting busy with chores both inside and outside the house.

In the evening, when Ming Chunxi returned home, she found the house unusually lively.

Zhao Hexi and Zhou Yan were both there, along with the Dharma Protector, Guard, Otters, and Red Foxes, who were all squatting in the courtyard.

Everyone sat in front of the large basin and processed the bamboo worms, removing their heads, wings, and internal organs, handling them very meticulously.