Chapter 144: Chapter 144: The Scent of Blood Chapter 144: Chapter 144: The Scent of Blood She kept searching in the river.
As Su Yunjin walked along the riverbank, she picked up some more. Her hands were full, and just as Su Yunjin was about to turn around and call Su Xiaobao over with a basket, her elder sister’s voice appeared behind her, “Little sister, what are you collecting those for?”
She looked at the river snails in Su Yunjin’s hands.
“Of course, I picked them to eat!” These river snails are a rare delicacy, she thought. Seeing them and not gathering some to eat would be such a waste.
Su Yunjin said with a smile.
She was about to pick more.
Her elder sister Su Ningxiu stopped Su Yunjin, “Little sister, these river snails have a strong smell, no one in the village eats them. If you pick them, they won’t taste good. Shall we not pick them instead?”
A delicacy so delicious, yet eaten by no one here!
No wonder there were so many river snails in the river; no one here ate them. If people did, they surely would have all been picked by now.
Would there still be any left for her?
“Elder sister, does really no one in our village eat these?” Su Yunjin asked casually.
Su Ningxiu shook her head, “It’s not that absolutely no one eats them! Occasionally, someone might pick them, but the smell is too strong. Even if you cooked them, they wouldn’t taste good. It’s better not to pick them. We should catch more fish and eels to eat, which are much better than these.”
“Elder sister, I promise I can make these taste delicious and without any strong smell. Don’t worry!” Su Yunjin said confidently, and then she called Su Xiaobao to bring the basket over, “Xiaobao, bring me the basket, please.”
Su Xiaobao came over and, seeing the river snails in Su Yunjin’s hands, was quite surprised, “Elder sister, aren’t these not tasty? You are picking them?”
“Who said they aren’t tasty? Wait until I cook them for you after picking some, and you’ll know if they’re good!” Su Yunjin’s garlic-flavored river snails had always been a hit in the modern era.
Su Yunjin believed the garlic-flavored river snails she made here would be something her parents and elder sister would enjoy, too!
Her elder sister Su Ningxiu frowned, “Little sister, it is said that only the Fuman Building in town can make delicious river snails, and their recipe isn’t shared. Apart from the lady of Fuman Building, nobody knows how to cook them! Little sister, these river snails have such a strong smell; I doubt we can make them taste good. Let’s not pick them.”
Despite her insistence, Su Ningxiu still thought Su Yunjin wouldn’t be able to make the river snails taste delicious. She suggested that Su Yunjin should not pick them, but Su Yunjin didn’t agree, “Elder sister, I really can make them taste good. If you don’t believe me, let’s pick some for lunch today. Once I’ve cooked them, you can try and see for yourself.”
“This—!” With Su Yunjin persistently set on picking the river snails from the river, Su Ningxiu, unable to dissuade her, had to negotiate, “Little sister, we have a deal then. You’ll only pick a little and not too much.”
Su Ningxiu was convinced that Su Yunjin couldn’t make the river snails taste good. Since Fuman Building’s river snails tasted good, villagers who initially never ate them started trying, but when they picked some from the river and couldn’t replicate Fuman Building’s flavor, the strong fishy taste was unbearable, and gradually, no one bothered to pick the river snails from the river anymore.
Once again, the river snails became something nobody was interested in.
Su Ningxiu determined that no matter how they were prepared, river snails wouldn’t taste good. Su Yunjin wanted to pick them, but Su Ningxiu also felt most of them would be thrown away if picked, so she did not agree with Su Yunjin picking too many.
Su Yunjin knew what her elder sister was thinking. Initially, Su Yunjin didn’t plan to pick too many anyway; enough for a large bowl would suffice.
Therefore, Su Yunjin nodded and smiled at Su Ningxiu, “Elder sister, I’ll listen to you and not pick too much, just a little.”