Chapter 81 (continued)

When Ming Chunxi entered, everyone and everything, including the animals, turned to look at him.

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you need any help?"

Qing Mengzhu put down the bamboo worms she was holding, washed her hands, and came over. "Let's go prepare the side dishes; let the two of them handle the bamboo worms."

Ming Chunxi nodded, deliberately avoiding the large basin, and went inside to put things away.

After a while, Ming Chunxi changed into a set of home clothes and walked into the kitchen with Qing Mengzhu, bypassing the large basin.

Zhao Hexi chuckled from the side, "Is God Ming afraid of bugs?"

Ming Chunxi corrected. "I don't like it."

Zhou Yan: "I didn't like bugs before either. I felt they looked messy and often had a strange smell."

Ming Chunxi: "Indeed, I don't know where it came from, it's not very clean."

"Our bamboo worms are alright; they live in the bamboo forest, so they're relatively clean," Qing Mengzhu said, pushing Ming Chunxi's shoulder. "Come on, let's go into the kitchen and prepare the ingredients first."

The two of them cooked every day and were very familiar with the kitchen tools. Touching the clean and tidy tools, Ming Chunxi felt more at ease.

After the side dishes were chopped in the kitchen, the bamboo worms outside were almost cleaned up as well.

Zhou Yan was used to working alone, so everyone else went out, leaving Zhou Yan alone in the kitchen to work.

An expert's skill is immediately apparent. As a special chef, Zhou Yan's culinary skills were excellent. Within minutes, the kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of fried protein.

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi exchanged a glance, feeling like their mouths were about to water.

The family pets also became restless, frequently glancing towards the kitchen.

The two dogs couldn't resist any longer and squatted down on either side of the kitchen, sticking their heads inside to observe.

The otter saw the two dogs go by, and then it ran over too.

The red fox followed behind the otter, using the otter's body as cover, and peered inside cautiously.

The aroma wafting from the kitchen grew stronger and stronger, and even Qing Mengzhu couldn't help but walk to the door and ask, "Brother Zhou, is it ready yet?"

Zhou Yan turned his head and laughed heartily, "It's cooked, but not quite done yet. We need to fry it until the moisture is evaporated a bit, then fry it again to force out the oil, so it will be fragrant but not greasy. Would you like to try it now?"

Hearing him say that, Qing Mengzhu had no choice but to patiently reply, "I'll wait a little longer until you've finished frying."

Zhou Yan: "Soon, you can set the table and bring the food out."

Qing Mengzhu: "Okay."

Everyone got busy, and soon the food was served.

Finally, it was time to eat, and everyone quickly sat down to prepare for the meal.

Right in the center of the table was a plate of fried bamboo worms. Zhao Hexi smelled the aroma and exclaimed, "Wow, it smells so good!"

Zhou Yan: "Try it quickly."

Zhao Hexi reached for the plate of bamboo worms with her chopsticks, picked up a piece, and her eyes lit up after just one taste. "This is the taste! It's so fragrant! My memory didn't even embellish it!"

Qing Mengzhu also tried a piece.

Bamboo worms have a rich aroma from being deep-fried with protein, a sweet and savory flavor with the fresh scent of bamboo, and a crunchy texture, making them excellent in both taste and texture.

If Qing Mengzhu hadn't witnessed bamboo worms being transformed into a dish, she wouldn't have imagined that the main ingredient of this dish was actually a hard, solid insect.

Qing Mengzhu couldn't help but praise Zhou Yan: "Brother Zhou, your skills are absolutely amazing!"

Zhou Yan took a sip of his own wine and said with a smile, "It's mainly because your ingredients are good."

Zhao Hexi: "The ingredients are great, and the cooking is excellent!"

Zhao Hexi and Zhou Yan chatted while eating.

Qing Mengzhu turned to look at Ming Chunxi, Ming Chunxi had tasted other dishes but hadn't touched the fried bamboo worms.

Qing Mengzhu leaned her head closer to him and asked in a low voice, "Want to try some?"

Ming Chunxi hesitated, a rare occurrence; she was both curious and nervous.

Qing Mengzhu comforted him, "You can think of it as fried baby crabs, that should be much easier to accept. Baby crabs don't even live in a better environment than bamboo worms, and they don't eat as cleanly as bamboo worms."

Ming Chunxi was truly comforted by Qing Mengzhu's words, "I'll give it a try."

As she spoke, Ming Chunxi tasted a small piece.

Qing Mengzhu observed the expression on his face, watching his expression change from hesitation to surprise, and then to amazement. A smile involuntarily appeared on her face, and she winked at Ming Chunxi.

Ming Chunxi smiled and whispered, "It's quite delicious."

The animals, who were enjoying their fried bamboo worms most enthusiastically, were the little creatures standing in a corner of the yard, savoring their treat.

From the Dharma Protector to the red fox, they were all happily chewing on bamboo worms, their tails twitching, their eyes sparkling, and they were making uncontrollable whimpering sounds in their throats.

It's remarkable that these different species exhibit similar behaviors.

At the table, Zhao Hexi and the others talked about bamboo worms, bamboo forests, and then hazel grouse from Qing Mengzhu's family.

Zhao Hexi asked, "How many hazel grouse are there now?"

Qing Mengzhu snapped out of her daze, "I went to check this morning and there were 868. I wonder how they'll be in a couple of days?"

The hazel grouse at Qing Mengzhu's house have hatched, and the hatching rate is quite good, with a total of 925 hatched.

However, after the baby hazel grouse hatched, they either didn't adapt to the environment or Qing Mengzhu's breeding techniques were mediocre. In just over a week, 57 of them have died, leaving only 868.

Qing Mengzhu asked her friend who raised hazel grouse, and the friend said that the mortality rate of the young hazel grouse was indeed quite high.

Hazel grouse that cannot hatch in their natural environment will hatch a batch due to human intervention. This batch of hazel grouse is born with deficiencies and is particularly prone to death.

The large temperature difference between day and night makes the young hazel grouse quite vulnerable, and another batch will die.

In short, regardless of who raises them, the mortality rate of hazel grouse is relatively high. The situation in Qing Mengzhu's family is normal and there is no need to worry excessively.

The hazel grouse belong to Qing Mengzhu and his family as personal property, and do not belong to Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.. Zhao Hexi is unaware of their situation.

Hearing from Qing Mengzhu that so many people had died, he said with heartache, "Isn't this mortality rate too high?"

Qing Mengzhu said helplessly, "There's nothing I can do. I'm still a newbie, so my mortality rate is a bit higher."

Zhou Yan: "Hazel grouse have such a high mortality rate. If you raise them with such care, you'll have to sell them for a higher price."

Qing Mengzhu: "We'll see when the time comes. We might not even sell them to others; we might not even have enough for ourselves."

When the topic of hazel grouse came up, Qing Mengzhu was indeed reminded of it.

He plans to release adult and juvenile hazel grouse together in the bamboo forest now that they are relatively large, to mimic their natural habitat.

Hazel grouse are fowl, so there's no need to worry about them escaping if they're fenced in; it's just that their various natural enemies can be quite troublesome.

From eagles in the sky to foxes on the ground, and it seems there are badgers here too, they'll probably all eat hazelnuts, so we'll have to be careful.

Qing Mengzhu has been cleaning up the bamboo forest environment and has not released the hazel groves yet.

While he was busy, the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day arrived first.

This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are consecutive, totaling eight days.

Qing Mengzhu and the others first treated the company staff to dinner, then had dinner with Ming Lexin, and later had a get-together with their friends.

When their friends heard that Qing Mengzhu's long-standing crush had finally come true, they teased them quite a bit.

Qing Mengzhu was a little embarrassed, but couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. To shut her friends up, she sent a 1,000 yuan red envelope in the group chat, which only made her friends tease her even more.

After the gathering ended, Ming Chunxi came to pick them up. Although his expression was stern, his actions were surprisingly gentle.

After they left, their friends' teasing turned into envy. Not only did their crush become a reality, but their relationship is also so good. They're truly winners in life.

Unaware of his friends' thoughts, Qing Mengzhu entrusted his home to Zhao Hexi, who had nothing better to do, and took Ming Chunxi, who rarely had a holiday, on a three-day road trip to the surrounding area.

Although the roads were congested and the scenic spots were crowded on the holiday, the resort hotel had a wonderful environment. The two of them enjoyed the scenery and chatted in the unfamiliar surroundings, using up all the condoms they had brought. It was a crazy and enjoyable time.

After the holiday, Zhao Hexi, who stayed at home, was munching on a piece of cantaloupe, while his Dharma Protector, Guard, red fox, and otter joined him.