Chapter 496: Mosquito Repellent Effect

Three students were surprised.

Although they often gnawed on watermelon, they had never encountered eating watermelon rind. Under the impact of the novelty, everyone stretched their chopsticks into the basin at the first opportunity.

The rind was slightly greenish on one side, gradually turning white as it went up. Wrapped in ruby-red chili oil and a few seasonings, the refreshing fragrance of the watermelon mingled with the stimulating spiciness of the chili. Before it even entered their mouths, their saliva began to secrete uncontrollably.

Once it hit their tongues, the numbing, spicy, fresh, fragrant, sweet, and crunchy flavors burst forth all at once, instantly making everyone break out in a sweat from head to toe!

"Sss-ha! Sss-ha!" Sister Yanran gulped down a mouthful of water.

"So spicy! So spicy!"

Before Wu Lan could prepare to advise her to eat less if she couldn't handle the spice, she had already slurped and reached for another chopstick-full of the cold-tossed watermelon rind:

"Even though it's very spicy, it's really delicious, ah ah ah!"

On the other side, Professor Song was also amazed by this flavor.

The stimulation of the chili and the crispness of the watermelon rind... He instantly regretted it: "If I had known, I should have tasted the watermelon this afternoon. Does intercropping have such a positive influence?"

"It's fine!" Wu Lan waved her hand generously: "To get these rinds, the family specifically opened two watermelons. One was eaten this afternoon, and the other had the flesh cut out and put in the refrigerator. After we finish dinner and go for a walk, we can eat it later; it'll be just right! Tan Tan—"

Fortunately, their family's watermelons were large. The large varieties were slightly thicker-skinned for transport, otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to scrape together such a large basin.

With this one bite of watermelon rind, everyone was instantly conquered. Everyone focused their efforts on this basin, leaving the other three dishes completely ignored.

Wu Lan couldn't help but feel anxious: "Don't just eat the watermelon rind! That's just a small appetizer... Try the sour long beans with minced meat; it's especially good with rice. In our family, except for Tan Tan, everyone can eat three big bowls of rice just with this!"

Of course, the rice itself was so delicious that one could eat three big bowls of it plain.

Good heavens, as soon as she said that, everyone immediately grabbed the spoons from the basin and started scooping!

Then, they shoveled a mouthful of it with the fragrant rice—

Mmm, mmm, mmm!

!

At this moment, Sister Yanran just wanted to stand up and roar twice: How can there be such delicious rice in the world?!

!

What exactly have they been doing in agriculture all these years? Why haven't they developed such varieties? It's enough to make one cry!

And the sour long beans—there was something just right about them that made one's mouth water more and more, forcing them to shovel in two more big mouthfuls of rice in frustration.

On the other side, Wu Lan continued to display her hospitality:

"It's hot, so I was afraid you'd find it greasy and didn't make any meat dishes. Everything is vegetarian tonight... Try the stir-fried eggs with chili. The green chilies from our field are thick and not very spicy; they're especially good for making tiger-skin peppers or stir-frying. They're also great with rice."

There was no need for her to say anything more; everyone was already stuffing it into their bowls and shoveling rice just as frantically.

Even Professor Song, with his physique, could easily handle a solid bowl or two of rice for a normal meal—but that was a big bowl. How much time had passed?

Half a bowl of rice had already been shoveled into his stomach!

Gone was his usual restraint and slow chewing.

Anyway... he thought secretly: The state of eating this meal has nothing to do with health preservation, so I might as well just give up and let go.

So, he reached out and picked up some stir-fried pumpkin strips.

He had seen those tender pumpkins in the peach orchard—only fifteen or twenty centimeters long, oily and green. Now stir-fried, they were yellow with a hint of green. Without adding any extra ingredients, they still possessed an exceptionally good flavor.

In that instant, looking at everyone burying their heads in frantic eating, he suddenly understood why this family's meals were so efficient.

After all, with such food, who would want to chat?

Chatting can be done anytime, why must it be during a meal? Talking while eating hurts the spleen and stomach; one must respect the wisdom of the ancestors!

After a wolfing-down, wind-sweeping-the-fallen-leaves meal, the four vegetable basins were scraped clean, and everyone was patting their bellies with practiced ease.

Professor Song looked greedily at the basin of silk gourd and egg drop soup in front of him, sighing: "I can't eat anymore, I really can't..."

Even so, he couldn't help but stand up and scoop a small bowl for himself: "I'll just taste it..."

The tender, smooth silk gourd and the exceptionally fragrant eggs, the unique chewy texture when bitten, and the soup with a faint salty taste...

After one bowl, he truly couldn't eat anymore.

However... drinking a bit more soup to fill the gaps in his stomach... that shouldn't be a problem, right?

Everyone looked at each other and each scooped a small bowl.

By comparison, the family members who ate these meals every day were much more restrained.

After the meal, Aunt Lianhua quickly cleared the bowls and chopsticks, while Tang Xiaodong looked at Wu Lan with anticipation: "Auntie, will our meals be like this every day from now on?"

"How is that possible?" Wu Lan laughed. Before anyone could look disappointed, she quickly added: "Tonight's dishes are simple and a bit monotonous. Later, we'll stew some meat for you... but the meat bought at the market probably won't be as good as these vegetables..."

"No meat, no meat!"

Even someone as steady as Qi Lin was waving his hands frantically:

"Tonight's was especially good! Very good! Auntie, don't treat us like outsiders; we'll eat whatever you eat at home!"

"Fine." Wu Lan smiled happily, watching the two big guys and the young girl help clear the dishes, while stopping them: "You don't need to do it..."

She laughed again: "Eating with our family, it will always be simple meals like this from now on."

"It's not simple!" Sister Yanran was so full she was about to hiccup. She held her belly and lifted her chin slightly.

She thought to herself, if this is simple, what were they eating before? Pig swill?

Who could understand!

She didn't want to study for her master's degree anymore; she just wanted to stay here and help farm! Even though she was a girl, she had developed quite a bit of strength and was very good with a hoe...

It's just that...

Having eaten so much, once the stomach started digesting, the brain would slow down, and all their previous plans were completely disrupted.

After all, having eaten so full, it was impossible for everyone to sit down and discuss anything calmly!

They had no choice but to stroll around the courtyard with fans, digesting while chatting.

"Hey, why aren't there any mosquitoes?"

Tang Xiaodong was surprised.

He was the most attractive to mosquitoes. Usually, when the three of them walked together, he was the one with the most bites.

But they had been strolling for a while now—not just now, they hadn't encountered any mosquitoes on the mountain either. He had thought it was because he was wearing thick sun-protective clothing.

But it was night now, and he was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, yet he hadn't heard a single mosquito buzzing?

Song Tan thought to herself, I've worked so hard to cultivate; if I still had to endure mosquitoes, what was the point of all that effort?

But she couldn't say it like that.

At this moment, she pointed to the row of dried mugwort hanging by the wall: "I pulled back the mugwort growing by the field; it has a particularly good mosquito-repellent effect."