Chapter 194

Zhao Hexi ran into the kitchen to get a cup. "I can accept insomnia if I don't have this tea, but I'll probably regret it so much I won't be able to sleep."

Zhao Hexi made a thumping sound as he ran, and only then did Qing Mengzhu notice that his attire was different.

Both he and Zhou Yan were wearing waterproof pants, and the hard rubber soles of their shoes made an unusually loud sound as they stepped on the ground.

Qing Mengzhu shifted her position in the chair and asked, "Where did you just go? Why are you dressed like that?"

Zhao Hexi: "You should have asked us where we were going. We wanted to catch eels, but we hadn't had a chance yet. We passed by your house and saw that the lights were on in your yard, so we came around to chat with you. We didn't expect you to be quietly drinking tea in your yard."

Qing Mengzhu lazily, "We roasted lotus tea today. Let's try it first, and we'll bring it to you tomorrow."

Zhao Hexi had no doubt about this. "We'll talk about tomorrow's tea tomorrow; let's try it today. Brother Zhou, here's your cup."

Zhou Yan took the cup and used the fairness cup to serve the tea.

After glancing at the color of the tea, Zhou Yan couldn't help but ask, "How many times has this tea been brewed? It seems to last a long time."

Qing Mengzhu: "This is the fourth time. We've already soaked in it three times. I reckon soaking it six times shouldn't be a problem."

Zhou Yan couldn't help but say, "This tea is really good. Could you give me some more later? I'll take some to the farm; I'll serve this tea if we have important guests."

Their farm has become quite famous now, and celebrities occasionally come by, so they definitely need some good tea to attract customers.

Qing Mengzhu had no objection. "Later, fetch some more well water; this tea tastes better when brewed with well water."

Zhou Yan: "Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have drawn well water anyway. Using ordinary water to brew this tea is simply a waste."

As he spoke, Zhou Yan took a sip of tea and sighed contentedly, "This lotus tea is indeed the best."

Chapter 194

Qing Mengzhu and the others sat at the table drinking tea.

The lotus tea only became quite pale in color after the sixth infusion.

Zhou Yan reluctantly lifted the lid of the teapot and sniffed it. "The tea flavor is so weak, I can barely smell it."

Qing Mengzhu, standing nearby, said, "This tea is already excellent enough to be brewed six times. Let's just leave it."

Zhou Yan: "That's true."

After finishing their tea, Zhou Yan and his friends went to catch eels.

Qing Mengzhu was a little sleepy, but after drinking so much tea and chatting for so long, she was now awake and said she wanted to go with them.

Qing Mengzhu is going, Ming Chunxi will definitely follow.

The two dogs in the house quickly stood up and followed us out.

They made quite a commotion here; the otters and red foxes living in the backyard poked their heads out of their burrows.

After observing for a while, I followed them eagerly.

Thus, what was originally just an activity for two people to catch eels for a late-night snack turned into a rare group activity.

They walked across the fields with flashlights in hand, their legs rustling as they touched the weeds on either side of the road.

There are many snakes and insects at night. The ecology here is good and the grass is very dense, so it's easy to get bitten if you walk like this. However, wearing waterproof pants will prevent any problems.

Thick waterproof pants can block most of the damage.

Qing Mengzhu and the other three only carried two buckets and grabbed two pairs of iron tongs.

When they arrived at the water chestnut field, Qing Mengzhu shone a flashlight on it, examining the field with skepticism. "Will this work? Will we really be able to catch any eels?"

Zhao Hexi: "I guarantee there won't be any problem. Eels are nocturnal; when they're exposed to light, they can't react at all and are left helpless to be grabbed."

Before Qing Mengzhu and the others could say anything more, Zhao Hexi added, "I asked Uncle Wenlei and the others, and they all said that some of the eels in the fields are already fat."

Zhou Yan: "I heard from Uncle Wenlei and the others that besides the eel fry that were released into the fields a while ago, there are also wild eels that have wandered in from outside. If we don't catch them, they will eat the baby eels."

Qing Mengzhu had no objections. "Let's walk around some more, we'll find a bigger one."

There are many small yellow eels in the water chestnut field. They were released into the water earlier and are not yet adults. They float on the water, thin and about the size of chopsticks.

When the flashlight was shone, Qing Mengzhu could see several.

However, mature, large yellow eels are indeed rare. Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi walked for quite a while without seeing any, and Qing Mengzhu was starting to doubt whether there were any large yellow eels at all.

Zhou Yan and the others first found the large yellow eel, and when they caught it, they called Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi over to take a look.

Zhao Hexi said smugly, "See? I told you there were big yellow eels down there!"

Looking at the large yellow eel she had just picked up, Qing Mengzhu felt it was even bigger than the ones in Lü Chunkai's field, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Where did this huge yellow eel come from?"

Zhao Hexi: "They're wild. We've always had wild eels here. Before, when the environment wasn't so good, they hid. Now that the environment is better, they've naturally come out."

Qing Mengzhu pondered, "It seems there are still some wild eels here. Let's split up and continue searching."

So the four of them split into two groups and wandered around the water chestnut field looking for eels.

Qing Mengzhu and the others also spotted the large yellow eel. When the flashlight shone on it, the eel didn't move much. They quietly reached behind the eel with tongs, aimed at the back of its head, and clamped it up.

The little ones ran around watching, and after a while, they figured out the general requirements for the eels the children wanted to catch, so they started helping to find them.

With them in charge, the efficiency of the four people increased significantly.

The more they caught the eels, the more excited they became. The wild eels in the field were so plump and delicious; each one they caught was heavy.

The people's excitement was contagious, and the little ones became excited too.

The two dogs, in particular, were so excited about their rare "hunting" trip that their tails were practically flying off their feet, and they were barking loudly, their excited barks carrying far and wide.

Qing Mengzhu looked up and saw that the villagers had been disturbed, and some had even turned on their lights and gone into the yard to check. He quickly reached out and grabbed the muzzles of the two dogs to stop them from disturbing the peace.

Both dogs stared at Qing Mengzhu with their big, dark eyes, puzzled.

The Dharma Protector made "woof woof woof" sounds, trying to paw at Qing Mengzhu's hand with its front paws to make him let go.

Qing Mengzhu squatted down and reasoned with the two dogs. "I'll let you go, but please don't bark anymore. If you do, the villagers will probably think a thief has come."

The two dogs watched him, the Guard appearing especially obedient.

Qing Mengzhu assumed they understood and first released the Guard's mouths.

The Guard didn't call out, but instead licked Qing Mengzhu's wrist.

Qing Mengzhu slowly released the Dharma Protector's mouth, and the Dharma Protector called out softly twice, then stopped.

Qing Mengzhu patted their necks. "Good dogs!"

Ming Chunxi also reached out and patted each of the dogs below the neck. "Good dogs."

The red fox was furious and insisted on sticking its head under Qing Mengzhu's hand, wanting him to pat it.

Qing Mengzhu had no choice but to play with the red fox and otter for a while longer, just to appease their jealousy.

With the help of the little ones, they caught more and more eels. After catching all the eels in this field of water chestnuts, both buckets were more than half full.

Besides eels, they also saw fish in the fields, including carp and crucian carp.

In addition, what surprised them most was that there were many large crabs in the ditch, which looked big and fat, no less than the crabs in the market.

Zhou Yan said with great interest, "I didn't even know there were so many crabs here?"

Zhao Hexi: "They've always existed, but when the ecological environment wasn't as good, the crabs weren't this big. They've only grown this big this year. The villagers don't like to eat them; they think the shells are too hard, hard on the teeth, and the meat isn't fresh enough."

Zhou Yan: "It's okay, I can peel them. I'll peel the crab meat out for you guys to eat later."

Qing Mengzhu looked down and asked, "Do these crabs have any roe yet?"

Zhou Yan: "Of course, every crab has some, just not as much as usual."