Chapter 53

Zhou Yan: "How can I not tell? Look how plump the shell is, how beautiful the color is, and oh, the meat inside is clean and looks good too. It will definitely taste delicious when cooked."

Qing Mengzhu hadn't really cooked river clams much before. He knew that river clams could be very fishy if not handled properly, so he asked, "How should I prepare river clams?"

Zhou Yan blurted out, "Stewed duck!"

Before Qing Mengzhu could speak, Zhou Yan said, "Use your family's duck to stew slowly. First, stir-fry the duck meat until the moisture is gone and it's fragrant, then add rice wine or yellow wine, and then add boiling water and river clam meat. Simmer over low heat for two hours."

"Don't add any other seasonings. You can also scoop some out for the Dharma Protector and Guard. Oh, and the otters and red foxes can eat them too."

"Let me tell you, this way of stewing river clams and duck is not only delicious but also has a rich, full-bodied flavor. Every bite is fresh and fragrant, and the rich broth will even leave a slightly sticky residue on your mouth."

"I ate a large river clam that I caught from a lake when I was just a teenager. I still can't forget the taste, even after all these years."

Zhou Yan's description was so vivid that Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi exchanged a glance, both showing interest in their eyes.

Qing Mengzhu invited Zhou Yan, "Are you free? Why don't you cook it? I'll let the clams soak up some sand first."

Zhou Yan's words made his mouth water, so he readily agreed, "Let's do it tonight. The clams don't need to purge the sand; we can just take the meat out directly. We'll discard the stomach and intestines anyway, so it doesn't matter if there's sand or not."

Seeing that he knew how to do it, Qing Mengzhu said, "Then I'll leave it all to you. We don't know how to handle it, so we don't want to mess it up."

Zhou Yan: "No problem!"

Qing Mengzhu then asked, "Can I call a friend over?"

Today is Saturday, Zhao Hexi should be free. Qing Mengzhu wanted to invite him, but of course, if he has a date, then it's best to skip it.

Zhou Yan: "Sure, we can't finish such a big duck anyway."

Chapter 53

Zhou Yan had been thinking about the river clams at Qing Mengzhu's house, so he came over around 4 p. m.

As soon as Qing Mengzhu opened the courtyard gate, before he even stepped inside, his nose twitched involuntarily. "It smells so good, what's that smell?"

He looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the smell. "Is this the smell of your house?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I don't have any neighbors around here. Besides the smell of my house, whose smell could it be? I made lotus tea today, so what you're smelling is probably the aroma of lotus tea."

Zhou Yan carefully examined it. "It really is. The flavor is richer and more complex than the lotus flowers in the ground, with a rather fragrant aroma."

Qing Mengzhu: "We baked it at a low temperature for half a day, so the aroma must have changed."

As they were chatting at the courtyard gate, Zhao Hexi poked her head out of the house. "Don't just chat outside, come in and talk."

Qing Mengzhu introduced them to each other, and then asked, "Shall we have tea first or cook first?"

Zhou Yan had been waiting all day, eager to come and taste the river clams. Now, smelling the aroma, he felt he absolutely had to try the tea. "Let's have some tea first, no rush."

Qing Mengzhu looked at what he was holding. "What is this?"

Zhou Yan: "I got some good wine from our kitchen. We'll add some to the stewed duck later; it'll definitely make the duck even more fragrant."

The two went inside together, where freshly made lotus tea had already been brewed.

A large flower bud floated in the glass teapot, and the golden-red tea soup emitted a captivating aroma.

Zhou Yan sat down, and after Zhao Hexi poured him some tea, he eagerly took a sip. The tea was so hot it made his eyebrows jump, but he still exclaimed, "Delicious tea!"

Taking a sip of this tea, its delicate fragrance spreads from the mouth all the way to the lungs, leaving one feeling completely refreshed afterward.

Zhou Yan: "It smells so good!"

Qing Mengzhu: "That's right. We selected the best flower buds and the best tea leaves, roasted them at a low temperature, and used genuine spring water that we drove up to the mountains to fetch. It would be hard for it not to taste good."

Zhou Yan exclaimed, "You guys really know how to enjoy life. This tea is even more fragrant than the tea our clients drink that costs hundreds of thousands of yuan per kilogram."

Qing Mengzhu immediately went to check on Ming Chunxi: "How much is the tea inside?"

Zhao Hexi also looked over, her face full of curiosity.

Ming Chunxi put down her teacup. "It was a gift from someone else, I'm not sure."

Qing Mengzhu took another sip of tea and judged, "It probably isn't cheap."

This tea is so good, I'll keep it at home and enjoy it slowly.

Since the tea was so good, Zhou Yan wasn't in a hurry to do anything else and just drank tea and ate nuts with them.

After finishing a large pot of tea, everyone tidied up before preparing dinner.

Qing Mengzhu divided the tasks. "He Xi and I will kill the ducks, and you, Brother Zhou, will prepare the clam meat?"

Zhao Hexi responded enthusiastically, "No problem."

Zhou Yan had no objection. "Okay."

Ming Chunxi said from the side, "I'll join too."

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi cast a worried glance at him, implying that the food preparation was a bit messy and disorganized; was he capable of handling it?

Ming Chunxi nodded slightly, indicating that she had no problem.

So, Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi dealt with the ducks, while the other two went to deal with the river clams.

Before going to catch the ducks, Qing Mengzhu remembered, "There might be pearls inside the clams. Why don't you look for them later?"

Zhou Yan: "Don't worry, I guarantee I'll be the first to spot any foreign objects in the ingredients. Nothing will leak out."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then it's up to you."

The four men split into two groups to process the ingredients.

The smell of killing ducks and processing river clams is quite strong, so to keep their homes clean, they take the ingredients to the riverbank to process them, because it's close enough that they can see each other.

Zhao Hexi was very skilled at killing ducks, Qing Mengzhu listened to his instructions and assisted him without finding it difficult.

Zhou Yan and the others on the side looked much more relaxed, especially Zhou Yan, who, as a chef, handled the river clams with an almost elegant demeanor.

Seeing the look Qing Mengzhu gave him, Zhou Yan said with a hint of smugness, "I come from the 'Water Platform'."

Zhao Hexi asked curiously from the side, "Brother Zhou, what is a water platform?"

Zhou Yan: "It means that before you can cook, you work as an apprentice in the kitchen, responsible for handling seafood and river fish."

Zhao Hexi carefully observed his subordinate's movements and praised, "Brother Zhou, your prowess is as strong as ever."

Zhou Yan: "You have good taste!"

They kept talking, but their hands didn't stop moving.

Ming Chunxi and Qing Mengzhu were not very skilled, but they worked especially hard.

Just as Zhao Hexi was chatting with Zhou Yan, Ming Chunxi suddenly said, "I touched a pearl."

The other three immediately dropped what they were doing and surrounded them. "Really? That easy?"

Ming Chunxi took what she was holding and washed it in the river water, then opened her palm to show them, inside which was a small golden pearl.

Zhao Hexi: "Found it already? You're incredibly lucky, genius!"

Zhou Yan leaned closer to take a look. "It really is a pearl. This pearl is quite lustrous, almost shining. It's a pity it's not round enough, and the size isn't big enough either."

Ming Chunxi gestured for Qing Mengzhu to take her hand out, then placed the pearl in Qing Mengzhu's hand. "We're not planning to sell it for money, just keep it and play with it."

Qing Mengzhu carefully held the pearl. "It's so beautiful."

Ming Chunxi broke off another half of the clam shell, washed it clean, and handed it to Qing Mengzhu: "You can put it inside the clam shell first."

Ming Chunxi then processed the river mussels and soon found two more, even smaller, pearls.

These two pearls are also golden, but their color isn't as intense.

At the same time, Zhou Yan also found an irregularly shaped pearl.

Zhao Hexi watched with envy, and after quickly plucking the duck feathers with Qing Mengzhu, they squeezed to the river mussel area to deal with the pearls, also wanting to find pearls to play with.

Zhou Yan gave him a seat, so everyone's focus shifted from processing the clams to finding pearls.

In the end, nine pearls were found from the thirty-seven large freshwater mussels. They were all small, irregular pearls, but they looked quite beautiful because of their bright luster.

Zhou Yan said, "You can find a craftsman online and they can make you a piece of jewelry."