Chapter 195

The crabs have all been caught, and there are also plenty of eels and fish.

Zhou Yan readily agreed, "How about we pick some more vegetables? I'll make a barbecue sauce later. Eating only meat isn't enough; grilling some vegetables will make it more refreshing and less greasy."

Zhao Hexi raised both hands in agreement. "Let's pick vegetables from the garden. What should we pick?"

Zhou Yan: "You should have eggplants, right? Pick a few tender eggplants, and we'll make some garlic roasted eggplant later. Garlic roasted eggplant is especially delicious this time of year."

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, we have eggplants. Would you like some prawns and clams? Garlic roasted prawns and garlic roasted clams should be delicious too."

Zhou Yan: "If you don't mind the trouble, just grab a little. Also, do you have any potatoes? And some green beans, winter melon, pumpkin, gourd, cucumber, and the like too."

Zhao Hexi glanced at the time on her phone. "It's almost midnight. We've picked so many vegetables, are we going to finish them all?"

Zhou Yan: "Why don't you find a few young people? Like Old Gu and his group, they should be interested in going out for barbecue?"

Zhao Hexi: "I think it's a good idea. I'll call someone first."

So Zhao Hexi sent out a few messages, waking up all the young people who were still awake to go out for barbecue.

Upon hearing that Chef Zhou Yan would personally prepare the roasting, everyone agreed without hesitation.

When Qing Mengzhu and the others returned home, Gu Benshu and the others were already waiting at the gate of his courtyard.

Finance Minister Fu Maike held up his drink. "I didn't know what you guys liked to drink, so I specially bought a few different kinds, like coconut juice, orange juice, and cola."

Zhao Hexi was touched. "Luckily, I have you. Girls are so thoughtful."

Qing Mengzhu: "Let's go inside first. I'll get the charcoal out; we should be able to start roasting soon."

With so many people coming, everyone pitched in and quickly cleaned the ingredients.

Qing Mengzhu lit the charcoal and called on everyone to start grilling.

Zhou Yan had already set the prepared barbecue seasoning aside. The freshly made garlic sauce smelled especially delicious, and everyone couldn't help but sniff it.

The advantage of barbecue over hot pot is that vegetables and meat can be grilled together, unlike hot pot where you have to eat the meat first, otherwise the vegetables will absorb the flavor.

Everyone took the skewers that were already laid out on the side and grilled whatever they liked.

Qing Mengzhu used charcoal that had been used to boil fresh bamboo sap, so the fire was particularly strong and the food was grilled very quickly.

Qing Mengzhu first placed the eggplant on top, then added the skewered beef, and started grilling.

Zhou Yan personally grilled eels, prawns, and crabs. Even though he was grilling multiple skewers by himself, he remained methodical and his movements were perfectly coordinated.

The charcoal fire below was quite intense, and the eel was quickly cooked. Several layers of Zhou Yan's secret sauce were brushed on top, and the aroma immediately wafted up, making the eyes of those sitting around the charcoal fire light up.

Fu Maike was initially a little afraid of these things, but when he got a skewer of tender and juicy grilled meat, he couldn't help but smell it and then take a bite.

The freshly grilled eel skewers are incredibly fresh, tender, and fragrant. They're exceptionally plump with very fine bones, so every bite is bursting with meat.

Fu Maike couldn't help but exclaim, "It smells so good! It's even better than any grilled eel I've ever had before. The umami flavor is just right!"

Zhou Yan: "The eels we caught today are of pretty high quality. Have as many skewers as you like."

Li Ba gave a thumbs up from the side. "Brother Zhou, your cooking skills are absolutely amazing! The grilled crab is delicious, the best crab I've ever eaten."

Qing Mengzhu sat next to Ming Chunxi and nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. "This is also the best crab I've ever eaten. I always thought crabs were a bit fishy before, but I never expected them to be so fragrant when grilled."

Zhou Yan: "Some crabs are best steamed, while others are better cooked with stronger flavors. Today's crabs are perfect for strong flavors. Now, try the shrimp. I've already grilled the shells until they're crispy. The shrimp are a bit small today, but they should be very tender."

Qing Mengzhu took a sip of honey water, then took two skewers of shrimp, giving one to Ming Chunxi and tasting the other herself.

The shrimp meat is very tender and bouncy, and it tastes different from regular shrimp, with an indescribable freshness.

Qing Mengzhu exclaimed, "I had no idea shrimp could be so delicious!"

Zhou Yan: "Big shrimp have their advantages, and small shrimp have theirs."

Zhou Yan not only grilled for people, but also for four little ones.

The meat I grilled for the little ones was only lightly brushed with seasoning, but it looked delicious.

Qing Mengzhu noticed that the little ones' eyes lit up, and their gazes towards Zhou Yan suddenly became intense, so she knew that the little ones must really like today's barbecue.

Qing Mengzhu said to Zhou Yan, "Brother Zhou, the little ones are all falling in love with you."

Zhou Yan glanced down at the little guys and laughed, "Then I'll bake them some more."

Chapter 195

Qing Mengzhu and the others ate barbecue until very late, and the next day, Qing Mengzhu couldn't get up at all.

Ming Chunxi had to get up for work, so half asleep, he rolled over and hugged Ming Chunxi, nuzzling her as if to say good morning, before wrapping himself in the blanket and continuing to sleep.

Ming Chunxi didn't disturb him. She got up quietly, washed up, made breakfast, saved some for him, and then went to work.

Qing Mengzhu heard the courtyard gate open, so he sat up in bed, glanced out the window, and quickly lay back down.

I'm so sleepy.

He slept until noon before getting up, and only felt energetic after lunch.

In the afternoon, he went to the field to water the tomatoes and peppers.

They have a water pump this year, so they can draw water directly from the pond when watering the plants.

First, take a basket, then put the water pump in the basket. This way, the water pump won't suck up the fish, shrimp, or lotus leaves, making it safer to water the plants.

Watering should not be done when the sun is too strong, otherwise water droplets falling on the hot leaves and ground can easily kill the plant.

Qing Mengzhu deliberately waited until the sun was almost setting before going to water the plants.

Before she could even irrigate two acres of land, Qing Mengzhu sensed someone watching her from behind.

He turned around and saw that the person standing behind him as the spirit behind him was none other than Zhao Hexi.

Qing Mengzhu, a little puzzled, "Don't you have anything to do today? What are you doing standing here?"

Zhao Hexi: "I need to talk to you about something."

Qing Mengzhu gave him a look, urging him to speak quickly and stop stammering.

Zhao Hexi: "Well, haven't we been having a lot of meetings these past two years? Like those agricultural benefit lectures and stuff organized by relevant departments."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "And then? Another meeting? You can choose someone to attend; I've been very busy these past few days."

Zhao Hexi cleared his throat lightly. "This isn't a meeting; the relevant departments want us to be the organizers."

Qing Mengzhu didn't quite understand. "You want us to organize a meeting?"

Zhao Hexi: "No, they want to organize people to come and visit us, so we can give lectures and answer their questions. The higher-ups think our vegetables are grown very well and have some reference value."

Qing Mengzhu paused for a moment, then asked, "When are you coming?"

Zhao Hexi: "It depends on our schedule. They've only made this request, hoping we can organize one, preferably before September. I think organizing one would be great; it would further increase our visibility and leave a good impression on the leadership."

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment, "Did they say what the course content would be like?"

Zhao Hexi shook his head. "It's up to us to decide. I've thought about it, and we have a lot to discuss regarding fertilizers, soil, water sources, pesticides, management methods, harvesting time, logistics, and packaging. It's not realistic to cover everything, so we can submit our proposal and let the higher-ups decide."

Seeing that he had thought it through, Qing Mengzhu agreed, "Then submit it."

Zhao Hexi: "Okay, I'll have my secretary draft a plan. But Mengzhu, would it be alright if you gave the lecture? You're most familiar with this content and can easily convey the insights of an experienced farmer. If someone else were to come, they'd probably just be reciting from the textbook."

Qing Mengzhu readily agreed, "Sure! You guys finalize the plan first, then prepare a speech. I'll make appropriate additions and subtractions based on the speech, and adapt to changing circumstances."