Traveling through troubled times to escape famine and cultivate crops as a grain merchant

Zhou Guo had no choice but to say, "Master, it's done. Go back and come back tomorrow. The pond over there has been dug and water has been brought in. The weather has been cold these days. Come back tomorrow to move these crabs over there for the winter."

The old man had no choice but to get up and said, "It's so cold here. In winter, the river water will freeze. Will your pond not freeze? Can the crabs survive?"

Zhou Guo said, "So, we need to take measures to keep warm in advance. The deepest part of the pond is two meters deep, and the thickest ice here in winter can only freeze to about half a meter. Besides, I can break the ice even if it freezes. Add more aquatic plants, feed them, and put some cans in the water to prevent them from digging holes. If you do all this, even if not all of them survive, some should be able to survive. As long as some can survive and I can save the seeds, that's good enough."

Otherwise, she couldn't ask Manager Yang to give her the crab seedlings again, right?

The old man nodded, "It's good that you know the answer. You have to take good care of these crab seedlings, otherwise they will all die. Where will you get seedlings next year?"

The two men returned carrying a basket full of crabs.

By this time the sun was already setting, and the Li family members who had gone into the mountains to carry firewood had returned. When they saw the master and his apprentice carrying back a basket, they did not pay much attention.

Zhou Gu poured the basket of crabs into a large wooden basin, filling up half the basin.

The whole family was shocked.

Wu Ya was even more surprised. She had never seen such a big crab before. "Oh my god, such a big crab. How many years has it lived? It must be the ancestor, right?"

She had only seen small crabs in the ravines. How could she know that there were crabs in the world that could grow so big?

Zhou Xing and Zhou Gu laughed.

Li said, "This is the size of it. Don't be fooled by its size. It was small when it first came. It took several months to grow to this size. But there are so many. Can we eat it all?"

The old man has already started cleaning up. As long as there is something delicious to eat, he is willing to work. Besides, these are crabs, crabs!

Zhou Guo said, "Not many. There are still so many people on the farm. They have worked hard for several months. They were so worried that the crabs would be stolen or run away. Don't they deserve to eat one crab? I promised them one for each of them."

Zhou Gu stood up and said, "I'll ask Wu Jiang to come get it."

Zhou Guo said: "No need, big brother, I'll pick it up and send it over."

Each person counted one, and it was forty-six, no more, no less, even for a little kid.

Zhou Guo carried the basket and went to the farm.

At this moment, smoke was coming out of the roofs of the village.

Zhou Guo walked in, and Wu Jiang came out to greet him after hearing the news. "Master, why are you here at this time?"

Zhou Guo put the basket on the ground and said with a smile: "Didn't I tell you at that time that when the crabs are fat, each of you can have one. There are all of them in this basket, exactly forty-six. Let's steam them and eat them tonight."

"Ah?! Haha, there are big crabs inside? Master, is it true? Is it true that everyone of us has a share?"

The others nearby couldn't help but shout excitedly, "Crabs! Even though they had never eaten them before, they cost one tael of silver each. Just thinking about the silver made them smell so delicious."

Zhou Guo smiled and said, "Of course, I brought them all to you."

Everyone rushed over, opened the lid and looked at the crabs inside.

The housekeeper said in embarrassment: "Master, is there any particular way to eat crabs? We have never eaten them and we don't know how to eat them."

Someone in the audience said happily, "Mammy, what's so special about crabs? Haven't you eaten the big ones and the small ones? Just peel the shells and roast them. Once they're cooked, you can eat them in a few bites."

"Isn't this how you eat crabs, no matter if they are big or small?"

The housekeeper said, "What do you know? You think these are small crabs from the mountain valley? They cost one ounce of silver each, so the way they are eaten must be different."

Everyone looked at Zhou Guo.

Zhou Guo smiled and said, "Well, wash them first, steam them, and then I'll open one for you to see."

"Really? Thank you, master. Why don't you get started?" The housekeeper waved her hand, and the boys took the basket of crabs away to wash them.

There were so many people that it didn't take long to wash them all and then steam them.

It will take about the time of a stick of incense to be done.

Once opened, the originally green shells all turned red and lay in the steamer.

"Wow!!" There was a burst of exclamations, and everyone looked at Zhou Guo expectantly.

Zhou Guo picked up a crab and said, "You can't eat crabs with hard shells. Peel off the shell on the belly, and then open the hard shell on the back. Look at the two sides. The stripes on these are gills, which can't be eaten... There are also some techniques for eating the meat on the legs..."

Everyone listened attentively and watched carefully, nodding as they listened, with a look of admiration on their faces.

Zhou Guo finished speaking and smiled: "Okay, that's all."

The housekeeper said, "This is really true. It is indeed a dish that only rich people can afford. There are so many rules for eating a crab. Even an old woman like me is confused. Master, what will happen if I eat those things that cannot be eaten? Will I be poisoned?"

Some people who were older than her said worriedly, "Yes, my eyesight isn't very good, and I can't find the stomach and heart you mentioned. If it will be poisonous, I won't eat it. Leave it for the children."

Zhou Guo said: "How can it be poisonous? It's best not to eat it. It doesn't taste good and there are a lot of dirt inside. As for the bad eyesight, there are so many people with good eyesight. There is not much meat in this thing, and it is not for filling the stomach. Now we have it at home, and everyone can afford to eat one. Okay, you guys eat slowly, I'll go back first."

As soon as she left, everyone gathered around and stared at the shell full of crab meat.

"...Who wants to eat this crab that the master peeled?"

"I eat it, I don't know how to peel it."

"It's your share. You're too young to peel it yourself. It should belong to us old guys..."

Everyone was fighting over this crab. The owner was peeling it for them. Whoever got it would be honored.

The Zhou family’s crabs are already in the pot.

When we had dinner, there was no crab on the table.

Zhou Mai and the others were puzzled, "Mom, where are the crabs? You're not eating them tonight?"

Li looked at Zhou Guo and the old man and said, "Eat first, then eat the crabs. Eat slowly."

Well, the few of them finished their meal in no time and waited for the crabs to be served.

I've gotten some good stuff from Shopkeeper Yang in the past two years, but unfortunately, there are only one or two baskets a year, and each person can only eat two or three, and they're gone after they're eaten.

After eating every year, I start looking forward to the next year.

This year is good. I finally have crab seedlings at home. I have been looking forward to it for several months. Finally, I can eat them. How can I still want to eat rice?

It took a lot of effort to wait until Zhou Guo and the old man finished eating.

Li took Wu Ya and Zhou Xing to clear the dishes away and brought up the crabs that had just come out of the pot.

A full pointed basket.

Several of them widened their eyes.

Zhou Guo said, "Mom, I don't remember there were so many. Can the crabs in our pot still give birth?"