I have a wildlife zoo-Chapter 652 - 651: This Duck Is Very Beautiful

When they were ordering at the Lion Restaurant, they discovered that although the grilled meat smelled mouthwatering and looked delicious, it certainly wasn't cheap! A tomahawk steak was priced at 1499, while a single serving of rib eye was 299.

After Director Fei finished ordering, he scratched his head, "Seems like we got duped, Shrek!"

The two of them had big appetites, so they ordered more than others would.

They had initially talked about how they rarely made a profit that day, received scratch cards for free and snagged a bunch of little gifts.

But as it turned out, the funds they saved all went into paying for the meal, which seemed to cost even more than a spree of using the capsule toy vending machines.

On the way home, Yingying couldn't stop thinking about her giant panda plushie, bursting with excitement.

"Mama, why can't the giant panda come home with us?"

"Because it's too big, our car can't fit it. Once we get home, the aunties and uncles from the zoo will deliver it."

"When will they deliver it?"

"They will deliver it as soon as we get home!" Liu Xueqing, helpless to answer further, changed the subject, "Yingying, let me sing you a song!"

She started singing softly, "The bamboos are blooming, wow, Mimi lies in mama's arms counting the stars..."

When she was little, her mother often sang this song to lull her to sleep, but Liu Xueqing had forgotten that, usually singing songs like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "The Fly Flies" as lullabies.

Today, after hearing Fang Ye talk about the blooming of bamboos and playing this song, it sparked her fond memories.

It was the first time Yingying had heard it, she blinked twice and, touched by the tenderness in the song, gradually quieted down.

...

The sky was turning dark, as if covered with a layer of blue smoke, with sparse raindrops falling.

A quaint little farm.

In mid-July, they had finished harvesting the early rice, and the late rice was quickly replanted.

Now, at the end of August, the rice plants were looking very healthy, lush green, and dampened by the light rain, with shiny droplets hanging on the leaves.

Ga ga ga ga~

About a dozen grey-brown paddy field ducks, perhaps because rain was coming, became more lively, swimming merrily in the water.

Kicking their webbed feet, they would dart far with a single push, swimming back and forth through the verdant rice plants, deftly moving about, occasionally dipping their flat beaks into the muddy water to pick out weeds for food.

After a while, it seemed they had their fill and moved onto the dry edges of the field, waddling in a line, their bodies rocking from side to side as they ran to an open area.

Puffing their chests and raising their heads, they shook their long necks briskly a couple of times, flapped their wings to shed droplets from their feathers, then buried their heads to preen the down around their breasts.

They looked very energetic, full of life!

After all, they normally fed on weeds, insects in the water, snails, little frogs, and the like—all natural, green, and healthy food.

Crouched by the rice field, Lan Li rested her arms on her legs, quietly observing the ducks in the field with a smile propped on her chin, "So cute!"

Fang Ye stood beside her, holding an umbrella over Lan Li; they were off today and taking a leisurely walk in the garden together.

When the small farm's staff spotted them, wearing black rain boots, they walked over from the muddy ridges to greet them, "Hello, Director!"

Seeing Lan Li riveted by the ducks, they said with a smile, "Now's the best time to eat duck! The ducks are at their fattest and tastiest in autumn. Would you like me to catch one for you?"

Lan Li widened her eyes, a bit flustered, "Eh?"

She was just finding the ducks cute and watching them, but her interest had been mistaken for hunger.

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She turned her head to glance at Fang Ye, who was smiling gently, "You decide."

Lan Li hesitated and then said, "Okay then!"

Although she felt a bit sorry for the cute ducks, preparing a delicious dinner for Fang Ye tonight wouldn't be a bad idea.

Thus, the staff returned to the cabin, grabbed a catch- net, and scooped one of the ducks into it.

Completely unfazed, the duck was preening its feathers when it was suddenly captured, prompting the others to scatter quickly.

It struggled a bit, but didn't panic too much, as this wasn't its first time being caught. When it wandered too far and played outside the paddy fields, it would be captured and brought back.

They held the duck by its reversed wings and brought it to the canteen, "Old Zhang! Give me a hand with this and pluck the duck's feathers."

Old Zhang took the duck, a smile spreading across his chubby face, "This is a beautiful duck! It's one of ours from the paddy fields, right?"

Fang Ye laughed, "That's right!"

The experimental field wasn't large, and they didn't raise many paddy field ducks; their main purpose was to eliminate weeds and pests, and to serve as a bit of decoration.

They hadn't planned on serving them for dinner, but today was an exception to go meaty.

Old Zhang pinched the duck, "It should weigh more than five pounds. It's very meaty, and the meat is firm—a clear sign it gets plenty of exercise from running."

Duck: Quack quack!

Thank you for the compliment! Where am I? What are you doing to me?

Old Zhang said, "I'll boil some water to scald it, why don't you all sit and wait for a bit."

Lan Li: "I'll help too!"

Old Zhang smiled warmly, "Sure, you can help pluck the feathers in a bit."

He started boiling water and took out a kitchen knife, giving it a quick sharpen on the stone.

Next, he grabbed the duck by the base of its wing with one hand and its bill with the other, shoving the head into the same hand and pulling the feathers from its neck, freeing the other hand to grab the knife.

Lan Li turned her head away, unable to bear looking.

With a gentle slice, the duck's blood dripped into a prepared bowl.

Old Zhang added some water and salt, stirred it, and smiled, "It'll set soon! Duck blood is quite delicious, too."

By this time, the pot had begun to bubble with a 'gurgle', and he tossed the duck in.

The hot water made the duck's pores open, making it easier to remove the feathers.

After lifting it out of the water and letting it cool for a moment, Lan Li followed Old Zhang's lead in plucking the feathers, stripping them off as if peeling away clothing, leaving behind a smooth and shiny duck carcass in no time.

Old Zhang took care of removing the innards and cutting the duck into pieces by himself.

Once done, they took the duck home, and Lan Li got busy in the kitchen!

"Chili peppers, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, green onion, ginger, garlic..."

She prepared all of the ingredients first, planning to make beer duck for the evening.

The oil heated up, wisps of smoke rose, slices of ginger and Sichuan peppercorns hissed, emitting a faint 'sizzle' as the aroma of the spices wafted from the kitchen to the living room.

Since the duck was rich in fat, she would render some fat out while cooking, so she used less oil than usual in the pan.

Fang Ye sat on the couch, stroking Huahua, who squinted and purred in delight.

His gaze passed the entryway, noticing the sky outside had darkened a bit more as rain droplets fell with a 'whoosh', and the vines outside trembled gently in the rain.

The clothes hanging on the balcony had already been collected earlier.

Fang Ye stood, pulling the glass doors at the entrance shut, sealing off the wind and rain from outside.

Lan Li added the pre-blanched duck pieces to the pot, and the 'sizzle' intensified as the rich scent of duck meat filled the air.