Chapter 77: Mid-Autumn Crabs Are Plump

  Zhou Yi quickly and skillfully threw the dough onto the table, and it let out a loud "thud" as it bounced up high. Li Jia's wife couldn't help but exclaim: "Big brother is truly a master at making dough! With this dough, steamed buns will definitely be exceptionally delicious."

  "Heh heh, Zhou's skills may not have been fully revealed yet. For now, this is just a case of using an ox knife to kill a chicken. You're already so shocked and amazed, if he were to reveal even more of his skills, wouldn't your soul be startled out of your body?"

  Li Yuanfang burst out laughing, with a hint of meaning in his words. The young master of the Li family also knew that his wedding was made possible by Zhou Yi's help, and took the opportunity to praise him a few times.

  "Hehe, sister-in-law and Yuanfang big brother are overpraising me. I just love eating noodles, practice makes perfect, where's the exaggeration that Yuanfang big brother said?"

  Zhou Yi smiled and glanced at Li Yuanfang: "Moreover, I lived in a nursing home for a while and learned some cooking skills from Master Hong, otherwise how could I have such craftsmanship?"

  This is true, but it should be said the other way around. Master Hong also knew that a good teacher was hard to find, and after being instructed by him several times, he begged to become his apprentice; Zhou Yi initially refused, but couldn't resist an old bachelor in his 40s who kept making puppy eyes at him every day, so he finally relented and took him on as a nominal disciple.

  However, Zhou Yi also has conditions: first, he is not allowed to say that he is his own disciple, and on the contrary, he must pretend to be his student; second, if he wants to learn cooking skills, he must endure loneliness and hardship, and take a three-month test, specifically responsible for Jin Yangyang's diet, actually it's simple, just that big **stew radish...

  Now suspected by Li Yuanfang, Zhou Yi naturally brought out the shield of Master Hong without thinking. Li Yuanfang pouted and chuckled: "I said so, no wonder Brother Zhou is a delicate and tender person, but when he starts fighting, he's a good fighter, it turns out that Master Hong taught him, haha..."

  At the stroke of midnight, mooncakes were taken out of every household's oven, and mountain villagers placed their prepared dishes on the table but didn't start eating. After a few minutes, the sound of gongs came from the waterfront, signaling the start of the main event - the crab-catching contest.

  During the Mid-Autumn Festival, crabs are at their best. As the saying goes, "with wine but no crab is not enjoyable, with crab but no wine is also not enjoyable". At this time, every household opens up the osmanthus-flavored liquor brewed in advance and if there's no crab, they'll catch some on the spot!

  At this time, Jianma Lake is full of autumn crabs. Especially around midnight, these fat crabs all hide in the crevices of shallow water areas and some even run directly onto the sandy beach or shore. A half-grown kid holding a flashlight and a sack can catch over ten catties within half an hour, and every single one is a bright yellow crab king with a shell as big as a bowl. Eating that thing, it's so oily that you could die from freshness, and if you don't eat until your stomach hurts, you won't be able to stop...

  In the eyes of mountain people, crabs are quite despicable. Fish can swim freely in rivers and lakes, jump over the gate and become dragons, but these guys have a hard shell on their backs, hiding in stone crevices all day; The children in the mountains originally had shallow knowledge, how could they learn from this cowardice? Therefore, after laughing at Chang'e during the Mid-Autumn Festival every year, they would start crab-catching activities, which are both fun and educational. Each family's table also has an extra dish of freshwater delicacies, which is very timely and seasonal.

  As soon as the copper gong sounded, every household pushed their boats towards the shallow stone beach on the west side of Jianma Lake. This stone beach is known for having hundreds of holes and thousands of caves, where the most crabs are produced. Some young men, even young girls, and children who had just started school, were not afraid of the cold water and jumped off the boat to compete in catching crabs on the beach; this was a time to show off. One year, it was also the Mid-Autumn Crab Catching Competition, and a young man from Shangzha Village won first place, as a result, he was chosen by the most beautiful girl in Shangzha Village and became a legendary love story...

  Two silly men had an unexpected blind date failure the other day, and thinking of this story, he was more excited than anyone else. Before the boat even reached the shore, he dove into the water with a splash, just as he was about to swim towards the shallow beach, he heard a woman's shrill cry and a "splash" sound coming from beside him, it turned out that a big girl had fallen off a fishing boat from Liu Li Lou Zi Village.

  "Help!"

  Although the waters near Shallow Stone Beach are shallow, there is a deep pit or whirlpool hidden beneath. This girl's luck was clearly not good; as soon as she poked her head out of the water, she sank again. On their boat, there were only a few women, all frantically rushing around.

  "No good, the water is too cold, this girl must have cramps!"

  People who grow up by the water can't not know how to swim, and that girl's sudden exposure just now was clearly a cramp, only to follow a sudden drop. Zhou Yi's gaze tightened, just about to jump in to save her, but saw Erlaizi dash over with a loud splash, and soon he was supporting the girl as she floated up to the surface.

  At this moment, many family fishing boats rushed over, seeing the girl who had fallen into the water was rescued, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Someone started teasing Er Dai: "Hey, Er Dai, you're quite capable! You can even rescue a big girl while catching crabs; let me take a look, it's my mother... or is it Wei Shufen, the beautiful girl from Liu Li Louzi Village? Er Dai, your romantic luck has arrived..."

  Two silly men held up the buttocks of someone else's daughter, as if holding a large white fish, while treading water to keep their bodies from sinking. One of them said in a foolish tone: "You all stop talking nonsense, I'm just saving people..." As he spoke, his hand continued to rub Wei Shufen's buttocks several times, it was unclear whether he was really silly or pretending to be.

  I Ching is almost vomiting. Who says the second fool is stupid? Isn't this quite knowing how to seize opportunities and strive for the best? It's just that this guy is a bit too arrogant, and isn't afraid of scaring the big girl to death.

  In the midst of countless cheers, under the jealous gaze of a group of unmarried young men in Liu Lilou Village, Er Lai Zi carried the girl onto his own boat: "Uncle Zhou, take a look at her quickly."

  The fortune teller felt the girl's pulse and smiled: "Nothing serious, just go back and drink a bowl of ginger soup and you'll be fine."

  "Thank you, Dr. Zhou......" During this time, Zhou Yi's reputation spread far and wide, and many people from nearby villages came to seek his medical expertise; for these simple mountain folk, Zhou Yi never refused, and had long been nicknamed "Cloud Water Hua Tuo". Wei Shufen was also familiar with him.

  "It's all right, don't thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Li Tiewa instead..."

  Zhou Yi pointed at Er Lai Zi and smiled, saying "Er Lai Zi isn't easy to deal with either. I mustn't take credit for Heaven's work."

  "Thanks, Tie Wa." Wei Shufen glanced at Er Yezi and her face turned slightly red. Zhou Yi took a sneak peek and thought to himself, "Ah, this time there's hope..."

  The thrilling crab-catching competition has come to an end, and the fishing boats from each household have reconnected with one another on the lake's surface, forming circles that seem to be filled with bright moonlight both inside and out. Compared to this scene, even the Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon at Linzhou West Lake pales in comparison.

  A crab was washed clean and put into the pot, but the young boys and girls from each household were not at peace, they all ran to the bow of the ship and stood there, singing mountain songs, pushing the atmosphere to a climax.

  Since ancient times, the bright moon has been a hindrance to love...... What's more, they are all unmarried young men and women? The songs, some with or without scores, learned from TV or self-created folk songs, floated on the lake surface. Some sang to the itchiest places, making many old men and women blush uncontrollably.

  Although the face is red, it can't help but listen. Young people sing about youth, while old people savor the memories of their youth, recalling that year's rain, that year's moon, that year's him and her...

  Who first saw the moon by the river, and in what year did the river moon first shine on people? Generations of people have passed without end, while the river moon has been looking at each other for years, seemingly similar... Even Zhou Yi sounds a bit silly. I don't know why, but suddenly thought of Liu Xue, remembered that night when returning from the flea market, the moon was not as big and round as today, yet it made me unforgettable, unforgettable that night's crescent moon...

  P.S. These two chapters are a bit dull, but I personally like them very much. After living in the bustling city for so long, people's minds have become restless. Let you, me, and him savor this rare tranquility in the book, and return to simplicity and truth for once.

  Of course, for those who don't like this passage, don't worry, it will pass soon...

  Writing this kind of casual book is the most difficult to grasp, if it's too rushed, there's no flavor, and if it's slightly slower, some people will be dissatisfied. After thinking about it, I'll just follow my own feelings.

  Thank you to book friends '炽月幻灵', '沿海高歌' and '迷途之菜鸟' for their generous rewards and update tickets; thank you to book friend '荧惑狩心' for the five-star evaluation ticket, thanks everyone:)