Chapter 655: The Beautiful Duck

While they were ordering at the Lion Restaurant, they found that the barbecue here smelled delicious and looked very appetizing, but the prices were really expensive! A Tomahawk steak was priced at 1499, and an individual portion of rib-eye steak was 299.

After ordering, the Non-President scratched his head. "Looks like we've been fooled, Shrek!"

Both of them had big appetites and ordered more than others.

Initially, they thought they had made a profit today, with free lottery tickets and a bunch of small prizes.

However, all the saved funds were spent on the meal, and it seemed to cost more than clearing the capsule machine as usual.

On the way back home, Yingying couldn't stop thinking about her giant panda plush toy, feeling incredibly excited.

"Mama, why isn't the giant panda coming home with us?"

"Because it's too big, our car can't fit it. When we get back, the zoo uncles and aunties will bring it over."

"When will they bring it?"

"They'll bring it over as soon as we get home!" Helpless, Liu Xueqing changed the subject. "Yingying, let mesing a song for you!"

She softly started singing, "The bamboo is blooming, mi mi lies in Mama's arms and counts the stars..."

This song was often sung by her mother to lull her to sleep when she was young. However, Liu Xueqing had forgotten it, as the usual lullabies were "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and "Insect Flies."

Today, after hearing Fang Ye's story about bamboo blooming, she sang this song, evoking her beautiful memories.

It was Yingying's first time hearing it. She blinked a few times, feeling the gentleness in the song and gradually calming down.

...

The sky darkened, seemingly shrouded in a layer of mist, with sparse raindrops falling.

A small farm.

After harvesting the early rice in mid-July, the late rice was quickly transplanted. Now, by the end of August, the rice plants were thriving, lush green, with dewdrops hanging on the leaves.

Quack, quack, quack!

Dozens of gray-brown rice field ducks seemed more lively, perhaps because it was about to rain. They joyfully swam in the water.

Using their webbed feet , they swiftly glided far, swimming happily among the lush green rice paddies, moving effortlessly. Occasionally, they would lower their heads, pecking at the mud and water with their flat bills, eating the weeds.

After a while, seeming satisfied with their meal, they all swam back to the embankment, lining up with unsteady steps, their bodies swaying as they ran to an open area.

Standing tall, lifting their slender necks, shaking them a couple of times, flapping their wings twice to shake off the dewdrops on their feathers, then lowering their heads to groom their chest feathers with their bills.

They looked energetic and full of vitality!

After all, they usually ate weeds, pests in the water, snails, and small frogs, all natural foods, green and healthy.

Lan Li squatted by the rice field, hands folded on her knees, quietly watching the ducks in the field, propping her chin with a smile. "So cute!"

Fang Ye, holding an umbrella for Lan Li, was on holiday today, and the two of them were taking a stroll in the park.

The farm staff, wearing black rain boots, walked over from the muddy embankment, greeting them. "Hello, Director!"

Seeing Lan Li engrossed in watching the ducks, the staff member smiled. "Now is the best time to eat duck! The ducks in autumn are the most delicious. Do you want me to catch one for you?"

Lan Li widened her eyes, a bit stunned. "Huh?"

She just found the ducks cute and was watching them, but she was mistaken for being greedy.

Glancing at Fang Ye, who smiled gently, she said, "You decide."

After a moment of hesitation, Lan Li said, "Okay!"

Although feeling a bit sorry for the cute ducks, she planned to cook a delicious dinner for Fang Ye tonight.

The staff member returned to the cottage, fetched a net, and caught the duck.

The ducks were calmly preening their feathers, not expecting to be suddenly caught. The nearby ducks quickly scattered.

After a brief struggle, not showing too much panic, as it wasn't the first time they were caught. Usually, if they strayed too far and played outside the rice paddies, they would be caught and brought back.

With their wings reversed, the staff member lifted the duck and brought it to the canteen. "Lao Zhang! Help pluck the feathers off the duck."

Lao Zhang took the duck, a smile on his chubby face. "This duck is beautiful! Is it one of our rice field ducks?"

Fang Ye chuckled. "Yes!"

The experimental field was not large, and there were not many rice field ducks raised. They were mainly used to eliminate weeds and pests, with the added benefit of decoration.

Originally, they didn't plan to put them on the table, but today was a special occasion.

Lao Zhang pinched the duck. "It should weigh over five pounds, very meaty and firm. It looks like it exercises regularly."

Duck: Quack!

Thank you for the compliment! What's going on here? What are you going to do with us?

Lao Zhang said, "I'll blanch it in hot water, so please wait a moment."

Lan Li said, "I'll help too!"

Lao Zhang smiled, "Sure, you can help pluck the feathers later."

While heating the water, he took out a kitchen knife and sharpened it a bit on the whetstone.

Then, holding the duck's wing root with his left hand and its bill with his right, tucking the head into his left hand, he pulled out the feathers on the neck, holding the knife in his right hand.

Lan Li turned her head with some reluctance.

With a gentle stroke, the duck blood dripped into the prepared bowl.

Lao Zhang added a little water and salt, stirred it, and said, "It will congeal soon! Duck blood is also delicious."

The water in the pot began to bubble, and the duck was thrown in.

The hot water opened the duck's pores, making it easier to pluck the feathers.

After taking it out of the water and letting it cool slightly, Lan Li and Lao Zhang learned to pluck the feathers from the duck's body, like undressing, leaving behind a shiny and beautiful duck body.

The remaining task of eviscerating the duck and cutting it into pieces was done by Lao Zhang himself.

After finishing, he took the duck back home, and Lan Li busied herself in the kitchen!

"Chili, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, ginger, garlic..."

She prepared all the ingredients. Tonight, she planned to make a beer duck.

The oil heated up, emitting a faint smoke. Ginger slices and Sichuan peppercorns sizzled in the pot, making a soft "sizzle" sound, and the aroma of the spices spread from the kitchen to the living room.

Due to the duck's fatty meat, it would release oil when stir-fried, so she used less oil in the pan.

Fang Ye sat on the sofa, petting Hua Hua, who squinted his eyes and made a comfortable "purr" sound.

Glancing past the entrance, the sky outside darkened a bit more, raindrops falling steadily, and the leaves of the vines gently swaying in the rain.

The clothes hanging on the balcony had already been taken in.

Fang Ye stood up, closed the glass door at the entrance, shutting out the wind and rain.

Lan Li poured the blanched duck pieces into the pot, and the sound of sizzling intensified, with a rich aroma of duck meat filling the air.