vrcanaries Chapter 414: The Whole Village Catching Snails
Chapter 414: The Whole Village Catching Snails
Zhou Gu nodded in confusion, not understanding why it would taste even better then.
Zhou Xing tried to hold back her laughter, whispering to Li, "Second Aunt, she's not afraid of getting tired of eating, she clearly doesn't want to cut butts anymore. She's been busy all morning, and she almost quit."
Mrs. Li thought of her daughter’s collapse from cutting the butts of snails, and how she almost threw the snails and the basin into the river. She felt a little amused. “Let’s not talk about cutting the butts of snails. I just washed the snails for a while after coming back from the market, and I was tired of washing them. Fortunately, this thing is really delicious, otherwise it would not be worth it for so many of us to work so hard for so long.”
Zhou Guo picked up a snail and slowly sucked out the meat, then ate it happily. Even the blisters on her hands from cutting the snails didn't seem to hurt anymore. It was worth it to be so tired for so long. However, there were so many snails that she would have to wait for some time if she wanted to eat them next time. She now got a headache just by looking at the butts of snails. When she closed her eyes, she saw endless snail butts. It was like a nightmare.
Although the workers did not eat meat today, the snail meat tasted more delicious than meat.
The main thing is that there are meat dishes at every meal, but there is not much meat, only three or four slices per person at most. They have to wrap it up in a handkerchief and take it back to feed their elders, children and daughters-in-law.
But this snail is different. It is not a precious thing. There are plenty of them in the river.
You don't have to think about taking all of them back home. You can just eat them one by one and enjoy it. It's more satisfying than eating meat and very delicious.
The last few snails in the basin were divided among everyone, and even the basin was taken away. Everyone used the steamed buns to clean them up, and the clean ones didn't even need to be washed.
After this meal, most of the fatigue from the morning went away, and everyone started working again without stopping.
These days, the foundation has been laid and the two-foot-high wall has been built, but the speed is slow compared to the other companies. Slow work produces fine work.
In the evening, Zhou Mai and Zhou Mi came back and looked at the big bowl of snails on the table. They were surprised and asked, "You really made it?"
"You finished the whole pot, and this is all that's left? Is it so delicious?"
Zhou Xing smiled and said, "This is what Guoguo scooped up for you in advance and put aside. Otherwise, you wouldn't have had any share. The remaining soup in the basin has been soaked up, and there's not a drop of soup left."
Zhou Su watched enviously from the side.
Zhou Guo touched his head, poor little thing, he worked so hard to touch and wash it, but in the end he only ate a little, just enough to fill his teeth, "In a few days, in a few days, sister will take you along the stream, and you can touch wherever we see us, and touch a big basin, and we can eat as much as we want, okay?"
Zhou Su nodded excitedly.
Zhou Mai and Zhou Mi couldn't wait to pick up their chopsticks and steamed buns to eat. They ate so much that not even any soup was left. It must be delicious.
The two tried to eat one, their eyes lit up, and they didn't even eat the steamed buns. They took one and called Zhou Guo to eat a few more. "Guoguo, Xiaosu, come on, it's delicious even when it's cold. We can't finish such a big bowl, come and have a few more."
Zhou Su looked up at Zhou Guo eagerly.
Zhou Guo smiled and said, "Okay, let's go eat a few more."
Zhou Su cheered, and took Li Lai and the other two to sit over. He placed two in front of each of them and said seriously, "We've already eaten at noon. These are for the brothers. We can only eat two. After eating these two, we can't eat any more."
The two nodded obediently, picked up one excitedly and slurped it slowly.
When the workers came home at night, they took out a small bag of snails wrapped in a handkerchief and handed it to the children at home, saying, "Go, take it and share it with everyone."
The children didn't take it seriously at first and were even a little disgusted. Isn't this something only chickens eat? Why did they bring it back?
After eating one, I found that it was not the case.
In most villages, people who worked for several families brought some food home. If they ate something delicious, they would let their family members have a taste of it.
Overnight, the whole village knew that the river snails were also delicious when cooked, and were no worse than meat. It was just because they didn’t know how to cook them. No, it was because they couldn’t afford the seasoning, so they couldn’t cook them well.
The villagers sat under a big tree at the entrance of the village and discussed, "What's the point of using so many seasonings? For families like us, it's great to be able to afford salt. Why should we use those things?"
"That's right. Not everyone can eat these snails, but they taste really good. My son brought back a dozen of them yesterday, and I got one. The taste is indescribable. I've never tasted anything like it before. It tastes better than the wild mushrooms in the mountains. Have you eaten any? I can't tell you what it tastes like."
I ate most of it, so I have a say in this.
In their entire lives, they have only ever known that seasonings include salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Even if they knew the last two, they had never used them. They have never even heard of the others, let alone eaten them. Now that they have tasted snail meat with such a rich flavor, they can never forget it. It is even more unforgettable than meat.
The old people were all talking under the tree.
The children in the village had nothing to do, so after collecting firewood, they ran to the river in groups to catch snails. They would bring them back and ask their family members to cook them. Otherwise, they would have to do it.
The women couldn't persuade them, so they wanted to try it themselves, so they followed Zhou Guo's example and soaked the flowers in the pot for two days.
After that, wash it clean and cut off the butt.
The processing steps are the same, and maybe they are even washed more cleanly, but the finished product, although the smell is not as strong as before, still has a rotten smell. The taste is completely different.
Not to mention the children, even the adults were disappointed. “It seems that we really need those things, otherwise the fishy smell can’t be removed.”
It didn’t taste good, but it was all cooked with oil and salt. The children couldn’t eat it, but the adults didn’t want to waste it, so they ate it all.
After eating it, I felt like I was stinking from head to toe, as if I was rotten.
Zhou Su and others followed the others to herd cattle. Those who had cattle would take the cattle out to eat every day. During this period, the old man also took a wine gourd and drove two horses out every day, and would come back after eating with the cattle.
As they were putting the snails by the river, they noticed that the children in the village were going to the river to pick things as soon as they got off the mountain. It would be fine if they didn't look, but once they did, they were shocked. They hurried back to get the basket and said to Zhou Guo, "Sister, this is bad. If we don't pick the snails in the river, they will be gone. Everyone is picking them in the river, so we'll go too."
Zhou Guo had nothing to do. She seldom cooked now. At most, she helped out. The women of each family had to take turns to cook for many days. She was worried about the little ones going to the river, so she said, "Wait for me. I'll go with you."
"Okay, okay, let's go faster. There are so many people groping in the river." Zhou Su took her hand and walked away. It was even better to have her sister following them. They would definitely be much faster than others.