Chapter 49

It not only barked, but also trotted around in a circle, seemingly eager to go in and help.

Qing Mengzhu asked Zhou Yan, "My Guard wants to go in and help you. Should I let it in?"

Zhou Yan, panting, said, "No, no need. I should be able to manage."

Guard: "Woof woof!"

Qing Mengzhu tried to understand what the Guard meant. "The Guard said if you keep chasing, the ducks will be scared to death."

Zhou Yan looked at the Dharma Protector and Guard.

The Guard's furry face was indeed full of anxiety, and it looked like he was about to lose control of his four legs.

Zhou Yan had no choice but to say, "Then let it in."

Just as Qing Mengzhu was about to touch the latch, the Guard suddenly jumped up and gracefully leaped over the bamboo fence, landing lightly inside the duck pen.

Before Qing Mengzhu and the others could speak, it had already darted forward and snatched a large, fat duck in its mouth.

The duck was terrified, flapping its wings and quacking, "Quack quack quack!"

Zhou Yan ran forward and snatched the duck from the dog's mouth. "Wow! You're so fast! You're amazing!"

The Guard twisted its body, avoiding Zhou Yan's hand that was about to pet its head, and turned to look at Qing Mengzhu: "Woof?"

Does it mean they should arrest more people?

Qing Mengzhu her hand and unlocked the latch. "No need, you can come out now."

The Guard then strolled out.

Zhou Yan touched the duck's wings and legs. "These muscles, it's definitely a free-range duck."

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, most of the time I only feed them once a day, and they have to find the rest of the food themselves. They've gotten used to it by foraging for food outside every day."

Zhou Yan: "Now I believe you, your duck must taste really good."

Qing Mengzhu asked him to come out, "Try it first. The taste should be different from the ducks you buy outside. Do you need this kind of duck with more meat to make confit duck?"

Zhou Yan: "Yes, after all, it needs to be sealed in oil for a week. If there isn't enough meat, the texture won't be as good if we eat it next week."

After catching the duck, Zhou Yan couldn't wait to go back and try making the new dish.

He didn't have time to feed the Guard and Dharma Protector with the bag of food he brought, so he handed it over to Qing Mengzhu to feed them.

Qing Mengzhu divided the ingredients equally between the two dogs. Looking at the chicken, duck, fish and meat in their bowls, she couldn't help but sigh, "A big restaurant is different; even the ingredients used to make soup are so excellent."

Qing Mengzhu specifically told the two dogs that these ingredients were given by Zhou Yan.

His intention was to tell the two dogs that Zhou Yan was a good person, so that they wouldn't be aggressive towards him the next time Zhou Yan came to get ingredients or pick vegetables.

Both dogs are quite intelligent. If you talk to them nicely, they can roughly understand the relationship between friend and foe. The next time they meet, they will react accordingly based on the different relationships.

Qing Mengzhu lives alone, and she talks a lot about her dog.

He didn't know which words the dog could understand and which it couldn't.

The next day, when Zhou Yan came over to ask Qing Mengzhu for dried tomatoes and dried eggplants, the two dogs strolled back, each with something bulging in their mouths.

Upon seeing Zhou Yan and Qing Mengzhu, they began wagging their tails and then charged towards Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan was startled and took a step back. "What's wrong?"

Two dogs ran up to him, each spitting out a mushroom at his feet, wagging their tails and making muffled "woof woof."

Zhou Yan didn't quite understand and remained in a defensive posture, leaning back.

The Dharma Protector nudged the mushroom under its feet with its front paw, gesturing to it.

Qing Mengzhu said, "They're bringing you mushrooms."

Zhou Yan was flattered. "For me?"

Qing Mengzhu glanced at it. "Yes, it's a porcini mushroom, edible."

Zhou Yan bent down to pick it up, wanting to pet the Dharma Protector dog's head, even wanting to kiss it. "My God, what kind of well-behaved and affectionate little dogs are you?"

The Dharma Protector dodged his hand and ran with the Guard to Qing Mengzhu's side, spitting out what was in his mouth as well.

Qing Mengzhu looked down and saw two more porcini mushrooms on the ground, but these two were larger and in better condition.

It was obvious that the dogs showed favoritism; the biggest and best items were given only to Qing Mengzhu, while the second biggest and second best items were given to the guests.

Zhou Yan was still moved, but the next second he saw this kind of differential treatment, he was moved and turned into dumbfounding. "You guys are too smart, you have to give gifts to Meng Zhu first?"

The Dharma Protector wagged its tail. "Woof woof!"

Qing Mengzhu was moved. She squatted down, hugged one dog in each arm, and patted their necks. "Good dogs!"

The Dharma Protector and Guard all knew he didn't like being licked, so they all poked him with their muzzles. "Woof woof!"

Qing Mengzhu's heart melted. "I'll treat you to an extra meal tonight!"

Chapter 49

In the morning, Qing Mengzhu had just returned from the vegetable garden with her two dogs when she saw Zhou Yan waiting at the door.

Seeing them in the distance, Zhou Yan waved and greeted them cheerfully, "Good morning—why are you only getting back now?"

Qing Mengzhu was curious why he was standing there. "You just finished working in the fields, don't you need to test the vegetables?"

Zhou Yan: "Yes, let's try again this afternoon. Lots of people are still asleep."

Qing Mengzhu walked up to him and opened the door. "So you came here to play with me?"

Zhou Yan: "Not really. I came to find you to see if you wanted to go mushroom picking in the mountains."

Qing Mengzhu was a little surprised when she heard the answer, and turned around to look at him.

Zhou Yan said, "We made fried rice with porcini mushrooms last night."

Qing Mengzhu: "The porcini mushrooms that the Dharma Protector and his Guard brought back?!"

Zhou Yan touched his nose. "My colleague made it. It's stir-fried porcini mushrooms with Samantha ham. I must say, it's quite delicious. The fresh porcini mushrooms and savory ham, the glossy rice with each grain distinct, all bouncing around in the pan. After it's done, the whole house is filled with a rich aroma."

Qing Mengzhu knew immediately that he had also eaten fried rice, and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up for his support. "Then you can just buy it, there's no need to go up the mountain to pick it yourself."

Zhou Yan: "The mushrooms bought outside lose their aroma by the time they arrive. They're nowhere near as fresh and tempting as freshly picked mushrooms. I'd like to see if I can make some mushroom oil to try out some new dishes. Didn't you say mushroom oil was especially delicious last time?"

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment and said, "They're delicious, but picking mushrooms on the mountain depends on luck, and you might not even find the kind you want."

Zhou Yan: "It's alright. I checked, it's rained these past few days, and this is the time when mushrooms are most abundant, so we should have a good harvest on the mountain."

"Besides—" Zhou Yan added, looking at the Dharma Protector and Guard, "Both little guys can find mushrooms, so surely we can't fail if we join in, right?"

Qing Mengzhu was persuaded, "Come in and have a cup of tea first. I'll take a shower and change my clothes before we go up the mountain."

Zhou Yan: "Alright, I'm waiting for you. Let's see what we find on the mountain today. I just got a really good bag of ham. If we have a good haul, we can have a big plate of mixed mushroom fried rice today."

Qing Mengzhu invited Zhou Yan to sit down in the living room, quickly took a shower, changed into long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and hiking shoes, and then picked up her tools to go out.

Zhou Yan was not as well-prepared as Qing Mengzhu.

The two drove to the middle of the mountain before starting their ascent.

The Dharma Protector and Guard followed closely. As soon as the car door opened, they scurried to the ground, excitedly running around the two of them and even leading the way.

Zhou Yan and Qing Mengzhu followed.

Soon, they began climbing the wild mountains via a side path.

The two dogs were running so hard their tongues were hanging out, but they didn't seem tired at all; their steps were incredibly light.

On the contrary, Zhou Yan inevitably became breathless while climbing the mountain.

To spare Zhou Yan's energy, Qing Mengzhu found a flat, shady spot halfway up the mountain for him to sit and rest.

The two dogs lay on one side, their bellies heaving, their long tongues lolling out, panting heavily—but they were just cooling off, not tired.