Chapter 281: Wild Duck Vermicelli Soup

That evening, the Yan Family had wild duck for dinner.

Yan Lao’er: …

“Where did the duck come from?” He regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth.

Who else could it be but Maomao?

Wild ducks in the reed marshes weren’t easy to catch, but for Maomao, it was as simple as deciding to go—whenever she wanted, she brought one back. Just like that.

Granny Rong made wild duck vermicelli soup.

Even a dish this tricky? She pulled it off like it was nothing.

Unbelievable.

Yan lao’er had only one thought: respect!

The vermicelli was homemade.

Not from potatoes or sweet potatoes, but from rice.

To be precise, she made rice sheets and sliced them into uniform, thin strips.

Rice sheets cook faster than regular vermicelli and aren’t as resilient when boiled, so timing was everything.

And that just happened to be Granny Rong’s specialty.

She made a generous batch. Besides the wild duck soup, Granny Rong also tossed some of the fresh, tender wild greens with homemade wheat gluten, added vinegar, and sprinkled chopped cilantro and minced garlic on top…

Yes, you read that right.

Granny Rong had unlocked wheat gluten too!

*Slurp!*

Yan Yu’s eyes were glued to the darkened rice noodles, her mouth watering.

The final touch.

Enter the Cornelian Cherry, stepping in for chili peppers.

No one knew how many Cornelian Cherries Granny Rong had collected, but she’d ground them into a fine powder. Now, all the Yan Family’s spicy dishes relied on it. It had a unique flavor, different from chili, with a gentle heat that even those who couldn’t handle spice could enjoy.

The rice noodles, now mixed with the cherry powder, were finally placed in front of Yan Yu.

As usual, she started with the wheat gluten.

Springy and chewy!

Perfect!

She slurped up a wide strip of noodle.

The slight bitterness of the wild greens was completely masked by the garlic, and the tang of vinegar made her mouth water and her appetite bloom.

The cilantro added the perfect finishing touch, elevating the freshness of the dish.

The subtle heat of the Cornelian Cherry was like a ghost—barely there, yet everywhere.

Yan Yu polished off her half-portion and still wanted more.

But she knew Granny Rong wouldn’t give her seconds. She had to save room in her little belly for the main course.

Anything with broth that passed through Granny Rong’s hands always came out just right.

Wild duck and old duck—they had to be two completely different creatures.

The meat was tender yet firm, the broth rich and flavorful. The rice noodles, soft but with just the right bite, slid down her throat like they were on a slide…

Yan Yu scooped up another bowl of rice to finish off the meal.

Battle complete!

She found Maomao perched on a small stool in the kitchen.

With some effort, she crouched down and tucked her hands into her sleeves just like Maomao.

One girl, one cat—big eyes staring into little ones.

“Why are you staring at it?” Yan lao’er rubbed his belly. Thankfully, all their clothes were loose these days, so no one could see him clutching his stomach like a hungry ghost.

“I’m wondering if I should take it to the market tomorrow.”

What Yan Yu was really thinking about was whether Maomao should try something more challenging.

Like catching a live wild duck.

On second thought, maybe not. Wild ducks were way too noisy…

“Take it. No one’s staying home tomorrow, we’re all going.”

Yan lao’er took the chance to announce what he planned to sell at the Grand Market.

“I thought it over. The best-selling stuff at the market is always food. We’ve got more river fish than we know what to do with, so tomorrow we’ll make two dishes—grilled fish and braised fish.”

Big fish for braising, small ones for grilling over charcoal. And they could showcase their homemade charcoal at the same time. Perfect!

“A few of the village women asked me to check with you,” Li Xuemei chimed in. “They want to steam buns at the market. Is that okay?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t it be?” Yan lao’er agreed without hesitation.

Li Xuemei nodded. “I’ll go tell them in a bit.”

They still had some flour left from the last bun-making session stored at her place.

This would be the perfect chance to use it up.

“I’ll take a walk outside, see how many families are planning to sell food.” If there were enough people, they could group together. Not only would they have each other’s backs, it might help draw more business too.

Yan Yu’s eyes lit up. Without a word, she followed her father.

Yan lao’er was used to it by now. After making the rounds and confirming that everyone wanted to set up together, he turned around—and his daughter had vanished.

Yan Yu was off gathering the core members of the Young Scouts for a meeting.

“Tomorrow’s the Grand Market. We can’t just sit around doing nothing.” That was how Yan Yu really felt.

They could shop, sure, but they couldn’t miss the chance to earn some money and trade for things they needed.

She shared everything she’d overheard while tagging along with her dad.

The village grandpas were planning to sell woven baskets, sieves, straw mats—just a few items, mostly to join in the fun.

The aunties were going to steam buns.

Her mom and Aunt Qi Da had even rushed to sew a few backpacks to take along.

Some of the uncles had overlapping fish catches with her family, but the difference was that her dad planned to cook the fish before selling.

The Song Family’s eldest son-in-law was going to make candied hawthorn skewers. He’d picked a bunch of fruit in the mountains and bought sugar in town.

One perk of living near the river was that they didn’t just have fish—they had plenty of hopping, croaking frogs too.

As for wild pheasants, rabbits, and snakes—those were a given.

Someone even got lucky and caught a roe deer.

Someone else found wild sunflowers and planned to roast the seeds to bring along…

The villagers were incredibly enthusiastic, eager to take part in the Grand Market.

Or to put it another way, they were hoping to gain recognition from the neighboring villages and become part of the Guanzhou community.

Er Tie looked utterly defeated.

“Everyone’s already doing all the good stuff. What’s left for us?”

San Tie stayed silent, frowning in deep thought.

Da Gouzi and Xiao Gouzi stared at Yan Yu with hopeful eyes.

Only Liang Fengnian was still working through problems.

Yan Yu had given him and Big Brother a few practice questions, and he was doing them over and over again, completely absorbed.

Yan Yu couldn’t bear to watch any longer and handed him a fresh batch of practice problems.

“Go do your drills!”

“We’ve got to be different from everyone else,” Yan Yu said. “So let’s think—what do we have that others don’t?”

“Cement bricks,” Xiao Gouzi offered. Forgive him—his mind could only stretch as far as what was right in front of him.

“That won’t work for now,” Yan Yu rejected the idea. “We don’t even have enough for ourselves. If someone really takes a liking to them and wants to buy, we wouldn’t have enough to sell.”

“It’s a shame we don’t have enough eggs in the village. If we bought them from town, the cost would be too high. No profit in it,” Yan Yu mused. What she had in mind were marinated eggs and tea eggs—rich, fragrant, and mouthwatering. Just the smell alone could reel people in.

“Eggs? What about duck eggs?” San Tie asked.

Yan Yu shook her head.

“Then… bird eggs? Like quail eggs… though they’re kinda small. Never mind,” Er Tie scratched his head.

They still remembered when Yan Lao’er had roasted some for them once. The taste left such an impression that they’d occasionally wander into the woods looking for those low-flying birds.

To roast and eat.

“Quail eggs?” Yan Yu’s eyes lit up. “Now that could work!”

…

The next morning.

The Yan family’s one and only rooster—also the only rooster in the entire village—started crowing before dawn.

It was as if he knew he was the last of his kind in Xiao’an Village.

He crowed with all his might, like his life depended on it!

Granny Rong arrived right on schedule, as she did every day. Her first stop was always the backyard.

The moment the rooster saw her, his crowing came to an abrupt halt, like the air had suddenly strangled his throat.

The people of Xiao’an Village had slowly gotten used to it.

That was just how the Yan family’s rooster crowed.

Sharp, clean, and to the point. None of that endless squawking like other chickens.

Granny Rong had a strict feeding order.

Pigs first, then goats… and finally, the chickens.

Brooding hens came first, followed by the ones laying eggs.

And then, dead last, the rooster—who lived like an afterthought.

(End of Chapter)