Chapter 165 (continued)

The red fox craned its neck, tentatively trying to get closer to Qing Mengzhu: "Eek!"

Seeing its impatient look, Qing Mengzhu had no choice but to grab a shrimp, make a basketball shooting motion, and throw it far away to the red fox.

Unexpectedly, before the red fox could catch the green shrimp, the Dharma Protector, who had arrived at some unknown time, jumped out from the side and intercepted it.

The red fox was stunned for a moment, looking at the Dharma Protector.

The Dharma Protector swiftly slipped to the side, and with a loud snap, bit the shrimp into his mouth, eating it shell and head together.

Realizing what had happened, the red fox slammed its front paws on the ground in anger, whimpering loudly.

Qing Mengzhu had no choice but to take two steps toward the red fox and throw another shrimp over. "Little Fox, eat quickly, Guard don't take it, your share is here."

The Guard followed behind the Dharma Protector. After feeding the red fox, Qing Mengzhu fed the Guard, then the Dharma Protector, the otters, the red fox, the Guard, and even the owl that flew over begging for food.

The Dharma Protector and Guard rushed over to eat the shrimp just in time, which didn't surprise Qing Mengzhu. They were always clever and always managed to come out to beg for food at the most opportune moment.

It's incredible that an owl would fly down from the mountain to beg for food.

Qing Mengzhu tossed a shrimp high into the air to the owl, saying incredulously, "How did you know we were sharing shrimp here?"

The owl didn't answer; it grabbed the shrimp with its talons and flew off to eat it.

After feeding them all, Qing Mengzhu threw the remaining female shrimp into the bucket, intending to take them home for an extra meal that evening.

The lifespan of freshwater shrimp is only about a year and a half. The female shrimp have already laid eggs, and if they are not harvested now, they will die naturally. Harvesting shrimp now is the time to maximize profits.

He wanted to harvest the shrimp while they were still lively.

After bringing the shrimp home, Qing Mengzhu closed the door and scanned them using the Mall Assistant.

These shrimp were very popular with the little guys, Qing Mengzhu guessed that their quality must be quite high. Unfortunately, shrimp are not plants, so he couldn't tell at a glance.

Unexpectedly, after the scan results came out, the quality of this batch of shrimp actually reached "Superior Grade- ", which is 82% away from "Superior Grade"!

When they scanned the shrimp last time, the quality was only "Fine Grade+".

It seems the Spirit Pearl Dregs weren't wasted, and the shrimp weren't neglected either!

Qing Mengzhu was very pleased to see the scan results.

Qing Mengzhu was even happier when she saw that the Interstellar Mall was offering 500 grams for 62 Star Coins.

This is the highest price ever offered by the Interstellar Mall. Their shrimp are indeed of high quality; no wonder the Interstellar Mall is offering such a high price.

Today we're having shrimp, Qing Mengzhu told Ming Chunxi to come back early and also specially invited Zhao Hexi over for dinner.

It's rare to find such good prawns, Qing Mengzhu still remembers this brother quite well.

Zhao Hexi was originally out of town and didn't plan to come back for dinner, but changed her mind when she heard there would be prawns to eat.

When Zhao Hexi returned in the evening, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi had already prepared dinner and were waiting for him, except for a dish of boiled shrimp.

Looking at the dishes already prepared on the table, Zhao Hexi rubbed his hands expectantly. "Have you tried them yet? Aren't these prawns especially delicious?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Not yet. I was worried the shrimp would get fishy if they got cold, so I waited for you to come back before steaming them."

Zhao Hexi was moved. "What an act of godfather!"

Qing Mengzhu: "We don't mind if you omit the last three words."

Zhao Hexi: "No, no, no, I still mind. Look at you, you look younger than me now, how can you let me call you godfather? Don't be fooled by Chunxi, he looks younger than me too."

Over the past six months, Zhao Hexi has braved wind and rain, gotten tanned and lost weight; it hasn't been easy for her.

Qing Mengzhu patted his shoulder. "Eat more later. I specially asked Brother Zhou for some steamed fish soy sauce to dip the shrimp in. It will definitely taste great."

Ming Chunxi then said, "Dinner will be ready soon, go wash your hands."

Steam was rising from the pot, filling the entire yard with the sweet, fresh aroma of prawns.

Not to mention them, even the four little ones were already waiting with their food bowls in their hands.

Everyone pitched in, scooping out the steamed shrimp, some mixing soy sauce, others feeding the kids rice. After several minutes of work, they finally sat down at the table to eat the shrimp.

Qing Mengzhu picked up a still-hot shrimp, removed its head and shell, and rolled it in soy sauce while holding it by the tail.

The soy sauce contained Zhou Yan's special ginger and garlic paste, along with a few chopped scallions, giving it an irresistible aroma. Dipping the piping hot prawns into the sauce, coating them completely, and then popping them into your mouth, instantly released a burst of fresh, sweet, and bouncy flavor—it tasted absolutely delicious.

Qing Mengzhu couldn't help but squint her eyes and let out a satisfied "Mmm".

Seeing that he liked it, Ming Chunxi simply put the cooked shrimp into his bowl.

He gently nudged Ming Chunxi's wrist. "No, you have to try it, it's really delicious."

Ming Chunxi then dipped it in soy sauce and tasted it. "Fragrant, fresh and sweet."

Qing Mengzhu: "Right? It's completely different from the prawns outside. You can tell it's a live prawn just by tasting it, and a very high-quality one at that."

Zhao Hexi, who was eating non-stop, interjected, "It would definitely taste good raw, but unfortunately it can't be eaten raw."

Qing Mengzhu: "Forget about eating it raw, it's not safe. Quick, eat it while it's hot, it probably won't taste good when it's cold."

Zhao Hexi: "I'm eating now, it's so delicious, it was definitely worth driving over 70 kilometers back."

Qing Mengzhu knew that this batch of shrimp would be very popular, so she specially steamed a large pot of them, thinking that if she couldn't finish them, she would share some with the Dharma Protector.

Unexpectedly, there was absolutely nothing left; they ate all the shrimp, leaving a pile of shrimp shells around everyone's bowl.

"It's been so long since I've eaten this much," Qing Mengzhu sighed contentedly, feeling like she could have another meal like this tomorrow.

After finishing the shrimp and cleaning up the table, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi even washed their hands with peppercorn leaves, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get rid of the shrimp smell.

Zhao Hexi wasn't as particular as them. He rubbed his hands with pepper leaves briefly and then went back. He had gone to another place to inspect persimmon trees today and was exhausted. Now that he was full and satisfied, all he wanted to do was go back to his rented house in the village and lie down.

Qing Mengzhu and the others were also tired. After finishing their meal and cleaning up, they quickly went back to their rooms to sleep.

The two dogs were asleep in the yard, even snoring softly.

Fortunately, the house was well soundproofed, otherwise they would have had a headache from the two dogs.

That night, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi both slept soundly and were exceptionally energetic when they woke up the next day.

Qing Mengzhu, unusually, didn't stay in bed. She jumped out and asked, "How did you sleep last night? I feel like I slept like a log, it was so comfortable."

Ming Chunxi: "Was it because I ate shrimp? I slept very well too."

Qing Mengzhu jumped onto Ming Chunxi's back with a smile, letting him carry her. "I'm not sure, maybe."

After the two finished washing up and went outside, they found that not only them, but also the two dogs were unusually energetic.

Qing Mengzhu cradled the Dharma Protector's head in her hands and looked at it. "It seems you and the Guard slept very well too."

The Dharma Protector, bewildered, opened his round eyes and barked, "Woof!"

The Guard nudged its head towards the guard and barked, "Woof woof!"

Qing Mengzhu petted her two exceptionally energetic dogs, dragged a chair to sit down in the yard, and texted Zhao Hexi to ask how he slept.

It was too early, Qing Mengzhu was afraid that calling him would wake him up, so she sent a text message to ask first.

Zhao Hexi, who is used to sleeping in late, replied instantly: [Great! It's rare for me to sleep so comfortably!]

Zhao Hexi: [I was just about to ask you, was there some secret to the drinks we had last night? Otherwise, how could I have slept so well?]

Qing Mengzhu typed back: [There's nothing special about the drink. I guess eating too much shrimp led to a higher protein intake, which is why I slept so well?]

Zhao Hexi: [??? Is that even a saying?]