Chapter 307 Digging for Snails and Clams
Today is the last day of the ten-day deadline for weeding and tilling, and everyone went to the fields early this morning without prior arrangement.
Finish early and get some rest.
Yun Zhaoxue got up early. The weather was sunny, and she was bored at home, so she took Xian'er to play by the river.
There is a lake about a mile from the village. The lake is mainly fed by mountain streams that meander down through cracked canyons, past farmland, and finally converge into a lake.
The water in the ditch upstream, which passes through farmland, is shallow, only reaching an adult's calves. The bottom is not mud, but sand.
Yun Zhaoxue took Xian'er to play upstream. They sat on the grass by the shore and took off their shoes to step on the sand.
Then, they dug deeper with their feet, burying their feet in the sand. The stream carried the sand, brushing over their feet, allowing them to enjoy the gentle massage of nature.
Xian'er felt a large stone poking at the soles of her feet, making her a little itchy. She squatted down and reached into the sand with her two little hands, finding a round, black object with an opening.
She picked it up carefully. "Third Aunt, what is this black thing?"
She grew up in the capital and had never been to the fields. She was curious about many things in the village and would ask her third aunt if she didn't understand something. The aunt was very knowledgeable and seemed to know everything.
Yun Zhaoxue said, "It looks like a snail."
She reached into the sand and grabbed a handful. The sand slipped through her fingers, and two snails lay prominently in her palm.
"It really is a snail."
"Third Aunt, what are river snails? Can we eat them?"
“They’re edible, and very delicious. Let’s dig up a lot and make a stir-fried snail dish so everyone can try them.”
"Third Aunt, can this be sold for silver?"
"Yes, if it tastes good, it can definitely make money."
The problem is that digging and washing them is too laborious. If they are not made into snail rice noodles or sold with other ingredients, the profit is not much after deducting labor costs.
This is indeed a business opportunity. She remembered that the Pei family had transferred several shops to her, one of which was a restaurant.
If they can find more, they can take the excess to restaurants and cook it into delicious food to sell to customers, which is more profitable than selling it at roadside stalls.
Regardless of the era, those who can afford to eat at restaurants are not short of money and are willing to pay for good food.
Everyone knows that snails are edible, so if you want to make money from them, you have to make them taste better than others.
According to the original owner's memories, most of the stir-fried snails served in restaurants nowadays use pepper instead of chili.
Pepper is expensive, and small restaurants can't afford it. Most customers go there to fill their stomachs, but it can't actually fill them up. If it's beyond its value, they won't order it often.
Using chili peppers instead of black pepper can save a lot of money, lower the price, and make snails sell better.
And then there are chili peppers. If they are popular in the market, they can be grown in large quantities, dried into chili flakes, and made into chili sauce, which sells well both domestically and overseas. This is definitely more profitable than selling snails.
Xian'er felt that their current house was too small. Like her two older brothers, she wanted to save a lot of money to build a big house so that her younger siblings would also have a big house to live in in the future.
If she could sell them for money, she would come every day to dig them up and sell them, and that way she would have money.
She dug and dug with all her might, her little hands were full, and even the hem of her clothes couldn't hold it back as it fell straight down.
Seeing wild taro growing by the stream, I picked a taro leaf to wrap the snails I had dug up and put it aside. Then I picked a few more leaves.
She handed a large leaf to Yun Zhaoxue, "Third Aunt, here, use this to hold your clothes so they won't get wet."
"Third Aunt, what's that? Is it wild vegetable? Can we eat it?"
Yun Zhaoxue shook her head, "That's called wild taro, you can't eat it. The vast majority of them are poisonous. If you eat it, your tongue will become numb, swollen and stinging. People will only dig it up during famine years, and then it will be processed in various ways before they dare to eat it."
In her previous life, she was a mercenary who had to enter the primeval forest for wilderness training and become self-reliant. She also learned about many kinds of plants and knew everything she had seen in her previous life.
“Okay!” Yun Zhaoxue took the leaf and put the snail in her hand into the leaf.
She picked up another river clam with a round base and a triangular shape. "Xian'er, this is called a river clam. It's edible. If you see any, you can pick them up. You can stir-fry them or make soup with them."
"Yeah, I saw a lot of them just now, but I didn't pick them up. I'll go pick them up in a bit."
Most of the snails are hidden in the sand on both sides of the stream; you can easily scoop up a handful with a simple reach. "Wow, so many! Auntie, there are so many over there!"
Although Xian'er didn't quite understand, she subconsciously felt that the smaller ones couldn't be eaten, so she picked them out and threw them back into the water, planning to catch them when they grew bigger.
"Good, our Xian'er is really amazing. Even hiding in the corner, she can't escape your sharp eyes."
Xian'er smiled shyly; she had discovered it by accident.
While Xian'er wasn't paying attention, Yun Zhaoxue secretly turned her back, took out an ancient flat round basket from her space and hid it in the grass. She also picked two chili peppers from her space and buried them in the soil.
Then, pretending to discover it by accident, take it home and sit in the yard. From now on, if you want to eat spicy food, you can pick it and stir-fry it. You won't have to hide in the space to eat it secretly anymore.
Xian'er quickly filled another lotus leaf, then turned around and saw Yun Zhaoxue, heavily pregnant, bending over with some difficulty, taking the snails and placing them on the bank where she had placed her shoes.
She came over and helped her up, saying, "Third Aunt, you're pregnant with your younger brother and sister, so you can't bend over. I'll dig it up for you. You can sit on the bank."
"It's alright, don't worry. I'll stop if I get tired. Wow, the wise man caught so many again. He's really capable. You've worked hard. Eat two extra bowls of rice when you get back today."
"Yes, yes, I'm going to dig a lot, so everyone can have two bowls of rice."
Yun Jiaoyue's two maids passed by carrying wooden buckets full of clothes and saw them digging for that dark, unsightly thing.
The two were completely baffled. Could that thing be eaten?
They were still discussing it when they went back to the yard to hang the clothes out to dry.
"I heard that the Xiao family members have all gone to work in the fields, and only Princess Zhaoxue and one other girl are at home. Don't they have to work? I think they have nothing to do all day."
"Exactly! We're so busy serving the princess that we barely have time to breathe, yet she still has time to go out and play in the sand, digging up useless things. Can we even eat them? Who's going to do the housework?"
"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Although the Xiao family is in decline, they still have guards. It's not surprising that they have maids. I guess the maids secretly came to help them with the work in the middle of the night."
Every time they went out to work and passed by the Xiao family, they would see Yun Zhaoxue lying on a recliner in the courtyard eating melons and fruits, just as comfortable and carefree as when she used to go on outings to the manor in the capital. She didn't look like someone who had been exiled at all.
...
Yun Jiaoyue lay on the bed, her face pale. Hearing the commotion outside, she called for her maid to come in and serve her, "Where were you two just now?"
She was worried about Zhao Xuan's return and didn't know how to explain it to him.
She kept delaying taking the medicine, still hoping for a miracle, that she was blessed by fate, and that one day her child might suddenly come back to life.
However, the bleeding from her vagina had been increasing in recent days, driving her to near despair; she knew she couldn't save the baby.
She threatened the maids not to tell anyone, or she would kill them.
The maidservant hurriedly put down the clothes she was holding and went inside to apologize. These past few days, Yun Jiaoyue had been in a bad mood and would often beat and scold them, so they dared not provoke her.
Yun Jiaoyue, citing her pregnancy and need for rest, ordered all the guards to stay outside the courtyard and not to enter without her permission.
To avoid suspicion, the guards had no choice but to obey orders. Since His Highness was not present, and the only male members of the household were the guards, it was also against etiquette.
"What were you talking about just now? I think I heard Yun Zhaoxue. What happened to her?"
Thinking she was about to be punished, the maidservant quickly knelt down to avoid being beaten, begging for forgiveness, "Your Highness, we are sorry. We were just being nosy and disturbed you. We know we were wrong and will never do it again."
"I'm asking you a question. What happened to Yun Zhaoxue? Where is she now?"
"She and the young lady from the Xiao family were digging for something in the stream."
Are there many people over there?
"It won't be long. They've all gone to the fields. They'll go back to wash up when they go home for lunch, and then go home again."
Yun Jiaoyue raised her hand and placed it on her flat stomach, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. "Quickly help me up."
She propped herself up in bed, and her maidservant rushed forward to help her. Seeing her pale face, the maidservant advised, "Where is Your Highness going? You're bleeding. The doctor said you need to rest in bed."
Yun Jiaoyue wanted to raise her hand to slap her, but her hand fell limply as soon as she raised it; she was now finding it difficult to even hit someone.
"Slap yourself."
The maid had no choice but to comply, raising her hand to strike, the crisp sound of a slap ringing out, "Smack!"
"I am the princess, and you do whatever I say! Understand?"
The maidservant responded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, this servant will remember the Princess's teachings."
"Help me up and go to the stream."
Her child won't survive, and Yun Zhaoxue's two bastard children won't be born either.
Furthermore, if Yun Zhaoxue plots to harm the imperial grandson, the Emperor and His Highness will certainly not let her off the hook!
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