"Red worms are no match for locusts!"
"Locusts may be formidable, but over the years we've developed a set of methods specifically to deal with them. Red worms are a different story."
"The red worms appeared out of nowhere three years ago, much like poisonous weeds, or rather, like potatoes."
"This thing appeared out of nowhere, and nobody knew what it was or how to deal with it, so we could only try to catch it with our bare hands."
The villagers are filled with bitterness when it comes to this.
"Red worms can eat anything and reproduce quickly. We go to the fields to catch them every day, but we can't get rid of them all!"
"Moreover, the red worm has two big, prickly hands. If you accidentally get pricked by a red worm, it will hurt for a long time!"
Wan Shu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Like potatoes, it appeared out of nowhere three years ago... It has a strong reproductive capacity and has grown two large, prickly hands...
Could the red worms the villagers are talking about actually be crayfish?
"Oh no! Damn it! I've been ambushed by a red worm!"
As Wan Shu was thinking, he saw a villager grinning as he pulled a small crayfish out from under his feet.
Wan Shu's eyes widened suddenly.
Wow! It really is crayfish!
Crayfish is an invasive species from abroad. It is very resilient, reproduces quickly, and can cause large-scale damage to the local ecosystem. However, at the same time, crayfish is also a rare delicacy!
Furthermore, and more importantly, the people of Sishui County are still unaware that crayfish are edible!
If she could braise another pot of crayfish tomorrow and take it to the county town to sell, that bright red bucket would be absolutely eye-catching!
Suppressing her excitement, Wan Shu asked, "What do you usually do with the red worms after you catch them?"
"What else can we do? Just dump them all together, smash them, throw them in the latrine, let them decompose, and then use the decomposed material to irrigate the land."
As he spoke, an uncle who was closest to the edge of the field picked up a basket full of crayfish and showed it to Wan Shu.
"Look, there are so many, it would be a waste to just throw them away."
Wan Shu roared inwardly, "What delicious ingredients! Isn't it a waste to use them for composting?"
However, she maintained her composure and forced a smile, saying, "It's too much trouble to smash them before they can be composted. Why don't you just sell the bloodworms to me?"
The villagers looked puzzled: "You want to buy bloodworms? These things are everywhere and they're useless. Why do you want to buy them?"
Wan Shu: "I was thinking that if I can eat poisonous plants, what if I can eat bloodworms too? So I plan to get more and study them when I get back."
Since Wan Shu had figured out how to eat the poisonous herbs, the villagers didn't doubt him and nodded in agreement.
"That's true. How come we didn't think of that? If we can eat poisonous plants, we might be able to eat these red worms too."
"If bloodworms can be eaten, it would be a good thing for our Qingshui Village."
The villagers generously said, "Why bother buying something like this? We've eaten a lot of your offal, so you can just take the 'rich wife' home. We're too lazy to bother smashing it."
Wan Shu's bowl of offal was a really generous portion; she ate at least three or four pieces by herself!
They had no right to charge money for such a small amount of bloodworms.
Seeing their comments, Wan Shu didn't insist on paying. After all, it was uncertain whether the red worms were edible right now, and it would seem strange if she insisted on paying.
The villagers caught about 20 kilograms of crayfish today. Wan Shu borrowed a large basket to carry all of them back.
Wuping has already returned with the vegetables.
When the five children saw Wan Shu carrying a large basket, they thought she had brought back something good. They went closer to take a look, but all of them looked puzzled.
"Mother, why did you bring back so many bloodworms?"
"Red worms have hard shells, and they need to be composted for a long time before they can be used as fertilizer. They are also not very effective for watering the land."
"Mother, if you want to collect more fertilizer, we can buy more chickens and ducks to feed them!"
Wan Shu placed the crayfish aside, wiped the sweat from his brow, and laughed, "These red worms aren't for composting, they're for eating!"
To avoid trouble, Wan Shu used the excuse that San Shun had given her before.
"After my mother's soul drifted away, it went to a magical place where the people called red worms 'crayfish,' and there, they were considered a rare delicacy!"
Wan Shu described the deliciousness of crayfish to them in an extremely exaggerated and detailed manner.
The five children listened with great anticipation, and without Wan Shu's instruction, they spontaneously followed his instructions to cut off the heads and remove the tails of the crayfish.
Wan Shu was in charge of the braising process.
If crayfish are not properly prepared, they can smell even stronger than pig offal.
Therefore, before adding crayfish to the braising liquid, there is an additional deep-frying step.
The five children were heartbroken to see Wan Shu pouring out a huge pot of oil!
However, their heartache vanished the moment they tasted the spicy braised crayfish.
Qingshui Village is a truly remote inland mountain village. The villagers had never eaten any aquatic creatures other than fish before, and they were all amazed when they ate crayfish.
"Red worms are so ugly, but their meat is so delicious! It's chewy and sweet, a texture I've never tasted before!"
"What red worms! These are crayfish!"
"Yes, yes, crayfish! Hehehe, crayfish are so delicious! Although they don't have the fatty, tender texture of pork, after being soaked in the braising sauce, they're so fragrant that you just want to suck the shells off! They're a bit spicy, though, much spicier than pork offal..."
"Mother, you didn't even add dogwood, how can it be so spicy? Selling something this spicy, spit it out... Will anyone actually buy this...?"
The kids complained about the spiciness, but they couldn't stop peeling the crayfish.
Wan Shu chuckled and said, "Spiciness is the essence of spicy braised crayfish. This stuff is only satisfying when it's spicy."
She even made another pot of braising liquid just for the spiciness.
Wan Shu patted them: "Alright, let's eat later. These crayfish were given to us by the aunties and uncles in the village. Now that we've made them, we should share them with everyone."
The five children nodded, each carrying a bamboo basket, and delivered about ten spicy braised crayfish to the family that had given them the crayfish.
When the villagers received the spicy braised crayfish, they stared at them with suspicion for a long time. Then, the sound of "hissing" and "sizzling" filled the air in their homes, along with expressions of irresistible delight.
"Hehehe, how did the rich wife make it? How can it be so spicy and so delicious!"
Some families, who were particularly addicted to the crayfish, couldn't resist going to the fields immediately to catch another basket of crayfish to take home and cook.
No matter how many seasonings they added or how they cooked it, they couldn't recreate the taste of the crayfish Wan Shu had given them.
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