Her Cultivation Diary-Chapter 1896 - 1696: Embarrassing the City Folks (Part 2)
He wants to go wandering!
Of course, before wandering, they must follow the schedule Qiaoqiao arranged for them.
For instance, after meals, everyone spends some time in the air-conditioned room. Chatting, talking, watching TV, browsing mobile phones, or playing games are all fine. They can also share their thoughts on the herbal treatment from the morning.
When it’s about five or six o’clock and the sun is still somewhat strong but not as intense as noon, Lun Chuan comes down to invite them:
"It’s not too sunny now, shall we go collect duck eggs?"
He also reminds them: "Make sure to apply more mosquito repellent cream. There are lots of mosquitoes in the reed marsh."
Not just in the reed marsh, at this season, any green place is swarming with mosquitoes, like they’re ready to feast on humans.
Before the mosquito repellent cream was made before the Dragon Boat Festival, Chen Chi and Chen Xi either got fully armed or picked a bunch of Ai Cao from the roadside, dried it and burned it in the basket.
With the smoke swirling around, at least you could ensure some peace for a while.
But now, although the mosquito repellent cream doesn’t smell pungent, mosquitoes buzz around, catch a whiff, and immediately avoid going far away.
And the beneficial insects by the riverside are increasingly numerous, with toads and frogs opening their big mouths, growing ever larger.
At least the moment Qin Beibei stepped into the reed marsh, she saw right in front a toad as big as a palm.
"Ah!"
The little girl exclaimed.
In her life, she had never seen such a large toad—accurately speaking, she hadn’t seen any before.
But instead of feeling scared, children tend to watch seriously for a while, observing the round, plump, solidly squatting toad, very much like the golden toad holding a coin in her mom’s shop.
After the children shouted for a while, they quickly started discussing:
"Why doesn’t it run away?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
Chen Chi peeked and said: "I know, I know! I read the encyclopedia! The book says it has poison glands, so it doesn’t fear enemies. And when it quiets down, it becomes more hidden, so predators can’t find it."
"Oh."
The children quickly accepted the answer: "We’re not predators, so it’s not afraid of us, right?"
Everyone carefully tiptoed, guided the adults to avoid the toad, and then dove into the tall, green reeds.
These reeds are the commonly seen white hairy reeds in the countryside, capable of growing to seven or eight meters in extreme conditions. As long as it’s not a dry year reducing the water level, they can easily reach three to five meters.
Once people go in, they’re completely hidden.
Ducks love this place even more.
It’s humid, quiet, soft, and hidden. Beneath lies a natural soft nesting area made of layered reed stems and fallen leaves.
This natural environment is more comforting and calming than a farm.
And they become increasingly accustomed to it.
Thus, not only do dogs occasionally dive in for inspection, but even Big White and Goose Sister stop by now and then to check for water snakes and the like.
Except for the duck eggs, which often get lost after being laid, there are no other drawbacks.
But the ducks don’t mind.
They only care about laying eggs and don’t consider what happens afterward.
Yun Danqing parted the maze-like reed stems, while her mother reminded them not to scratch their faces.
But they won’t get scratched.
All the lower reed leaves had been picked clean by Chen Chi and Chen Xi while collecting duck eggs. After plucking, there was no need to carry them out; once discarded, they dried up, adding another soft layer.
Although slightly damp, because the bottom was thick, the top became even softer, making the ducks completely fearless.
It’s precisely for this reason that the duck eggs here can’t be left overnight and must be collected fresh every day to preserve them.
"When we collect duck eggs, won’t there be ducks laying eggs who then see us? Won’t they think we’re thieves?"
The children spoke innocently, genuinely concerned.
"No, they won’t."
Chen Chi confidently responded: "The ducks know we’re the ones raising them, so they won’t think I’m a thief. Besides, they usually lay their eggs in the morning and won’t lay any more in the afternoon or evening."
Therefore, naturally, they won’t encounter any.
As everyone planned to delve deeper into the topic, they were interrupted by a low exclamation from He Tuo ahead: "Look at the big duck egg!"
Compared to the more common household eggs, duck eggs are indeed much larger, with light blue shells that are smooth and round, currently lying quietly in the soft hollow where the ducks had settled.
He Tuo picked it up, holding the big duck egg with his small hand, and shook it vigorously by his ear!
He used a lot of energy, shaking his arm quickly, creating a fresh feeling with the thing inside the duck egg hitting around:
"Seems like there’s a ball inside, bouncing around."
Seeing this a step behind, Chen Chi hurriedly said: "Don’t shake it, don’t shake it."
He said regretfully: "If the yolk and egg white mix up inside, the duck egg can’t be stored. It has to be eaten today. It won’t be able to make salted duck eggs."
However, compared to chicken eggs, duck eggs do have a tad bit of a fishy smell.
Qiaoqiao also came along.
But he’s a naturally optimistic person and doesn’t feel regrettable at this moment—after all, it wasn’t broken.
Seeing Chen Chi looking regretful, Qiaoqiao picked up three more duck eggs and handed them to two other little friends:
"No problem, as long as they’re not broken, we can take them home and fry duck eggs for dinner. But one is not enough, why don’t you shake yours as well?"
He handed another one to Chen Chi: "I bet you haven’t shaken one before either."
Chen Chi’s cheeks flushed slightly: "Fried duck eggs aren’t as tasty as fried chicken eggs. Wouldn’t shaking them like this be wasteful?"
Qiaoqiao proudly said: "When I was learning to cook with Seventh Uncle, I shook many. You should give it a try too! Once you shake it, you’ll know how it feels."
The adults watched with amusement, ready to educate the children, but Lun Chuan stopped them.
Looking at the two older kids and three younger ones, each holding a duck egg and shaking it earnestly, diligently, as if praying for a wish at a temple, the adults felt a tingle of excitement too.
