When Zhao Lan heard her daughter’s words, her eyeballs almost drop on the ground: “What are you talking about? Eat the snake? Isn’t snake poisonous?”
Bai Zhi smiled and pulled Zhao Lan back into the shade: “There is a poisonous snake, but this one is not poisonous at all. On the contrary, it is delicious and nutritious. You will not know it unless you try.”
Zhao Lan still has some doubt. She was afraid of it, but she could see that her daughter was so sure about it. She even saw her pouring water on it and cleaning. Bai Zhi took out the bamboo tube on her bamboo bag. She took a sip first and then rinse the snake meat with the remaining water.
Bai Zhi hangs the cleaned snake’s skin on the branch. Then, she burned a pile of dry branches nearby. She cut the snake meat into four sections and stick them on small branches.
The snake meat was like a fish. Its meat was very easy to cook. In a short while, a seductive scent made Hu Changlin and Hu Feng stopped their hands from working and turned to look.
“Is that the snake meat?” Hu Feng asked with amazement while staring at snake meat burning on the fire.
Bai Zhi nodded her head: “Mmm, this snake meat is fresh and delicious. It’s nutritious, so it will nourish your body. You try it.” Bai Zhi took the largest one and handed it to Hu Changlin.
As the roasted snake meat getting closer and closer, it’s seductive scent was getting richer and richer. Hu Changlin was already hungry, so when he smelled it, he couldn’t refuse.
He put down the farm tool and patted away the gray soil in his hands before he took the roasted snake that was handed over to him. Hu Changlin couldn’t wait any longer, so he took a bite. Although there was no seasonings, nor salt. The taste has no any difference.
“How is it?” Bai Zhi asked Hu Changlin.
Hu Changlin’s mouth was full. He bites the roasted snake meat right into his mouth. So, he could only raise his thumb and vaguely said that it was delicious.
Bai Zhi took another two sticks of snake meat and handed it to Hu Feng and Zhao Lan. She left the smallest part to herself.
Zhao Lan saw her daughter’s food was too small, so she wanted to change with her. But, Bai Zhi didn’t agree. Bai Zhi smiled and said: “Niang, I’m not hungry at all. This stick is enough. Besides, Hu Feng and I ate at the foot of the mountain. I ate two yacon fruits. I’m not hungry now.”
Zhao Lan didn’t believe her: “What nonsense are you saying? Where in this place could you find yacon fruits? Isn’t that something only grow in a snowy mountain like Tianshan?”
Bai Zhi replied: “This yacon fruit is different. You eat the snake meat first. You will know what yacon fruit I’m saying later.”
Seeing her daughter keep insisting on this, Zhao Lan felt warm in her heart. Her daughter seemed more intimate than before.
After the large snake meat was eaten, Hu Changlin obviously was still not full, so he sighed and said: “If I knew that snake could be eaten and taste delicious, I should have killed a lot of snakes in this filed. But, it’s a pity, I threw them all away.”
Bai Zhi smiled and said: “If you like to eat a snake, you can ask Hu Feng to give you a hand. Hu Feng is amazing, he can grab the snake as if only grabbing a mosquito. The snake couldn’t fight at all.”
When Hu Changlin and Zhao La heard Bai Zhi’s exaggerated words, they laughed and laughed. It was only Hu Feng who stayed silent, but his lips have a pretty smile.
After eating the snake tail in her hand, Bai Zhi took out two bamboo tubes from her bamboo bag, which was filled with a cold water from the stream.
“This is what we brought from the foot of the Luoyang Mountain. You two drink this, me and niang will drink the other one.”