Chapter 234
I spent a few very enjoyable days in the village. Every day I ate after waking up, played after eating, and slept when I was tired of playing. Time passed in the blink of an eye.
Su Miao and his father planned to return to Ning County on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. After all, they had such a big courtyard, and they had to go back to live there all year round to increase its popularity.
Because they were leaving the next day, they had to go up the mountain to pay their respects to Su Miao's grandparents again on the third day of the New Year.
The mountains here are green all year round. While waiting for the incense and candles to burn out, Su Miao sat aside and looked into the distance.
The continuous fields surrounding the village, the crisscrossing paths and the gurgling rivers form a colorful ink painting.
Just as she was in a daze, she caught a glimpse of something moving to her right.
Su Miao turned her head curiously, and the moment she saw the thing clearly, she screamed: "Ah!!!!"
She jumped out as if her butt was equipped with springs, and ran to the crowd who hurried over after hearing her shout.
"Dad! There's a big rat! Bigger than a cat!"
"Big rat? What does it look like? Is it just like a normal house mouse?"
Su Miao gestured with his hands and said, "It's much fatter than ordinary mice, and it's gray and lighter in color than ordinary mice. And it's squatting! Oh my God! Is it a spirit?"
After hearing her description, everyone laughed. Su Yuanzheng said, "Miaomiao, that's bamboo rat. It's delicious! Didn't your father tell you about how I used to catch bamboo rats when you were a kid?"
Su Miao grew up in the county town and had very few opportunities to go back to the village or the mountains. He had never seen a bamboo rat and had only heard of it from Su Yuanzheng.
She recalled Su Yuanzheng's description of the bamboo rat and felt that it was somewhat similar. She didn't expect that at her age, she would still be frightened by a bamboo rat.
Su Miao said embarrassedly, "So it was this one. Dad, you only said that bamboo rats have thicker meat and are bigger than the rats that steal oil for food, but you didn't say they were this big! They're almost as big as a piglet."
Everyone said, "It's no wonder Miaomiao was scared. Not only has she never seen one before, but we rarely catch bamboo rats these days."
"Yes, yes, especially after the most difficult period. Everyone was starving and we searched the mountain for anything edible. Since then, there have been very few bamboo rats."
"Miao Miao, you said the bamboo rats were as big as piglets? I didn't expect that not only our lives have improved, but the bamboo rats have also recovered and have grown so big."
Brother Yu said greedily, "Miao Miao must have never eaten bamboo rat. I'll catch some for you to eat, okay?"
Then, his father ruthlessly rebuked him: "If you want to eat, just say so yourself. Why are you using Miaomiao as an excuse?"
After a while of discussion, everyone decided to catch the bamboo rat that scared Su Miao. Second aunt and Sister Hui stayed behind to pack up the things.
Su Miao brought her father, second uncle and Brother Yu to where she had just been sitting.
"I shouted so loudly just now, I guess I scared the bamboo rat away."
"It's okay, let's look and see if we can find the hole it dug."
Sure enough, Brother Yu found fresh soil under the bamboo ten meters away, and the bamboo rat hole was right next to it.
“Here!”
It’s easy to deal with once you find the bamboo rat hole. Don’t rush to dig it out. First, cut a bamboo pole and sharpen one end.
Carefully insert it into the hole and scratch the bamboo pole with your fingernails to make it vibrate.
This is imitating the sound of bamboo rats gnawing on bamboo poles. Bamboo rats have a very strong sense of territory. As long as they find other bamboo rats entering their territory to find food, they will come out to fight.
Second uncle quietly inserted the shovel shallowly about twenty centimeters above the hole and waited for the bamboo rat to come out of the hole.
A few minutes later, the bamboo rat that had fallen into the trap began to move towards the cave entrance. This bamboo rat was very aggressive. After it stuck its head out and saw people, it did not run away. Instead, it bared its big yellow teeth and growled angrily.
Seeing that the time was ripe, the second uncle thrust the shovel deep into the hole, blocking the bamboo rat's way.
Others began to use tools to dig away the soil on both sides of the hole. The bamboo rat was in a dilemma and was eventually caught by Su Yuanzheng.
Su Miao carefully looked at the bamboo rat in his father's hand, shook his head and said, "The one that scared me just now was much bigger than this one. We might have recognized the wrong rat."
Su Yu, who was already having fun, wanted to catch the bigger bamboo rat immediately, but there was no way he could let go of the one he had caught, so he would serve them both on the table tonight.
After searching for half an hour, they finally found a bamboo rat hole nearby, and then used the same method to lure the fat rat out.
Su Miao shouted, "It's it! That's it!"
Su Yu said excitedly, "Oh my god! It's really a big rat, twice the size of the one just now, enough to make a big pot of stew."
The rat was big and aggressive, with its claws and fangs bared, making it really difficult to catch it. Finally, the second uncle acted decisively and killed it with a shovel.
Second uncle picked up the bamboo rat. It was longer than his little arm. Maybe it had gained some weight in the autumn, but it looked plump and must have weighed about four or five kilograms.
"Anyway, we'll just put it in the pot when we get it back. Miaomiao, look, this one and the one just now are not even the same species! It's strange that they can live so close to each other without fighting."
After catching two fat rats, the group went down the mountain satisfied and could have more food tonight.
After returning home, my second aunt skillfully plucked the bamboo rat's hair, gutted it, and removed its internal organs. She blanched the larger one in a pot of boiling water, washed off the blood, and then cut it into pieces.
Then there are two cooking methods, one is stewing and the other is braising.
This will be served when dinner starts. Brother Yu took Su Miao and Su Hui to the vegetable garden outside the house and started a fire, intending to roast the slightly smaller one to satisfy their craving.
Several little nephews and nieces also came over and squatted to watch. Although this one was a little smaller, it still weighed about three pounds, which was enough for these little greedy cats to eat.
Brother Yu is quite particular about grilling meat. He doesn’t just put the whole thing on the grill, but instead uses the bamboo he just brought back to make bamboo tongs.
Then cut the rat meat with skin into large strips, spread appropriate amount of salt, star anise powder and wild pepper powder on it, clamp it with bamboo sticks, and roast it over the fire.
The fragrance slowly spread, and the children swallowed silently.
Hu Zi asked, "Uncle Yu, when will it be ready?"
"Why are you in such a hurry, you greedy boy! It has to be roasted thoroughly to be delicious! Otherwise, I'll bite your teeth off."
"I've already finished replacing my teeth! They won't fall out again!"
When the rat meat is roasted to about 70% done, take it out and put it on a large plate. Add finely chopped green onions, garlic, and coriander, mix and rub it, then put it back on the plate and bake for ten minutes.
Su Yu used a knife to cut the meat into small pieces and shared them. The roasted bamboo rat meat was brown and red, tender and delicious.
The kids couldn’t stop eating and wanted to swallow their fingers!
After dividing the meat, Hu Zi said with endless aftertaste: "Uncle Yu, please teach me how to catch bamboo rats tomorrow so that I can eat them every day."
Su Yu slapped him on the head and said, "If that greedy boy learns this skill, all the bamboo rats within a radius of 500 miles will be in danger!"
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