Chapter 35

The fried mushrooms they made today were really delicious—fragrant, rich, fresh, and spicy. They were so flavorful that I could never get enough of them.

After eating two pieces, Qing Mengzhu couldn't help but say, "I'd like a bowl of rice, do you want some?"

Zhao Hexi replied without hesitation, "Yes! I'll mix it with rice!"

So, Qing Mengzhu personally steamed a pot of soft and fragrant rice.

The two of them each filled a large bowl with rice, poured perfectly fried mushrooms on top, and ate it directly with the rice.

The golden-brown mushrooms and snow-white rice are mixed together, each grain of rice coated with a glistening sheen of oil. One bite is oily, moist, fresh, and fragrant; the aroma is so enticing it practically bursts from your nostrils. As it fills your stomach, it satisfies both your physical and psychological hunger.

This is truly a wonderful side dish to accompany rice.

Both of them ate three bowls of rice.

Zhao Hexi, holding an empty bowl, said, "I'm so satisfied."

The mushrooms in the pot weren't finished frying yet; two more batches needed to be fried. Qing Mengzhu said, "I'll rest for a bit first, and then I'll have a bowl after the last batch of mushrooms is fried."

Zhao Hexi nodded repeatedly. "Then I'll have another bowl too. I should be able to eat more later."

The two of them ate right there by the pot, until the mushrooms were all fried and they were full.

Qing Mengzhu put the several large basins of fried mushrooms into the cupboard. "Let's go, we'll come back and repackage them after they've cooled down."

Zhao Hexi: "Then I'll take some back for my parents to try too."

Qing Mengzhu: "Okay, bring back some more vegetables then. Didn't you say you like tomatoes? I'll pack two bags for you tomorrow."

Zhao Hexi chuckled, "Thanks, buddy!"

The two quickly cleaned the kitchen, Qing Mengzhu said she was going to collect the fish traps and herd the ducks back while she was at it.

Zhao Hexi asked in bewilderment, "Don't you keep your ducks in the pond anymore?"

Qing Mengzhu: "We need to hurry back and raise them for a few days. It's too hot outside now; it's not suitable to keep them outside any longer."

Today is the Lesser Heat solar term, and the daytime temperature can reach 36 or 37 degrees Celsius, while the ground temperature can reach 40 or 50 degrees Celsius.

Even the ducks resting by the pond were sweltering in the heat.

It's better to hurry back and keep them in the shade in the backyard; otherwise, Qing Mengzhu is really afraid that her ducks will die of heatstroke.

Zhao Hexi: "I'll go with you and help you carry the buckets."

Qing Mengzhu thought it would be good to digest her food, so she said, "Let's go."

As soon as they set off, their two dogs followed behind them, wagging their tails and catching insects and butterflies every now and then, looking full of energy.

Qing Mengzhu ignored them, figuring the two wouldn't lose them anyway.

Walking slowly to the edge of the pond, Qing Mengzhu led Zhao Hexi to pull the fish trap.

Zhao Hexi had eaten small, miscellaneous fish several times before. Seeing the fish jumping and leaping around in the fish trap, and still so many of them, he couldn't help but ask, "How come there are so many fish in the pond? I can't seem to catch them all."

Qing Mengzhu: "Because the pond is connected to the river, when I put river water in, the fish and shrimp will swim in too."

Qing Mengzhu also felt that there were too many fish and shrimp in the pond, wondering if they were particularly attracted to lotus leaves and flowers.

It seems that after the prawns hatch, we need to thoroughly kill them all, and then add some nets at the inlet and outlet of the pond. Otherwise, the prawns probably won't survive long enough to grow up before being eaten by other fish and shrimp.

Qing Mengzhu was pulling him along while her mind wandered aimlessly.

The fish trap was pulled up, and it was filled with many small fish, shrimp, and crabs.

He reached out and picked through the fish, shrimp, and crabs that were still big enough to be thrown back into the river so they could continue to grow.

Zhao Hexi, watching from the side, casually asked, "Do you collect the traps every evening now, or every morning and evening?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Most of the time we harvest in the evening, because there's too much to do in the morning. If we don't harvest in the evening, the fish and shrimp in the fields might die."

Zhao Hexi: "Why? Would the otter eat it?"

Qing Mengzhu: "No, from evening to night, the dissolved oxygen level in the pond is relatively low, and the fish and shrimp may suffocate."

Speaking of this, Qing Mengzhu casually asked, "Why are you asking about otters?"

Zhao Hexi pouted, "I think I saw your otter."

Qing Mengzhu said, "The otter doesn't belong to me; we're neighbors."

But his eyes followed the direction Zhao Hexi pointed.

Then he actually saw the otter.

The otter also saw them, and its small head surfaced from beneath the water. It stared at them for a while before diving back into the water to catch fish.

This guy's hunting skills are amazing; he catches them every time.

Soon, Qing Mengzhu discovered that it not only ate itself, but also caught fish to feed the red fox waiting on the side.

The red fox squatted on the bank, waiting for the otter to bring the fish over with its paw. The red fox stretched out its paw to take it, then carried it aside, biting it with its left hand and then its right, tilting its head, and swallowed the fish in a few bites.

After the red fox finished eating, the otter went back to the pond to catch fish.

The red fox continued to wait for the otter, and then repeated the process of eating fish while waiting for fish.

After eating its fill, the red fox would carry the fish in its mouth and dig a hole on the embankment with its claws, hide the fish in the hole, and then cover it with soil again.

Good heavens! Qing Mengzhu had been wondering why the grass on the dike had grown so lush lately, and he couldn't get rid of it no matter how hard he tried. It turned out that the red fox was burying fish in it.

Also, when did these two become best friends? They can even share food.

This is completely unlike the behavior of ordinary wild animals.

A series of thoughts popped into Qing Mengzhu's mind, and he finally understood why the thief who came to steal the lotus last time was attacked by the red fox and the otter.

So this is their usual hunting ground.

Will they eat lotus leaves and gnaw on lotus roots? If we let shrimp in later, I guess the shrimp won't escape their claws either, right?

Just as Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi were observing the situation, two puppies came running over, begging for food.

The Dharma Protector shouted at the otter, "Woof woof woof!"

The creature sounded very excited, so the otter surfaced from underwater and gave the Dharma Protector a fish.

Then, the otter gave the Guard a fish, and the Guard barked twice at the otter, as if to express its gratitude.

After thanking them, the two dogs wagged their tails happily and went off to eat the fish.

Upon seeing this, Qing Mengzhu suddenly realized what was happening.

No wonder the two dogs have been enjoying coming here lately; it turns out it's not just to keep him company, but also because they can get treats here!

Qing Mengzhu watched the two dogs happily munching on fish, countless thoughts raced through her mind.

It seems we need to strengthen their training.

They eat raw food every day, so they need to take deworming medication.

While Qing Mengzhu's mind was filled with all sorts of random thoughts, Zhao Hexi had already run to the other side of the pond, stood by the water's edge, stretched out her hand, and yelled at the otters in the water, "Everyone gets a share! They all have some, and I want some too!"

The otter hesitated in the water for a moment, then Zhao Hexi stretched out his hand a little further.

Seeing his expression, the otter dived back into the water, caught a fish, and was about to hand it to Zhao Hexi.

Zhao Hexi, that simpleton, actually dared to go and accept it.

Qing Mengzhu quickly ran over and grabbed him. "You better be reliable, or you'll have to get vaccinated if you get caught."

Zhao Hexi laughed and said, "Don't reject the little otter's friendship!"

As he spoke, he actually took the fish from the otter's paw.

The otter really didn't hurt him.

Zhao Hexi, holding up the fish, said to Qing Mengzhu, "Look! A gift from the otter!"

Author's Note:

As a small compensation for the delayed update, I'll be giving away 88 small red envelopes in this chapter! See you tomorrow!

Chapter 35

The otter wasn't afraid of people at all. Zhao Hexi played with it and was so happy that you could see his teeth.

The Dharma Protector and Guard watched Zhao Hexi playing here. After finishing the fish, they licked their lips and wagged their tails as they came over.

The otter and two dogs were indeed very familiar with each other, and they had no trouble playing together at all.