Chapter 351 - Catching Cicadas Under the Moonligh (2/2)
Yu Xiaocao ran over to hold onto the cicada, and then put it into the jar tied around her waist. She wrinkled her nose at him and said, “You think it’s ugly? I reckon you’re actually afraid of it, right? Then don’t eat it after it’s fried ah!”
“This prince has already tried locust, so would I still be afraid of this little bug?” Zhu Junyang proudly snorted. He reached out his arm, picked up a cicada that was high up on the tree, and dangled it in front to her, which resulted in her rolling her eyes at him.
Yu Xiaocao patted Little White’s neck and decided to stay far away from this haughty drama queen, lest she get infected. Anyway, she had the little divine stone and the two guards, Little White and Little Black, protecting her, so she wasn’t afraid of those creepy-crawlies.
When she moved a few steps to the side, Zhu Junyang also walked a few steps to the side. He followed her step by step, so no matter what she did, she still couldn’t shake off this little tail. Whatever! Proper business was more important. Holding the lantern and bending over, Yu Xiaocao searched for larvae of cicadas on the trunks and bushes.
Unlike in her previous life, where cicadas were nearly gone, it seemed like they could catch some every few steps. Sometimes, they were able to catch a few cicadas on the same tree. Yu Xiaocao became increasingly enthusiastic as she continued to catch the cicadas. The small jar around her waist had filled up unknowingly.
Suddenly, Little White’s ears moved, and he shifted into an alert stance. Yu Xiaocao was alarmed and hurriedly moved closer to her little tail, Zhu Junyang. She had accidently stepped on the young prince’s feet in a panic.
Zhu Junyang, who was holding a cicada, strangely asked, “What’s wrong? Did you see something?”
“There seems to be something in the thickets, shhh…” It wouldn’t be a snake, right? The thing that she feared the most was those slippery and cold animals with smooth skin. But, Little Divine Stone, who was on top of Little White’s head, didn’t give her a warning, so there shouldn’t be any danger. Yu Xiaocao’s violently beating heart gradually calmed down.
Right at this time, Little White suddenly jumped onto the thick bushes, and his strong figure disappeared within the darkness. Yu Xiaocao was somewhat worried, “Will Little White be alright?”
Although Little White and Little Black often brought back small game when they frolicked in the mountains, after all, they were still very young and had never encountered fierce beasts. They also didn’t have any experience with intense fighting. No one could guarantee absolute safety in the mountain forest at night. Perhaps, one or two fierce beasts might emerge from an unknown corner of the mountain.
“Little White is a wolf, not a dog!” Zhu Junyang wasn’t worried at all. It might be dangerous for Little Black, that dumb wolf, to encounter a ferocious beast, but the survival skills of that haughty little wolf, Little White, wasn’t inferior to Big Gray. If he encountered a lone wolf or cheetah, he should still be able to fight.
In Yu Xiaocao’s heart, she couldn’t forget how Little White looked when she first brought him home. He was just a baby wolf that hadn’t opened his eyes. She anxiously checked the thickets and refused to walk away. Suddenly, she felt a furry head pushing at her arm. She turned around and was startled by a pair of emerald green eyes. With a closer look, it turned out to be Little Black. There wasn’t a single strand of hair that was of a different color on his body, so he was completely hidden in the darkness of the mountain forest. At a glance, only a pair of green eyes could be seen.
Little Black shook his head excitedly and had a look in his eyes that seemed to be asking to be praised and caressed. Yu Xiaocao didn’t quite understand, so Little Black touched her hand with his nose. She knew what he meant and stretched out her hand. From within Little Black’s warm mouth, a squirming cicada fell onto her palm.
It seemed like this fellow saw that everyone was catching cicadas so he joined in the fun to help. The dark night was nothing in the eyes of wolves, but it was quite hard for him to hold a thumb-sized cicada in his big mouth without harming it a bit. He had such good control of his strength! Yu Xiaocao continued to stare in the direction that Little White disappeared in as she patted his head in a perfunctory manner.
At this time, everyone had gotten a decent harvest. Those who had filled up the vessels that they brought gradually gathered over. Seeing Yu Xiaocao staring at a cluster of bushes motionlessly, they also curiously looked in that direction. When Little White emerged with a wild hare in his mouth, he was bewildered by those strange humans—why were they all gathered here? The wild hare was for his young master, so no one was allowed to steal it!
Yu Xiaocao checked out everyone’s harvest and saw that there were a lot of cicadas in their vessels. It seemed like they got quite a large harvest! In addition, they also got a plump hare. They would definitely have a sumptuous meal tomorrow!
When they got home, Yu Xiaocao got a wooden bucket and filled it with salt water. After she cleaned the cicadas, she put them in the bucket to be soaked for a night. Once the flavor seeped in, it would taste better when fried!
The night passed by peacefully. The next morning, the three siblings of the Liu Family, Yu Hang, and Yu Xiaolian woke up very early. They picked vegetables in the courtyard as they waited for Yu Xiaocao, who was sleeping in, to wake up. The three Liu siblings had never tried cicadas. Allegedly, in the northeast, these things were caught to be fed to chickens. However, Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian had eaten them before. When the three siblings heard them describe the fragrantly scorched taste of the fried cicadas, they almost drooled. They were filled with even more anticipation.
After much wait, Xiaocao had finally woken up. The group of children didn’t need the adults’ help as they lit the fire, made the pancakes, and cooked the porridge. With so many people helping, they quickly finished preparing breakfast.
Yu Xiaocao fished out the cicadas that they caught last night from the salt water and cleansed them with clean water. With the different cooking methods of deep-frying, dry-frying, and pan-frying, she different flavor dishes like ‘salt and pepper cicadas’, ‘spicy cicadas’, ‘cicadas stir-fried with shredded ginger’, ‘spicy and numbing cicadas’, and so on.