The leisurely life of farmers in mountain villages

Chapter 69
Crabs are old and tender. It means that the crabs in the seventh month of the lunar calendar are old and hard and unpalatable, while the crabs in August are tender and thin.

Zhao Shihai didn't go home, but went directly to Xishan in a tricycle.

Xishan is the collective name of the people in seven or eight villages around Taohualing Village for a large mountain range around Lianhua Mountain.

Lianhua Mountain is the highest mountain range in Central Shandong, with an altitude of more than 900 meters, like a blooming white lotus in Central Shandong.

This mountain range is relatively large, and even the small hills around Taohualing Village are the remnants of the Lianhua Mountain Range.

Due to the terrain, the entire area around Lianhua Mountain is very small. The large ones have a few hundred people, while the small ones only have a few dozen people.

Zhao Shihai drove to a village called Xiaolongmen located six or seven miles east of the main peak of Lianhua Mountain, and then drove the tricycle directly into the village committee compound of Xiaolongmen Village.

It can be seen that Zhao Shihai is very familiar with the old gatekeeper of the village committee compound, and this is not the first time he has come to Xiaolongmen Village.

There is a ravine separating the two villages. The larger village on the north is called Dalongmen Village, which belongs to Dazhai Township, Gangcheng County, Luzhong City, and the south is called Xiaolongmen Village, which belongs to Zhai Town, Tainan City.

In the ravine, because there is more rain this year, the water flow inside is much larger than in previous years.

Autumn, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is a good time to catch river crabs. The crabs in this season are very fat.

River crabs in the mountains are easy to catch. The big ones are as big as an adult's fist, while the small crabs are smaller than a fingernail.

At night, crabs will crawl out of their holes to look for food, and crabs are very sensitive to light. When you turn on the flashlight, the crabs will crawl over along the light of the flashlight.

Therefore, the villagers call catching crabs also known as photo crabs.

Zhao Shihai handed Wang Shaodong a flashlight, and then he took one himself, telling Wang Shaodong to be careful.

Both sides of this ravine are mostly huge round stones, washed by the rain, and the stones are covered with moss. If you step on them accidentally, you will definitely fall hard when you slide off the stones.

The two walked up the ravine for a distance of more than 200 meters, which took an hour and a half.

Zhao Shihai stopped, took a flashlight to look around, and said, "That's it."

The place where there is water in the ravine is full of cobblestones. The cobblestones are slippery and there is water. The stream is cold and not suitable for walking at night.So the two of them walked along the big rocks on both sides of the ravine.And there is moss on the big rock, so the speed of action must not be fast.

Wang Shaodong also used a flashlight to take a look at the surrounding situation. They are now located on a large flat rock with an area of ​​more than 30 square meters. , There was a clattering sound.

The part of the big stone slab protruding from the water is about ten square meters, which is considered spacious. Zhao Shihai put down the flashlight, then spread the woven bag he brought with him on it, and said to Wang Shaodong: "Dongzi, if you are sleepy, just lie down Sleep on it."

Wang Shaodong is still overwhelmed with excitement, so he is not willing to sleep.

"Uncle, I'm not sleepy at all."

Zhao Shihai brought seven or eight woven bags, which can be used as a bed when spread on the ground, and can also be used as a tool for holding crabs when the bag is opened.

"If you're not sleepy, just stay here and watch first. If any crabs come over, put them in the woven bag. I'll go find some firewood."

The mountain wind blows, and there are bursts of coolness.

Wang Shaodong took the leather gloves from his uncle and frowned.

"Isn't it hot to wear?"

"It's more comfortable than being pinched off by a crab."

The big crab in the mountains can be as big as a fist, and the pair of big pliers can easily pinch off a wooden stick as thick as chopsticks. Scary.

Thinking of this, Wang Shaodong hurriedly put on the leather gloves.

Zhao Shihai went around to look for firewood, and then only Wang Shaodong was left in the ravine here.

This is a ravine that usually only old sheep herding farmers come to. The road they walked along the edge of the ravine was also made by old sheep herding farmers.On both sides of the ravine, there are dense trees. It is said that there were wild wolves here more than ten years ago.However, there have been a lot of hunting in these years, and the wild wolves on the mountain have disappeared.

From the small village at the foot of the mountain, there were occasional howls of wolfdogs, which made people feel dizzy.

The crickets all around were chirping, and the fireflies flew up from the nearby grass.

Wang Shaodong's eyes were fixed on the light beam emitted by the flashlight. After a while, Wang Shaodong saw a lot of small bugs gathering around the light beam, and those slightly larger insects that liked to eat small bugs also crawled over; The small fish, shrimps and snails are all around the light beam, and these are the food of the crabs.

Seeing these, Wang Shaodongfang suddenly realized that it wasn't the crabs that were happy, but because if you held a flashlight, it would attract the food of the crabs, and then the crabs would also be attracted.

At this time, as the hunter, you only need to carefully catch the crab and put it in the woven bag.

Soon, the little crabs gathered together following the smell of food.

Crabs are omnivorous animals, aquatic plants, carrion, small fish and shrimp are all its recipes.

Small crabs the size of fingernails quickly gathered under the water illuminated by the light beams, densely packed, just like the number of ants moving on the ground when it's about to rain.If people with intensive phobia saw this scene, they would probably shout.

Wang Shaodong didn't attack the little crab, he was waiting for a big guy, the kind that was as big as an adult's fist.

This kind of big crab is very fat in this season, especially the female crab. After steaming, lift the crab cover, it is full of crab roe, dip it in ginger vinegar juice, drink a sip of crab roe, and then eat it bit by bit Eating the tender meat wrapped in the crab shell is simply the most beautiful enjoyment in the world.

Seeing the big guys coming, Wang Shaodong hurriedly reached out and grabbed one, and quickly threw it into the woven bag.

As soon as he stretched out his hand, the small crabs, small fish and shrimps under the light beam immediately scattered and fled, but soon when Wang Shaodong looked at the bottom of the water again, they all gathered together again.

Zhao Shihai came back, glanced at the dozen or so big guys in the woven bag, and asked with a smile: "Dongzi, why only grab the big ones, the small ones are delicious?"

Wang Shaodong didn't think about the way to eat this little crab for a while, and asked quickly: "Uncle, how do you eat this little crab?"

Zhao Shihai took out the strainer prepared in advance, then directly dug up the small crabs with the strainer, and poured them into the woven bag.

"This little one, go home and salt it for a week, and then stir-fry it with dried chilies. The taste will definitely make you want to eat it."

Hearing what my uncle said, Wang Shaodong suddenly remembered that he had eaten such a delicacy once, even at his uncle's house, so he hurriedly joined the camp of catching small crabs.

This night, Wang Shaodong and Zhao Shihai harvested quite a lot, the two of them caught a hundred catties of crabs at once.

(End of this chapter)