Chapter 119 – River Clams
Yan Xi Nian bent down and felt around underwater while the others watched him anxiously. After a moment of careful searching, he finally pulled out a lotus root thicker than a human thigh. The root was segmented, with long, thin buds growing at the joints, and the pale yellow surface stretched about 1.6 or 1.7 meters long.
Even with Yan Xi Nian’s strength, it seemed to take quite a bit of effort to pull it out, indicating how difficult it was to dig up this lotus root. After rinsing the surface of the root in the water, he grabbed one end and handed it to Xia Lu Nong. “Hold on, use both hands to catch it.”
But Yan Xi Nian’s warning came too late. Xia Lu Nong leaned forward and grabbed the root with one hand. The root was heavier than he expected, and as soon as he grabbed it, he stumbled and nearly fell into the lotus field. Luckily, Kong Zhi reacted quickly, grabbing Xia Lu Nong and pulling him back while also reaching out to take hold of the root.
Once they both had the lotus root under control, Xia Lu Nong exclaimed, “This lotus root is so full and solid, it’s really heavy!”
Yan Xi Nian chuckled, “That just means it’s a good one. You two step aside, I’ll throw the hoe up there—we won’t be needing it.”
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi moved out of the way. After Kong Zhi let go, Xia Lu Nong held the lotus root with both hands and lifted it, saying, “Should I slice off a piece to taste?”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “Go ahead. Oh, I’ve already found a second root.”
Meanwhile, Xia Huo Qu silently pulled out his first lotus root and handed it to Kong Zhi.
Xia Lu Nong took out a sickle and sliced off a piece of the lotus root to check the inside. It was clean with nothing unusual. He peeled off the skin and took a bite.
The lotus root was a bit old, making it slightly fibrous, but the taste was sweet and clean, somewhat reminiscent of sweet potatoes.
Kong Zhi asked, “How is it?”
“Not bad,” Xia Lu Nong quickly glanced at his brother and Yan Xi Nian, who weren’t paying attention to them. He then swiftly brought the lotus root to Kong Zhi’s mouth, urging, “You should try it too.”
Kong Zhi leaned down and took a small bite from the same spot Xia Lu Nong had bitten. After chewing a moment, he whispered, “It’s good.”
“Yeah, the quality of these lotus roots is excellent, and the lotus seeds are tasty too,” Xia Lu Nong said, taking another bite of the peeled lotus root before handing the rest to Kong Zhi. “Let’s go gather some lotus seeds now.”
“I’ll go grab the raft,” Kong Zhi replied.
In the back of their truck, Lu Shiyi had left several small rafts made of foam and wooden planks. Now was the perfect time to use them.
“I’ll go with you!” Xia Lu Nong said, and the two of them went to drag the rafts over.
Each took a raft and paddled with their hands deeper into the lotus field.
Xia Huo Qu saw the long wake their rafts left behind and called out, “Be careful!”
“Got it,” Xia Lu Nong replied, slicing off a large lotus seed pod with his sickle. “Brother, we’re heading over there.”
“Go ahead.”
Xia Huo Qu washed the lotus root he had just pulled out, then struggled to lift his leg out of the mud and placed the root on the bank.
Yan Xi Nian, seeing how wobbly Xia Huo Qu was walking, quickly reached out to steady him. “Careful.”
“Yeah,” Xia Huo Qu responded, but just as he did, his foot slipped, and he nearly fell sideways.
Without thinking, Yan Xi Nian braced himself, catching Xia Huo Qu, though he almost fell into the water himself. Fortunately, his balance was good, and at the last second, he tightened his core and managed to stay upright.
“Did you twist your ankle?” Yan Xi Nian asked, eyeing Xia Huo Qu with concern. “What made you slip?”
“It’s nothing serious,” Xia Huo Qu said, “I stepped on something.”
He placed the lotus root on the embankment and bent down to pull up a large river clam, about the size of a soccer ball.
The clam was round and plump, with a dark shell covered in ridges, indicating it had been growing for many years. Its shell hadn’t fully closed yet, revealing a sliver of the thick, pale yellow meat inside.
If Yan Xi Nian had stepped on such a large clam himself, he wouldn’t have thought much of it. But since Xia Huo Qu had stepped on it, he felt a wave of panic. “Be careful. If it had opened fully and you’d stepped inside, it could’ve snapped your foot.”
Xia Huo Qu glanced around the lotus field. “Not likely, but we should still be cautious. There might be broken shells around that could cut our feet.”
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Yan Xi Nian nodded. “Let’s all stay alert.”
Meanwhile, Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi, paddling on their rafts, naturally noticed the commotion on the bank. Xia Lu Nong immediately knelt on his raft, craning his neck to look back and shouted, “Brother, are you okay?”
“We’re fine. Just found a big river clam,” Xia Huo Qu called back, lifting the clam for him to see. “Be careful you don’t fall into the water!”
Xia Lu Nong sat back down and yelled, “You guys be careful too!”
“I will,” Xia Huo Qu replied, “The water is more dangerous than we thought, so stay alert.”
Xia Lu Nong turned his attention back to harvesting lotus seed pods. The pods were already quite dry, so they weren’t heavy, but the seeds inside were plump. He cut down several pods, filled a sack, and paddled toward the next group of lotus plants.
The lotus field was vast, with some late-blooming lotus flowers still swaying in the breeze. Some pods were still green, and whenever Xia Lu Nong came across those, he cracked them open on the spot to eat the fresh seeds inside. The green lotus seeds were tender and sweet, and after removing the bitter cores, they made for a delicious snack.
Xia Lu Nong cut and ate one lotus seed pod after another.
Seeing this, Kong Zhi reminded him, “Don’t eat too much. We still have dinner later.”
“I know,” Xia Lu Nong replied, leaning over to hand him a lotus pod. “Want some?”
“No, thanks,” Kong Zhi said, bracing his long legs against the raft to steady it. “Don’t move around too much, or the raft will tip over.”
“It won’t,” Xia Lu Nong said, glancing at the sack of lotus pods piled on the raft. “I’ll take these pods to the bank first, then I’ll cut a pole or bamboo to steer the raft. Paddling with my hands is too much trouble.”
Kong Zhi looked at the sack on the raft and said, “I’ll go with you.”
“Sure, let’s not leave anyone on their own,” Xia Lu Nong agreed, crouching down to paddle the raft back to the shore. Kong Zhi helped him.
Meanwhile, Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu had already dug out dozens of lotus roots. These roots, stacked neatly by the edge of the field, resembled freshly chopped firewood, creating a lively scene. Beside the lotus roots, six large and small river clams were piled up. The largest was as big as a basin, and even the smallest was the size of a notebook, making for an impressive sight.
Xia Lu Nong, having reached the shore, grunted as he dragged the lotus pods onto the bank. He looked up at the sky and said, “Tonight, we’re having dry pot with river clams and bird meat.”
Yan Xi Nian, gritting his teeth as he pulled a large lotus root from the mud, rinsed it clean and asked breathlessly, “How do those two taste together?”
“River clams are very fresh, and bird meat is too, but they both have a fishy smell. The dry pot method suppresses that fishiness while bringing out their freshness.”
“Let’s have that, then,” Yan Xi Nian said, still panting. “These lotus roots are really tough to dig up. It’s harder than harvesting rice at the base.”
Xia Lu Nong immediately offered, “Why don’t we switch? Brother, Xi Nian, you guys go cut lotus pods instead.”
Yan Xi Nian waved him off. “If your brother and I are finding this tough, it’ll be even harder for you. Besides, it’s better to stick with what we’re used to.”
Xia Lu Nong looked at the lotus roots and suggested, “How about you guys stop early and clean the river clams? I think they’ll be hard to deal with.”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “The small ones are tricky, full of guts and not much meat. But the big ones should be easy—just take out the tender meat and the two adductor muscles. It won’t take long.”
Yan Xi Nian added, “Once we get tired of digging, we’ll do that. Weren’t you guys going to cut poles? Go ahead.”
With that, he bent down again to dig for more lotus roots, his face almost touching the water as his hands groped around underneath. The roots were large, and he had a knack for finding them with just one touch.
Kong Zhi and Xia Lu Nong set off to cut some poles. There weren’t many suitable sticks or bamboo near the riverbank.
Both of them transformed into their animal forms and flew to a nearby mountain, searching for sturdy, lightweight sticks. These sticks had to come from young trees, about two meters long.
The mountain was dense with trees. Kong Zhi, in his golden eagle form, spotted a patch of forest and landed there with Xia the cat in his talons.
After being set down, Xia took a few steps forward and waited for Kong Zhi to shift back into his human form. Once Kong Zhi removed the backpack from his neck and turned away to put on his clothes, Xia Lu Nong also reverted to his human form and dug through the bag for his clothes to put on.
While dressing, Xia Lu Nong grumbled, “Changing clothes every time is such a hassle. Should we buy those special transformation outfits when we get back to the base?”
The base had special outfits for shapeshifters, similar to short bathrobes with tie-on underwear, which made transforming in and out of clothes quick and easy. They were particularly popular in the summer since they were light, cool, and convenient.
Xia Huo Qu, however, never bought those outfits. Their design was a bit basic, and he felt they looked sloppy, which didn’t suit his personality. Since he didn’t like them, both Yan Xi Nian and Xia Lu Nong followed his lead, and Kong Zhi stayed in sync with Xia Lu Nong. So, even though these outfits were widely popular at the base, they had never switched to them.
Kong Zhi, already dressed, turned to help Xia straighten his T-shirt collar. “Let’s buy two matching ones for when it’s just the two of us.”
Xia Lu Nong raised an eyebrow. “Couple outfits?”
Kong Zhi smirked. “More like… fun outfits.”
Xia Lu Nong choked in surprise, his whole face turning red. “W-what?”
Kong Zhi leaned in, looking him in the eye, and asked in a low voice, “Not a good idea?”
Kong Zhi was slender, and his face had sharp, striking features, making his beauty even more intense. Xia Lu Nong blushed even more, turning his head away and taking a small breath. “How did I not know you were like this?”
“If I’d been like this before, it would’ve been harassment, and your brother Huo Qu would’ve killed me.”
Xia Lu Nong laughed softly and asked, “What about now?”
Kong Zhi pinched his ear and whispered, “Now, it’s just playful.”
Xia Lu Nong covered his ear, taking a step back with a smile on his face, his hand shielding his eyes as he quietly muttered, “You’re full of surprises.”
Kong Zhi kissed his palm and rasped, “Of course, I treat you differently than I treat others.”
Kong Zhi’s breath warmed the inside of Xia Lu Nong’s palm, making his fingers curl slightly.
Watching Xia Lu Nong’s delicate hand, Kong Zhi kissed it again and, in a hoarse voice, said, “It’s getting dark. Let’s go chop some trees.”
Still smiling, Xia Lu Nong lowered his hand, looked at Kong Zhi, and asked softly, “Does this count as flirting and then running away?”
Kong Zhi calmly protested, “Am I the one who flirts and runs, or are you? Who’s the one not ready?”
Xia Lu Nong rubbed his ear and quickly changed the subject, “Let’s just focus on chopping trees.”
