Chapter 153

You can use a similar method to plant it every year, or you can plant it directly from the new shoots that have been divided.

Zhao Hexi drove his electric scooter with Qing Mengzhu to the edge of the field.

They didn't see it when they were far away, but when they got closer, they realized that there were people working in the field.

Hearing the noise, the person who was busy looked up and stared warily at the two unfamiliar young men. "What are you doing here?"

Zhao Hexi: "We are farmers, and we've come to buy some water bamboo seedlings. Brother, are these your water bamboo seedlings?"

Lü Chunkai nodded. "Yes."

Qing Mengzhu: "May we see your water bamboo seedlings?"

Lü Chunkai: "See? But I raise eels in my field, so be careful when you come down, don't get scared by them."

Zhao Hexi's eyes lit up. "You're raising eels in your water chestnut fields? How's the profit? Is it much higher than just growing water chestnuts?"

Lü Chunkai: "It's alright, at least it's another source of income."

After talking with Qing Mengzhu and the others, they learned that Lü Chunkai had just been catching eels in the field.

Lü Chunkai raising eels for several years. In winter, the eels are kept in the deep ditches along the paddy fields. Now that spring is here and he wants to plant new water chestnuts, he wants to move some of the small eels out to the new fields to raise.

Zhao Hexi looked at the deep ditch by the field. "This ditch is really deep. The water level is up to your mid-thigh. Do you have to dig such a deep ditch to raise eels?"

Lü Chunkai: "The eels themselves don't mind whether the water is deep or shallow, but did you see the birds in the sky?"

Zhao Hexi didn't know why he brought this up, and subconsciously looked up at the sky. There were quite a few birds flying around. "I see them, what's wrong?"

Lü Chunkai: "If we don't dig deep ditches, these wild birds will fly down and catch eels one after another, so raising them won't make a difference."

Zhao Hexi understood. "So the deep ditches along the fields are for the eels to hide from their predators?"

Lü Chunkai: "Yes, it helps them avoid predators and makes it easier for them to burrow and nest on the field ridges. Without digging such deep ditches, there's simply no mud wall for them to burrow through."

Lü Chunkai was very experienced in catching eels. He would spot the mud holes in the mud wall, reach in, and grab a wriggling eel with just two fingers.

This made Zhao Hexi, a seasoned angler, extremely envious. "Brother, aren't you afraid of touching a snake if you go in like that?"

Lü Chunkai at him. "What kind of snake would burrow underwater? Besides, I've been raising eels for so many years, I can tell what kind of burrow has eels just by looking at it, how could I possibly catch the wrong one?"

Zhao Hexi gave a thumbs-up admiringly. "Your eels are really good, their bellies are a real yellow, unlike the ones farmed outside."

Lü Chunkai, tickled, said proudly, "That's right, my eels are semi-farmed. We don't feed them any feed; they find their own food. Naturally, they taste much better than those raised by fish farmers."

As he spoke, Lü Chunkai pulled a plump, large eel from an eel hole. "Look at its quality."

Zhao Hexi: "That's great. After we plant water chestnuts, I'll see how to raise some eels or something."

Lü Chunkai: "Sure, let's add each other on WeChat. If you want to raise eels, just contact me. But raising soft-shelled turtles is also good now. I've seen many people raising soft-shelled turtles, and the profit is higher than raising eels."

Zhao Hexi was truly surprised that the aquaculture industry had developed to this extent. "Soft-shelled turtles can be raised in water chestnut fields? Wouldn't you have to be careful when you go down there, lest you get bitten by a turtle out of the blue?"

Lü Chunkai laughed, "That's right! After raising turtles, you can't go barefoot in the fields anymore; you have to wear at least a pair of rubber boots. Turtles are notorious for being stubborn and refusing to let go once they've bitten something; you don't want them to bite off your toes."

After chatting with Zhao Hexi for a few minutes and exchanging WeChat, Lü Chunkai noticed Qing Mengzhu squatting by the field, intently observing his water chestnut seedlings and even taking pictures with his phone. He called out, "Hey buddy, have you figured anything out yet?"

Qing Mengzhu looked up and said, "I'm looking at them now. Your water bamboo shoots are really good."

Lü Chunkai bamboo seedlings are also of "Good Grade+" quality, but only 22% away from "Fine Grade- ", which is the best water bamboo seedlings they have seen so far.

It's probably because his family raises eels while growing water chestnuts, and they provide plenty of organic fertilizer without using too many pesticides or chemical fertilizers, creating a relatively good environment.

When Lü Chunkai heard Qing Mengzhu praise his family's water bamboo seedlings, he was very pleased. "You have good taste! How many water bamboo seedlings are you planning to buy?"

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi exchanged a glance and said, "Shouldn't we buy at least 12,000 or 13,000 plants?"

Water bamboo shoots are much taller than Rice, and can grow to two or three meters in height.

The spacing between water chestnuts is much larger than that for Rice, at least half a meter apart. Therefore, one mu (unit of land area) can only accommodate about 1,200 to 1,300 plants. They want 12,000 to 13,000 plants, which is enough for ten mu.

Seeing a big business opportunity, Lü Chunkai instantly forgot about the eels in the field. He glanced at the sky and said, "It's almost noon. Why don't you come to my house for lunch? You can try my eels, and we can talk while we eat."

It doesn't matter whose water bamboo shoots you buy; generally speaking, once you've treated someone to a meal, they're less likely to refuse.

Lü Chunkai rubbed his hands together, feeling pleased with himself for his cleverness.

Zhao Hexi readily agreed, "Then we won't stand on ceremony. We were already eyeing it when we saw you catching it."

Lü Chunkai laughed heartily, "You're welcome. Come on, I'll take you to my house. It's very close, just around the corner. It's the house with the red window frames."

Lü Chunkai didn't ride an electric bike, and neither did Zhao Hexi; they walked alongside him.

When he arrived at Lü Chunkai's house, he brought eels and said he would personally go to the kitchen to cook them for them.

With a smile on his face, Lü Chunkai explained, "My wife is a little afraid of slippery things like this, so I'm always the one who handles the eels."

Zhao Hexi praised, "Brother Lü is a good man."

Lü Chunkai: "Of course, if I were afraid, my wife wouldn't let me do it."

With the hosts busy in the kitchen, Qing Mengzhu and the others couldn't very well go to the living room alone, so they watched Lü Chunkai cleaning the eels in the kitchen.

Lü Chunkai was clearly an expert; he pinned the eel down with a nail and quickly chopped it off with a few swift strokes of his knife.

Lü Chunkai didn't wash the prepared eels again, worried that customers would think they weren't clean enough. He explained, "I already washed them before processing. Eel blood is a good thing; we'll cook it together later."

Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi nodded repeatedly to show their understanding.

Lü Chunkai then heated oil in a wok and deep-fried the eels. In another wok, he added a handful of cured pork fat, then a large amount of garlic and stir-fried it until fragrant. He then added green and red peppers, the eels, and cooked them with rice wine.

Once the rice wine is added to the pot, it releases a fragrant aroma that fills the entire kitchen.

Qing Mengzhu stared intently at the chili peppers in the pot, her eyes fixed on them.

Noticing his gaze, Lü Chunkai explained, "These are some really good chilies from my relatives. They're so fresh and fragrant. I even moved them to the greenhouse to overwinter. You guys should try them later; I guarantee you've never tasted such good chilies before."

Qing Mengzhu: "I might actually have tried it."

Lü Chunkai filled with questions.

Qing Mengzhu looked up and smiled, "If I'm not mistaken, these should be chili pepper seeds from my family's chili pepper plantation."

Chapter 153

Qing Mengzhu's family gave a lot of chili seeds to their fellow villagers last year. It seems that these chili seeds have spread to various places and have even reached Lü Chunkai's village.

After hearing the whole story, Lü Chunkai had a look of sudden realization. "I knew this chili pepper tasted a bit different from the old ones; it turns out it's a new variety."

He didn't doubt the veracity of Qing Mengzhu's words, or rather, he didn't care whether they were true or not, as long as the business deal could be concluded.

Lü Chunkai warmly invited, "You must try my family's eel and your family's chili stir-fried today! It's incredibly fresh, spicy, and perfect with rice—absolutely delicious!"