Chapter 55: Everyone Is Roasting and Eating Bamboo Grubs
They were just about cooked.
Li You placed the roasted bamboo grubs onto a plate.
Everyone stared at the bamboo grubs on the plate.
To be honest, they didn’t look appetizing at all.
Li You thought so too.
But this kind of rustic, natural delicacy didn’t have to look good, nor did it need to.
He passed the plate to Ye Shengge and said with a smile, "Have a taste."
Ye Shengge picked up a bamboo grub, smiled faintly, and said, "It doesn’t look like much, but it smells quite fragrant."
After speaking, she popped it directly into her mouth.
She chewed a few times.
Then, her eyes lit up. It was more delicious than she had imagined.
After finishing it, she said happily, "I didn’t expect it to be so good."
Li You asked, "Is it fragrant?"
Ye Shengge nodded. "Fragrant. It’s really fragrant. I’m going to roast another one for myself."
With that, she picked up a bamboo grub and, mimicking Li You, twisted off its "nose" and poured a little salt into the opening.
Then she used a pair of tongs to hold it and placed it in the fire to roast.
Seeing Ye Shengge’s reaction, Li You laughed heartily.
He knew she would find it delicious.
In fact, the things were genuinely tasty; they were incredibly fragrant.
While they couldn’t compare to an elaborately prepared gourmet meal, their appeal lay in their primitive, pure flavor that left you wanting more.
The other people there started murmuring, "Look, it seems Miss Ye is really enjoying it!"
"It doesn’t look great, but it seems it actually tastes pretty decent."
"After being roasted, it doesn’t seem so hard to swallow anymore."
"..."
At this, the guests who had gone to catch bamboo grubs earlier got excited.
"Hahaha! I’m going to start roasting mine! Boss, are there any more tongs?"
"Me too. Boss, can I borrow a pair of tongs too?"
"..."
Li You nodded. "I’ll go get some more."
He then went into the kitchen and brought out several more pairs of tongs.
After thanking him, the guests also began the process.
The bonfire was surrounded by guests roasting bamboo grubs.
Ye Shengge’s bamboo grub was cooked.
After letting it cool a bit, she popped it into her mouth.
After finishing it, she said with even more delight, "It feels like it gets more fragrant with every bite. I’m going to roast another one."
Then she started the process all over again.
Liu Xu’s bamboo grub was also cooked. Holding the roasted grub in his hand, he said, "I ate these as a kid. It’s been over a decade. Let me see if it still tastes like my childhood."
After speaking, he put the bamboo grub into his mouth.
He chewed a few times before swallowing.
Then he said happily, "Not bad, this is the flavor. So fragrant, so familiar. I never thought I’d taste this again today."
Just then, a colleague’s bamboo grub next to him was also ready.
The colleague said excitedly, "It should be cooked now, right? Can I eat it? I’m going to try it. I’ve never eaten one before. Today’s the first time I’ve even known you could roast and eat these things."
With that, he put it in his mouth and started eating.
After finishing, he praised it repeatedly, "It’s good, it’s good, it’s really good. I never expected this thing would actually be so delicious after being roasted. I want to eat more."
Soon after, another person’s bamboo grub was cooked. Holding it in their hand, they said, "I thought I wouldn’t dare to eat it before. But now, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything to be afraid of."
After saying that, they popped it straight into their mouth.
After finishing it, they said excitedly, "It’s really good. Who would’ve thought bamboo grubs could be a delicacy? And there was no uncomfortable feeling at all while eating it."
They ate and commented at the same time.
The reviews were all along the lines of "It’s pretty good," or "I didn’t expect it to be this tasty."
This made everyone else’s mouths water.
Those who had also caught bamboo grubs but hadn’t started roasting yet all chimed in, "Come on, come on, switch out, switch out! It’s our turn to roast. Give me the tongs, give them to me."
"Lao Liu, you’ve already had two. It’s my turn!"
"..."
Meanwhile, those who hadn’t caught any bamboo grubs earlier, including the girls Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and Ning Wan, as well as Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng, couldn’t help but want to try some now that they saw everyone eating with such enjoyment.
They had previously thought they definitely wouldn’t dare to eat them, that they couldn’t possibly stomach it.
But now, looking at the roasted bamboo grubs, they didn’t seem so bad.
Not only did they not seem unsettling, they actually looked quite delicious.
This was something none of them had ever expected.
They wanted to try them more and more.
But they didn’t have any bamboo grubs!
’If only we had known, we would have gone with everyone to catch some earlier.’
’Now we want to eat but have no ingredients. This is just great.’
With no ingredients, their only option was to ask for some.
For the sake of good food, they’d have to be a bit shameless this once.
Jiang Caidong said to Li You, "Boss Li, could you spare a couple of your bamboo grubs for us? We’d like to try them too."
Li You smiled. "Of course. Boss Jiang, Master Liang, feel free to take as many as you want."
Jiang Caidong laughed. "Thanks, Boss Li. Then we won’t be polite!"
Liang Heng also thanked Li You.
Some people asked Li You and Ye Shengge. Others asked Liu Xu and his group.
Someone even targeted the two little ones, Wei Yu and Wei Yuxi. "Hey kids, how about giving your uncle a bamboo grub?"
The scene instantly became very lively.
Soon, everyone had at least one bamboo grub in their hands.
Everyone knew each other, so forget having to ask. Even if they didn’t, those with bamboo grubs would have offered them willingly.
Now that they had the grubs, it was time to roast them.
There weren’t enough tongs, so they had to take turns.
Someone got impatient, found a damp branch, broke it in two, and used the pieces like chopsticks to hold a bamboo grub in the fire.
The effect was quite good.
The others who didn’t have tongs yet copied the idea.
Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, Ning Wan, and the other girls all roasted their very first bamboo grub.
’They really don’t seem so bad. The thought of putting one in my mouth doesn’t feel unsettling at all.’
’In that case, let’s eat.’
Without further hesitation, they put them in their mouths.
A few chews.
A delighted expression appeared on their faces. ’It’s actually really good.’
And they didn’t feel any revulsion in their hearts.
This was the first time they had ever eaten insects.
Who would have believed they would one day eat insects and actually find them delicious?
Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, Ning Wan, and the other girls found it incredible, and also strangely exciting.
They wanted to eat more.
’Who still has a lot of bamboo grubs? I’ll go ask for another one.’
Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng also swallowed the bamboo grubs they had roasted.
They were indeed not bad.
Very fragrant.
But such a small grub was gone in one bite; it wasn’t nearly enough to be satisfying.
’I need to get a couple more.’
The scene grew even more lively, with everyone saying they never would have thought they’d all be here together today, roasting and eating bamboo grubs.
They hadn’t just eaten a rustic delicacy. More importantly, the whole experience was just so much fun!
Today, they had not only eaten the gourmet food at Boss Li’s restaurant but also tasted delicious wild fruits like mulberries.
Then they had gone into the mountains to break off bamboo shoots, find Bamboo Mushrooms, and catch bamboo grubs, and finally roasted and ate the grubs together.
It was so interesting and so fulfilling!
The more everyone thought about it, the more excited they became, feeling that today’s trip was absolutely worth it!
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A huge thank you to Dreamkiller Sin for another 100-coin donation.
Thank you, big shot!
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