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The lotus root starch could be eaten on the way, but it would take some effort.

“I’ll throw it up. One of you stays behind to pick it up in the basket. The rest of you can look for wild vegetables nearby.”

Su Qing did not let the girls into the lotus pond. Not many of them knew how to swim, and the depth of the lotus pond was unknown. If anyone fell into the water, she would have to save them and waste time. She had divided the work for them and made them stand on the shore stupidly.

!!

Su Qing asked Li Shuang’er for straw sandals and went into the river to dig for lotus roots. She left her riding boots on the shore. It was the only good pair of shoes; she could not wear them in the water.

Li Shuang’er was barefooted. She was swift. She used local materials to make straw shoes. All the girls in the village knew how to make straw shoes, so it didn’t take long for her to create one.

Su Qing walked into the lotus pond and realized the river was not deep, only reaching her knees. However, the deeper she went, the deeper it reached her waist. The lotus pond was filled with mud.

Su Qing rolled up her pants and bent over to touch the lotus roots. No one was here to pick them; so many lotus roots existed. She was strong enough to dig through the mud and pull out a lotus root without any tools.

When digging up the lotus roots, she felt something slippery swimming past her calves and often stepped on something slippery under her feet.

Su Qing’s heart skipped a beat. Was there a mudfish or an eel?

This is edible!

Su Qing picked up speed and threw one of the roots onto the shore. Li Shuang’er put on her straw sandals and picked up the lotus roots with her basket.

There was no lotus pond in Yucheng, so she had never seen a lotus root. She looked at the long and round thing in a daze. Could this be eaten?

However, she only hesitated for a moment. Her great trust in Su Qing made her believe that as long as Su Qing said it was edible, it would be edible.

Su Qing was tired from digging so many lotus roots, so she stood up and straightened her back. The lotus pond wasn’t huge, and the river bed was not far away. She wanted to let some water out so the girls could come down and dig the lotus roots.

The more people there were, the faster they could dig, and they could also catch the mud loaches in the lotus pond.

“Li Shuang’er, call your brother here and ask him to bring a shovel.”

Su Qing called out to Li Shuang’er. Li Shuang’er held a lotus root that she had just picked up and agreed to Su Qing’s request.

“Alright,” she said.

Li Shuang’er did not take the empty road. She had already collected two baskets full of lotus roots. She carried one basket back this time and let Aunt Qiu and her mother cook first.

Not long after Li Shuang’er left, Li Daniu returned with a shovel. Su Qing had already come ashore and was weaving a net. The net she made was excellent and dense so that even the mud loaches couldn’t get out.

“Li Daniu, you start digging from here.”

Su Qing had already found a depression before Li Daniu came. She asked Li Daniu to dig a canal at this location and let the water flow into the river bed.

Li Daniu listened to Su Qing’s words. He spat on his palm, took off his shoes, and began to dig a channel to draw water.

Su Qing waited for him to dig and then blocked the gap with the net. The water could flow through smoothly, but the fish and loaches in the lotus pond could not escape.

“Su Qing, you’re too smart.”

Li Daniu flattered Su Qing in admiration, but Su Qing ignored him and used her basket to block the gap. This primitive way of catching fish was very effective. She had half a basket of mud loaches and palm-sized fish in a short while.

Just as Su Qing was about to pick up the basket, she saw a half-meter-long catfish being washed into the basket. She quickly straightened the basket and carried it to the shore.

The catfish jumped out of the water when they reached the shore. Li Shuang’er was so frightened by the catfish that she stepped back and sat on her butt.

Li Shuang’er was even more afraid when she saw the black loaches and yellow eels. She asked Su Qing with lingering fear,

“Sister Su Qing, this is a water snake, right?”

“Catfish, loaches, and eels are all edible.”

Su Qing wasn’t as cold as when she first arrived. At least, she would answer whenever Li Shuang’er and the others spoke to her. Unless she were angry, she wouldn’t give them a face.

“I … I … I’m a little afraid to take it!”

Li Shuang’er wanted to help, but the loach slipped out of her hand and squeaked. She was so scared that she jumped up high.

“It’s okay; they don’t bite.”

Su Qing said lightly. She went over, grabbed the catfish that had escaped prison, lifted it, and threw it hard against the stone. After two consecutive falls, the catfish no longer had the strength to jump.

“Su Qing, there are so many fish!”

Li Daniu’s excited voice came from the low-lying area. Many fish were jumping around in the fishing net. There were dozens of half-foot-long carps, and even more, arm-long eels were as thick as a wrist.

“I’ll go and get people.”

Li Shuang’er was so excited to see so many fish that her face turned red. She turned around and ran back. Soon, she brought more than a dozen people with baskets. They caught fish together. Men were not afraid of mudfish. They would catch even the scarier fish as long as they could eat.

When the water in the lotus pond was almost fully drained, the mud and lotus roots at the bottom were exposed. Su Qing asked the ladies to come down and dig for the lotus roots.

Everyone worked together and didn’t feel tired at all. Soon, a small mountain of lotus roots was piled up on the shore. Su Qing asked them to continue digging while she and Li Daniu took the loaches and fish back to cook.

The girls had also picked a lot of wild vegetables, which were quite tender. Su Qing decided to make them into a cold wild vegetable salad.

The giant catfish and carp were stewed with the sliced lotus roots in the pot. The pot was full, and the villagers were craving it. Everyone’s stomach was growling.

Su Qing had already considered cooking mud loaches and eels better. If they were not cooked well, they would have a muddy smell. Therefore, she found a long, thin stone slab.

She placed the thin stone slab on top of two stones and filled the bottom of the stone slab with firewood.

The villagers did not know what Su Qing was up to. This was the first time they had seen such a way of cooking.

It was even rarer than when he dug a hole to make bamboo tube horse meat.

The fire was very strong, and the stone slab was soon scorching hot. Su Qing scooped up a spoonful of meat oil to oil the stone slab’s surface, caught the eel and mud loach, and threw them on the stone slab.

After the mud loaches and eels were heated, they bounced on the stone slabs. Su Qing used a wooden pot cover to press them down, and the mud loaches and eels soon stopped moving. Su Qing sprinkled salt on them and threw the chameleon plant, wild scallions, and wild ginger onto the mud loaches.

It was a pity that there was no cumin or sesame. Otherwise, it would taste good if sprinkled with a little.

However, Su Qing had chili. She ground the red chili into chili powder and sprinkled it on the loaches.

When Ji Shuisheng returned, he saw Su Qing roasting the loach with a severe expression. He could smell the fragrance from afar, and it made him want to eat.

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Su Qing asked Xiaoying and Li Shuang’er to look after the loaches while she blanched the washed wild vegetables in the water to eliminate the bitter and earthy smell.

She heated some lard and poured it over the chili noodles and scallions. Mixed with this specially prepared seasoning, the wild vegetables tasted fresh and crisp and were incredibly delicious. The fragrance was enough to make people’s stomachs fight.

“What is this?”

Ji Shuisheng walked to the stone slab and asked his sister curiously.