Chapter 54: An Alternative Delicacy: Fire-Roasted Bamboo Grubs
Time passed slowly, and it was soon four in the afternoon.
Li You figured it was about time to head back.
So, he called out to everyone, telling them it was time to get ready to leave.
Although none of them had had their fill and wanted to search a little longer, everyone still replied with an "Okay."
Then, they slowly gathered together.
Once they were all together, things got even livelier. Everyone eagerly showed off their hauls.
They were mainly showing off the bamboo mushrooms.
The luckiest person had found over a dozen, while the least lucky only had two or three.
Finding these things was mostly a matter of luck.
Those who found a lot were thrilled. As they showed off their mushrooms, they chattered on and on about their techniques.
Those who found fewer were certainly a bit disappointed, but they weren’t dejected.
They were just as happy.
After all, the journey was more important than the destination.
Ye Shengge’s luck was pretty good; she had found twelve.
She was now proudly showing them to Li You.
Li You gave her a thumbs-up and smiled. "Very nice."
As for Li You himself, he had found ten, which was also quite good.
Jiang Caidong had good luck as well. He’d found fourteen in total.
This made Jiang Caidong extremely happy. He repeatedly said, "This bamboo forest is a really great place. I’m so glad I came along with everyone."
Liang Heng’s luck wasn’t as good; he only found five.
However, Liang Heng was just as happy, smiling as he said, "Even though it’s only five, it’s still enough to make a dish. This kind of ingredient isn’t something you can just buy whenever you want."
Wei Ping’s family found a total of twelve together.
When you put them all together, it was a pretty good haul.
Liu Xu found six, which was decent enough.
The girls—Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and Ning Wan—had each found three or four, which was also okay.
The person who found the most was Yang Jianfeng, with a total of sixteen.
This made Yang Jianfeng more excited than ever before.
He hadn’t expected to have such a great haul when he came over with Liu Xu and the others today.
Coming here was totally worth it!
Jiulong Gorge Restaurant was definitely a fantastic place!
Yang Jianfeng was itching to go back and tell everyone he knew just that.
As for bamboo shoots, people just broke off as many as they wanted.
Those who gathered a lot took more than ten.
Those who gathered fewer took three or four.
Ye Shengge broke off about ten.
Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng also each took a few.
They hadn’t originally planned on taking any.
But while searching for bamboo mushrooms, they suddenly got the urge to take a few back with them.
Wei Ping’s two children also had a great harvest.
They had each caught about twenty bamboo grubs, which they kept in a few empty plastic water bottles.
Someone looked at the two little ones’ bamboo grubs and said with a laugh, "You two kids had a pretty good haul, too!"
The two little ones were very pleased.
Wei Yu said, "You guys look for ingredients. We look for the bamboo grubs that eat your ingredients."
His words brought a smile to everyone’s face.
Li You smiled. "Actually, you could say what you found is an ingredient, too."
This statement not only confused the two children, but many of the adults also looked puzzled.
Wei Yu asked, "Uncle Li You, why did you say bamboo grubs are an ingredient too? Can you eat them?"
Li You nodded. "You can! You can roast and eat them. They’re very fragrant. Uncle Li You used to eat them all the time as a kid."
"Really?" The two children had expressions of disbelief.
Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the other girls also found it hard to believe.
Only Ye Shengge asked Li You excitedly, "You’ve really eaten bamboo grubs? Are they really fragrant?"
Li You said, "Of course, it’s true. If you don’t believe me, I’ll catch a few and roast them for you. Then you’ll know if they’re fragrant or not."
"Okay!" Ye Shengge didn’t hesitate at all. "I’ll go catch some with you."
"You’d really dare to eat them?" Li You was a bit surprised.
Ye Shengge said, "What’s there to be afraid of after they’re cooked? Let’s go, let’s go! Time to catch some bamboo grubs."
"Alright then. Today, I’ll let you try the exotic delicacy, ’Fire-Roasted Bamboo Grubs,’" Li You said with a smile.
Then he said to the others, "Excuse us, everyone. We’re going to catch some bamboo grubs. We’ll be right back."
Liu Xu laughed. "I grew up in the countryside too, and I’ve eaten roasted bamboo grubs before. I’ll go catch a few to roast and eat as well."
"If that’s the case, I’ll go catch a few too. I’ve never had them, but since Boss Li says they’re so fragrant, I want to give them a try."
"I’ll catch a few, too. If Miss Ye dares to eat them, so do I."
"Since everyone’s going, I can’t be left behind. I have a feeling I won’t dare to eat them, but I can at least give it a try."
"..."
Soon, more than half of the group had gone off to catch bamboo grubs.
Most of them had never eaten bamboo grubs before, nor did they know they could be roasted.
However, that didn’t detract from their cheerful mood.
They wanted to give it a try.
Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the other girls wanted to go as well.
But in the end, they didn’t.
The mere thought of putting a bamboo grub in their mouths sent a shiver down their spines.
So, they decided against it.
This was one exotic delicacy they just weren’t cut out for.
After hesitating for a long time, Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng also decided not to go.
Although they knew bamboo grubs were edible, they didn’t think they could bring themselves to actually eat one.
The two children, Wei Yu and Wei Yuxi, asked Wei Ping, "Dad, can you really roast and eat bamboo grubs?"
Wei Ping replied, "If Uncle Li You says you can, then you definitely can. These things are pests, so it’s a good thing they’re edible."
The two children both nodded.
A short while later, Li You, Ye Shengge, and the others who went to catch bamboo grubs returned one after another.
Everyone had caught at least a few, with some catching around ten.
Li You and Ye Shengge had caught even more—over twenty.
There were just so many of those bamboo grubs. Sometimes, a single bamboo shoot would have several, or even more than a dozen.
Once everyone was back, Li You gathered the group and led them out of the bamboo forest to start the walk back.
On the way back, their cheerful mood was now mixed with the joy of a successful harvest.
The group continued to chat and laugh.
Half an hour later, they arrived back at the restaurant.
It was already five in the afternoon.
Since it was so late, they would definitely eat dinner here before heading home.
Everyone came to the same decision.
But before dinner, they would roast and eat the bamboo grubs first.
Even though some of them weren’t going to eat any, they were very interested in watching how Li You and the others would roast and eat them.
They wouldn’t eat them themselves, but they were very curious to watch others do it.
That being the case, it was time to build a fire and roast the bamboo grubs.
"I’ll go get some firewood," Ye Shengge said.
With that, she headed toward the back of the restaurant.
She quickly returned with an armful of firewood.
"Thanks for getting that," Li You said. Then he lit the firewood.
Slowly, the fire grew stronger.
Watching the roaring flames, everyone felt an inexplicable sense of excitement.
Li You brought out a bag of salt and a long pair of stainless steel tongs from the kitchen.
When roasting bamboo grubs, you were supposed to twist off their long "noses," then pour a little salt into the opening left behind. This made them taste even better when roasted.
Li You sat down in front of the fire, picked up a bamboo grub, and began the process.
Everyone, including Ye Shengge, watched him work.
Li You twisted off the bamboo grub’s long "nose" and poured a little salt into the opening.
Then, he gripped it with the stainless steel tongs and placed it directly over the flames to roast.
With a faint CRACKLE, a delicate, savory aroma slowly began to drift from it.
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