"Ah! Sister Lili, are you sure this is the new dish you're going to teach me?"
Zhang Dahua felt a chill run down her spine as she watched the countless cicadas crawling around in the bucket.
Gu Lili picked at her ear, took a step back, and laughed, "I'm sure. Let's go to the kitchen. Chenxi, hurry up and start the fire."
That girl Da Hua has such a strong voice; that shout almost ruptured Gu Lili's eardrums.
Although Zhang Dahua found it hard to believe that this thing was edible, since Gu Lili had said so, she decided to take a look first.
Gu Chenxi nimbly entered the kitchen, lit the candles, and started a fire.
Gu Lili wasn't idle either; she grabbed a whole plate of cicadas, put them in a dish, and washed them clean.
Gu Lili finished washing up, and Gu Chenxi's anger had already flared up.
Gu Lili picked up the spatula and scooped the lard from the oil vat into the pot.
"Sister Lili, you need so much oil to stir-fry this stuff!" Zhang Dahua exclaimed in surprise.
She had never heard of this being edible before. With so much oil in it, it would be a waste if it were inedible.
Gu Lili smiled and said, "This stuff is meant to be fried in oil to make it fragrant. Watch carefully and see how long it needs to be fried. Tomorrow, take the rest to the restaurant and try selling it."
Once fried, simply sprinkle a thin layer of salt on top, and if you pair it with a sip of wine, it's truly delightful.
Zhang Dahua never expected that Gu Lili would actually take this thing to the restaurant.
never mind!
Let's wait until it's blown up before we talk about it!
As the oil temperature rose, Gu Lili put all the cicada pupae into the pot, and the oil in the pot started to sizzle and pop.
The cicada nymphs didn't struggle much in the pot, and then they became quiet again.
A fragrant aroma followed, filling the kitchen.
Zhang Dahua found it unbelievable that such an ugly thing could smell so good.
Seeing that the fire was almost done, Gu Lili called Gu Chenxi to turn off the heat.
She put all the fried cicadas into a plate and sprinkled them with salt.
"It's done, Da Hua, come and try it." Gu Lili placed the plate in front of Zhang Da Hua and said with a hopeful look on her face.
Zhang Dahua looked at the cicadas on the plate and swallowed hard.
This thing... I really don't know how to eat it.
Zhang Dahua forced a smile and said, "Sister Lili, I'd better ask Yun Chu to come and try it!"
Without waiting for Gu Lili's response, he ran to the kitchen door.
"Gu Yunchu, come and eat something delicious!" Zhang Dahua shouted loudly into the yard.
Since the day of their engagement, Zhang Dahua was no longer afraid of being pointed at and gossiped about, and she no longer avoided calling Gu Yun Chu by name.
Gu Lili couldn't help but chuckle. This girl, she's complaining now, but who knows when she'll start fighting with Gu Yun Chu over it.
As soon as the family heard there was something delicious to eat, they all crowded into the kitchen.
After they were seated, Gu Lili brought out the bowls, and everyone stared at her with wide eyes, chopsticks in hand.
"No way! Lili, you're really going to eat this?" Li Ershu said incredulously.
He had just caught a cicada and thought Gu Lili had just caught it for fun, so he went to wash up.
Unexpectedly, Gu Lili finished cooking in no time.
Gu Lili nodded and smiled, "Why would I make such a fuss if I didn't eat it! You guys should try it, it smells so good!"
As she spoke, Gu Lili pushed the plate towards everyone.
But everyone looked at each other, hesitant to pick up their chopsticks.
They knew Gu Lili would never harm them, but in their memory, they had never seen anyone eat this thing.
Seeing that no one dared to touch their chopsticks, Gu Lili was about to eat one to show them when she saw Chang'an pick up a cicada.
He put it in his mouth and chewed it under everyone's gaze.
Gu Lili asked expectantly, "How is it? Is it delicious?"
Just when everyone thought Chang'an was going to spit it out, he quickly picked up another one and stuffed it into his mouth.
"It's delicious!" Chang'an exclaimed.
This aroma is unlike any other meat aroma. With just one chew, the fragrance fills the entire nasal cavity, making it irresistible to keep eating.
In fact, Chang'an did just that.
While everyone was still skeptical, Chang'an had already squeezed the door four or five times.
Seeing that Chang'an didn't seem to be faking it, Li Ershu also picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and put it in his mouth.
"Mmm! It smells so good! You guys eat quickly, or Chang'an will finish it all!" the hunters exclaimed dramatically.
Seeing the two's reactions, everyone decided to give it a try.
Unexpectedly, once I started trying it, I couldn't stop.
Before long, the plate was almost empty.
Just as Gu Lili had guessed, the group started fighting over it like children.
"Uncle, I'm small! Let me eat!" Gu Yanyu muttered.
“Me too, me too, I’m small too. All four of us are small!” Li Qimu said, pointing at Gu Huanhuan and the others.
The group couldn't help but chuckle, put down their chopsticks, and gave the remaining cicada pupae to the four children.
Zhang Dahua laughed, "Sister Lili, I didn't expect this ugly thing to be so delicious! It'll be sold out at the restaurant tomorrow. I have a feeling these won't be enough. Let's go catch some more!"
While eating cicada pupae, the children told Zhang Dahua about the fun they had catching cicadas, which made her eager to try it herself.
“It’s too late now, and it’s not safe to go out. Why don’t you try selling them tomorrow? If they sell well, I’ll take you to catch them tomorrow night!” Gu Lili said.
After eating the cicadas, everyone dispersed because they had things to do the next day.
"Dahua, wait a minute, I have something to tell you." Gu Lili kept Zhang Dahua behind.
She was holding cicada nymphs just now. I don't know how to fry adult cicadas, Zhang Dahua. I need to explain it to her.
Gu Lili lifted the cloth covering the bucket and casually picked up a cicada with wings.
"Dahua, when frying these winged cicadas, you need to remove the wings, wash them clean, flatten them with a kitchen knife, and then fry them." Gu Lili pointed to the cicada in her hand and patiently explained the precautions to Zhang Dahua.
Zhang Dahua nodded repeatedly, "I understand, Sister Lili."
After giving Zhang Dahua instructions, Gu Lili prepared to wash up and go to bed.
After seeing Zhang Dahua out of the courtyard, just as Chang'an was about to go inside to get a change of clothes, he called out to Gu Lili from behind.
"Chang'an, is something the matter?" Gu Lili asked.
Chang'an carefully handed the item in her hand to Gu Lili and said, "These are pearls I found while burning seashells a few days ago. I made a hairpin out of them today. Do you like it?"
Ever since Gu Lili discovered that the wildflowers were a gift from Chang'an, he no longer gives gifts secretly.
Gu Lili took the hairpin from Chang'an's hand and examined it carefully with the help of a flashlight.
Chang'an is truly skillful; she inserted the pearl by making a hole in the hairpin.
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