Chapter 64: The reborn of paranoid boss cannon fodder wife
Chapter 64: Failed Attempt to Steal Chickens Results in Lost Rice
Bai Lu casually glanced around, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Sautéed snails! Sautéed snails! Sautéed snails!"
Delicious things must be said three times!
"Sautéed snails?" Xiao Wei expressed a puzzled frown at the name of this small creature, finding it not very appealing.
"It's called river snail, also known as snail or snail worm. For the pointed-tailed ones in the river, they can also be called stone snails. Sautéed snails is an exceptionally delicious cooking method."
Bai Lu's eyes sparkled as she stared at the little creatures in the river. She even neglected the remaining garlic sprouts, fearing that any movement might create ripples, disturbing the mud at the bottom of the river and hiding the small creatures. However, she could still feel them using her hands.
Nevertheless, she could use the touch method.
The water in the small river came from the mountains, clear and transparent, with very little mud. The riverbed was mostly covered with small stones, and the snails crawled on the edges of the small stones or the muddy bed near the river.
The water wasn't very deep; reaching down with her hand, she could touch them, but she needed to roll up her sleeves to avoid getting her clothes wet.
"What are you doing?" Xiao Wei looked at Bai Lu, who was rolling up her thick cotton sleeves, and couldn't help but frown.
"Picking snails!" Bai Lu rolled up her sleeves while explaining with enthusiasm, "Xiao Wei, let me tell you, these snails are exceptionally delicious, incredibly delicious, unbelievably delicious!"
"How delicious can they be?" Xiao Wei's tone was flat, without a hint of curiosity.
What kind of snails were these? He hadn't seen them in the small town, and he hadn't tasted them, so he had no sensory experience.
Just by looking at the shells, he could tell they were probably very hard. Taking a bite would probably make his teeth crack.
Definitely not delicious.
"Absolutely delicious beyond your imagination!"
Bai Lu reached towards the riverbank, picked up a handful of snails, and explained with a smile, "We eat the meat inside the snail; we don't eat the outer shell. Before sautéing, you cut the tail of the snail, and when you eat, you slurp the snail meat out."
"So many snails! How come I didn't notice them just now..." Bai Lu sighed while feeling the riverbed, her eyes fixed on the bottom of the river. "Oh, there are big stones blocking here, almost let these delicious little things slip away."
"Xiao Wei, let me tell you, sautéed snails are really super delicious. Add some chili, garlic, ginger when sautéing... before serving, add a bit of mint, a dash of soy sauce for freshness. Spicy and juicy sautéed snails, simply a delicacy!"
As soon as Xiao Wei heard about chili, his mouth involuntarily twitched, and he stopped hearing anything else.
All he could think of was the sizzling sound of spiciness.
Thinking about the task his older brother assigned him, he decisively rolled up his sleeves and took over Bai Lu snail-catching job.
His older brother liked the chili sautéed by Bai Lu. Maybe these snails would also be to his liking.
"I'll do the picking."
Bai Lu made way for Xiao Wei and continued feeling the other side of the river. "Your hands can't reach the riverbed, pick from the side; there are also many snails crawling there. I'll feel the riverbed."
A small and a big figure, squatting by the river, hands reaching down, and each time they pulled up, there were many small creatures.
A figure approached quietly.
A blurry black shadow reflected on the water surface.
Bai Lu squinted, seized a certain moment, and quickly dodged to the side.
"Plop!"
A huge splash of water sprayed up from the river.
Xiao Wei subconsciously looked to the side, saw Bai Lu unharmed, and then slowly looked towards the river.
After the water splashed, the fat figure floundered in the water, two chubby hands came out, randomly slapping the water surface. A wet, large black head emerged, the flower-patterned gown soaked up water, expanding like a round ball. Two eyes, initially startled and now fierce, glared straight at Bai Lu.
"Bai Lu!"
The fat figure couldn't control the shivering, trembling all over. Lips turned purple from the cold.
Bai Lu's lips slightly curled. "If you can't buy chestnuts, resorting to schemes won't help. Just stay there quietly."
After saying that, she gestured to Xiao Wei to walk upstream.
"The water quality here has been polluted, and the snails can't stand it and commit suicide."
"We'll go upstream to pick."
Xiao Wei, carrying a small basket filled with snails, walked towards Bai Lu. Passing by a pile of garlic sprouts, he accidentally kicked it, causing a sharp scolding sound from the river.
"Are you blind? Didn't you see someone in the river?!"
"Oh my God! Who fell into the river?"
Li Shuixian's voice, overshadowed by the shocked voices of the aunts carrying vegetable hearts, rose again in confusion.
"Li Shuixian? Weren't you supposed to go up the mountain to worship the ancestors?"
"The river water is so cold, why did you go down the river?"
"Bai Lu was just washing garlic sprouts here, why did she suddenly go up, and Xiao Wei went too? They even rolled up their sleeves to catch snails in the river, catching stone snails?"
The aunts suddenly felt that they had discovered the truth, turned their heads and asked Li Shuixian in the river, "Are you catching stone snails too?"
The surprise attack failed, and Li Shuixian was caught off guard. She had to wear a forced smile, cooperating with this heaven-sent good excuse: "Yeah, I saw Bai Lu and Xiao Wei picking snails. I remembered that my husband Zhihai brought back some stone snails when he went to the countryside last Tomb Sweeping Festival to worship our ancestors. The taste was quite good, so I thought of picking some this year. Who knew that I squatted too close to the river, lost my balance, and accidentally fell into the water."
"Since I was already in the water and my clothes were wet, I thought I might as well pick some stone snails before coming ashore."
The aunts looked at Li Shuixian's trembling body, her lips turning purple from the cold, and nodded in understanding.
"It makes sense. Since you're already in the water and your clothes are soaked, you might as well pick some stone snails and come ashore. Do you want a small basket to hold the snails? I'll throw one down for you."
The kind aunts threw a basket down, landing vertically in front of Li Shuixian.
Splashing a burst of water, it wet her face.
Li Shuixian, holding a basket filled with vegetable hearts, looked at the other aunts, and they exchanged glances, silently laughing.
They weren't fools. The river water was so cold; only a fool would jump into the river wearing clothes to pick stone snails.
Li Shuixian probably failed in stealing chickens and ended up losing rice.
If it weren't for their early return, they wouldn't have figured it out. Li Shuixian's hostility towards Bai Lu was so intense.
Li Hongying was glad she didn't collaborate with Li Shuixian. If she had offended her, she wouldn't know how she would end up.
"Since you're already in the water, you must have picked quite a few stone snails. We won't help you pick them. Bai Lu's foot is twisted, and Xiao Wei is too young to go into the water. They won't pick many stone snails. We'll go help them pick some."
The aunts also politely said, "The vegetables are all washed; we can carry them back ourselves. You don't need to help. After picking the stone snails, just go back."
"Yes, yes! The river water is so cold; it's not good to catch a cold after soaking for too long."
The sisters-in-law of the Xiao family kindly admonished.
Li Shuixian stood in the water, trying to control her shivering, maintaining a smile while responding, "It's okay; I'm in good health and won't catch a cold. After picking the stone snails, I'll go ashore. If you want to help Bai Lu pick stone snails, you should go quickly."
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