Chapter 118 (continued)

As Zhao Hexi worked, she watched the little creatures, her hands itching to join in. "They're sleeping so soundly, I'm so envious."

Qing Mengzhu laughed from the side, "If you're tired, you can drag a recliner over and take a nap."

Zhao Hexi: "It's alright, not too tiring."

Looking at the lotus roots filling the yard, Qing Mengzhu said, "We might have to work until seven or eight o'clock tonight. We need to finish this work in one go."

Zhao Hexi: "It's alright, I'm just killing time anyway. If you can do it, so can I."

They were working in the yard as darkness gradually fell.

Looking at the increasing number of lotus roots and sprouts that had been sorted, Zhao Hexi couldn't help but ask, "These sprouts definitely need to be replanted, but what about the lotus roots? Are they going to be sold outside? Or used for something else?"

Qing Mengzhu hadn't decided yet whether to sell them to the Interstellar Mall, sell them outside, or make them into lotus root starch or something. "I'm still thinking about it. I'll think about it in a few days. Anyway, these lotus roots keep well and won't spoil anytime soon."

Zhao Hexi: "That's true. It's fine to leave it for a while longer, but we need to find a good seller. Lotus root is so delicious; it would be a huge loss to sell it for just a few dollars."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "That's what I think too."

Their lotus roots certainly won't be sold too cheaply.

Qing Mengzhu had already secretly checked before; the price offered by the Interstellar Mall was 12.5 Star Coins per pound.

In real life, if you can't sell the lotus root for more than 500 yuan per kilogram, you should probably sell it to the Interstellar Mall.

They can use lotus root starch as a cover-up, and no one should suspect anything.

As darkness fell, they finally separated all the lotus roots and sprouts.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi stretched out a plastic sheet in the yard and dug out the hatching pond that used to hatch shrimp.

They were going to prepare a bamboo vinegar solution to soak lotus root sprouts.

I just cut the lotus root sprouts off with a knife. Even though the knife was sterilized, the cut surface is still susceptible to viral infection when exposed to air.

They need to quickly disinfect it, then store it away so it can sprout again in a warm, dark place.

Zhao Hexi worked alongside them. "I thought they'd use carbendazim this time."

Qing Mengzhu: "I've considered it, but from my observation, bamboo vinegar works better. The survival rate is higher when soaked in bamboo vinegar, so let's stick with bamboo vinegar."

Zhao Hexi: "When should we plant them in the pond?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's still early. We have to wait until the lotus shoots grow new roots and the terminal buds start to swell before we can do another round of planting. It will be at least January before we can plant some in our newly rented pond."

Zhao Hexi: "So these lotus root sprouts will just stay soaking here?"

Qing Mengzhu shook her head. "Of course not. After soaking, put it in the ground. Then pile it up directly in the greenhouse. It's warmer in the greenhouse, which is good for germination. It's too cold in the yard; it probably won't germinate well."

They kept working, and the temperature dropped after dark, so it was a bit cold when they touched the water while working.

Qing Mengzhu also said that she would make a spicy dish during dinner later to warm everyone up.

Zhao Hexi had been craving dinner for a long time. After finally finishing all the work, he went into the kitchen to wash his hands and then prepare to cook dinner.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the kitchen, he let out a loud scream, sounding quite distraught.

The cry was so loud that everyone and all the animals in the yard trembled.

Qing Mengzhu quickly stood up and went into the kitchen. "He Xi? What's wrong? Did you fall?"

Zhao Hexi: "No! Birds are stealing shrimp!"

Qing Mengzhu had already seen Zhao Hexi when he said this.

An owl was happily peeking into their bamboo basket filled with shrimp.

Startled by the call, the owl jerked its head back, trying to pull it out of the basket, but it wasn't very successful. Whether it was from fright or because its wings were too big, it got stuck for a moment.

It was because of this sudden stop that Qing Mengzhu and the others could see it very clearly.

It was an owl with red eyes; it looked like one of their older, more experienced owls.

Before Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi could fully enter the kitchen, the owl finally escaped from the bamboo basket, hurriedly slipped out the window, flapped its wings, and flew away.

They gave chase, but only saw the silhouette disappearing high in the sky.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi exchanged a glance and fell silent.

The family's pets heard the commotion and ran in. Seeing the bamboo basket that had been thrown to the ground and the shrimp that had been picked up and scattered everywhere, the Dharma Protector were stunned for a moment. After realizing what had happened, they became very angry and started barking loudly.

For a moment, the kitchen was filled with the sounds of "woof woof woof," "whimper whimper," and "howl howl howl."

The Dharma Protector was still pacing around in the kitchen, looking like he wanted to bite the owl. "Woof woof!"

None of them expected that, with all the people and animals at home, an owl would still break into their house.

Ming Chunxi put his arm around Qing Mengzhu's shoulder. "Let's see if it has stolen anything else?"

Qing Mengzhu walked over and picked up the bamboo basket. "It seems they only stole shrimp, nothing else."

The owl didn't steal many shrimp; most of them were still in the bamboo basket. However, since the owl had pecked at them, they weren't very palatable to eat.

Qing Mengzhu felt heartbroken looking at the shrimp, but there was nothing she could do.

He sighed and said to the little ones, "Stop yelling, you can eat the rest of the shrimp."

As she spoke, Qing Mengzhu handed a shrimp to each of the four little creatures.

Despite their shouting and cursing, the little ones were still very enthusiastic about eating shrimp, quickly picking up shrimp and starting to eat them.

The shrimp looked delicious; the little ones' eyes lit up as they ate, smacking their lips as they ate.

Only the Dharma Protector was unconvinced, barking and cursing as he ate, looking extremely angry.

Ming Chunxi and Zhao Hexi also came over and took some shrimp to feed the little ones.

Seeing that the shrimp were almost all gone, Zhao Hexi muttered in disappointment, "I've been looking forward to these shrimp for so long, thinking I'd finally have a good meal tonight, but it's all been ruined by an owl."

Qing Mengzhu: "Let's use flashlights to catch some shrimp later. Aren't we making soup? Let's start the soup first, then we'll catch the shrimp and come back to cook."

Upon hearing that there were shrimp to eat, Zhao Hexi's mood immediately improved. "Really? Then I'll make some soup."

Qing Mengzhu: "Let's stew it together. I'll go catch a big goose."

Zhao Hexi: "I thought we were going to make soup with hazelnuts?"

Qing Mengzhu shook her head. "I asked Brother Zhou said that the flavor of lotus root is too strong and will mask some of the freshness, so it's not suitable to stew it with hazel grouse. Let's stew it with goose instead."

After feeding the shrimp to the little ones, they washed their hands and went to catch the geese.

Luckily, we had an electric feather remover at home, so the three of us worked together and it wasn't too difficult to treat the goose.

After the soup was simmering, Qing Mengzhu asked Zhao Hexi and the kids to stay home and watch the house to prevent the owls from breaking in again. Then, he took Ming Chunxi out to catch shrimp on his electric scooter.

The wind was howling, and going out to catch shrimp late at night wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, yet Ming Chunxi's face was full of smiles.

Qing Mengzhu turned around and glanced at his smiling face, unable to help but ask, "What are you laughing at?"

Ming Chunxi placed his hand on Qing Mengzhu's waist. "There probably aren't many people in the world who would have their food stolen by an owl?"

Qing Mengzhu chuckled upon hearing this, "From that perspective, that's true."

Ming Chunxi said gently, "Life is very interesting, the stars are beautiful, and we can even catch fresh shrimp to eat. It's great."

Qing Mengzhu realized what was happening. "That's right!"

They had already been to the pond during the day and knew where the most shrimp were hiding.

Now they went straight to where the shrimp were hiding and started catching them with nets.

Ming Chunxi held up a flashlight, Qing Mengzhu personally scooped it up.

One net was cast, and the net was full of plump, lively green shrimp.

Qing Mengzhu used her hands to scoop them out, picking out the too-thin and small ones and throwing them back into the pond, and also picking out the too-fat ones and throwing them back into the pond.