Chapter 53 (continued)

Qing Mengzhu: "Let's talk about it later. Maybe we can find pearls someday?"

Zhao Hexi: "Haha, maybe you'll even raise pearl oysters in the future."

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment and said, "It's not entirely out of the question."

Everyone laughed.

After preparing the ingredients, they went back to cook.

Zhou Yan first stir-fried the duck, then transferred it to a casserole dish, added the clam meat, and stewed it together.

As the steam from the clay pot began to rise, their two dogs, who had been playing outside, ran back home. They didn't go anywhere but lay down in the yard, drooling as they waited.

The otters, unable to resist the aroma, also came over and waited nearby with the dogs.

The red fox was left alone, running from the left side of the gate to the right, and then from the right to the left. It couldn't completely trust humans, and it couldn't bear to part with the duck and clam meat that were stewing. It was in a real dilemma.

On the contrary, the otter quickly became so happy under Zhao Hexi's caresses that it even rolled over and exposed its belly for Zhao Hexi to pet.

Qing Mengzhu hadn't petted an otter's belly in so long, but seeing it lying down on its own, she didn't hesitate to give it a light rub and even touched the otter's thick, smooth tail.

Meanwhile, to reduce the possibility of the otters attacking them if they got annoyed by being touched, Qing Mengzhu took out some dried meat she bought from the Interstellar Mall and fed it to the otters.

The Dharma Protector and Guard crowded around, also wanting to eat the dried meat. Qing Mengzhu then shared a portion of the dried meat with the others, so that they could also feed it to her.

The red fox, who had been watching from outside, finally succumbed to temptation and tentatively ran inside, circling around the familiar Qing Mengzhu: "Eek?"

Qing Mengzhu reached out and gently stroked its head, then tore off a small piece of jerky for it.

The red fox was relieved and showed its big tail to Qing Mengzhu, whimpering.

While they were petting the dogs, otters, and foxes, the duck and clam meat in the casserole gradually released their aroma.

The fragrance, like clouds and mist, filled the entire courtyard.

The dogs couldn't resist; their noses twitched as they sniffed and sniffed.

The otters and foxes lost all interest in being cute and turned their heads to look at the kitchen.

Zhou Yan: "It's almost ready to eat. Should we serve some out for the little ones?"

The dog, otter, and red fox are all omnivores. Qing Mengzhu said, "I'll do it. I'll serve some out to mix with their rice, and add some vegetables."

Zhou Yan: "Okay, be careful it's hot."

The little guys have good teeth, so their food doesn't need to be cooked until very soft.

Qing Mengzhu ladled out a small pot of meat, added rice and vegetables, stirred it, and after confirming it wasn't too hot, distributed it to the Guard to eat.

The four little creatures instantly forgot about the humans watching and began wolfing down their food.

Zhao Hexi looked at the little creatures with envy. "They're eating so deliciously, when can we eat too?"

Zhou Yan assessed the situation and said, "Let's simmer it for another half hour. I'll make some other dishes first. After the duck and river clam stew is done, we'll have to cook it again to thicken the broth. Then we can add some side dishes and seasonings and it'll be ready to eat."

Zhao Hexi: "We'll help out."

They cooked the other dishes first, then cleared the table, and the duck stew with river clams in the casserole was ready.

Zhou Yan scooped the meat out of the casserole, then poured the broth into another pot to thicken it. He added chopped green and red peppers, cilantro, and scallions, then returned it to the casserole to keep it warm. The dish was now ready to be served.

Duck stew with river clams is today's main dish.

The duck and clam stew served in a casserole has a thick, clear broth, the meat is tender and soft, and the accompanying side dishes make it even more tempting.

Zhao Hexi couldn't stand the smell alone. "Can we eat it now?"

Zhou Yan: "Eat it, be careful it's hot."

So everyone grabbed some duck meat from the casserole.

Qing Mengzhu tasted it and found it soft, tender, fresh, and fragrant, with all sorts of wonderful flavors exploding in her mouth.

The duck meat is tender, but not mushy; it retains a certain chewiness, making it very delicious. If it's undercooked, it will be too tough to chew; if it's overcooked, it might get stuck in your teeth.

Needless to say, the freshness of the duck meat combined with the freshness of the river clam creates a unique blend of two distinct flavors, unlike any dish he had ever tasted before. Only those who have experienced it can truly imagine what this freshness tastes like.

As for the aroma, Qing Mengzhu felt that the aroma of duck meat, shellfish, and side dishes blended together, and there was also an indescribable fresh aroma that he could taste but could not identify.

"It's so delicious!" Qing Mengzhu couldn't help but scoop a spoonful of broth and mix it with her rice. "Brother Zhou, you said before that the broth would make your mouth sticky, and it really does!"

Zhou Yan: "That's right. As a special chef, I know exactly what the dish will look like once I get the ingredients."

Qing Mengzhu: "It smells so good. I can taste a special aroma inside, which I don't think I've ever had before. What did you put in it?"

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Guess?"

As Zhao Hexi stuffed food into his mouth, he took a moment to answer, "The aroma of the wine you brought?"

While Zhou Yan was cooking, Zhao Hexi tasted the wine he brought. It had a very unique, complex soy sauce flavor that went very well with the dish.

Zhou Yan: "No."

Ming Chunxi: "The aroma of spices?"

Zhou Yan: "That's too broad a range. Can you guess what kind of spice it is?"

All three shook their heads; there were too many spices, and they couldn't taste them at all.

Seeing their expressions, Zhou Yan said with satisfaction, "It's Litsea cubeba oil."

Qing Mengzhu: "Huh?"

Qing Mengzhu lowered her head and took a sip of the soup. It was a very delicious and mellow soup, but it didn't feel heavy. Instead, it had a light and fresh flavor.

The chopped green and red bell peppers add a savory and spicy flavor to the broth, making it more flavorful and appealing.

However, he did not taste the distinctive flavor of litsea cubeba oil.

Zhou Yan: "I added a very small amount. Both duck meat and river clams have a slightly fishy smell, and without pickled cabbage, the fishy smell is easily masked, so I added Sichuan pepper oil. The amount is very small, and most people can't taste it at all; they can only taste the umami flavor behind the Sichuan pepper oil."

At this point, Zhou Yan said with some pride, "This is my unique skill; most people don't know about it."

Qing Mengzhu: "Indeed, I hadn't even considered that possibility."

Zhou Yan: "Adding a little Sichuan peppercorn can actually bring out the savory aroma very well, but Sichuan peppercorn is more pungent, so if you add too much, you'll easily taste it and it will disrupt the balance of the dish."

Qing Mengzhu: "Isn't it harder to find green Sichuan peppercorns? Would it be more convenient to use ready-made litsea cubeba oil?"

Zhou Yan gave a thumbs up. "You're really good at applying what you've learned to other situations!"

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "When I have some free time in a couple of days, I'll plant some Sichuan peppercorns on the mountain."

They devoured all five dishes and the soup, and afterwards, no one wanted to move, so they just sat in the courtyard.

After resting for a while, Zhao Hexi said, "I can't go on anymore. I'm so sleepy after eating and drinking my fill."

Zhou Yan was also a little sleepy. "Me too. I'm tidying up the table; I'm going back."

Qing Mengzhu: "You all rest, I'll clean up."

Qing Mengzhu's family has a dishwasher, so cleaning the table is not a problem.

Zhou Yan and Zhao Hexi did not insist and quickly said goodbye and went back.

Ming Chunxi and Qing Mengzhu tidied up together. They put the dishes in the dishwasher and also cleaned the kitchen and yard.

Seeing that it was still early, Qing Mengzhu asked, "Would you like to go outside and look at the stars? There are quite a lot of stars today."

Today is Qixi Festival, the moon didn't come out, but the starry sky was very bright. Even in the village, you can see a sky full of stars when you look up. Qing Mengzhu noticed this just now when she was eating.

He had previously thought it was a pity not to go out and enjoy the beautiful starry sky, but now that Zhao Hexi had gone to sleep and Zhou Yan had gone back, it was the perfect time to go out and see the stars.

Ming Chunxi agreed, "Okay, let's go out for a walk to digest our food."

Qing Mengzhu: "Let's go then, let's cross the road."