Chapter 285 – An Unexpected Surprise
When Liu Yao saw Ning Xiyue smiling at her, she also returned a big grin, raising her hands high with the things she was holding.
“Xiyue, do you think this fish would taste better braised in soy sauce or steamed? And this duck—should we stew it or stir-fry it? Maybe we don’t need to catch any more ducks now. The fish and duck are both pretty fat—it should be enough for all of us.”
Before coming, they had already agreed that if they managed to catch a duck today, the five of them would have dinner together—a small feast to celebrate before their busy days ahead.
“This fish looks like it weighs just over a pound. Whether we braise it or steam it, it’ll be great. We all like heavy flavors, so just use plenty of chili and make it tasty.
As for the duck—I’ve got an idea. I’ll cook it with my yellow rice wine. I guarantee it’ll be delicious. Add a few side dishes, and it’ll definitely be enough for all of us.”
Ning Xiyue had been eyeing this duck for a long time. Just thinking about it made her mouth water. Yesterday, the small bowl of duck meat Chen Ye Chu gave her hadn’t satisfied her craving—it only made her hungrier.
Ever since she came here, the meat had been so tempting that her eyes practically sparkled at the sight of it. No matter how much she ate, she still wanted more.
Ning Xiyue glanced at her watch—it was already past four.
“I think the time’s just right. We’ve had a pretty good harvest today, so let’s call it a day. Let’s find a place to clean the duck and fish, then head back to cook. How about that?”
She looked around at everyone for their opinion. She still had to go learn winemaking from Zhang Jianguo that afternoon, so she didn’t have much time to hang around. The sooner she learned, the better.
“Alright, I’ll listen to my little sister. We’ve got fish, duck, and eggs—plenty.” Ning Qingyuan was the first to agree.
The others had the same thought—they were easily satisfied people—so they all nodded in agreement.
The five of them left the reed marsh and found a quiet riverbank to clean the fish and duck.
The water there was shallow—just up to their ankles in most places, and barely to their calves in deeper spots. The riverbed was covered in smooth stones, the water so clear they could see straight to the bottom.
A bit further upstream, several large stone pillars blocked part of the current. Between two of them, a low stone ridge caused the water above it to overflow in a small waterfall, trickling down in a soft, steady stream.
By the time the water reached where they were, the current had slowed to a gentle flow—perfect for washing fish and duck, as the clean water carried away the blood.
Yu Zhiyu worked on cleaning the fish, while Ning Qingyuan handled the duck.
The three girls were on the other side washing snails.
As Ning Xiyue washed, she noticed something moving beneath a rock in the water.
She put down the snails and quietly waded closer.
“Xiyue?”
Liu Yao looked up curiously, puzzled about what she was doing. Why was she going deeper into the water just to wash snails?
Chen Ye Chu also looked over in curiosity.
Ning Xiyue turned back to them, put her finger to her lips, and whispered, “Shh—there’s something under this rock.”
She pointed to a rock about half a meter in front of her.
Both women turned their attention toward it.
Ning Xiyue crept around behind the rock, crouched down, and carefully lifted one side. Quick as lightning, she reached in and grabbed two long whiskers—then yanked upward.
“Haha, I caught it!”
“Crayfish?” Chen Ye Chu exclaimed in surprise, her voice full of excitement.
“What’s that thing?”
Liu Yao looked at the wriggling, clawed creature in Ning Xiyue’s hand with confusion. Hearing Chen Ye Chu’s words, she still didn’t recognize it. The two big pincers looked intimidating—as if getting pinched would really hurt.
“Be careful, Xiyue—it’s moving its claws!” she warned nervously.
“Got it.”
As soon as it moved, one of its whiskers snapped off. Ning Xiyue quickly switched hands, gripping the crayfish by the head so it couldn’t bite or fall.
When she got back to the bank, Chen Ye Chu hurried over with her basket, eyes shining in anticipation.
Ning Xiyue chuckled softly and dropped the crayfish inside.
Liu Yao leaned closer curiously.
Chen Ye Chu looked down at the wriggling crustacean, her face lighting up. “This stuff tastes amazing when cooked! Let’s look for more—we might catch a bunch. I’ll stir-fry them for everyone later. You’ll love it.”
“What are we waiting for then? Let’s start! If Yechu says it’s delicious, then it definitely is. Forget washing the snails—we’ll do that later, more carefully.”
With that, Liu Yao rolled up her sleeves and waded into the river, flipping over stones as she went.
“Alright, let’s find some more. Maybe we can add an extra dish for dinner.”
Ning Xiyue readily agreed—she liked crayfish too.
She had guessed what it was the moment she saw the twitching antennae. Sure enough, it really was a crayfish. She hadn’t expected to find them in the rivers of this era, though. Who knew which mischievous person had released them here, only for them to thrive and multiply?
These creatures had a high survival rate and reproduced quickly—one could lead to thousands of offspring. So today, they might as well catch as many as they could—fewer pests in the river, after all.
Chen Ye Chu watched the crayfish crawl in the basket and worried it might escape. “You keep catching—I’ll empty one of the baskets to hold them. I don’t want them climbing out.”
“Just put them in my backpack. There’s some straw in there, and it’ll block the water too,” Ning Xiyue offered. Hers was the only empty pack.
“Alright.”
Chen Ye Chu poured the crayfish from the basket into the pack. It was deep and woven tightly—no gaps for the crayfish to escape.
“I caught a big one!”
Liu Yao came running back excitedly, holding up a large crayfish.
“It’s huge! Let’s hurry and catch more.”
Seeing the big one, Ning Xiyue could tell this river had plenty. These must have been breeding here for quite some time to grow so large.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the countless stones in the water.
She grabbed a basket and waded back in to work.
Chen Ye Chu emptied another basket—the one that had held snails—and joined her eagerly.
On the other side, Ning Qingyuan, who had been singeing the duck’s down feathers, noticed the three girls standing knee-deep in the river. He nudged Yu Zhiyu, who was lighting a fire, and asked,
“Hey, what are they doing in the river? All three of them went in.”
Yu Zhiyu smiled as he looked toward the water, where Chen Ye Chu was bent over turning over rocks. “They’re looking for crayfish. Yechu said they’re delicious, so now they’re all searching for them.”
“Then let’s finish singeing the duck quickly and help them.”
“Sure.”
Yu Zhiyu got the fire going in a few quick moves.
Ning Qingyuan held the duck by its feet and head, turning it over the flames. A faint burnt-feather smell filled the air as the tiny fuzz burned away, leaving the skin slightly charred.
“Zhiyu, put out the fire.”
Yu Zhiyu nodded, covering the embers with dirt until they were out.
Ning Qingyuan carried the duck to the water and rinsed it. Most of the soot washed off, leaving only a few golden-brown spots where it had singed.
Once clean, he took out the hatchet they used for chopping firewood and began to gut the duck.
After removing the innards, he and Yu Zhiyu washed everything together.
The two of them worked efficiently—soon, both the duck and the fish were ready. They rubbed them down with coarse salt, wrapped them in cloth bags, and put them in a pack.
Then they carried the pack toward where the three girls were still by the river.
Ning Qingyuan called out across the bank, “Sis! Let me see what you caught—we’ll help clean them!”
“In the pack!” Ning Xiyue shouted back without even looking up, too focused on catching crayfish.
There really were a lot—she already had over a dozen in her basket, along with a few small clams.
After picking up a few more shells, she looked toward her brother. “Brother, pick up more of those little river clams! I need their shells for medicine.”
The small clams were just the right size. After eating the meat, the shells could be used to store ointments—easy to carry and store. One batch of ointment could fill dozens of shells. When giving medicine to others, a small clam shell of salve was just the right amount—convenient and waste-free.
“Alright, I’ll grab a bunch.”
Ning Qingyuan and Yu Zhiyu, seeing the crayfish in the pack, recognized them and joined in catching more.
From catching ducks to catching crayfish and picking clams—
it truly turned into an unexpected surprise.
