Natural Disaster: I Started By Hoarding Tens Of Billions Of Supplies

Chapter 224: Catching Locust (1)



Yao Ran nodded and replied, "I harvested mine separately, and these are from the pots of potatoes you all placed here."

When she heard this, Jia Xiang took two sacks of potatoes and placed one sack in front of Yao Ran. Before Yao Ran could refuse, she insisted, "Take it. Without your help, I wouldn't even have a single potato to eat."

Seeing she had no chance to decline, Yao Ran accepted the potatoes. "Thank you."

The others saw this and followed suit, each giving her a sack of potatoes. In the end, Yao Ran had six sacks of potatoes, while the others each carried one back.

Smiling as she looked at the six sacks of potatoes in front of her, Yao Ran put them into her space, then left her apartment to observe the locusts again. When the others returned, they saw her observing the locusts and joined her.

Long Yu stood beside her and asked, "Have you found anything?"

Yao Ran looked away from the locusts on the window and replied, "The locusts aren't poisonous, but their fangs are sharper, and their body is bigger."

Listening to her explanation, Huang Zhihui looked at the countless locusts covering the buildings and streets outside and sighed, "I don't know when the locusts will leave. If they stay in Juncheng City for a long time, we will run out of water and food and can only wait for death."

The others fell silent at her words.

Yao Ran looked at them, pointed at the locusts on the windows, and said, "There is a lot of food out there."

When they heard this, they looked at the windows in confusion.

Huang Qian scratched his head and asked, "Yao Ran, we can't go out with so many locusts around. Locusts are omnivorous. If we are not careful, we might be eaten by them."

Yao Ran smiled and said, "It's actually good that there are so many locusts right now."

Huang Zhihui tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Elder Sister Yao Ran, what do you mean?"

Yao Ran looked at her and explained, "Locusts are a good source of protein, zinc, and iron, containing about fifty percent of crude protein per 100 grams of dried locusts."

"They are also quite delicious, and there are a lot of ways to prepare them. You can stir-fry, roast, boil, or grind them into powder to make sauces or pancakes. However, before we can eat them, we need to remove toxins and insect fungi from their bodies. As long as we don't eat them raw, we will be fine."

Listening to her, Huang Zhihui was doubtful and said, "I have never seen people eating locusts. Can they really be eaten?"

Jia Xiang patted her shoulder and chuckled, "Don't worry. They are edible. In the past, when there was a drought across the country, many people ate locusts to survive."

Duan Qiqi looked at the ugly, giant locusts outside and asked, "How do you eat them? They don't seem to have any meat."

Yao Ran replied, "First, put the locusts in water to let them excrete any feces. After their stomach is clean, put them in a pot of boiling water to kill them, then remove their organs, leaving only the flesh."

"Next, simmer them in salt water over low heat for a while, then drain them. Put the locusts in hot oil at medium heat and fry them until golden brown. If you want to make them into powder, just dry them first before grinding them."

"Have you tried eating them before?" Huang Qian asked curiously.

Yao Ran, who had eaten almost everything in her previous life, including locust pancakes, nodded and replied, "I have tried locust pancakes before. Apart from the grayish color, they taste pretty normal."

Seeing Huang Zhihui look at her with admiration, Yao Ran added, "If we want to eat them, we need to be quick. After a while, the locusts will no longer be edible. As the food supply dwindles, they will become aggressive, their colors will become brighter, and they will turn poisonous."

Upon hearing this, Long Yu said, "Then let's catch them now."

Following his lead, everyone returned to their apartments to put on their protective suits and make simple scoop nets for catching locusts. When they returned, they locked the 20th floor and headed downstairs.

Passing by the 19th floor, they saw the Sima and Quan families busy catching locusts in the corridors. Unlike the 20th floor, the doors and windows on the 19th floor still have gaps, which is where the locusts got in.

Seeing them coming down, Grandma Quan smiled at them and asked, "Are you all going out to catch locusts?"

It wasn't surprising that these families knew locusts could be eaten since they had elders among them. Those who survived the wartime periods knew a lot about surviving in harsh conditions. They may have even eaten locusts before.

Yao Ran nodded at Grandma Quan and replied, "Yes."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Grandma Quan nodded and reminded her, "Be careful out there. Locusts can be eaten, but they will eat meat too."

"Thank you for the reminder, Grandma Quan." Yao Ran said before she left with her friends. When Yao Ran and the others reached the 18th floor, they found it swarming with locusts. There were so many that the bright sunlight barely illuminated the corridor.

Looking at the dense swarm of locusts, Huang Zhihui shuddered, and goosebumps rose on her skin. Her voice trembles slightly when she asks, "Elder Sister Yao Ran, can we really eat these locusts?"

Yao Ran knew it was hard for ordinary people to accept eating locusts, so she said, "Yes. If you can't eat them, you can trade them with me for other food. I still have some instant noodles, self-heating meals, frozen meat, and vegetables."

Upon hearing this, Huang Zhihui, holding back the urge to hug Yao Ran, said excitedly,

"Thank you, Elder Sister Yao Ran."

Seeing his younger sister's excitement, Huang Qian looked at Yao Ran and asked, "Yao Ran, can I also trade locusts for other types of food?"

"Of course." Yao Ran answered.