Chapter 418: Shrimps, Soldiers and Crab Generals
No need to say anything else. Now that we know that this "jealousy treasure" can be eaten, it is not difficult to eat it the way Wang Cunye said, and you can do it easily.
In front of Chen Ling and other out-of-town guests, Lao Ni Wai Lao and Lao Ni Wai Lao Lao were unambiguous and neatly soaked the "vinegar treasure" in water, washed it twice, and put it on the table like a lump of jelly. Place on the chopping board and cut into diamond-shaped pieces.
Put it back in the bowl, mix a plate of spicy food and pour it on.
The ruddy spicy pepper looks quite good when paired with it.
"Come on, come on, taste it all, taste it all, Fugui's father-in-law taught him, don't blame us if it doesn't taste good."
Lao Niwai joked and took out a pair of chopsticks. Distribute to everyone.
Zhao Yubao and the others are guests, so let them taste it first.
“Hahaha, whether it’s strange or not, this is the first time we have seen this weird thing. How can we not try something that grows on its own in a vinegar vat?”
Zhao Yubao is telling the truth, he is really curious.
He politely picked up a piece of chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
Putting his tongue and tasting it carefully, his eyes lit up, "Oh, this thing actually tastes not bad. I just smelled such a pungent vinegar and sour taste, and I thought it was so sour that it would be hard to eat. , I didn’t expect it to be quite delicious...
Well, let me try it again, hiss, Brother Cunye is right, it tastes better than jelly.”
The others immediately became interested when they heard this, and couldn't wait to use their chopsticks to pick it up.
Even the old couple are no exception.
"Hey, it's really not bad. What do you think about wealth?"
Zhao Dahai showed off twice in a row. Seeing Chen Ling moving his chopsticks continuously, he chuckled and asked Chen Ling how he felt.
Chen Ling nodded: "Well, it's sour and spicy. It's quite delicious. Compared with jelly, it's much softer and not as chewy as jelly. But it tastes very fresh and bright. This spicy food It’s the finishing touch. It’s suitable for summer. It’s good. It’s very good.”
Zhao Dahai looked dumbfounded when he heard it: “Good guy, you are indeed a professional foodie. After you said this, you made it look like that. He looks like a food critic."
The couple Shanmao and Dujuan also laughed: "You can be a food critic, Fugui, look at your Ruirui's appearance. I will definitely be a food critic under your influence in the future. If you are a foodie, you can take Susu and the kids to eat and play all over the world, and write a food review article at the same time. Isn’t it easy? ”
It turned out that the little guy was hiding behind Chen Ling and was listening to what Chen Ling was saying.
Seeing everyone looking over at him, the little thing immediately started to giggle shyly, pulling Yaya and staggering away.
Only a few old people looked at each other with question marks on their faces: "...What are you talking about, what kind of foodie?"
Shanmao hurriedly explained: "Oh, the new words Fugui said before , Said that Dahai is a big foodie, and when he sees delicious food, he is like driving a train, eating like crazy, eating like crazy..."
The old people from the two families were stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter.
Zhao Yubao almost laughed off his glasses, pushed them up, and said: "So that's what it means. Let me just say, Fugui is a talented and interesting person. Only interesting people can discover interesting things, and only the things they write are interesting." Sex, such a person is suitable to be a writer. "
The old man looks like a boy and a girl, and he does not have a beard on his face. He is somewhat similar to the old master Qian Kuanshu. After a few words of praise to Chen Ling, he said to him. Zhao Dahai glared.
"Fugui said that you are a foodie to give you face. To put it harshly, you are just a big foodie, nothing like you and me."
Maybe the writer is just so casual, and doesn't care. In front of so many people, he glared at Zhao Dahai.
Zhao Dahai's scalp went numb for a while, and he smiled bitterly: "Here he comes again. I'm not that material. Why don't you treat him as your son? He is talented."
Zhao Yubao was no longer angry after hearing this. He clapped his hands and said, "Hey, that's a good idea."
He turned to Chen Ling.
This time it was Chen Ling's turn to feel his scalp numb.
This scene almost made everyone else laugh their heads off.
After Zhao Dahai’s mother laughed, she grabbed her wife and said, “Okay, okay, just be happy when you are here. Don’t act like an old child. It’s fun, I don’t know what it is like for a cat to hate a dog.”
"Fugui, please take a piece of this vinegar treasure home. It will also be a dish in the evening." Lao Niwai said at this time: "The vinegar vat at my house has grown a lot."
"Okay, just take a piece. One piece."
Chen Ling was not polite to Lao Niwai: "But I have to get it when I go back later. We haven't finished visiting the reservoir yet."
They just saw a few falcons. Circling nearby, there was also a very beautiful hawk, its feathers slightly reddened in the sun, swooping down and falling into the reeds. The lynx and the others were happy to see the hunt, so they wanted to go and find out.
“If you go to the reservoir to play, there is a boat here... Oh, go to the reeds to look for eagles. There are a lot of eagles recently. If there are too many birds, you will attract eagles. Then I will go get some pairs of water shoes. You guys Put it on, you city dwellers have tender legs and feet, so you can’t do it without water shoes.”
"Put it on, you're welcome. You don't have to ask Fugui to go back and get it."
Lao Niwai's family guarded the entrance to the village. They had seen many outsiders visiting the reservoir some time ago, so they were very considerate.
In addition to the water shoes of the old couple, they also took out the water shoes of the Chen Jiang couple and asked the old people of Zhao Dahai and Shanmao to put them on.
"Hey, why did Fugui bring out such a big wooden basin?"
When the two elderly people were changing their shoes, Chen Ling also found a large wooden basin from Lao Niwai's house.
At this time, he picked a few fish baskets from the south wall of Lao Niwai's house, shook them to everyone, and said with a smile: "Of course it's for fun. Do you just want to go into the reed swamp to find eagles? Catch fish and shrimps in the reed swamp." It’s fun to catch old turtles.”
There are many birds in the current season, which attracts many hawks and falcons, but the hawks and falcons will return in large numbers, so not everyone can catch them.
Even the falcons hunting in the reed swamps have difficulty taking off in time due to environmental factors, and they cannot be easily caught.
When Zhao Dahai heard this, he said, "Oh, then I have to find a pair of water shoes."
"You are looking for someone with rough skin and thick flesh. Just take off your shoes and go into the water directly." ." Shanmao kicked him and cursed with a smile.
Zhao Dahai hurriedly cried out: "I'm not afraid of pricking my feet."
"Why prick my feet? There are not even stones in the water here..."
Chen Ling patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Dahai, you have just finished your work and gone home to rest for a while. Why have you become so coquettish, like a big girl?"
Even if there was no old turtle here before, During the day, no one dumped debris here. Women usually washed clothes here, and adults and children took baths and played in the water on hot days, so there was nothing to hurt their feet.
Prepare water shoes for Zhao Yubao and the others because they are old, have lived in the city for a long time, have tender legs and feet, and do not often play in the water, so they are allowed to wear water shoes.
People like Zhao Dahai and Shan Mao, who often travel around and work in the field, are young and strong, so they don't need water shoes.
......
A group of people joked with each other, walked slowly down the dam, and walked to the shore. Chen Ling distributed the big wooden basin and fish basket to everyone, and then untied a Let the father-in-law take Ruirui and Yaya on the small boat.
He took off his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs, led the boat in front, and walked into the reed marsh.
The two sons of Zhao Dahai supported each other and followed each other into the water. They waded through the muddy water and moved forward slowly. Looking left and right, they looked strange at everything they saw. Not only did they startle a large number of birds hiding in the reeds and make the croaking frogs calm down one after another, but a few old people also discovered something quite strange behind them.
Old man Zhong shouted: "Fugui, Cunye, look at what's going on. Why are there so many crabs climbing up the reed poles?"
"Huh? Still there? Really, crabs are coming out of the water, it’s going to rain, right?” Wang Cunye glanced around, it’s not uncommon for crabs to come out of the water and climb up the reeds and trees.
This phenomenon will occur every time it rains heavily.
“Hey, it’s okay, it might rain heavily tonight, that’s not surprising.”
Wang Cunye glanced at the sky, waved his hands, and said nonchalantly.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Dahai shouted from behind: "We found a fallen bird's nest here. The newly hatched birds fell out and attracted a bunch of crabs to eat."
Xiang Wenxia couldn't bear it: "Oh, crabs are eating birds, these little guys are still alive."
"What the hell? Crabs eating birds? This thing is still alive Can you eat birds?”
The discovery of the couple attracted everyone to come over and take a look. Even Chen Ling picked up his son and Yaya from the boat and waded over.
At the bottom of the reed marsh, there was a bird's nest woven with dry grass and leaves. It was stuck in the middle of the dense reed poles at an angle. All the newly hatched chicks inside fell out and fell on the roots of the reeds, among the lush reeds. On the aquatic plants, piles of crabs were attracted, just like swarms of ants, darkly eating the chicks.
Under the nibbles of crabs, each chick made a weak and helpless cry, which made several women look unbearable.
The men's faces didn't look strange, but they had never seen crabs eating birds before, so they found it novel and kept watching.
“These guys are really not picky about their food. They eat all the little birds.”
“Well, they eat all the small fish, shrimps and earthworms. These hairless birds are just when they are tender. , it’s food that falls from the bird’s nest. They don’t care what it is, they just stuff it into their mouths.”
As he spoke, Chen Ling keenly noticed that there was a dead chick hanging among the reed poles, with its head hanging weakly and obvious scars on its body.
And Chen Ling recognized at a glance that the scar was not left by a crab, but by a vicious bird such as an eagle.
I often take the Erbald Man out for hunting training, and he will never admit this kind of injury.
“Let me just say, if it’s not windy or raining, the bird’s nest will not fall down for no reason. It must have been attracted by the eagle. It should have been accidentally kicked over by the eagle, and it did so. Some crabs.”
“Ah, the eagle knocked over the nest? So, was it the red-feathered falcon we saw before?”
"I don't know. There shouldn't be too many birds building nests and hatching eggs in the reed swamps this season. Look at the sky. From time to time there are eagles coming down. Who can tell which one it is."
"Oh, That's true."
Here Chen Ling and Shan Mao were talking.
A few old people over there shouted again: "My dear mother, look, these crabs have crawled into other bird's nests again."
"Good guy, this You guys are so domineering. Do you know that these little birds can be eaten? Are crabs so smart?"
"No, there are crayfish climbing up here. These are shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Fugui, don't you think these crayfish also go to the bird's nest to eat birds?"
"I don't know, I don't know either. I haven’t seen it before, let’s take a look.”
Everyone was surprised.
But this kind of wonder is limited to the surrounding area.
Within this range, as long as crabs and crayfish gather, if you carefully look up along the reed poles, you can definitely find bird's nests.
There are nests for all kinds of birds, but except for Chen Ling, who is tall and tall, others can't see clearly what's going on in the nests even if they are walking in the water.
The men just wanted to see the strange things. The two old men took pictures non-stop with their cameras, preparing to take them back to show off to their old friends.
He also said happily: Shrimps, soldiers and crabs will "climb the trees" to eat birds. I'm afraid no one has seen this spectacle, right?
Women can’t help it. They regard these crabs and crayfish as bullies attacking the weak. When they see crabs and crayfish crawling on the reed poles under the bird’s nest, they will reach out and shake them. All these guys with teeth and claws swaying into the water with a splash.
Finally, Chen Ling couldn't help but interjected and said: "Aunt, sister-in-law, there is no need to worry about this. In fact, most of the time, the birds eat the crabs. It is so rare for the crabs to eat the birds, even if they are allowed to let go. If you go and eat, you can eat a few, not to mention crayfish. I haven’t seen the bird yet.”
They reluctantly gave up.
Zhao Dahai's mother also clasped her hands together and recited Amitabha several times with a face full of unbearability.
It made Chen Ling's face hurt.
Do you think that saving the birds is a good deed? That crab has to thank you very much.
The two old men, Lao Zhao and Lao Zhong, didn't care about the affairs of these women's families. They followed Chen Ling and the others, tearing at the reeds and looking everywhere, startling many hiding birds. Flying around.
There are also frogs, old turtles, etc. falling into the water "plop" and "plop".
To the surprise of the two old men, they couldn't help laughing and shouting, a burst of joy.
But he was very happy and very sad. After adapting to the environment due to his small stature, Old Man Zhong happily crawled around in the reed swamps and showed off to Zhao Yubao from time to time. Unfortunately, he was happy soon. A vicious bird pecked my arm accidentally, and blood quickly flowed out.
"You are dumbfounded. I let you burn buns and scream. The rich and the noble have told you not to wander around here. There are snakes and venomous insects, but you don't listen. Now you will be pecked by a bird."< br>
Zhao Yubao was very depressed just now, so naturally he would not miss this opportunity to ridicule his old friend, and laughed mercilessly.
Old Man Zhong ignored him and just covered his arms and yelled: "His grandma's snake and insect didn't touch it, so the bird bullied him, hiss... the peck really hurt."
"Fugui, what happened just now What kind of bird is it? It’s so big, is it something like a falcon?”
“No, it’s a big water camel, also called a reed chicken, which makes nests in reeds...”< br>
Chen Ling looked at a few eggs in the bird's nest and shook his head: "This thing is quite ferocious, with a sharp and hard beak. If someone approaches and disturbs the eggs during incubation, it will peck people's eyes directly. Fortunately, Uncle Zhong, you passed from behind it. "
This bird is called the hemp pheasant, commonly known as the reed chicken, cattail chicken, and water camel. It is a relatively large wading bird, about the same size as a duck, and it is chubby. Yes, he has a very fierce temperament.
Many little babies in the village have been pecked by them, which is much more painful than a big goose.
Of course, it’s easy to catch them. Just come here in the dark at night. Once night falls, these birds are no different than being blind. As long as you dare to go into the water, come over with a flashlight and you can catch them accurately.
“I’ve never heard of it. There are a lot of strange and weird things here. This bird is also called a camel...Fortunately, it didn’t peck my eyes.”
Old man Zhong covered his arms. A look of joy.
"Good guy, I was just talking about snakes and insects. Here is a big water snake, thick and long. It swung back and started bubbling. It scared me." Next to him. Zhao Yubao didn't care to ridicule him, and at this time he made a new discovery.
Chen Ling came over and took a look, "Oh, this is not a snake, this is an eel cave. It looks like this eel is not small, not bad. I will catch it and it will be another dish in the evening."