Liang Shuyan tucked the five coins handed to her by the third daughter-in-law of the Ge family into her bosom, patted her bulging chest, and said, "It's not that I'm being mean to you, it's just that you have too much money and are burning it out. What can I do?"
A chorus of exclamations of admiration rose from the crowd.
"That old woman from the mountains is really skilled. She made five coins for free in no time. Why can't I have such good luck?"
Aunt Liu retorted sarcastically, "You? Even if I gave you a chance, you wouldn't have the same ability as Aunt Dashan!"
Liang Shuyan took a step and walked towards the donkey cart. Suddenly, something hit her face with a thud. She slapped herself in the face, opened her hand, and opened her mouth in surprise.
"Great stuff! It's you! If I remember correctly, this is the second time I've seen you. I was just thinking about what to eat, and you've delivered yourself to my door so quickly!"
Seeing her mother-in-law speaking, Zhang quickly walked over and said softly, "Mother, who are you talking to? Are you hungry?"
Liang Shuyan stretched out her hand and looked it in front of Zhang's eyes. Zhang was so frightened that she trembled all over and collapsed to the ground.
"Mother, it's...it's locusts!"
Liang Shuyan pouted and said, "Look at you, so pathetic. You're scared like this by a locust. Go quickly, call the second son's family, get a net ready, and come with me to catch locusts!"
"Mother, what are you doing catching these things? Erniu picked some wild vegetables this morning. If you're hungry, I'll cook some wild vegetable porridge for you."
"Locusts are such a delicious thing, how can they not be as good as that choking wild vegetable paste? Hurry up and go!"
Although Zhang was completely bewildered, she dared not disobey her mother-in-law. She turned around and called Liu over, holding a gauze net in her hand.
Liu cut the gauze net with scissors, sewed three nets with needle and thread, then found half a bamboo pole with rope, tied them together, and gave one to each of her two daughters-in-law!
With a powerful lunge, Liang Shuyan's plump body caught several locusts in her net, but her buttocks slammed hard against a rock. She clutched her bottom, enduring the pain without crying out.
"See? Just like Mom does, net all of these things, the more the better. Mom will cook something delicious for you later!"
Liu cried out in surprise, "Mother, have you lost your mind from hunger? How can you eat this?"
Zhang covered her mouth and squatted down to the side, starting to vomit.
Liang Shuyan didn't blame anyone. People in ancient times were terrified of locusts, but they didn't know that these things could actually be eaten. She shook her head and ignored Zhang Shi, continuing to catch locusts with her two daughters-in-law.
Aunt Liu saw this and covered her mouth, laughing out loud: "Hey, Auntie, are you starving? This stuff is still edible! Hurry up and think of a way to light a fire and drive these things away!"
Among the crowd, some people were curious about Liang Shuyan's behavior, and a group of children even followed behind her to watch the spectacle.
With the help of two daughters-in-law, they caught a basketful of locusts in no time. They were so densely packed that they seemed to stretch from a great distance, making anyone who saw them shudder.
Jin Dashan, along with Jin Erniu, Jin Sanwang, and Jin Niuniu, also joined the locust-catching team. The others thought they were just looking for trouble, but catching locusts was a good thing. Under Li Zheng's shouts, the idle people in the village also joined the locust-catching team one after another.
As the sun began to set and the locusts disappeared, Liang Shuyan, exhausted after a long day, rubbed her aching back and said, "Alright, it's about time. My back is killing me. Let's call it a day!"
Madam Liu shook her head and plopped down on a rock: "Mother, with so many locusts, what are you going to do with them? Will they really taste good?"
"You'll find out how to make it in a bit. If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it. All these locusts today are thanks to everyone's help. Get ready, Mom will invite the villagers to try some delicious locusts later!"
Upon hearing this, Jin Sanwang trembled slightly: "Mother, if you think it's edible, then we family can just close our eyes and swallow it without a problem. But please don't invite the villagers, lest they laugh at you, Mother. I'm starving!"
After resting for a while, Liang Shuyan instructed Zhang to take a bucket and wash all the locusts, then drain the water in a bamboo basket and set them aside.
"Second brother, go prepare firewood! Eldest brother, second brother, prepare an iron rack, Mom is going to cook you a delicious meal!"
After much effort, Dashan and Erniu finally managed to build a frame and put it on the fire. Their two daughters-in-law then brought over the cleaned locusts!
Sanwang prepared some bamboo skewers and was now threading the locust onto them as Liang Shuyan instructed. Niu Niu, with her short little legs, ran towards the third brother: "Third brother, Niu Niu is here to help you!"
Naturally, Liang Shuyan couldn't just sit idle. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she had to go to the system store to buy some spicy sauce and seasoning packets that didn't exist in ancient times. Otherwise, she really wouldn't be able to eat these locusts.
These locusts are incredibly nutritious. She knew a bit about them back in modern times, but to make them spicy, you need to add lots of chili peppers. In ancient times, people didn't eat chili peppers very often, but you could still find some wild chili peppers in the mountains. It's just that few people back then knew that these things were edible.
She poured oil into the pot, added the prepared scallions, ginger, and garlic, and sautéed them until fragrant. Then she added the sauce and stir-fried it for a while. She added the locusts and kept stirring until the locusts changed color. She then poured in the chopped wild chilies and the chili powder she got from the system and stir-fried them for a while.
Da Shan was tending the fire when some oil splattered onto his face. He wiped his face, licked it with his tongue, and exclaimed, "Mom, it's really delicious! What's this taste like? I've never tasted anything like it before!"
A rich fragrance wafted closer, and everyone turned to look at Liang Shuyan.
"How did you make this, Aunt Dashan? The aroma is so enticing, I could smell it from far away. If it weren't for the locusts, I might even want to take a bite!"
"Mmm, but this smells so good!"
Liang Shuyan brought out the spicy stir-fried locusts she had prepared, placed them on a plate, took one and put it in her mouth. It was crunchy and had a slightly spicy and oily aroma. She nodded.
Da Shan rubbed his hands together, pointed at the locusts on the plate, and said, "Mom, are they really that delicious? Can Da Shan try some?"
Jin Dashan carefully picked one up and put it in his mouth. He smacked it a couple of times, and the locust was gone. His eyes suddenly lit up: "Mmm, Mom, it's really delicious! I want more!"
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