As dusk fell, a wisp of smoke rose from a small courtyard at the edge of the village.

Su Bai was tending the fire in front of the stove, while the three brothers sat in a row, staring intently at Su Hua's movements.

Su Hua cut the prepared fish roe into small pieces, then punctured the fish bladders with a knife to release the air, and cut the fish intestines and liver into small sections. She put them in a pot of cold water, then added aged vinegar and simmered them over low heat until boiling. After they set, she took them out and rinsed them clean.

Heat the wok again, add a spoonful of lard, and stir-fry the prepared ginger slices, garlic, peppercorns, and dried chili pepper pieces.

While inhaling the fragrance deeply, the three siblings secretly glanced at Su Bai's expression.

After all, this spoonful of lard is equivalent to their usual consumption for half a month.

Su Bai smiled, but felt a pang of heartache.

Next time, next time... Never mind, it's just a spoonful of lard.

As long as my daughter is happy, that's all that matters.

After the red oil was rendered, Su Hua poured in the blanched fish roe, fish maw, fish intestines, and fish liver. She then asked Su Bai to remove two pieces of firewood from the stove and fry the fish offal in the pot over a low flame until it was slightly browned. Finally, she poured a spoonful of aged vinegar into the pot, and the aroma of the vinegar instantly covered the fishy smell of the offal.

Then, add a ladle of spring water to cover the fish offal, and add a little coarse salt for seasoning.

Once the broth has boiled, add a handful of perilla leaves before serving.

The kitchen was instantly filled with a rich aroma.

The sight made everyone inside and outside the house swallow hard.

Su Hua picked up the pot and took out the small stove for today. She asked Su Dalang and the others to add charcoal from the firebox to the stove and put it on the table in the main room. They planned to heat it up and eat it at the same time, which was a simplified version of fish offal soup.

Under the dim yellow light of the oil lamp, the old dining table in the center of the main room was filled with food. A large bowl of scrambled eggs with wild scallions was placed there. The eggs were golden and tempting, and the tender wild scallions dug from the mountains made the dish look very appetizing. Next to the eggs was a large bowl of steamed pork cracklings with dried vegetables, and a dish of stir-fried ferns. The main dish was a bowl of coarse flour buns. In the very center was a pot of fish offal soup that was still bubbling.

The three Su brothers sat around the table, staring at the bright red fish offal, their chopsticks practically developing their own will as they held them.

Qian's eyes lit up, "Hua'er's fish offal is probably just as good as the flavorful snails. Just looking at it makes my mouth water."

"Second sister-in-law is right." Zhao nodded with a smile. "This aroma is so enticing, it's like it's making all the cravings in my stomach come out."

The three siblings, Su Dalang and his sister, nodded and drooled, "Our little aunt is the best, she can even cook fish offal..."

"Alright! This fish offal is amazing, but each person only gets a small half-spoonful, no more." Madam Su Bai held the soup spoon and divided the food, her face full of pride. Her daughter was truly remarkable; she could do everything.

Su Hua smiled faintly and took a sip of the fish offal soup, the spicy and savory flavor hitting her head.

"These pollution-free fish are so good! Even the fish offal soup is incredibly delicious!" She smacked her lips, then picked up a piece of fish maw with her chopsticks, chewed it carefully, and nodded in satisfaction. "This fish maw is packed with collagen, and the fish roe is high in protein. We women should eat more of these to ensure our skin becomes white, smooth, and wrinkle-free..."

"What? What pollution? What glue and what eggs?" Su Bai was taken aback as she divided the food.

She can understand each word individually, but how come she's never heard of any of the words when they're put together?

The Su family members also stared at Su Hua in a daze, not only unable to understand, but also puzzled, how could a fish offal have such a good effect, making people not have a single wrinkle?

If you don't get wrinkles when you get old, you'd be a monster!

“Um, this…” Su Hua’s lips twitched slightly, then her eyes lit up. “These are the words my master said. He basically said that this fish offal is very nutritious and that it’s better for girls to eat it to maintain their youthful appearance.”

Previously, in order to cover up the matter of Meng Po, Su Bai told her family that it was all taught by Su Hua's master.

“No wonder, I felt warm in my stomach after just one bite.” Su Bai replied happily, “These fish offal are usually inexpensive. Since they’re so effective, let’s ask the stall owner to give us a few more when we buy fish in the future, so we can eat them often.”

The Su family members kept eating the fish offal soup and rice while praising it highly.

"This fish maw is very chewy and tastes even better than fatty meat."

"And this fish roe, it's so fragrant and chewy, I used to throw it all away, what a waste."

"I love eating these fish intestines the most. They're smooth and chewy, and paired with these red chili pepper pieces, they're absolutely irresistible!"

"Yes, only Hua'er is so clever. She can turn these scraps into a delicacy that tastes several times better than fish..."

After a satisfying meal, Madam Su was counting her copper coins in the main room when she saw three pieces of silver and her eyes lit up with joy. "The students in this school are really generous. They buy a whole tael of silver at a time. They really know how to spend money!"

Seeing her happily counting the money, Su Hua suddenly remembered Liang Siyu, whom she had met at the town entrance.

“You mean Liang’s girl from Xiahe Village?” Su Baishi paused slightly. “I know that Sanhu has feelings for her. Logically speaking, the two children are now grown up and it’s time to talk about marriage. However, our family can’t afford the two taels of silver dowry for the time being, so we have to wait.”

In Shanghe Village, the bride price is usually two taels of silver, which was the case for the first two sons of the Su family.

Su Sanhu's marriage was naturally the same, but last year the original owner of the body had fallen ill and spent two taels of silver on medicine, so Su Sanhu's marriage was delayed.

"I thought it was something important." Su Hua smiled. "These snails are making money right now. Once we have two taels of silver, we'll marry Third Sister-in-law..."

"How can that be!" Before Su Hua could finish speaking, Madam Su Bai hurriedly interrupted, "This snail business was your idea. The money you earn is naturally for your future dowry, not for your brother to get married."

"mother……"

"No need to say more," Su Baishi raised her hand to stop her.

No one is allowed to take a single thing from my daughter.

Even if Su Sanhu really wanted to get married, he still had seven acres of land at home that he could sell, so he certainly wouldn't lose much.

Seeing her resolute attitude, Su Hua didn't say much more. In the end, it was all because of poverty. After a month or two, when the snail business started to earn more money, Su Bai would probably not object too much to allocating some of it to Su Sanhu's marriage.

After all, the whole family contributed to this business; it wasn't just hers alone.

Meanwhile, in front of a small wooden house about a mile away.

The man leaned lazily against the stone bench in front of the courtyard, looking through the dark night towards the gradually extinguishing lights of the old Su family home. His deep eyes seemed to be filled with the thick fog of early spring, making them somewhat indistinct.

The campfire in front of him was burning brightly, and the crackling of the sparks was particularly noticeable in the night.

But the man's brows remained tightly furrowed, not even the golden-brown rabbit roasting over the campfire could loosen them in the slightest.

After a while.

Xiao Jinhan withdrew his gaze, his eyes falling on a row of rabbits on the bamboo fence, and he was slightly lost in thought.

Even though they were all rabbits caught in the bracken forest of Fuhu Mountain, why did the braised rabbit meat that Su Baishi sent that night make his injured leg feel again, while these rabbits, which he tried one by one, had no effect at all?