Chapter 177
This is Wang Susu. She had heard Chen Ling talk about the situation here in detail two days ago. Now that she is really standing here, she can't help but feel shocked and amazed.
The lake in front of you is like a huge mirror, embedded among the mountains.
The blue sky is reflected in it, and the white clouds sink to the bottom of the water, making it difficult to tell where is the water and where is the sky.
Several goshawks hovered high in the sky, sometimes spreading their wings in the wind and sometimes standing still, looking like small insects solidified in amber.
If it hadn't been for the cry of an eagle or two from time to time, people would have thought it was not a living creature.
Above the lake, large groups of waterbirds flap their wings, playing and fighting, or diving into the lake to catch food.
Every movement and silence of the goshawk in the sky makes it look more and more ethereal and quiet.
“It’s so beautiful here.”
“I didn’t expect there to be such a beautiful place in the mountains so close to the village, it’s like a painting.”
Qin Qiumei murmured to herself, looking around, the lakes, mountains, and forests were all dyed, as colorful as splashed with oil paint. Everywhere was beautiful and dizzying, and for a moment she didn't know where to look.
Xiang Wenxia also walked along the lakeside with the little girl in her arms, pointing to the eagle in the sky, the birds on the water, and the beautiful maple forest to show her daughter.
The little girl was completely attracted, struggled to get out of Xiang Wenxia's arms, and ran back and forth happily.
But no matter how amazed or happy, everyone was cautious, moved very gently, and did not dare to speak loudly, as if they were afraid of disturbing the plants and trees here.
Beautiful mountains and clear waters, picturesque and poetic.
Suddenly a dog barked, which made everyone recover from the shock of the beautiful scenery.
Looking around, he saw Heiwa Xiaojin leading Zhao Dahai's thin dog. The three dogs were covered in mud and water and ran from the bamboo forest to the crowd.
Xi Gou was very excited, but Hei Wa was a little downcast, lying next to Chen Ling and Wang Susu not wanting to move.
The reason is that the number of wild geese in the lake has decreased. Although there are wild geese today, they are very far away. They run away as soon as they get close, and they don’t react when provoked, because they are not the same wild geese anymore.
The two dogs were left helpless.
Now I can't even think about it.
Seeing this, Chen Ling asked everyone to stay where they were, and quietly walked through the bamboo forest alone with a steel fork.
When the group of geese got closer and closer, he gripped the steel fork and threw it with all his strength.
Unfortunately, although the force was strong, the distance was still too far, the accuracy was poor, and not a single goose was struck.
“There are too few geese, so it’s hard to fight...”
Looking at the flock of wild geese scattered in the middle of the lake, Chen Ling called the dog to pick up the steel fork.
I also know in my heart that the geese will fly away soon when the weather gets cold. Now the migratory cranes are no longer seen. They leave much earlier than the geese.
He said: "Let's go, the wild geese can't be caught. I'll take you to catch something interesting. If you can catch it, it will be your lunch."
So he held the steel fork. Stand up and walk to the bamboo forest.
By this time, it was close to noon. The women were a little tired and sweating a lot. After entering the bamboo forest, they stopped by the stream and squatted on the pebbles by the water to wash their faces. Sit next to it and rest.
Chen Lingze and Zhao Dahai, carrying steel forks and hoes, took the dogs and continued deeper into the bamboo forest.
"What are we doing, Fugui?"
Zhao Dahai asked curiously when he saw Chen Ling stopping and picking at dead bamboo bushes.
"Catch bamboo rats. Didn't you say you had eaten them last time? Can't you tell?"
Chen Ling also looked at him strangely.
"Yes, I have eaten it, but I have never caught it."
Zhao Dahai shook his head and followed him around: "How did you find this thing? Can you use a dog to find it? ?”
“Okay, why not? There are people in our village who specialize in training rat-hunting dogs. They are pretty good at looking for rats and bamboo rats in the mountains all day long.”
Chen. As soon as Ling finished speaking, Xiao Jin ran over on the fallen leaves, holding a fat little gray-black hair in his mouth, and placed it in front of him. He had a round body, bulging cheeks, covered in flesh, and small ears. With its eyes, a pair of big front teeth, and four short legs, it looks more adorable than a mouse.
Chen Ling immediately laughed when he saw this: "Here, don't we just catch one?"
Our dogs never need anyone to direct them, they will find their prey on their own.
“But bamboo rats are timid and will run away very quickly if there is any disturbance. The weather has cooled down during this season, so the holes dug are very deep, making it difficult for dogs to catch them.”
"This is Xiao Jin. When he finds bamboo rats somewhere, he can catch them before they run back to their holes. In the same situation, it would be difficult for Hei Wa."
Hearing this, Zhao Dahai said to Xiao Jin Give it a thumbs up and praise it for its awesomeness.
Then he looked at the bamboo rat that was lifted up by Chen Ling's tail.
This little thing was not bitten to death. Now it is showing its sharp and thick front teeth, making a cry of "hoo-hoo--" to demonstrate to others, and its four short legs are still struggling one by one.
Zhao Dahai was amused by the bamboo rat's silly appearance: "Hahaha, this thing looks so fat, like a piglet."
"It's okay, that's it. The hair is thicker, but the meat is actually not much."
Chen Ling weighed it, it was about two kilograms, and handed it to him.
Zhao Dahai took it in his hands with great interest. He held the tail with one hand and touched it with the other hand. He felt like he couldn't put it down.
"Speaking of which, I have eaten bamboo rats several times, but this is the first time I have seen a live bamboo rat. Can I take this thing home and raise it? It looks very fun."
"It can be raised, that is. If you raise it at home, it won't live long. This thing is timid, prone to illness, and very difficult to take care of. You might as well catch two ground mice and take them back."
"That's okay, I thought. This gadget is as thick as a mouse."
Zhao Dahai shook his head and continued to follow Chen Ling to find the bamboo rat hole.
This bamboo forest is very big. After walking a short distance, I found a bamboo rat hole.
There is a pile of yellow soil near a withered yellow bamboo. The hole is about the size of a fist. After peeling away the thick layer of bamboo leaves, the exit is relatively smooth.
Zhao Dahai raised his hoe and was about to dig, but was stopped by Chen Ling: "There used to be a bamboo rat in this hole, but now it has left. If it still lives in it, it will use soil to dig it." Seal the hole."
"No? Let me tell you, even my dog doesn't look here..."
Zhao Dahai scratched his head and sighed.
A dog will really ignore such a hole after seeing it, because he knows that there is nothing inside.
The next several holes in a row were all like this.
"I don't believe it anymore, keep looking."
"Woof woof woof..."
Not far away, Hei Wa found a cave in front, and the guard There he screamed.
Zhao Dahai handed the bamboo rat into Chen Ling's hand and hurried over. After looking at it carefully, he raised his head and asked, "Come and see, Fugui, there must be something in this, right?"
Chen Ling took a look and smiled: "Yes, yes, this has sealed the entrance of the cave. The soil blocking it is very new and is still half wet. The bamboo rat must still be in the hole."
"Then. I dug it."
Zhao Dahai said while digging along the hole with a hoe.
The three dogs also ran over and dug fiercely at the entrance of the cave.
In a few minutes, a trench about thirty centimeters wide was dug.
Zhao Dahai was sweating profusely and panting.
“Keep digging, Brother Dahai. The bamboo rat’s hole is so deep after the frost. It will run out of the ground soon.”
“It can’t work anymore, it can’t work anymore, I have to take a break. Son."
Zhao Dahai waved his hands repeatedly and gasped again while holding the hoe.
"What are you two fussing about?"
At this time, several women also came over.
"Digging for bamboo rats, have you ever eaten this thing?"
Chen Ling shook the chubby bamboo rat in his hand and said with a smile.
Seeing that Yaya in Wenxia's arms kept looking wide-eyed, he tied its hind legs with a straw rope and let Yaya hold it and play with it.
"Sister-in-law, watch it carefully. The bite will hurt, and the rope is not strong either."
"Okay."
"Have you found the nest? Then you have to dig it quickly, or it will run away in a while." Wang Susu walked over, looked at it, and said the same thing.
Bamboo rats are as clever as mice and like to build several holes. If someone digs this hole, it may escape at the entrance of another hole, sometimes even a single hole. , can also be run away by it.
If it weren’t for the dog watching, Chen Ling would have gone to find another hole to block.
But now the dog is still here, proving that the bamboo rat is still inside.
So Chen Ling found a slender bamboo branch and inserted it into the hole. However, when the bamboo branch was inserted for almost two meters, it could no longer be inserted.
I stopped and put my hand down, but the bamboo branch looked a little trembling.
Seeing this, Chen Ling said: "The hole is a bit deep. This guy is starting to plug the hole with soil at the bottom. You see, the bamboo branches are shaking violently."
Hearing this, Zhao Dahai didn't rest, and dug with all his strength. However, he was too fat, and he couldn't dig again within two minutes.
Let's go to Chen Ling.
The speed is getting faster now.
After a while, everyone saw a small pile of yellow soil being pushed out of the hole by the bamboo rat.
The dog immediately stared at it and started barking.
Chen Ling dug a few more times with his hoe and saw a little furry thing pushing the soil out of the hole.
Sensing the approaching danger, the bamboo rat immediately twisted its clumsy body and tried its best to crawl into the hole. However, Chen Ling had already grabbed its tail and pulled the first half of its body out of the hole. And carried it upside down in the air.
Looking at the bamboo rat struggling to swing its clumsy body...
This funny appearance made everyone happy.
“This gadget is quite fun.”
Xiang Wenxia watched her daughter having a great time pulling the bamboo rat rope on the ground, and found it extremely interesting.
"No, it's quite rare. It's just that it's too difficult to catch. It took me a long time to get two of them, and one was caught by a dog from a wealthy family."
Zhao Dahai He pursed his lips and nodded, still breathing a little unevenly.
Just as he finished saying this, by coincidence, Xiao Jin also found a bamboo rat hole and screamed in this direction.
The men and women all ran over to watch.
However, this hole is deeper than the previous one, with three or four holes in front, back and forth, making it more difficult to catch...
"How to get rich?"
"It seems that the only way is to attack with fire!"
Chen Ling took out the match from his pocket, cleared an open space, and then grabbed the dry bamboo next to it. The leaves were rolled into a ball, lit and stuffed into the front hole. Then a handful of dry bamboo branches were pulled out from the side, cut short and blocked the entrance of the hole.
Everyone choked and backed away.
Chen Ling endured the fireworks and kept blowing air into the hole with his mouth.
At this time, a burst of black smoke came out from the back hole. Chen Ling quickly got up and moved to the back hole. His right hand was stuck above the hole. At this time, a bamboo rat in the hole poked its head and then retracted. As the smoke became bigger and bigger, , the bamboo rat still escaped.
Chen Ling had quick eyes and quick hands. He quickly pinched the tail with his hand above the hole and pulled it out. The bamboo rat reacted violently, struggling and squeaking.
As soon as the bamboo rat was caught in their hands, the women screamed: "Look, look there, another one is coming out."
Probably choked by the thick smoke. No, the bamboo rat reluctantly showed its head, feeling a little dizzy. Before it could recover, two dogs had already pounced on it, and the bamboo rat was firmly pinned under their paws.
“This harvest is really good. There are a few bamboo rats at noon, which is enough for us to have a good meal.”
"Ah? Do we really want to eat this at noon?"
"Hey, give it a try. If you don't like it, go back and make something else for you."
He chopped down some dead bamboo. Make firewood and leave together.
A few people gathered firewood and walked to the lake while talking.
When I was about to walk out of the bamboo forest, I discovered that several women had put a bamboo cover into the stream to block the water. By this time, many small fish and shrimps had been blocked.
This stream is relatively shallow and narrow, only twenty or thirty centimeters deep, but the water flow is extremely clear, the water quality is very good, and there are many fish and shrimps in it.
Chen Ling knew it was his wife's idea as soon as he saw it.
Seeing something harvested under the bamboo cover, the women and children caught fish while having fun.
“Oh, oh, there are fish coming up here again.”
“Ah, Yaya, what are you doing, you are throwing a lot of water on my aunt’s face.”
"Susu, this is a mountain loach, it's so slippery. It ran away. Wenxia, catch it quickly."
Chen Ling and Zhao Dahai bled the bamboo rat, shed its hair, and peeled its skin. , clean up.
Then he took out the seasonings from his backpack, built a fire pit with stones by the lakeside, and roasted bamboo rats.
The dead bamboos had been dried thoroughly in the sun long ago. After being shortened and piled together with dead leaves and hay, they were set on fire and soon burned, causing sweat on the faces of the two people. .
"What kind of seasoning is this? It smells like herbs. I've never seen it before. Isn't this the secret recipe you're thinking about?"
Zhao Dahai watched with curiosity as Chen Ling applied seasonings to the bamboo rats and skillfully flipped them with sticks, then he raised his nose and asked curiously.
Chen Ling smiled: "What a secret recipe, you can just grab a few handfuls of it in the mountains. If you don't believe it, you can try it by selling it in the market..."
"Okay. , As long as you can sell it, I won’t take any of it, I’ll send it all back to you, as long as you take care of me and have a good meal every time you come here.”
Zhao Dahai wiped the sweat from his forehead and laughed.
“It’s hard to say, take some with you when you go back.”
Chen Ling smiled and didn't take it seriously.
Get up and find a few clean stones and throw them into the fire pit.
He went to his wife's side to fish out the mountain loaches, mountain catfish, and wheat ears. After cleaning them briefly, he walked to the fire pit, pulled out the roasted red stones, spread them with seasonings, and started grilling the fish.
This one is much faster than the bamboo rat, and the meat will be fragrant soon.
The women gathered around me without calling.
Use bamboo chopsticks to pick up two grilled small fish that are browned and charred, blow on them and stuff them into your mouth, chew them slightly and your mouth will be filled with fragrance.
The woman and the child finished eating quickly, and they were still a little bit unsatisfied.
"Okay, stop sucking your fingers, the bamboo rat is ready, come and eat."
The roasted bamboo rat is very similar to the roasted suckling pig.
The golden and red skin is shiny with oil, and the meat is extremely tender.
It is roasted over a bamboo fire and eaten in your mouth. It is tough, chewy and fragrant. It is really fragrant and crispy and tastes great.
Zhao Dahai cut it into small pieces with a knife. After the blanching had subsided, he and Chen Ling shared it with the women and children to eat first.
Qin Qiumei and Xiang Wenxia thought it was a bit like mice that were afraid to eat it, but now they were moved by the appearance and couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
Zhao Dahai knew that his wife was thin-skinned, so he picked up a piece and stuffed it into her mouth.
Xiang Wenxia was a little embarrassed at first, but the fragrant meat entered her mouth, and the next moment, she couldn't help but squint her eyes.
"How is it? Is it delicious? I told you what I said when I came here. Don't believe me. Everything the rich and noble cook is delicious." He refused to go."
"Yes, it's delicious."
Xiang Wenxia looked at her husband, then at Chen Ling, smiled and nodded slightly, then roasted the bamboo rat. Feed the crispy skin to my daughter.
"Fugui, let me give you a suggestion."
Zhao Dahai's face was all shiny after eating. He stretched out his hand and gestured: "This place is so beautiful, and it's so close to your orchard. Don't you want to build a farm? Why don't you just cover the entire lake and build it into a farm? That would be exciting." Ah."
"Sister, do you think so?"
"That makes sense, what do you think?"
Everyone looked over, Chen. Ling and Wang Susu looked at each other and shook their heads: "I'm looking for someone to build a farm now, but I can't find anyone. It's too early to say..."
"There is another one, the lake here. It’s so beautiful that I can’t bear to destroy it.”
Zhao Dahai slapped his thigh when he heard this: "If you can't find anyone, you should have told me earlier. Several engineering teams in the city are idle. Tell me when you want to start work, and I will call you over immediately."
(End of this chapter)