A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 9 Date

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhang Niu went home early and took Jin Gang back with him. Ever since he saw the sow in the pigsty in the backyard that day, Jin Gang had been restless and always wanted to run to the village. If it weren't for Xiao Bu Dian watching over him, he would have run to the village long ago. Although Jin Gang was very obedient, he was still worried about it running into the village. He was afraid that if it saw another sow, it would force itself on him and that would be the end of it.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also known as the Reunion Festival, a time for family reunions. In previous years, I remember spending the Mid-Autumn Festival at school, but this year we can finally get together.

Today's primary task is to clean out the snails from the day before yesterday so we can stir-fry them in the iron wok when cooking dinner tonight. After changing the water and adding vegetable oil for two days, the water in the bucket is now crystal clear, no longer cloudy like when it was first poured in. I took the snails out of the bucket and poured them into a basket, then went inside to get a stool and pliers and sat down in the front yard to plier the snail tails.

Villagers like to remove more of the snail's tail claws so that they can absorb more flavor when stir-fried. I remember once eating stir-fried snails at a night market stall in the city, and I was so frustrated! The taste was okay, but there were too few snail tail claws, and no matter how I sucked, I couldn't get them out. I had to use a toothpick. Eating snails is all about sucking them out. If you're skilled, you've barely finished the first one before the third one is already in your mouth.

Zhang Niu had specially bought a new pair of pliers from the village store; he used to use fire tongs, which were slower than a tortoise crawling. Many people in the village still prefer fire tongs, as it's ultimately a matter of personal preference.

After working for half an hour, we finally finished and called it a day. There was a small pile of snail tails on the ground. I picked a few chili peppers by the well. The spiciest kind of chili pepper in the village is much spicier than any green pepper. Snails stir-fried with this kind of chili pepper don't taste muddy at all, only have a strong spicy flavor.

You can smell the pungent spiciness in the kitchen. Some people like to pick the chili peppers after they are ripe, dry them in the sun, stir-fry them, and put them in a bottle. They pour a layer of sesame oil on top of each layer and stomp it tightly with chopsticks until the bottle is completely sealed. After a month or two, they can be eaten. They are especially good for warming the stomach in winter.

Zhang Niu isn't good at cooking other dishes, but when it comes to stir-frying snails, he's quite skilled. He heats the wok over high heat, adds plenty of oil, and waits until the oil is sizzling before adding some chili peppers to stir-fry. Then he adds the snails to the wok, allowing the spiciness to quickly penetrate. After stir-frying for a few seconds until the snails are about 80% cooked, he adds spices, salt, and cooking wine, and simmers for another ten minutes or so before serving. Each snail is glossy and shiny.

In the evening, my family specially moved the dining table to the front yard so we could eat while watching the moon. In the countryside, it's already dark by 7 p.m., and every household has already turned on their lights.

A gentle evening breeze carried away some of the heat. The dinner was plentiful, with a large plate of stir-fried snails in the center, surrounded by braised pork, stir-fried green beans, taro and preserved mustard greens, and a seaweed soup. My younger sister started sucking on the snails even before dinner was served. Luckily, there was still some Shaoxing wine left over from before the New Year. She scooped some out of the large vat with a wine ladle and filled her own bowl.

There's a little trick to eating snails. Use your index finger and thumb to place the snail's tail near your mouth and suck it in; the spicy juice will come out. Then, give it a quick, forceful pull. This is called "playing hard to get." Next, turn the snail around and put the head in your mouth and suck again. The whole snail meat will then be in your mouth. So, when cracking snails, it's beneficial to remove the tail part first. Savor it carefully. The aroma and spiciness are truly delicious; it's worth all the effort you put in.

Dad was drinking Shaoxing wine. He didn't like eating much snail. Usually, Zhang Niu, Xiao Mei, and Mom ate the most. Xiao Mei's face was covered in oil from eating snails, making her look like a little flower.

Leftover snail shells are something ducks really love to eat. If you scatter them on the ground, the ducks will come running over with their quacking. They'll fight over them so enthusiastically that they're not afraid of getting a big snail stuck in their necks.

Zhang Niu started chatting with his father while drinking yellow wine.

"Dad, I'd like to raise some more ducks in the pond. What do you think?" he said to his father, who was still taking small sips of his drink.

"Raising ducks? Sure, are you planning to raise egg-laying ducks, or white ducks, or Muscovy ducks? It seems like ducklings are over a dollar each these days."

"Raising white ducks has a short cycle mainly because there isn't much fertilizer in the pond. The pond water is clear, so it's good for raising some fish to grow. I'll raise about two hundred ducks." He offered his idea.

After drinking a bowl of strong liquor, Dad stood up and said, "From now on, you should make your own decisions about small things! You're all grown up now, you need to learn to plan for yourself. You're getting old and you're already confused after just a little alcohol." After saying that, he got up and went back into the house.

Zhang Niu ate a lot that night and didn't go back to the other side of the mountain; he just slept at home.

The next morning, Zhang Niu rushed to the county town to buy some ducklings. He arrived in the county town relatively early and easily bought the ducklings he needed at the market. They cost 1.3 yuan each, and he spent 260 yuan to fill two large cages with ducklings. When no one was around, he simply tossed them into his spatial storage. The ducklings rushed out of the cages and splashed towards the pond.

Seeing that it was still early, Zhang Niu decided to ask how much sows were selling for, planning to buy one or two to raise and see if he could make a profit.

There were many people buying piglets. Most of them were from the countryside, creating a bustling scene. After searching for a long time, a few sows were finally found in a corner. The large, pure black sows were on the market, and the prices were exorbitant. Zhang Niu, who wanted to buy one, was also shocked by the price. He decided to buy a small sow next time and feed it with water and soil from his own space; it should grow quickly! With this thought in mind, he didn't bother looking at any other sows and went straight out.

I bought a few pounds of iron nails at the hardware store, planning to make some wooden fencing to enclose the front yard, so it doesn't look so empty and like it doesn't have a yard at all. Even though I've planted saplings, it still looks a bit...

After leaving, Zhang Niu went to the aquatic products department to inquire where he could buy snail seedlings. He wanted to put some in his own pond so that he could catch snails directly from the pond next time without having to go elsewhere. Unfortunately, the county town didn't sell them. Since they weren't available, he would have to go and catch some himself. He would put them in his space for a few days and he estimated that they would produce a lot of small snail seedlings. He was excited about this useful method that he had come up with himself.

She was just about to get up and go back to the village when she saw Zhang Ting in front of the supermarket from afar, and at that moment she also saw Zhang Niu over there.

Zhang Ting was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans today. She looked exceptionally beautiful.

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