Chapter 43

Zhao Hexi ran out, Qing Mengzhu thought he wouldn't be back until evening.

Unexpectedly, just a few minutes later, he came running to the front yard, panting, still clutching the bamboo pole he used to herd the ducks.

Qing Mengzhu, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Zhao Hexi opened his other clenched hand. "An egg! Your duck laid an egg!"

He held a pale blue egg in his palm, slightly larger than a chicken egg, which looked round and cute.

Qing Mengzhu in surprise, "These really are eggs laid by my family's ducks?"

Zhao Hexi: "Of course, feel it, it's still warm."

Qing Mengzhu carefully reached out and touched it with her finger. "It really is warm, but it's different from being warmed by the sun."

They were talking when Ming Chunxi heard the noise and came out. "What's wrong?"

"Ming Chunxi!" Qing Mengzhu exclaimed with suppressed excitement, "The ducks at home laid eggs!"

Qing Mengzhu had never raised any pets before, but she never expected that the first duck she raised would lay eggs.

Ming Chunxi walked over. "Let me see."

Qing Mengzhu took the duck egg from Zhao Hexi, wiped it slightly, and handed it to him. "It's alive, but I don't know if it's a fertilized egg?"

Zhao Hexi, equally excited, chimed in, "Just look at it against the sun!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Duck eggshells are so thick, you can't see them even when they're facing the sun, right?"

Ming Chunxi: "It should be possible."

As she spoke, Ming Chunxi held up the duck egg to the sun.

Some light shone through the eggshell, and they soon saw a blackish-red dot inside the egg.

Zhao Hexi: "It really is a fertilized egg!"

Qing Mengzhu: "When I bought them, I specifically bought both female and male ducks, so the duck eggs should be fertilizable."

Zhao Hexi asked excitedly, "So, do you want to hatch ducklings?"

Qing Mengzhu shook her head. "Not for now, we're too busy."

Zhao Hexi: "If we don't hatch the ducklings, then we can eat the male ducks, right?"

Qing Mengzhu looked up. "Are you craving duck?"

Zhao Hexi nodded confidently. "I'm craving it, aren't you?"

Zhao Hexi: "Think about it, you raised these ducks from chicks to adulthood, without feeding them any feed, just carefully feeding them millet and vegetables, and letting them catch fish and shrimp in the pond—aren't you curious what the duck meat would taste like?"

Qing Mengzhu was genuinely curious. He glanced at Ming Chunxi and said, "Never mind, let's catch a male duck tonight and eat it."

Zhao Hexi: "Can you tell the difference between male and female?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "Yes!"

Qing Mengzhu couldn't tell the male from the female with the naked eye, but he had the help of the Interstellar Mall's Mall Assistant, making it easy for him to distinguish between them.

Qing Mengzhu told Ming Chunxi and Zhao Hexi to wait while he went to catch ducks.

Before the two could object, Qing Mengzhu went to the backyard to catch ducks.

He wanted to take this opportunity to check the quality of the ducks.

Soon, Qing Mengzhu arrived at the backyard.

It was too hot, so the ducks huddled under the shed to avoid the shade, while the hazel grouse stayed on the other side, keeping to themselves.

The ducks didn't react much when they saw Qing Mengzhu coming over.

Qing Mengzhu opened her phone and scanned the screen, quickly catching a large male duck. She then checked the duck's quality.

The Mall Assistant indicates that this batch of ducks is of "Good Grade+" quality and estimates the price of the duck meat at 1.11 Star Coins per pound.

Qing Mengzhu had hoped the ducks would be of "Fine Grade quality" and fetch a higher price, but was immediately disappointed by their quality.

We should keep this quality duck for our own enjoyment, and also give Ming Chunxi and the others a treat.

Qing Mengzhu quickly carried the ducks back to the front yard.

Zhao Hexi had already packed up the fishing rod and bucket. As soon as he saw Qing Mengzhu, he came forward to take the duck from his hands.

Qing Mengzhu: "Aren't you going fishing?"

Zhao Hexi, carrying the duck, said, "It's not too late to go tomorrow. Let's take care of the duck today. Wow, your duck is quite heavy, it weighs five or six pounds."

Qing Mengzhu: "Wait, let me go get the scale and weigh it."

Qing Mengzhu sometimes goes grocery shopping, and she always keeps a scale at home.

He took out a scale and put the duck on it.

The results came back quickly—5.7 jin (2.85 catties).

Although the duck's crop was bulging and clearly full of food, its weight still exceeded Qing Mengzhu's expectations.

Zhao Hexi commented, "It's bigger than a typical mallard duck."

Qing Mengzhu: "You even know about ducks?"

Zhao Hexi: "Of course, I'm the one who buys chickens and ducks from the farm every year for Chinese New Year, okay? These ducks are big and fat, much bigger than regular Muscovy ducks, and they look like they could grow even bigger."

Qing Mengzhu: "It's the first batch of ducks, after all. Let's try it first and see."

Zhao Hexi volunteered, "Then I'll pluck the feathers."

Qing Mengzhu: "Can you?"

Zhao Hexi puffed out his chest. "I'm a professional feather plucker, you ask me if I can do it? Every year during Chinese New Year, I'm the one who slaughters chickens and ducks at home!"

Author's Note:

See you tomorrow!

Chapter 43

Qing Mengzhu was skeptical of Zhao Hexi's ability to handle ducks.

After Zhao Hexi finished killing the duck, drained the blood, and began scalding and plucking the feathers, Qing Mengzhu immediately stopped suspecting anything.

He didn't know any of these steps, but Zhao Hexi looked like someone who had been butchering ducks at the market for ten years; his movements were extremely skilled.

Qing Mengzhu pushed Ming Chunxi in her wheelchair and said to Zhao Hexi, "Let's go prepare the side dishes. The duck is yours now."

Zhao Hexi sat in front of the small basin. "Go ahead, I can handle things here."

So, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi went to prepare the side dishes, while Zhao Hexi was outside processing the duck alone.

Zhao Hexi hummed a tune, looking particularly cheerful. After finishing with the stubble, she asked Qing Mengzhu, "Mengzhu, do you have a blowtorch? I want to singe the skin."

Qing Mengzhu: "No. How about I burn some charcoal for you? I have charcoal."

Zhao Hexi: "I can do it, I can do it."

The ducks at Qing Mengzhu's house weren't molting, so they were easier to handle.

Zhao Hexi then used charcoal fire to carefully singe the surface again, sweeping away any loose feathers and stubble, making the duck meat look even more tempting.

He turned and shouted, "I'm all set here!"

Qing Mengzhu came out holding up her wet hands. "So fast!"

Zhao Hexi: "That's right, I'm a professional. Ducks are more difficult to prepare, it takes at least half an hour. But if it's chicken, I can cook it in five minutes. Remember to call me next time you're eating hazelnut."

Qing Mengzhu: "I can't do without you, no matter who's missing. You rest for a bit, I'll go cook now."

There's only a little bit of the side dish left that hasn't been prepared yet; just leave it to Ming Chunxi.

After Qing Mengzhu chopped the duck into large pieces, she heated a wok until it was extremely hot before putting the duck meat in.

With a sizzling sound, the duck meat gradually shrinks in the pot, and the juices and oil are forced out by the hot pot.

Qing Mengzhu rinsed the rice amidst the aroma of meat, then poured the rice, along with the spring water, into another cold pot.

Flames licked the bottom of the pot, and the water inside quickly boiled, releasing the unique aroma of freshly harvested rice along with the steam.

When the rice was almost cooked, Qing Mengzhu used a rice steamer to scoop out the rice and then ladle out the rice water. The rice still needed to be steamed for a while longer, and the rice water was placed in a large basin to cool. It would be ready to eat soon.

The kitchen was filled with aromas—the aroma of duck, the aroma of rice, the aroma of ginger and garlic—the fragrances seemed almost tangible, swirling around the kitchen and wafting into everyone's noses and mouths, making everyone's stomachs rumble with hunger.

However, to truly savor its deliciousness, one must wait a little longer.

The duck meat was stir-fried until the skin was golden brown and all the fat had rendered out.

Qing Mengzhu added the pickled water spinach stalks and continued to stir-fry over high heat until they released their sour aroma.

As the water spinach stalks gradually become coated with oil, their pungent aroma transforms into a more mellow and complex fragrance.

Qing Mengzhu threw a handful of chopped green and red peppers into the pot, then sprinkled in a handful of snow-white garlic, added soy sauce and oyster sauce, and stir-fried until the sauce was fragrant. Finally, he sprinkled in a handful of bright green garlic sprouts.