Chapter 43 (continued)

The duck meat is ready.

Zhao Hexi, who had been waiting impatiently, exclaimed, "It smells so good! I've already wiped the table, can we get ready to take the duck out now?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Let's serve it. I'll just stir-fry some vegetables and then we can eat. It'll be quick."

So, a few minutes later, everyone sat down at the table.

A dish of duck, a dish of stir-fried winter melon, and a dish of lettuce with oyster sauce—three simple home-style dishes served with freshly cooked, crisp, white rice.

As soon as Zhao Hexi sat down at the table, he immediately picked up a piece of duck breast.

The duck meat was very flavorful, with a slightly chewy texture. He tore the duck meat apart with his teeth, and every fiber of the meat was incredibly fresh and delicious, leaving him wanting more.

It smells so good.

Its rich, meaty aroma is unlike any other meat, and it's completely different from the duck meat you buy outside.

It's as if the duck's natural flavor has been carefully contained, and under the influence of hot oil, rice wine, and garlic cloves, it has all been transformed into a rich and fragrant aroma.

Not only is the duck meat delicious, but the accompanying pickled water spinach stems and chopped green and red peppers are also fantastic.

Zhao Hexi hissed from the spiciness, wiped her mouth, scooped a spoonful of side dishes onto the snow-white, fragrant rice, mixed it slightly, and then stuffed it into her mouth. Instantly, the sour, fragrant, and spicy flavor burst forth from her mouth and nose, an exquisite experience.

After quickly finishing a large bowl of rice, Zhao Hexi ladled out another bowl and then took a sip of the cooled, sweet rice soup, feeling completely soothed, both mentally and physically.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi ate more politely, but they still ate very quickly.

No one spoke much. After eating for more than half an hour, they finished the duck meat together, leaving only a few side dishes.

After finishing the meal, everyone sat in their chairs, not wanting to move.

Zhao Hexi leaned back lazily in her chair. "Wouldn't today's meal be a proper farm-style meal?"

Qing Mengzhu pointed to herself. "That's it, from the ingredients to the location to the person cooking, it's bursting with rural elements."

Ming Chunxi: "It tastes much better than ordinary farmhouse food."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "All the ingredients in the house are made by myself, without any added technology or heavy cooking. It would be hard for it not to taste good."

Zhao Hexi chuckled beside him, "Haha."

It's getting dark late now, and a vast expanse of sunset glows across the sky, as brilliant as brocade.

The group sat down to rest for a while, then divided up the tasks of cleaning the kitchen.

Qing Mengzhu took out some duck meat that she had set aside earlier when she was stir-frying the duck from the cupboard. "I'm going to feed the otters and red foxes. Do you want to come with me?"

I've already fed the two dogs. This big bowl of duck meat was specially reserved by Qing Mengzhu for the otters and red fox.

Of course, the two dogs will definitely come back to rub against us later, and that includes them too.

Ming Chunxi and Zhao Hexi both agreed that after eating, they would feed the small animals to help them digest.

Qing Mengzhu then led them to the backyard.

Qing Mengzhu originally thought it wouldn't be easy to summon the otter and the red fox.

Unexpectedly, the otters and red foxes had already smelled the aroma and were craning their necks to wait where he was feeding them. Their eager anticipation made Qing Mengzhu feel a little guilty for arriving so late.

Zhao Hexi raised his phone and snapped a picture. The red fox looked over warily, but seeing that it was an acquaintance, it ignored him and whimpered at Qing Mengzhu for food.

Wearing disposable gloves, Qing Mengzhu served them duck meat, saying, "Eat slowly, be careful of the bones."

The little ones didn't care at all; they all lowered their heads and picked up duck meat, chewing it with a "crunch crunch" sound, chewing from left to right and then from right to left, their movements identical.

They each have their own characteristics when separated, but when they stand together, they truly give the impression of "this is a family".

Qing Mengzhu smiled and fed them a second time.

Otters and red foxes are both wild animals, Qing Mengzhu didn't dare to feed them too much; she just gave them a taste.

After finishing eating, the otter reluctantly grabbed Qing Mengzhu's trouser leg, whimpering.

Qing Mengzhu showed it the empty bowl and her hand. "There really aren't any more. I'll bring you something else next time."

The red fox also looked at Qing Mengzhu expectantly, whimpering.

Qing Mengzhu: "Alright, it's time for you to hunt. Go ahead and hunt."

Even the two puppies licked their lips and joined in the begging for food. "Woof woof!"

Qing Mengzhu is very principled; if she says she doesn't have it, she really means it, and even Zhao Hexi's pleas for leniency were to no avail.

Knowing there were no other treats, the little guys reluctantly went to the pond to hunt prey—mainly otters and red foxes, while the two dogs just went to join in the fun.

Zhao Hexi was a little excited. "I'll go too."

Qing Mengzhu: "What are you going to do?"

Zhao Hexi: "Taking a walk to digest your food and observing them while you're at it—don't you think it's much harder to see otters and foxes hunting in the wild than in a zoo?"

Qing Mengzhu reminded them, "Then we'll have to stand back a bit later, so as not to get in their way while they're hunting."

Zhao Hexi: "Tsk, am I the kind of person who would hold someone back?"

Qing Mengzhu looked at him and said, "I was afraid you wouldn't be able to handle that kind of stimulation."

Zhao Hexi was puzzled and looked at Ming Chunxi standing next to her. "What kind of excitement could this be?"

Ming Chunxi received a pleading look in his eyes. "You'll understand when it's over."

Zhao Hexi: "Fine? You guys are still acting so mysterious, no wonder you're family."

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi glance, their expressions somewhat subtle, before quickly looking away.

The red fox and otter had already run far ahead. Zhao Hexi, not bothering to find out their relationship, took the lead and ran ahead, shouting, "Hurry, hurry, keep up!"

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi then strode after them.

They followed them all the way to the pond, but the red fox and the otter had already disappeared.

Zhao Hexi bent down and searched carefully, without the other two reminding him.

After searching for a while, Zhao Hexi suddenly saw a small head emerge from the pond, its big eyes gleaming.

It was an otter.

Zhao Hexi was delighted and picked up her phone to start taking pictures.

As soon as he zoomed in, he saw a large, long, and fat water snake swimming out in front of the otter. It looked to be over a meter long and moved as fast as lightning, heading straight for the shore.

Zhao Hexi hadn't expected to see such a thrilling scene. She screamed "Ah!" and retreated in panic.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi simultaneously reached out and grabbed his arms to prevent him from losing his balance and falling on the ridge of the field.

At the same time, the red fox, which had been lying in wait in the grass, rushed out and faced the giant snake head-on.

The giant snake couldn't dodge in time and darted right in front of the red fox. The red fox dodged and grabbed, biting down hard with its teeth, tearing the snake in two at its seven-inch mark.

The giant snake was dead, and the red fox and the otter that came up from the water remained calm, dividing the snake in half like they were grabbing spicy strips.

The whole process took less than two minutes.

Zhao Hexi got goosebumps. "Isn't this dangerous?"

Qing Mengzhu glanced at them and said, "They're alright. I give them deworming medication regularly, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Zhao Hexi emphasized, "Snake! I'm talking about that snake!"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's just an ordinary water snake. It looks big, but its lethality is actually quite average."

As she spoke, Qing Mengzhu laughed, "I told you before that the Red Fox and its kind are ferocious beasts, do you believe me now?"

Zhao Hexi nodded repeatedly. "I've learned something new. Small beasts are still beasts. These two are amazing!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Actually, both dogs can catch snakes and other small animals. They just look cute, but they have very strong hunting abilities."

"Wait a minute." Zhao Hexi felt increasingly uneasy as she listened. "Is this place really that dangerous? Besides snakes, are there other small animals here?!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Now that the ecology is better, the number of small animals will definitely increase, such as snakes, insects, rodents, and ants. Actually, we just need to be careful, as small animals are also afraid of people."