A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 21 Peach Juice

The Happy Cottage is now taking shape. Fruit saplings have been planted on the wasteland at the foot of the mountain. However, the past week or so has been quite tiring for Zhang Niu, who watered the saplings near the cottage with his spatial water every evening. He'll water the ones further away another time. Both ponds are now full.

Both snakehead fry and forktail fry were released into the pond. However, they were not mixed together. Snakehead and eel were raised together, while forktail were raised in a separate pond. This was because if they were mixed together, the forktail might grow up and eat all the snakehead, which would cost a lot of money.

The ducklings are already molting. Fine duck feathers are scattered everywhere along the pond. When the wind blows, it looks a bit like snowflakes falling.

Recently, Zhang Niu noticed that "Thug" had grown significantly larger than before. Its originally grayish-black scales were gradually turning a deep black. Ah! When did his crocodile learn to change color?! He'd only ever heard of chameleons, never this one. Could it be a rare species? That lake last time was definitely a bit strange. Looks like he'd have to go back to that little valley sometime.

On the eve of National Day, everyone in the village was busy harvesting rice. The village's rice-drying grounds were bustling with activity. Even along the mountain path near Zhangniu, people were spreading bamboo mats woven from bamboo strips on the ground and then piling rice on them. Basically, any flat spot was being claimed by others to dry their rice.

Zhang Niu didn't plant much rice this year, and he finished harvesting it all in one day. He didn't have time to dry the rice stalks.

With some free time, Zhang Niu found a small machete in the storeroom. He also found some old plastic bags he used to carry things when he bought them and some rubber bands left over from making pants. He then took "King Kong" and went out.

Although the weather here is still hot and humid in September, it's currently in a transitional phase with longer days and shorter nights. In winter, the nights will feel incredibly long, with dawn seemingly never breaking.

He greeted everyone he met in the village. This had become a habit, and soon Zhang Niu left the village and headed towards the back mountain. The scattered yellow leaves along the way indicated that autumn had arrived.

Today, Zhang Niu planned to go to the back mountain to get some peach tree sap to satisfy his craving. Peach tree sap, also known as peach resin, is found on all peach trees; it's the white sap that peach trees exude. It's a bit sticky. Zhang Niu had tried it once on a friend's recommendation and couldn't forget the aroma of the peach tree sap.

After making steamed peach resin by myself once, I would go to the mountains to find wild peach trees and harvest the resin whenever the peaches ripened. Those who were more daring could simply go to other people's peach orchards—it was easier and less strenuous, provided they weren't afraid of getting caught. Unlike Zhang Niu, who now searches all over the mountains.

Once you find the peach tree, use a machete to make a cut around the trunk. A white sap will flow out. Carefully place a plastic bag over the cut, secure it with a rubber band, and leave it overnight. The cut doesn't need to be too large, allowing you to collect sap from the peach tree frequently.

I remember once a peddler came to the village to buy peach sap. Everyone said they didn't recognize it. Zhang Niu, however, remembered the price back then. Pure white sap could sell for six yuan a pound. Even mixed with peach leaves and weeds, it could still fetch around three yuan. He was shocked by the price; he never imagined peach sap could sell for such a high price. He asked the peddler what he was going to do with it. He said he was going to make glue. It wasn't until later that he learned it was actually sold to high-end restaurants as a wild delicacy, not for making glue.

Zhang Niu knows this hillside well; he knows where the wild peach trees are, and he can find them quickly now. He hung them all in bags. He'll come back tomorrow morning to collect them. The peaches harvested from these hillsides taste the best, even better than those from the orchard. These wild peaches are all native to the area, so their flavor is naturally pure.

They counted and had filled about twenty bags, which should be enough for food. They called to Jingang to head down the mountain. On a downhill section, Zhang Niu saw a dry pond, its banks overgrown with weeds.

Seeing the pond and thinking about autumn, Zhang Niu's eyes lit up. "I've got it! I'd completely forgotten about this stuff. Luckily I came up here today to collect peach sap, or I really would have forgotten. It's only at this time of year that it's relatively easy to get the tools."

I cut down a small tree about the size of a trunk. I whittled it into a stick about a meter long and headed straight for the pond. I remember someone used to keep fish in this pond, but it was abandoned afterward. I only have a vague childhood memory of it.

Walking along the pond, Zhang Niu used a stick to clear away the weeds and dried water hyacinths along the banks. When he parted a clump of grass, he saw a half-hidden earthen hole. Zhang Niu knew he had found something. He just didn't know if there was anything inside.

Don't think he was looking for rats. Rats rarely live near ponds; their natural predators prefer damp places, and ponds are perfect for them. Actually, Zhang Niu was digging for bullfrogs, a type of frog even more delicious than regular frogs. Although it's only early autumn, he was lucky enough to find a few.

He stuck the stick into the burrow, using it to clearly see if anything was inside; usually, these burrows weren't deep. He could reach the bottom and gently stir it. There was no reaction, and he didn't encounter anything alive, so it was just an empty burrow. He pulled out the stick and continued rummaging through the grass. "King Kong," however, was very interested and lowered his head to dig at the burrow with his fangs.

I found another small burrow near a rock. This time, I reached in, but before I even reached the bottom, I bumped into something. It felt like there was a door. I figured there was probably a bullfrog inside. I placed a rock under the stick and pried it open. The burrow wasn't deep; a gentle pry broke it open. It was easy to see a bullfrog, bigger than a frog itself, sitting there dumbfounded at the bottom.

At this point, the calf had no idea that its burrow had been disturbed. It was still hibernating there, and it was quite large when you grabbed it. It probably weighed three or four ounces. It would be a feast that night. The remaining rubber bands were used to tie its hind legs and twist them in your hands so it wouldn't run away. Don't underestimate its weight; it would cost more than ten yuan at a restaurant.

A good start. While circling the pond, they found two more bullfrogs, both about the same size. While searching the last burrow, they also unearthed a black and white venomous snake. The hibernating snake, awakened, lunged at Zhang Niu. Before Zhang Niu could react, "King Kong" had already sprung out. With a crushing blow, the black and white snake, which had just been hissing, was now pinned under Zhang Niu's hooves, unable to move. Desperate, the snake turned sharply and bit King Kong, intending to kill him with its venom.

When Zhang Niu came to his senses, he struck the snake's head, its seven-inch mark, with his wooden stick. He smashed it to pieces. Seeing that the eight-headed snake was already dead, he was a little worried that "King Kong" might have been poisoned. But upon closer inspection, he realized the venomous snake hadn't even pierced "King Kong's" skin. That skin was unusually thick.

The thing people are most afraid of when digging for bullfrogs is this. If you don't encounter it, it's fine. But if you do, you're really unlucky. Hibernating snakes are the most ferocious when they're woken up.

He was carrying three calves. He just threw the snake into the grass. He didn't even take the snake's gall bladder. He almost lost his life. Who would care about the snake's gall bladder?

At night, they skinned and deep-fried the bullfrogs. Heads, feet, and skin were removed, leaving only the two thighs; the white, glistening meat made Zhang Niu's mouth water. Three bullfrogs yielded only a small half-bowl of food.

My younger sister liked it; she grabbed two calves herself. One bite revealed a crisp texture without being greasy.

It's past midnight. The MES express contract I sent three days ago still hasn't arrived, which is really frustrating. I'm asking for recommendations and favorites tonight. I have so few favorites, I hope everyone will give me more!