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The summer sun blazed like a furnace, scorching the earth and making the air feel hot and stuffy, causing anyone who moved to break into a sweat. Surprisingly, Yezhi, who had always been the least tolerant of heat, had become the one in the household most unfazed by it. After all, she had spent 27 years living in the renowned Three Major Ovens of the Celestial Empire. The heat in the Northeast felt trivial to her.
Every day, she would prepare a bucket of Hawthorn Water and a bucket of Fruit Honey Green Tea to chill in the well. Passersby and neighbors loved to stop by for a bowl. The tea leaves she had bought but rarely touched became popular among the villagers due to the trend of Fruit Honey Green Tea, leading them to appreciate this refined beverage.
Meanwhile, Madwoman turned out to be quite skilled at brewing tea. Her graceful movements and focused expression made it seem as if this tea was something only found in heaven, rarely experienced by mortals!
As she sipped the steaming tea handed to her by Madwoman, the sweat poured down her face, but her summer fatigue dissipated instantly. Carefully opening an envelope, a piece of red paper caught her eye.
...
Xiao Cheng stood before the horse rack, gazing into the distance. “Little Xiao, I’m heading back to the county tomorrow. When are you leaving?”
Xiao Cheng did not respond immediately; he was still immersed in the beautiful scenery. The lush green rice fields stretched to the horizon. Although he couldn’t see the playful ducks or small fish frolicking in the water, the moving picture was vivid before him. “I’ll leave after spraying the Pesticide!” The reason Director Yu was eager to return to the county was for mixing Pesticide for Zhoujiatun.
The effectiveness of Pesticide was highly touted, and Xiao Cheng had always been curious about its miraculous effects.
Sweating profusely, Zhou Village Head carried two buckets of chilled Hawthorn Water, calling out, “Everyone, come up and have a drink!” Men pulling weeds and catching insects in the fields emerged in groups.
“Village Uncle, why is it again this sour Hawthorn Water? The more I drink, the hungrier I get!” Wednesday shouted disdainfully.
Zhou Village Head shot him an annoyed glare. “If you don’t like it, then don’t drink it! It’s a waste for you to gulp it down!”
Wednesday snatched a bowl and laughed, “Just kidding! How could I not drink it? This is Leaf Sister’s goodwill!”
Helping to pass out water, Director Yu and Xiao Cheng laughed heartily. In truth, not all of the Hawthorn was ripe yet; what everyone was drinking was mostly from Leaf's family and dried goods from the village head's home. Speaking of this Hawthorn Water, Director Yu felt nostalgic. Their group from the Agricultural Bureau, consisting of eight people, had settled right into the rice fields upon arrival, sharing meals and living with villagers while working alongside them. Initially fine, gradually his colleagues began to struggle; they couldn’t eat properly. Upon learning this, Yezhi made some Hawthorn Water to help everyone with their appetite. After drinking it for two days, they felt much better; now they couldn’t go a day without a bowl or they would feel uncomfortable.
After finishing their Hawthorn Water, Director Yu and Xiao Cheng climbed onto the cart driven by Uncle Zhou back to their settlement.
When Big Yellow saw strangers, it barked incessantly. Only after Xiao Cheng patted its head did it quiet down.
Luo Fengjuan put down her scissors and came out: “Who is it?”
“Where is Yezhi?”
"Hey~ Director Yu, it's you! Come in!"
Luo Fengjuan poured honey green tea for the two of them. "Yezi and the others are in the back on the hillside. You two sit down; they will be back soon!"
Director Yu looked at Luo Fengjuan, whose complexion was rosy and expression joyful, and couldn't help but sigh: Yezi's family is well taken care of.
"Xiao Luo, you and your husband are living well in Zhoujiatun, huh? Not planning to go back to the city?" Luo Fengjuan was slightly taken aback. Go back to the city? If Director Yu hadn't asked, she would have almost forgotten that her family came from the city and weren't locals here.
"We're not going back. If Village Uncle agrees, we'll move our household registration here!" Luo Fengjuan said decisively, and then she beamed with joy, as if making such a significant life decision was no big deal at all.
Director Yu and Xiao Cheng exchanged surprised glances, and after the surprise, they felt it was only natural. "Hehe~ That sounds good!"
"What sounds good?" Yezhi entered first, holding a duck in her left hand and a fish in her right. Following her were little Fan, whose face was sunburned red, Wolf Child, squeezing through the door, Aunt Zhou carrying a basket of wild vegetables, Elder Brother Yu with a water bucket and farming tools, and Black Treasure supporting a slightly sunburned Niu Niu, all coming in one after another.
"You Sister Luo said you want to move your household registration here to become a resident of Zhoujiatun!" As soon as Director Yu finished speaking, Yezhi excitedly shouted, "Great! I'm going to tell Village Uncle right now."
Little Fan caught the duck that slipped from her hands and said in a childish voice, "Sister Yezi, I'm still waiting to eat roast duck!"
Last week, Duck House processed 80 male ducks, and Yezhi bought 7 of them all at once. She prepared duck dishes every day without missing any cooking method—steaming, frying, pan-frying, braising, or roasting.
The pure green ducks raised in the rice fields had tender meat that wasn't tough or old, with no trace of duck smell—just pure duck flavor.
The roast duck skin roasted with peach wood and fruit shells was crispy with tender meat, rich and aromatic. The duck belly held surprises inside. The whole family enjoyed it immensely; since then, little Fan had been thinking about eating roast duck every day.
Director Yu said greedily, "Roast duck! I had it once in Beijing ten years ago. Xiao Xiao, looks like we’re in for a treat today!"
Having gotten used to eating at Yezi's house, Xiao Cheng nodded with a smile. "Yezi, we're just waiting for you to show off your skills."
"Hehe~ It's nothing! I'll go talk to Village Uncle about little Fan's family situation and come back right away to cook."
Elder Brother Yu amusingly stopped Yezi from rushing out. "Don't hurry! We'll handle this ourselves!" Although they hadn't considered settling down before, now that they thought about it, it seemed only natural. In fact, their family had long been unable to part from this mountain, this water, and these people.
Overly enthusiastic Yezhi realized this and chuckled awkwardly before escaping into the kitchen. Little Fan followed her closely while hugging the duck.
Director Yu asked with some confusion, "Why does that duck look unusual to me?" Xiao Cheng also felt that the black-feathered crown, red beak, and white body of the duck did not resemble a domestic duck; it looked more like a wild duck.
Aunt Zhou smiled and explained, "That is a wild duck caught by the kids in the wetland!"
The men were chatting inside the house while Wolf Child, holding Niu Niu and accompanied by Black Treasure, sneaked into the backyard to whisper to Big Wolf.
With the joint efforts of Yezhi, Luo Fengjuan, and Aunt Zhou, dishes such as chopped chili fish head, sweet and sour fish slices, mixed vegetables, smashed cucumbers, pancakes, and the much-anticipated roast duck were served. The roast duck's bright red color and the creamy mushrooms in its belly made everyone's mouths water.
"Uncle is eating! Uncle Xiao is eating! Mama Zhou is eating..." After Xiao Fan called everyone one by one, everyone simultaneously reached for the roast duck.
Watching everyone's reactions, Yezi noticed their expressions change as they picked up a piece of duck meat and put it in their mouths. "Yuck! Why is this so fishy!" Recalling the steps taken, she felt it was no different from last time. She called Xiao Fang to remember, "Master, is there something wrong with this duck? Last time I wanted to catch it in the wetland to sell; you said I could catch it anytime and told me not to rush."
It seemed that not all wild things were good; in Yezhi's eyes, something inedible was almost worthless. It wasn't until eight years later that she realized this terrible-tasting thing was actually the critically endangered Chinese Spot-billed Duck.
Although the duck was unpalatable, the other dishes were quite delicious. After finishing the meal, Yezhi pried into Director Yu's reason for rushing back to town. When she heard it was to get them pesticide, her heart secretly raced as someone who had been through it before.
"Yezi, pesticide is a good thing! Using it can not only prevent pests and diseases but also guarantee yield..." Director Yu praised pesticide as if it were a flower. Xiao Cheng also boasted about what he had heard.
The more Yezhi listened, the more she shook her head. "Uncle Yu, we don't need pesticide in our village; you should take it to places that need it more!"
Director Yu laughed heartily. "Yezi, I know the people of Zhoujiatun are enlightened, but this time we won't be modest. I will definitely bring a batch over; Zhoujiatun is where it can shine." She didn't care much for what seemed like a wonderful pesticide. Pesticide could not withstand the test of time and could harm the environment and human health. While she couldn't stop the promotion and popularization of pesticide—this was an inevitable trend—Zhoujiatun had to be an exception! Despite her best efforts to persuade Director Yu otherwise, she only sparked everyone's interest in the miraculous "pesticide."
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