Chapter 1136: Digging Winter Bamboo Shoots

"I didn't..."

The underworld boss's voice was weak, his expression ferocious.

"Tsk." Xin Jun rolled his eyes: "A grown man acting all coy, are you even a man?"

"If you're not interested in her, what's the meaning of you sending her messages every day?"

"How do you know I've been sending her messages?!" Zhang Zhang Yanping was shocked: "You snooped on my phone!"

Xin Jun sneered, simply pulling out his own phone and displaying the chat history—

【Guo Dong: Why does Zhang Zhang Yanping keep messaging me? Is he interested in me?】

【Guo Dong: Blathering about sales, blathering about inventory... I've told him a thousand times we're out of stock. If he didn't have a girlfriend, I'd think he was trying to buy medicine!】

【Guo Dong: Crazy! Moron!】

【Xin Jun:???】

I wanted to say that they've never done farm work and don't have the strength to dig for bamboo shoots. But it doesn't matter; if the young people want to experience it, that's fine too.

Therefore, he swung his hoe: "Just do whatever! Find a spot and dig; if there's something, pry it out, if not, change spots."

【Xin Jun:??? Why are you telling me? Tell him directly!】

But just for this season, it should be exceptionally delicious...

He rambled on, and Xin Jun struggled internally:... This thing is heavy, but it only appears in winter! Spring bamboo shoots and winter bamboo shoots have two different flavors.

"Uncle, how do you dig these?"

Occasionally, bamboo leaves curl up into tubes, and inside there must be larvae; by spring and summer, they become a natural granary for birds.

Xin Jun secretly noted this down, then humbly asked for advice:

"Maybe we shouldn't take them..." he said with difficulty.

Looking at it this way, even if we don't dig for shoots in winter, they probably won't grow well in spring! Even if they do grow, they'll likely be thin and long, not sturdy at all.

How to put it? The intention is good, but that thing is a winter bamboo shoot. Not to mention anything else, the weight is substantial; whether sending by courier or carrying it yourself, it's very arduous...

It's neither big nor small. From a distance, it looks like a screen wall specially built for the Song family's villa, serving as an excellent barrier.

Song Song Sancheng:...

Tian Yuan got excited!

"Furthermore, you said those with cracks—those are winter bamboo shoots that have grown to a certain size, and they only crack when they're about to become spring bamboo shoots."

He rambled on, but Xin Jun looked at the damp, dim ground and couldn't help asking: "Uncle, how do you find winter bamboo shoots? I saw in a video that where there are shoots, the soil will crack into a seam."

Looking at the bamboo poles again, they were thin and tall; apart from making fences, they didn't seem to have much use.

"Next year we must cut more. It just so happens we're planting a lot of vegetables, so we can build a few more vegetable trellises..."

Just then, beneath the overturned clod of earth, amidst the white-brown withered leaves and mud, a cluster of tender yellow shoot tips was faintly visible, signaling a harvest in the earth.

He put his phone away and turned to leave: "Love-struck fools should be taken out and beheaded!"

Song Song Sancheng was still directing from the side: "Go further out, dig along the roadside first, otherwise the bamboo roots are strong, and over time it's easy to damage the foundation..."

Simple and crude, but in this overly dense bamboo forest, it seemed it might actually be effective?

It was just that it grew too densely; Song Song Sancheng's carrying pole could only be left outside the bamboo forest. The two of them went in with hoes, unable to even raise their arms to swing freely.

Song Song Sancheng was stunned: "What? You don't like eating them? Actually, we don't really eat bamboo shoots around here; in previous years, nobody wanted them. I just noticed that the shoots in early spring sell quite well. If you don't want them, then forget it..."

Who knew that just as he turned his head, he saw Song Song Sancheng pull a carrying pole out of the warehouse, shoulder the pole, and prepare to head out. He couldn't help but be stunned:

Unexpectedly, the hoe struck something hard beneath the surface. I pried it up with force, and there, a cluster of crisp, tender bamboo shoots with fuzzy husks was unearthed.

"We can't do that here; our winter bamboo shoots are small, about the thickness of an arm, but that's just right—one is enough to stir-fry a whole plate."

Xin Jun couldn't help but fall silent.

He fell into a state of extreme conflict.

This bamboo forest had been here for many years, and the quality of the bamboo was quite good. Because it had already taken shape, even with spiritual energy nourishing it, it remained thin and long, not as thick and sturdy as bamboo in other places.

Xin Jun:...

【Guo Dong: I intended to sound you out, but you don't seem to know anything, so I guess you're not interested in me...】

"We... it's only the twelfth lunar month! It's still early!"

But it had the advantage of being dense, and it just happened to spread into a patch at the corner where the road turned toward the house.

But it's really heavy, how are we going to carry it back?

Song Song Sancheng:...

Zhang Zhang Yanping's face was beet red, black showing through the flush, but his voice was weak: "You can't say that... isn't there still me? She didn't look at you but looked at me... she must like me in her heart too."

"Uncle, then I won't stand on ceremony."

【Guo Dong: If you're not interested, just say so; if not, don't message me every day.】

"There really are some!"

"Uncle, what are you planning to do with that?" There's no work in winter, right? Do you still need to use that carrying pole?

"Aren't you ashamed?" Xin Jun couldn't even bear to look: "I think Dr. Guo is just stuck in the village with no other options, otherwise how could she have taken a fancy to you?"

Xin Jun found a clear spot and lifted his hoe—he had to be careful, as the bamboo forest was simply too crowded.

Song Song Sancheng said while raking through the thick, dry bamboo leaves on the ground: "This bamboo grows too fast. In the spring, Tan Tan dug up so many shoots, both winter and spring shoots, but we still can't stop it from growing... look inside here, there's nowhere to step."

Tian Yuan waited for a while without hearing an answer and couldn't help turning his head. He saw that the usually refined Teacher Xin had already picked up a hoe and was looking at him with a smile:

Song Song Sancheng:...

How do you dig them? They didn't really eat this stuff before!

Song Song Sancheng laughed: "I've seen it on the internet too, but those people specialize in winter bamboo shoots. Look at how big those are! They're as thick as a thigh!"

As they spoke, the two of them each raised their hoes and dug down with force—

Looking into the forest, the dappled sunlight fell, and one could faintly see bird nests woven from fine fluff and grass stems on the bamboo branches.

Having a harvest on his first attempt at digging shoots, Xin Jun's spirits were greatly boosted. He hurried to strike while the iron was hot, carefully avoiding that spot and starting to dig from the periphery.

Xin Jun:... You dog!

The two of them drilled into the bamboo forest by the roadside, one after the other.

"No need for that." Song Song Sancheng pointed to the bamboo forest at the turn ahead: "The winter bamboo shoots should be fully grown by now. I was thinking since you're going home, I'd dig some for you to take back."

He couldn't help but take a deep breath: "Why are there so many? The bamboo forest hasn't been fertilized, did Tan Tan secretly sprinkle fertilizer again... hurry up, dig!"

"If there's stuff to transport, why not drive the three-wheeler?"