Chapter 3: A Big Meal

  "Mom, we're back! Come and see how many fish we caught today. I'm going to have braised fish for dinner tonight. No one is allowed to snatch it from me!" Zhao heard her son's voice and quickly came out of the kitchen, seeing the two brothers carrying a bucket each, looking quite heavy. She looked again and was surprised to see that both sisters were also carrying a bucket! Excitedly asked: "How come you caught two buckets of fish? Today's luck is so good? How can there be so many fish?"

  "Mother, this bucket is fish." "What's that other bucket? Why are there two buckets? Is Tiger's also here?" After hearing this, the siblings all burst out laughing. "Mother, Tiger's portion was given to him long ago. That other bucket is for Little Sister. She was making a fuss at the riverbank wanting it." Rui Xuan said. "You're all spoiling her, bringing back this whole pile and eating your fill, yet still can't finish it. Throwing it away would be a waste too. You guys..."

  "Hey, don't you think about it, who's the one spoiling her the most? Giving whatever she wants, this is clearly a case of 'fifty steps laughing at a hundred steps.' Seeing several children secretly smiling, Zhao thought back and felt like she had no bottom line either. Laughing and scolding, she said a sentence 'You few silly kids.' Then turned around to add dishes in the kitchen."

  Just then, Chen Tianfa also returned and saw that there were not many fish, so he praised the good boy and went to the kitchen to help. The children looked at each other and laughed again. "Right, there are a lot of fish, Rui Xuan, you go with your brothers to give some to Auntie and Grandma, and also send some to the old house." "Got it." Before the words were finished, the two brothers took the fish and ran away without a trace. In the kitchen, Zhao thought about the big sauce she had made herself, but still decided to make braised fish in soy sauce, to satisfy the children's cravings and also to supplement her husband's nutrition.

  Chen Tianba finished handling the fish, and Zhao Shi brought it over to marinate in salt. Then, she quickly took out a bowl, added a bit of flour, cracked an egg into it, and mixed it with water until it was smooth. If Xi Mei were here, she would definitely say that adding some starch would make it even better, but this era didn't have starch yet - that's a story for another time. Zhao Shi then scooped out a generous amount of oil from the oil jar and poured it into the wok. Once the fish was evenly coated with the batter, she put it in the wok to deep-fry. When both sides were golden brown, she took it out of the wok, leaving some oil at the bottom. She then added sliced scallions, garlic cloves, and ginger slices to the wok to stir-fry until fragrant. These seasonings were all grown by themselves, and when combined with the aroma of the fried fish, the smell was so enticing that Xi He, who was waiting outside, couldn't help but ask, "Mother, how much longer until dinner? I'm starving."

  "Just a little while, just one more incense stick of time and it'll be fine. Wait a bit." As she spoke, Zhao added water to the pot, putting in her own big sauce, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and adding some wine to remove the fishy smell. Finally, she put the fish in and covered the lid. After a short while, just enough time to drink a cup of tea, it would be done. At this moment, the two brothers who had gone to deliver things came back with several small cucumbers, not a few bean sprouts, and some loofah. It was true, Zhao had already guessed as much. Seeing them, she just let out a soft sigh. She called over the children to set the table and put out the stools, saying they would eat soon.

  She quickly chopped three cucumbers, cut three cloves of garlic, added salt, vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and the chili oil that Xi Mei had fried under her direction. At this time, the entire courtyard was filled with a strong fragrance. Zhao Shi invited everyone to eat, but didn't see Xi Mei, where did this girl go? It turned out that the little girl herself pulled a small bucket, went behind the kitchen, found a large basin and threw the clams into it. Because the clams had been in the river water for a long time, there were many dirty things inside, so putting them in clear water could make them spit out the dirt and sand. Then, she quietly returned to the kitchen when no one was paying attention, added some salt to the basin, and threw it in. Wiping the sweat from her forehead with her small hand, she said proudly, "Your good days are over, rest well here today, I'll come back tomorrow to see you. Hehe, and taste you too."

  Hey, you said this little girl wouldn't dare to be so arrogant in front of others, what's she doing showing off her might in front of someone else's home? Isn't she afraid that Brother Bao will give her a cold shoulder?

  "Hey, Xi Mei, what are you doing? It's almost time to eat, if you don't hurry up, your second brother will finish everything. He won't leave anything for you." Suddenly, Xi Ju came to find Xi Mei for dinner. "Okay, I'm coming right away. Big sister is always good to me. I love big sister the most." The little girl smiled sweetly at Xi Ju, her dimples like honey, making people feel an inexplicable tenderness towards her. She was born to be spoiled. "You're the one who's going to give me a love potion. Let me see how your mouth is so sweet, but wasn't it you who hugged mother's leg two days ago and said mother was the best? You little turncoat." Xi Ju affectionately tapped her little nose. The sisters held hands and walked towards the courtyard.

  "Quickly, sister, come! This is delicious." Looking at her second brother gobbling down the food, she couldn't help but sigh. "Second brother, this is fish, you have to eat it slowly, don't let the fish bones get stuck in your throat." "En, I know. Second brother, mother wants some too." Shivering, she picked up a piece of fish from the big bowl to feed Zhao Shi. "Sister, where's father? Why are you only giving some to mother? I'm going to be heartbroken."

  "There is, there is! Immediately give me the most, most, most, most beloved dad pancake. Little sister loves dad the most!" This made Chen Tian burst out laughing and stretch out his arms to hug her small body, using his beard to tickle her small face. Leaving a table of people with speechless expressions, including someone who had just been said to be her most favorite older sister. You say, this wallflower, almost everyone in the family has heard that they are her most beloved person. When she needs something, she is all smiles and sweet talk, but once things are done, she runs away with a whoosh. Hey, you say, what's going on? The people at home are even more spoiled by her than before."

  When there was only half a red-braised fish left on the table, this girl finally reacted. She shouted "Ah, these are all mine, don't eat anymore. All mine, mine." The people at the table burst out laughing. Zhao's cooking skills were not bad, she was in charge of both household and outside matters. Especially her homemade fermented bean paste could rival those sold in supermarkets in her previous life. The fish had fully absorbed the sauce, along with their homegrown scallions, ginger slices, and cilantro. It was so good that even if you offered a piece of gold, she wouldn't trade it.

  In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, several children wolfed down their food. The three of them, plus two little girls, had eaten until they were stuffed and lay sprawled on the chairs. Xi Mei thought to herself that this was indeed a natural and harmless thing, something that couldn't be replicated with modern materials. Thinking about how her brother and sister, although very greedy, still considered their own well-being, made her feel as sweet as if she had drunk honey. Just wait and see what surprise I'll bring you all tomorrow. Burn, little universe.

  In the early morning, Xi Mei woke up to the rustling of leaves. The house was quiet. Just as she was dazed, Xi He came in and saw that she was awake, excitedly saying: "The lazy girl finally got up? Who was it that patted her chest yesterday and said she would surprise everyone today? Everyone has left, where is your surprise?"

  Originally, the rainwater was enough for two days, and the crops in the field grew at the same time as the weeds. Chen Tian's family had a few acres of land, but they were all medium-sized fields, and relying solely on these fields could not support a whole family. However, during this era when people relied on heaven for food, they had no choice but to take good care of those few acres of land. So the adults took several children to the field to weed, preventing the corn from growing too big and becoming difficult to hoe. Only one little San Jie was left at home to accompany Xi Mei and feed the chickens. "San Jie, will Father and Mother come back for lunch?"

  "Huh? How could you forget? Father and mother never come back, big sister comes back at noon to cook and then takes the meal out." Xihe replied doubtfully. "Oh, I knew that, I just wanted to test you." "Alright, stop testing me, hurry up and get dressed, there's still a lot of work to do at home, do you want me to help you put on your clothes?" "No need, no need, third sister, you underestimate me too much. I've been able to dress myself for a long time." With a smug expression, while secretly taking a deep breath in her heart. It was too scary, almost exposed, hurry up and get dressed. Get down from the kang (heated bed).

  The sun was already high outside when I pushed the door open. Oh no, I forgot to pick up her clams! Okay, let's cook the clams with San Jie at noon and then go to the field to deliver lunch. I discussed it with Xi He and she said "No way." I didn't expect San Jie to be so difficult to talk to. Actually, what she said was right, those clams were eaten by someone before and they smell bad and are hard to cook. Besides, two people, one six years old and the other four years old, how can we manage in the kitchen?

  "Oh, Third Sister. We're not two or three years old anymore. Besides, didn't Eldest Sister also help Mother with cooking at your age? Why can't we do it too? And would you bear to have Eldest Sister run back and cook for us in this heat? I've tasted the food made by the wife of the old teacher from next door's private school, it was so delicious! Third Sister, let's give it a try, okay?" She blinked her sparkling eyes, not believing that Third Sister could refuse her.

  "Alright, listen to you, but if things go wrong, don't say I'm the one who did it with you." "En en, got it, we'll definitely succeed. Hurry up and get started!" After that, the two sisters' figures were busy in the kitchen.