Forest frogs during this period are just waking up from hibernation, meaning their bellies are still completely empty.
Therefore, this time of year is precisely the season for eating forest frogs in the Northeast.
In reality, this period is also the "lean season" when the gap between harvests is widest, and the grain reserves in every household have basically run out.
It must be said that people at this time were truly starving; nearly ninety percent or more of the peasants were hungry.
This led to a situation where, during this period, as long as one walked randomly through the fields, or by the ponds and riverbanks, one could always see adults or children catching forest frogs.
However, the window for catching forest frogs in the spring is very short, basically occurring from late April to early May—about twenty-odd days, roughly a month.
This is mainly because once the forest frogs enter the mountains, they absolutely will not appear in the water again. You won't see them in ponds, rivers, or lakes, because they have begun their annual terrestrial life.
Thus, if one misses the spring crop of forest frogs, they have to wait until "Cold Dew," when autumn officially begins.
Because during that period, the forest frogs descend from the mountains into the water to pair up and spawn. In paddy fields, ponds, puddles, rivers, or lakes—anywhere there is water, these things can generally be seen.
It is during this period that the large-scale capture of forest frogs truly begins.
Of course, the primary goal is to catch female forest frogs, and the purpose of catching the females is to collect forest frog oil to sell for money.
Aside from forest frogs, this period is also the season for large-scale fishing. There is no other way; people have to eat to survive, and even if they are unwilling, they must eat—they cannot simply starve to death.
Meanwhile, the wild beasts in the mountains have reached their time for mass reproduction and recuperation, as the mountain hunters have basically all put away their guns to begin spring plowing.
Of course, those who call to the mountains to dig for ginseng have prepared their tools, ready to enter the mountains at any moment for the "sprouting grass" market.
However, although Wang An had the map of the old site in hand, he didn't plan to attend the "sprouting grass" market, nor would he attend the "green club" market; instead, he wanted to wait until autumn to go directly to the "red club" market.
After all, Wang An had never dug for ginseng, and there are thousands of plants in the great mountains. Trying to find ginseng seedlings among the various plants in the dense wilderness was, for Wang An, simply asking the impossible.
Seeing Wang An return, everyone immediately burst out laughing, because under the glow of the fire, Wang An looked exactly like a little ghost.
Not only was the front of his entire body covered in mud, but his face was a chaotic mess—nothing but sweat and dirt, including mud streaks washed down by the perspiration.
Wu Dong, smiling as if he enjoyed the chaos, said
"Xiao An, you're really useless. Letting a little girl leave you looking like this, isn't that embarrassing?"
Hearing this, Wang An knew that everyone was unaware of the "friction accident" that had just occurred between himself and Sun Nian.
He subconsciously glanced at Sun Nian, only to find her acting as if nothing had happened, completely calm. Only then did Wang An fully relax.
Mainly, this kind of thing was truly not a good thing. Furthermore, although Sun Nian was beautiful, Wang An had never thought about having any improper relationship with her.
This wasn't to say that Wang An had become a saint, but rather that he truly had no interest in such matters. If Shen Wei and Fang Xiu'e hadn't actively thrown themselves at him, Wang An would absolutely not have initiated contact with them.
Wang An always believed that if a person is too greedy, it will absolutely end badly.
Especially with women; having too many definitely leads to trouble, and once trouble arises, it is never a small matter.
Having put his mind at ease, Wang An said with a chuckle
"Brother Wu, the way you put it makes it sound like you could actually beat Sister Nian."
The reason Wang An said this was because he knew Wu Dong didn't know martial arts. Although Wu Dong was slightly stronger than an average person because he had been in the military, it was only stronger by a "little bit."
To be honest, Wu Dong might not even be able to beat Wang An.
Hearing Wang An's words, Wu Dong felt neither awkward nor blushed; mainly because the current Wu Dong had learned from Wang An, and his skin was considerably thick.
So Wu Dong said with a laugh
"Xiao Nian is my sister, we wouldn't fight. Besides, I'm not like certain people who were born with a face made for getting beaten—anyone who looks at him wants to give him a thrashing."
Once Wu Dong finished speaking, combined with Wang An's current appearance, everyone burst into loud laughter.
Wang An looked at everyone and chose to shut his mouth.
After a while, the forest frogs skewered on tree branches were cooked. Regardless of how hot they were, everyone hissed and puffed as they popped the frogs into their mouths.
After the first bite, Wang Shuai couldn't help but say
"Oh my god, the toads right now are too delicious, even better than they were in winter."
Feng Chengmin said with a smile
"That's for sure. Toads at this time are the most tender and fresh. In another ten or twenty days, they'll start to get a bit tough. If we waited until then, it wouldn't be like this."
At this moment, Zhang Shuya, while putting the remaining half of a forest frog into her mouth, said indistinctly to Wang An
"Xiao An, did you hear what Great-Uncle said? Take me to catch toads when we get back, otherwise they won't be as tasty in a few days."
Hearing this, Wang An popped a cooked forest frog whole into his mouth and said
"Mm-hmm, we'll go after resting for a couple of days back home."
After swallowing the chewed frog, Zhang Shuya frowned and said
"Don't rest for two days. You're young, one day is enough. Right, when we get back, I'll teach you a few moves. You're built so big and burly, yet you can't even beat a little Nian. If people find out that my brother Zhang Shuya is such a failure, I'll feel embarrassed..."
After speaking, Zhang Shuya looked at the frogs on the branches, opened her mouth to measure, and then, imitating the way Wang An ate, stuffed an entire toad into her mouth.
At this moment, Zhang Shuya's cheeks were bulging, making her look quite cute.
Wang An gave a casual agreement and continued to put the next frog into his mouth.
Actually, as long as the belly of a forest frog is clean, there is no part that cannot be eaten, including the bones, which can be chewed up and eaten directly.
The bones affect the texture slightly, so eating them is optional.
However, for the group who had chewed on dry flatbread for three consecutive days, suddenly eating such a delicacy meant they were eating one frog in two bites, or more often, one in a single bite. As for the bones, not a single one was spat out.
Just as everyone finished the roasted frogs and were roasting the next batch, someone suddenly shouted
"Quick, quick! The stewed toads are done! Let's eat, let's eat!"
(End of Chapter)