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Zhou Yan also came over. "This bunch of watercress is of good quality. I'll make stir-fried watercress with cured pork tonight. These two fish will be used for sauerkraut fish. Mengzhu, do you still have any sauerkraut at home?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes! They were all pickled with mustard green hearts in winter, so they should be perfect to eat now. I'll go get them."

Zhou Yan quickly finalized the menu for the evening.

Ming Chunxi and Chu Yanhuan returned shortly afterward, and everyone sat in the courtyard waiting for dinner.

The aroma wafted out in waves, and the people sitting in the yard, along with the four little ones, couldn't resist sniffing it incessantly.

Everyone had already wiped the table and prepared their bowls and chopsticks, just waiting for the food to be served.

After finally getting the food ready, Qing Mengzhu and the others fed the four little ones first.

Today we had hazelnuts, and the four little ones ate hazelnut rice, which included various hazelnut offal and different kinds of meat that Qing Mengzhu had stored in the refrigerator, along with delicious chicken soup. It looked very appetizing.

The little ones, each guarding their own food bowl, quickly began to devour their food.

As soon as the food was served, Qing Mengzhu and the others eagerly picked up their chopsticks.

Stir-fried cured pork with watercress is delicious. The cured pork is fragrant and rich, while the watercress is crisp and tender. When stir-fried together, the golden cured pork and the emerald green watercress complement each other perfectly.

Qing Mengzhu guessed that the mudwort grew by the pond and absorbed the water from the Spirit Pearl Dregs, which is why it tasted so good.

The pickled fish is also delicious. They specifically use the heart of the mustard greens when making the dish, making the mustard greens exceptionally sour, crisp, and tender, with a hint of sweetness.

Needless to say, the fish was freshly caught wild fish, plump and tender. With Zhou Yan's excellent cooking skills and the addition of chili and garlic, it's no exaggeration to say that Qing Mengzhu could eat three bowls of rice just from this fish!

The best part was tonight's hazel grouse. Zhou Yan didn't use it to make soup. Instead, he cooked it at a low temperature, removed the head and tail, shredded the hazel grouse meat by hand, and then poured on a fresh, spicy, and rich sauce to make a hand-shredded drunken hazel grouse.

The wine used for the hand-shredded drunken hazelnut chicken is their own homemade distilled wine, which has a special aroma. The combination of the wine aroma and the aroma of the meat, plus the just-right spiciness, makes Qing Mengzhu feel the flavors surging towards her taste buds layer by layer.

Before the taste buds could even finish experiencing one layer of flavor, another layer would arrive, in a continuous cycle. The fresh, spicy, and rich flavors lingered on the tip of the tongue, tempting Qing Mengzhu so much that she could only swallow a large mouthful of fragrant, soft, and oily rice to suppress it.

That night, all the dishes Zhou Yan made were completely devoured, even the broth was used to mix with rice, and everyone ate too much.

After the meal, everyone had to be given digestive tablets and then sit in the yard to digest.

Seeing that everyone was stuffed, Qing Mengzhu grabbed a handful of tea leaves, brewed them into tea, and let everyone leisurely drink tea and chat.

They sipped their tea slowly, so it didn't take up much of their stomachs and even helped with digestion. They didn't feel uncomfortable or full while drinking their tea.

Zhou Yan took two sips, glanced at the tea in the cup, and said, "This is this year's new tea, isn't it? It's a little different from last year's; the aroma is even more subtle."

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, it's this year's new tea. The tea trees in the backyard started growing tender leaves at the beginning of the year, and now there are more and more tender leaves. We picked a lot to roast and drink while it's fresh, because the aroma won't be the same later."

Zhou Yan agreed, "The tea I drink at your place is always a little different, like opening a blind box. It's always a surprise."

Zhao Hexi also tasted it and muttered, "Only people with discerning palates would think that. To me, the tea always tastes pretty much the same."

Qing Mengzhu: "They're worlds apart. You just don't have a particular fondness for tea, which is why you think they're all pretty much the same."

Zhao Hexi: "No, it's not that. I just feel that the different batches of tea are all about the same, but if I compare your tea with the tea from Zhaiqian Village, I can taste a clear difference."

Mentioning Zhaiqian Village, Zhou Yan casually asked, "Your Zhaiqian Village has had tea trees planted for quite a while now. Has the tea started to be harvested yet?"

Qing Mengzhu: "She gave birth, but the amount was small. It won't be better until next year."

Zhao Hexi: "Although each tea tree produces a small quantity, the total amount is still quite good. I feel like it's enough to put on the shelves for sale."

Qing Mengzhu: "Let's wait a while longer. It's still unstable right now, and things should get better after a while."

Chu Yanhuan arrived late and was unaware of the situation in Zhaiqian Village. Upon hearing this, he raised his hand and asked, "Where is Zhaiqian Village? Does your company own farmland there?"

Qing Mengzhu: "We don't own any farmland, but we rented a hillside there to grow bamboo, and we also cooperated with the villagers to grow tea."

Chu Yanhuan asked curiously, "Then why don't we usually see you going there?"

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Yes, we'll go too. It's just that trips there are usually day trips, so you might not have noticed. We have technicians and administrators stationed in the village. We only need to do routine inspections and check on things when there are problems. We don't need to spend too much time on them over there."

Chu Yanhuan checked the map. "It looks like a mountain village deep in the mountains. How did you come up with the idea of planting bamboo there?"

Qing Mengzhu: "We didn't go looking for them. A young man from that village grew blueberries. He heard we needed blueberry seedlings, so he brought them to us. That's how we noticed that mountain village."

Chu Yanhuan was very curious about Zhaiqian Village. Qing Mengzhu thought that he usually stayed in the town and didn't have much to do, so she invited him to come with her to inspect Zhaiqian Village next time.

Qing Mengzhu said, "Zhaiqian Village is located in the mountains, but the scenery is beautiful and the ecology is well preserved. It should be quite fun to visit."

Chu Yanhuan immediately agreed, "As long as my senior brother gives me leave, I'll go."

Ming Chunxi said from the side, "If you want to take a vacation, just arrange your own. I'm not exploiting you."

Zhou Yan interjected, "I'd like to go take a look too. Their wild vegetables and mushrooms are quite good. I'll see if I can prepare a few spring specials at the farm."

Qing Mengzhu: "Brother Zhou, if you're going too, then we'll have to choose a time during the week."

Zhao Hexi: "Then let's go on Monday or Tuesday. We already agreed to go on Monday or Tuesday."

Zhou Yan: "I'm free on Tuesday."

Qing Mengzhu grabbed Ming Chunxi's hand. "Chunxi, are you going?"

Ming Chunxi nodded.

Qing Mengzhu made the decision. "Then we'll go on Tuesday, with one or two cars. I'll let Yi Yanbai know later."

Since arriving here, Chu Yanhuan has rarely visited the nearby villages and has been feeling quite restless. Hearing that they were going to the mountains, he prepared bags and bags of snacks, just like he would for a spring outing.

Seeing this, Qing Mengzhu simply contacted Yi Yanbai and ordered lunch from his house, where they would eat at noon.

Because they would be spending a lot of time in Zhaiqian Village, Qing Mengzhu had already discussed it with Yi Yanbai, and they would eat at Yi Yanbai's house and he would pay her normally.

Yi Yanbai has gotten used to it and no longer refuses, making both sides feel more comfortable.

On Tuesday, they drove two cars into the mountains.

It was the season of spring rain, and a light drizzle began as they entered the mountains.

The mountains on both sides of the road were all green, shrouded in mist and rain, their colors deep and vibrant. The view was as if the landscape had been washed clean.

Chu Yanhuan exclaimed how comfortable it felt, regretting that he hadn't gone into the mountains more often.

They drove on, from the national highway to the rural road, until they entered Zhaiqian Village.

Looking at the village surrounded by mountains, and then at the passersby and people working in the fields, Chu Yanhuan was a little surprised. "Why are there so many people here? Don't they all go out to work?"

As soon as Qing Mengzhu got out of the car, he heard him ask and said, "Originally, more people went out to work, but later we cooperated with the village to grow bamboo and tea, so everyone can also earn income at home, and not many people go out to work anymore."

Zhao Hexi added, "Actually, it's not that they don't go out to work much, it's that middle-aged people don't go out to work much."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "Yes, it's already difficult for middle-aged people in the village to find work outside. They can only do some physically demanding jobs, and the wages aren't very high. Now that they can find work in the village, it's more comfortable for them to stay here."