sbdcsierra Chapter 7 The First Pot of Gold
Chapter 7 The First Pot of Gold
Back in the village, the siblings gave Su Yuning a bag of flour and a piece of meat. They were about to start hunting again, and Zhou Xi invited Su Yuning to go hunting, but she surprisingly refused his offer.
"Going hunting can yield game and improve the family's meals, so why not go?" Zhou Xi asked, puzzled.
Su Yuning replied, "I miss my parents. I want to go home and see them."
"Alright, see you later!" Zhou Xi said, then left without looking back.
"We're leaving now, goodbye!" Zhou Dong said politely.
"Okay, go ahead!" Su Yuning smiled and waved goodbye to him.
When she got home, only Old Su was lying there. Su Yuning put down the flour and meat and asked, "Father, why don't I see Mother? Where did she go?"
Old Su responded sullenly, "My daughter only cares about her mother and doesn't care about her father at all. I'm not happy."
Su Yuning smiled and replied softly, "Alright, don't be jealous. Father, you and Mother are equally important. I just didn't see her when I came back, so I asked you about her."
Old Su smiled with relief and replied with a smile, "Your mother went to the back mountain to dig for wild vegetables. She said that many people are hoarding wild vegetables recently, and if you go too late, they will be gone."
"Summer is the season when plants are lush and green, so why hoard wild vegetables?" Su Yuning was very puzzled.
"Summer will be over soon and autumn will come, then all kinds of wild vegetables will wither, and there won't be any to eat in winter. So now is a good time to stock up on wild vegetables," Old Su explained earnestly.
"Oh, okay, then I'll go help Mom dig for wild vegetables!" Su Yuning replied.
Old Su nodded with satisfaction, "My daughter is so sensible, come back soon!"
"I understand, Father!" Su Yuning replied, then slung her bamboo basket over her shoulder and headed to the back of the mountain.
In the sweltering summer, the sun beats down like flames on the earth, and the air is thick with heat. In this unbearably hot season, only the incessant, clear, and melodious chirping of cicadas brings a touch of comfort and coolness.
Listen! The chirping of cicadas is like a symphony played by nature, sometimes high-pitched and passionate, sometimes melodious and gentle. They seem to be telling the story of summer in their unique language, immersing the whole world in a joyful and vibrant atmosphere. In this hot summer, the chirping of cicadas has become a beautiful sight and an unforgettable memory for many.
Su Yuning and her mother were digging for wild vegetables when she casually asked,
"Mother, there are so many cicadas, why isn't anyone catching them?"
The woman replied casually, "What's so good about this cicada? It chirps so noisily every day that people try to avoid it. Who would bother it?"
Su Yuning chuckled, "Actually, cicadas are also a delicacy. You can deep-fry them, then chop them up and stir-fry them with chili peppers. They're incredibly delicious!"
The woman frowned, looking utterly bewildered, and asked, "Where did you hear about this bizarre delicacy? Can you really eat this cicada?"
Su Yuning nodded, patted her broad and strong shoulders forcefully, her eyes unwavering, as if trying to convey her conviction to the other person through her gaze. Then, in a resolute and unquestionable tone, she answered with absolute certainty: "Of course, it's absolutely true! People in the city eat it this way, and you can find this kind of food on the streets."
As she finished speaking, she exuded a powerful confidence and determination, which filled people with trust and anticipation for her.
The woman smiled and asked her, "Can you catch some cicadas?"
Su Yuning readily nodded, "Of course!"
Afterwards, Su Yuning quickly ran home to prepare, starting by kneading the gluten.
Knead the dough in water continuously until the water becomes cloudy, then change to clean water. Once the water is no longer cloudy, the gluten is ready.
Old Su sat up in bed curiously, then craned his neck to examine the gluten she had made, and asked in confusion,
"Girl, what are you doing?"
Su Yuning replied, "This is used to catch cicadas; it's called gluten."
Old Su laughed, "You're a grown woman now, why are you catching those? Are you playing house like a child? Cicadas aren't food or drink."
Su Yuning replied affirmatively, "Cicadas are really edible. I'll cook you some delicious food later; I'm sure you'll love it."
Old Su felt it was a bit unreliable and waved his hands repeatedly in refusal, saying, "Never mind, you can have it."
Once you reach the woods, the place where you hear a cacophony of cicadas is the perfect spot to catch them. Su Yuning pinched a small piece of gluten onto the top of a bamboo pole, straightened it, and quietly extended it towards the cicada's wings. The woman beside her carefully reminded her not to touch any branches or leaves, as that would startle the cicada and make it fly away. Su Yuning nodded in agreement.
When the gluten was about to touch the cicada's wings, Su Yuning quickly pushed the bamboo pole forward, making the gluten stick to the cicada's wings. Then she rotated the bamboo pole to make the gluten stick even more firmly. At this point, the cicada would struggle desperately. Su Yuning ignored it, quickly pulled the pole back, and took the cicada off and put it in a cloth bag.
Before long, Su Yuning had collected half a bag of cicadas. The woman asked, puzzled,
"These cicadas look a bit ugly. Are they really edible? What do they taste like?"
Su Yuning, holding the cicada, explained with a smile,
"These yellow cicadas are freshly molted and taste great, so stick these first when you come across them. The black ones are good too, but they're a bit older. With practice, you can stick quite a few a day. Try them when you get home and you'll see how they taste."
Seeing that the mother and daughter had given up digging for wild vegetables and instead started catching cicadas, the villagers who were digging for wild vegetables around them were all surprised and gathered around to watch the spectacle.
"Can we eat this cicada?" the village chief's son asked.
Su Yuning nodded in response, "Of course!"
"Then I want to catch one too!" the child exclaimed excitedly.
Su Yuning told him, "If you catch too many sisters, we can recycle them and pay you back later."
The child was overjoyed, "Really? How much is the pay?"
"One copper coin for each cicada that sings; the more you work, the more you earn, with no upper limit!" Su Yuning said confidently.
"Can we catch cicadas and sell them to you?" the village beggar woman asked, pulling the beggar along with her.
Su Yuning not only didn't look down on them, but also nodded in affirmation.
"You'll definitely get paid, but... I need to sell the cicadas I've collected before I can pay you. If you think this business is worth doing, then come on over!"
"Great! Great!" The villagers danced with excitement, then went home to prepare tools to catch cicadas.
As everyone dispersed, the woman whispered a reminder, "Girl, do you think this business will work? If it won't, you should cooperate with everyone else, right? Just give up now."
With a firm gaze and full of confidence, Su Yuning replied, "Mother, please rest assured, your daughter will not be wrong. Though the road is long, we will reach our destination; though the task is difficult, we will surely succeed!"
By evening, Su Yuning had collected several hundred cicadas, and she gave everyone a new task: to catch cicada nymphs.
"Good evening, folks! Cicada nymphs come out at night. You can catch them by pouring water on them, digging with shovels, or using lanterns to light up the trees. One cicada nymph is worth one copper coin, just like always. The more you work, the more you earn, the more the better!"
"Okay!" everyone agreed, then went their separate ways to prepare, and then happily started catching cicada nymphs.
Su Yuning didn't get home until late at night. She and her parents counted the cicada nymphs and found 350 cicada nymphs and 230 cicadas. Worried that the cicada nymphs would turn into cicadas in the middle of the night, Su Yuning soaked them in water. As for the cicadas, she kept them in a cloth bag. However, their chirping was so noisy that the elderly couple didn't sleep all night, and only the exhausted Su Yuning slept in the yard.
The next day, Su Yuning took a basket of ingredients to the city early in the morning. She went from restaurant to restaurant to sell them and finally sold out all the ingredients.
As she was about to leave the hotel, the hotel's young master returned. The two exchanged only one glance, and the young master fell in love with her at first sight.
"Please wait, young lady!" the young master said in a voice as clear, melodious, and captivating as heavenly music.
Su Yuning turned around and smiled, "What is it?"
"Let's be friends. My surname is Zhao, and my given name is Shouyi. May I ask your name, young lady?" the young man asked in a friendly manner.
"Su Yuning, I'm here to deliver ingredients to the restaurant. What do you do, young master?" Su Yuning asked gently.
The young master smiled and replied, "This is my shop. In the future, if you have any ingredients, whether they are delicacies from the mountains or game, you can send them over."
Su Yuning was overjoyed and clapped her hands in approval, "That's wonderful! Thank you, young master!"
Su Yuning didn't spend her first pot of gold. She immediately returned to the village and distributed wages to the villagers. The villagers were overjoyed to receive their wages and said they would continue to deliver goods to Su Yuning. Su Yuning readily agreed.