Gourd Farm Chapter 97
Translated by Etherna
Chapter 97: Braised Goose in Iron Pot
With only one ring left, Xia Ying casually threw it and turned to leave.
"I hit it! I really hit it!" Xia Ying exclaimed, jumping and dancing with excitement. Her expression was as if she had just won a five million lottery.
Upon closer inspection, Yang Feng realized that she had indeed caught a goose. The small ring hanging around the goose's neck was particularly eye-catching, and the goose itself was quite large.
The stall owner, with a dark expression, had already pocketed forty yuan. He hadn't expected to end up with a loss after waiting for so long.
Seeing the owner hesitating, Xia Tian urged, "Hurry up and bring it over. Don't try to cheat us."
Reluctantly, the owner brought over the ten-kilogram goose.
This goose was likely a seasoned veteran, one of the heaviest in the flock. Unexpectedly, it had been inadvertently caught by Xia Ying. This goose was worth at least a couple of hundred yuan.
Xia Tian ran over and took the goose from the owner's hands. At this point, the owner's expression was one of pure resentment, as if he wanted to strangle Xia Tian.
"Feng, I've been working hard for the past few days. Let's stew this goose tonight. How about braising it in an iron pot?" Xia Tian suggested.
Yang Feng was in awe of Xia Tian's resourcefulness. The goose had just landed in his hands, and he was already planning how to cook it. It was truly a sight to behold.
When Xia Tian mentioned braising the goose in an iron pot, the stall owner's eye twitched noticeably.
The three of them rode on an electric scooter, chatting and laughing along the way, with the occasional honking of geese in the background.
Upon arriving home, they boiled a pot of water, and Xia Tian took the lead in plucking the feathers from the goose.
Yang Feng walked over from the house. "Bro, are you really going to pluck it alive without slaughtering it first?"
Embarrassed, Xia Tian smiled. "Brother Feng, I'll be honest with you. I'm actually too scared. I can't even slaughter a chicken, let alone a big guy like this."
"If you're too scared, why are you so eager to do it?" Yang Feng asked.
Yang Feng realized that the responsibility of slaughtering the goose definitely fell on him. As for Xia Ying, she had already run off to Liu Wan'er's place.
In the past, he had been too afraid to do such things. It was all thanks to his time in the city and the influence of the vampires. During his short time working, he had been tasked with killing fish, chickens, and even bullfrogs. The memories still gave him goosebumps.
He found a bowl and poured some water into it. Afterward, he placed the fresh goose blood into the bowl. When the water was almost boiling, he poured the coagulated goose blood into it. The texture was even more delicious than the goose meat itself, smooth and tender.
After pouring the goose blood, he threw it outside, and it twitched a few times before lying still.
"Xia Tian, come over and pluck the goose feathers. Remember not to throw them away. They can be sold for over ten yuan," Yang Feng instructed.
Xia Tian came over to pluck the feathers. After more than half an hour, he had almost finished plucking the feathers and then handled the down.
"Clang, clang, clang."
The goose was swiftly chopped into pieces, each about the size of a mahjong tile. The next step was to stir-fry them.
"Xia Tian, lower the heat, or the ingredients will burn," Yang Feng advised.
The pieces of goose were added to the wok, and after stir-frying on low heat for about fifteen minutes, the thick goose skin began to release oil.
"Feng, when will it be ready? The aroma is so enticing," Xia Tian asked.
The house was not very large to begin with, and now with the goose being stir-fried, the aroma filled the entire home.
Once the stir-frying was done, they simply added water and let it simmer.
After an hour and a half, the goose meat had become tender, and the broth had thickened with rich collagen. Xia Tian couldn't wait and picked up a piece from the pot, not minding if it was too hot, and took a bite.
"Phew, that's hot!"
"Brother Feng, your cooking skills are amazing. The flavor is just right, not too salty or bland," Xia Tian praised.
As time passed, Yang Feng wondered why Xia Ying hadn't returned yet. It had been almost two hours.
"What's that delicious smell?"
Just as Yang Feng was about to make a call, he heard Liu Wan'er's voice. He looked up and saw that Xia Ying had also returned.
"Miss Liu, you're just in time. Sit down and join us for dinner," Yang Feng invited.
Liu Wan'er was not shy about joining them that evening. She and Xia Ying each grabbed a pair of chopsticks and a bowl of rice. Yang Feng asked Xia Tian to go to the nearby store to buy a bottle of wine. He was in a good mood and wanted to have a drink before bed.
"Miss Liu, please bear with the food if it's not up to par," Yang Feng said.
Yang Feng poured a glass of white wine for himself and Xia Tian. He hadn't drunk for a long time and felt a bit nervous.
"Gulp."
As the wine went down, it warmed his throat and spread to his stomach, a mix of pain and pleasure.
Xia Ying, on the other hand, took a small sip and found it too spicy, her face contorting as she hurriedly ate some food.
Both Xia Tian and Yang Feng burst into laughter. It was truly a comical sight.
Eating from an iron pot on a cold day turned out to be quite enjoyable. The small table was packed with food, and the atmosphere was even better than at a restaurant.
Liu Wan'er put down her chopsticks. "Yang Feng, I heard you made a fortune at the temple fair this time."
"Who told you that? I only made a little money, not enough to buy seeds," Yang Feng replied.
Liu Wan'er rolled her eyes. "I don't believe you. By the way, when are you planning to grow those oyster mushrooms?"
Yang Feng replied earnestly, "I plan to do it in the next few days, once I finish up the work in the greenhouse. Then I can focus on planting garlic and mushroom."
"Alright, then get the mushroom spawn as soon as possible, and prepare the dry materials in the next couple of days," Xia Tian advised.
After finishing a goose leg, Xia Tian asked, "Miss Liu, what's mushroom spawn? I've never heard of it before."
"It's a pre-cultivated mushroom strain, but you still need to prepare it yourself. It's a bit complicated, but I'll come over and teach you when the time comes," Liu Wan'er explained.
Liu Wan'er then told Yang Feng about the necessary preparations, mainly involving corn cobs. It would be troublesome if they used sawdust.
At dawn, Yang Feng delivered the goods to the restaurant. The fat boss had closed his breakfast shop and opened a larger restaurant with his son, offering banquet-style dining, which looked quite impressive.
As he arrived at the entrance, the fat boss walked over politely. "Yang Feng, what brings you here today?"
During this period, Xia Tian had been handling the deliveries, but he had called in the morning to say that he had some family matters to attend to and would be taking half a day off.
"Hey, it's been a while. Just dropping by to say hello," Yang Feng replied.
The fat boss took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered them around.
"Here, have one of mine," Yang Feng said, offering his own pack of cigarettes.
"They're all the same," the fat boss said, tucking the cigarette behind his ear. The fat boss owed a lot to Yang Feng. If it weren't for Yang Feng's vegetables, he and his family would probably still be running a small breakfast shop.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with the fat boss, Yang Feng learned that the boss's son had recently purchased a house for his wedding. The old couple were overjoyed.
The fat boss's son was a quiet and honest person, rarely speaking, but he was very reliable when it came to work.
After finishing up there, Yang Feng delivered the goods to several other stores. By the time it was past nine o'clock, he bought a basket of meat buns from a local shop and prepared to settle the matter of the mushroom spawn.