Chapter 838 The scenery was absolutely stunning. What amazed Zhou Gang even more was that Lu Qingyang seemed to be truly blessed by luck.
Over the next hour or so, his float bobbed repeatedly, and several crucian carp of varying sizes and several stream fish that he didn't know the names of but that looked very fresh fell into his fish basket.
On Zhou Gang's side, he caught a few small fish here and there.
Looking at the increasingly heavy fish basket at Lu Qingyang's feet, Zhou Gang scratched his head and chuckled, "This is weird. I come here every day, and I've never seen them treat me like this."
Lu Qingyang was amused by this unexpected gain.
Just as they were packing up their fishing gear to head home with a full catch, several wild cats with mixed fur and alert eyes suddenly darted out from the grass or bamboo grove by the river.
They weren't afraid of people, circling around the fish basket and meowing.
Seeing this, Lu Qingyang simply picked out the smaller crucian carp and other stream fish he couldn't name from the fish basket and threw them to them one by one.
The wild cats nimbly caught the animals, either carrying them aside to feast on them or giving the two humans a wary look before quickly disappearing into the grass.
Finally, he took several plump, large crucian carp back with him.
Around noon, Zhou Xiu put on an apron and said she was going to show off her skills.
"Brother Lu, the fish you caught today are fresh. I'll make you a braised mixed fish dish, which is a common home-style dish here. Please don't mind."
I saw her busy in the kitchen.
First, scale and gut the large crucian carp, then clean them thoroughly.
The vegetable oil in the wok is heated to a sizzle. Flattened ginger and garlic, a handful of dried chili peppers, and a few peppercorns are thrown into the wok and stir-fried to release a strong, pungent, and complex aroma that hits the nose and makes the mouth water.
Next, she slid the prepared crucian carp into the pot, lightly fried it until the skin was slightly yellow, then added her homemade pickled vegetable brine, a little soy sauce, and just enough water to cover the fish.
Cover the pot and let it simmer on the stove.
Before long, a rich, sour and spicy aroma wafted from the edge of the pot lid, filling the entire yard.
Once the broth had thickened, Zhou Xiucai sprinkled a handful of bright green scallions on top and served a large bowl of bright red and tempting braised mixed fish on the table.
The fish meat, soaked in the red oil broth, absorbed all the flavor. With a gentle touch of chopsticks, the garlic-clove-like fish pieces would fall off, offering an incredibly tender and delicious taste.
The spiciness takes over the taste buds first, followed by the slight numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns and the tangy sourness of pickled vegetables. The flavors layer upon layer, making fine beads of sweat appear on the forehead and nose of the eater, and making "hissing" sounds involuntarily, yet still unable to stop eating.
This seemingly rustic braised mixed fish dish carries a strong wok hei (wok aroma) and a rustic, spicy flavor that is hard to replicate in the refined cooking of the city.
Zhou Zhe and Zhou Gang also ate to their hearts' content, repeatedly exclaiming how delicious it was.
In the afternoon, Lu Qingyang was sitting in the courtyard resting with Zhou Zhe when he heard a lively conversation and footsteps coming from outside.
It turned out that the villagers had heard that Zhou Zhe's classmate, who was "very capable" and "helped the village a lot," had come, so they all wanted to come and see him and express their gratitude.
The first to arrive was an old man carrying a bamboo basket tied with old hemp rope. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he said in a loud voice:
"Which one is Zhou's classmate? Come on, come on, have a taste of our fresh produce!"
As he spoke, he placed the bamboo basket in front of Lu Qingyang.
Lu Qingyang peeked out and saw, wow, a whole basket full of fresh matsutake mushrooms, grayish-brown in color, with their caps not yet fully open!
Each one was plump and full, exuding a unique and rich mushroom aroma. This stuff is more valuable than gold in the countryside, but in this village, it is the most precious gift that the villagers bring out, representing their heartfelt sentiments.
"This...this is too valuable, sir. You should keep it for yourself or sell it for money..." Lu Qingyang quickly declined.
"What's so valuable about it? It grows inside the gu (a type of animal), it's not worth much!"
The old man waved his hand dismissively, leaving no room for argument, "You've helped the kids, and you've helped our whole village. You must accept this little bit of food, just to try it out!"
After he started, several more villagers arrived.
Some carried baskets of uniformly sized potatoes, still covered in soil; others had large pieces of homemade, snow-white tofu wrapped in banana leaves; still others carried several farm eggs, carefully padded with rice husks...
Before long, a small pile of local specialties appeared in the corner of the courtyard.
Zhou Zheniang and Zhou Xiu were busy thanking her and helping her with the things, their faces full of pride and joy.
Looking at the full basket of valuable matsutake mushrooms, Lu Qingyang felt a deep sense of gratitude. He realized he couldn't possibly eat or take all of them with him.
He quietly tugged at Zhou Zhe and whispered, "Zhe, these matsutake mushrooms are too precious. I appreciate everyone's kindness, but this..."
Zhou Zhe smiled understandingly and patted him on the shoulder: "Qingyang, just accept it. In their eyes, the seeds you brought are worth far more than these goods. This is our custom for entertaining guests. If you don't accept it, they will think you look down on them."
Lu Qingyang stopped refusing and thanked him repeatedly.
In the afternoon, Zhou Zhe said to Lu Qingyang, "Qingyang, it's not easy for you to come all this way. It's a pity to just wander around the village. There's a place not too far from here called Caichi Yaochi, where the scenery is absolutely stunning. I'll take you there tomorrow to broaden your horizons."
"Okay, I was just thinking of going out to take a look."
The next day, the two set off before dawn, first taking a passing tractor to town, and then transferring to the only long-distance bus.
The car bumped along the increasingly treacherous winding road for nearly half a day.
The view outside the window gradually changed from hilly terraced fields to deep canyons and majestic mountains covered with primeval forests.
When they finally arrived at their destination, even though Lu Qingyang was somewhat prepared, he was still shocked by the scene before him.
The travertine pools, layer upon layer, stretch along the valley, like a palette left behind by a giant god.
The pool water is crystal clear, and due to the mineral deposits at the bottom and the varying depths of the water, it displays a variety of dreamlike colors such as sapphire blue, emerald green, pale yellow, and orange-red. Under the pure sunlight of the plateau, it sparkles and shimmers.
"So, Qingyang, it wasn't a wasted trip, was it?" Zhou Zhe asked with a smile, seeing Lu Qingyang's amazed expression.
Although he is a local, he is still amazed by the wonders of nature every time he comes here.
"Incredible." Lu Qingyang took a deep breath of the cool, pure air and exclaimed in sincere admiration.
The facilities in the scenic area are still very basic, with some roughly repaired walking paths and simple wooden viewing platforms.
There were very few tourists; most of them were genuine nature lovers who, like them, had to travel a long way to get there.
This place retains the most original and tranquil charm of the scenery.
They walked slowly along the winding boardwalk, lingering for a long time at each viewing platform.
Zhou Zhe, acting as a somewhat unprofessional guide, pointed out some unusual pools and introduced them from a local's perspective: "Look at that pool, doesn't it look like a peacock? We locals call it Peacock Lake. And over there, the water flows down from the rock wall, doesn't it look like a giant pearl curtain?"
"They really do look alike."
Lu Qingyang took out his camera and started snapping pictures.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
