Snapping Turtle
“But now it’s impossible to eat duck. This batch of ducks has only been raised for a month at most, and their down feathers haven’t even shed completely yet.
As for fish, you can eat them often. There are quite a few fish in the pond. The mountain spring water is clear, and you can see their swimming figures from the shore.
However, none of the precious bait that Gu Shi bought seems to attract any fish. Last time, he went fishing by the river using earthworms as bait. He was so afraid of them that he asked He Fu to bring a few boxes of them when he returned. These were high-quality goods, but it turns out the fish in the mountains don’t recognize their value.
On the other hand, Su Mu used neither bait nor earthworms; she used the hollow stems of vegetables from the garden. Within a few minutes, she had fish on the hook.
She exerted force on the fishing rod, flipping the fish onto the grassy bank. However, there was no struggling or flopping sound. When she looked closely, it was quite a sight. Upside down with its legs in the air, it could only be a turtle.
This turtle was quite large, its shell resembling a medium-sized bamboo basket. Perhaps sensing danger, its head and limbs were all tucked inside its thick shell. The fishing hook had vanished, leaving only a silver-white fishing line winding out of the shell.
Turtles were truly a treasure, especially in this semi-wild environment. They were a delicious delicacy for the dining table, a premium ingredient for fine banquets, and even used as medicinal materials, possessing numerous nourishing and therapeutic effects.
He Fu also saw the catch and chuckled, “Mu Mu, you’re really something. You even caught a turtle.”
“But now there’s a problem – how do we remove the hook?” Turtles were definitely carnivores, and with their small, sharp teeth, there was a real risk of getting fingers bitten off accidentally.
Everyone exchanged glances, but they didn’t have a good solution for the moment.
Su Mu thought for a moment and said, “I’ll take the turtle to my dad; he’ll probably know what to do. So, are you guys going to keep fishing, or head back?”
“I want to keep fishing,” Tang Hui raised her hand.
“We’ll stick around here for a while. You go ahead,” Gu Shi said warmly.
“Alright, just don’t stay out too late.” With those words, Su Mu turned and left. Holding the fishing line in one hand and the fishing rod in the other, the turtle was quite big, and its weight had reddened her hand.
Back at home, Mother Su was busy weeding the flowerbeds. Seeing her daughter carrying something big, she looked closer and her eyes lit up.
“Did you catch this from our own pond?” She knew her daughter had gone fishing.
Su Mu nodded, “Yes, it got greedy and bit the hook itself.”
“No wonder. Your dad was muttering earlier that the fish in the pond seemed to be decreasing. It’s probably the doing of this turtle.”
“Oh, there’s such a thing?” Su Mu was surprised. She had thought there were already plenty of fish, but it seemed there could have been more if not for this big fellow eating them.
“Yes, turtles hunt and eat fish in the pond.” Mother Su reached out and lifted the turtle a bit, estimating it to be over ten pounds. It takes thirty to forty years for them to grow this big, but our pond has only been around for twenty-something years. It must have come from somewhere else before settling here.”
“How do you plan to deal with it?”
Without hesitation, Su Mu said, “Of course, we should eat it. Turtle isn’t that valuable.” Besides, after releasing it, there’s no guarantee it won’t return to the pond and harm the fish.
Two members of the family are not in good health, and her mother’s health is a bit delicate, so it’s a good opportunity to strengthen their health together.
Mother Su nodded, “We’ll have to wait for your dad to come back. I can’t handle this thing.”
The mother and daughter together put the turtle into a wooden barrel, along with some water to prevent it from crawling out.
Seeing that time was getting late, Su Mu knew that stewing the turtle would take some time. She greeted her mother and went to the construction site to find her father and deal with this matter.
The construction site was still bustling, and the basic framework of the house had already been built. Only the finer details needed attention, and Su Mu had high expectations for this house. Therefore, the workers were meticulous in their work, which naturally slowed down the pace.
At a glance, she saw her hardworking father and headed in his direction.
“Dad, are you still busy?” Despite his simple appearance, her father got along well with the construction team and had learned a fair bit of professional knowledge from them. He often teased her and her mother, saying that once the house was built, he would be a little construction expert and could help others build houses in the future.
Su Mu couldn’t help but smile and sigh at his words. Both she and her brother didn’t need to worry about him anymore. He kept himself busy every day. If they tried to stop him, he wouldn’t be happy.
Father Su dusted off his hands and asked, “What’s up? Is it time for dinner?”
“No, dinner is just being prepared. There’s something at home that needs your help.”
After a quick greeting with the workers, Father Su followed Su Mu back home.
Back at home, Su Mu led him to the wooden barrel. “I want to use this turtle to make soup. Both Mom and I don’t know how to handle it. Dad, I’m leaving it to you.”
Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.
“Where did it come from?”
“We caught it in our own pond. Well, I won’t say anymore, Dad. I need to go water the vegetable garden.”
Su Mu hurriedly made her way to the vegetable garden; it was close to her house, so she didn’t need to walk far.
The over 100 acres of land were too vast to be watered manually, so during the land preparation phase, Su Mu had arranged for the villagers to dig several small channels to direct water inside. By opening the water gates, the water would automatically flow into the vegetable plots. Running for just over an hour ensured that every spot received adequate watering.
However, this simple method had its downsides: the spaces between the vegetable beds and the path where people walked would become muddy and messy.
Su Mu wondered if it might be a good idea to install a drip irrigation system in the field for more convenience in the future.
The 20-acre field near the village entrance wasn’t connected to this one. After finishing the irrigation here, she rushed over to the other field.
This field was home to a variety of vegetables. Vegetables like pumpkins and bottle gourds, which were vining plants, were already starting to be available. Eggplants and peppers had longer growth cycles, so only a small amount could be harvested each day.
As the production increased, Fu Da was preparing to open a San Mu Vegetable section in A City’s Rui Shang. The opening was imminent. However, these decisions were not within Su Mu’s purview. She only wanted to enjoy her days in the village. Even watering the plants was something she was considering hiring someone else to do.
After working like an old ox for decades, she was tired. She spent her days overseeing the flower shop, managing deliveries, and in her spare time, experimenting with new plant varieties. This kind of life was what she aspired to.
As the last rays of the sun faded, she leisurely walked back home. After closing the water gates, her tasks for the day were complete.
The fishermen were also back. Su Mu took a look and saw there were four or five large fish in the bucket. They had quite a good catch.
The turtle had become an ingredient for stew, slowly simmering on the stove. Su Mu lifted the lid, and a delightful aroma wafted out. She glanced at the pot; the ingredients weren’t overly lavish. Apart from the turtle, there were only ham and mushrooms, along with the usual seasonings like green onions, ginger, and garlic.
Mother Su was busy frying tofu. This wasn’t ordinary tofu; it was stuffed with a seasoned meat mixture, known as stuffed tofu.

Stuffed dishes were a part of Hakka cuisine, and since Muru Cloud City was an economic hub with people from various ethnicities living there, its culinary scene was a blend of many regional specialties.
Dinner was as lavish as usual, especially the clear stewed turtle soup, which was particularly popular.
There’s a saying that goes, “Carp eats meat, while snapping turtle soup nourishes.” Turtle soup is considered very nourishing, but those with weak constitutions shouldn’t consume too much. Everyone only had a small bowl, and fortunately, Mother Su had only made a small portion, with the rest stored in the refrigerator for freezing.
The gradually scorching May passed like this, and June arrived. The lychees on the mountain turned red.
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Thingyan: I tried to search a pic for the turtle soup but all the pics looked a bit gnarly with a whole turtle carcass in the soup. I couldn’t stomach seeing it, so I decided to just not put any turtle soup pic ಥ‿ಥ