Chapter 78 Chicken Stew with Mushrooms

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"mom……"

She Lili cried out, her voice trembling with tears. Looking at Lin Xiufang's wrists, which were red from being rubbed raw by the handcuffs, she felt a pang of sadness. Facing the cold and ruthless Detective Chen, she felt utterly powerless, looking around helplessly and bewildered.

"Fourth Aunt, you used to be my best friend, you know her personality, she's not the kind of person to do this kind of thing, please talk to Inspector Chen for me." She pleaded, pulling on the hand of a woman next to her.

The fourth aunt reached out and pulled her hand away, shaking her head.

"Second Uncle, please speak to her for me. My mother isn't that kind of person." Undeterred, she looked at the relatives who usually had close ties with their family.

"aunt……"

No one spoke.

Lin Xiufang went too far this time. She plotted vicious revenge against the She family. She sold people out just because they had a grudge against her.

She can treat the She family this way today, and she might treat them the same way tomorrow.

Ungrateful wretch, traitor, not worth helping.

Looking at the villagers around her, who used to be so warm and friendly but were now so indifferent, She Lili felt as if her body was sinking into a bottomless pit. She gritted her teeth and pulled Chen Shengnan back to stop her from moving forward. At the same time, she looked around to see where her father and older brother were.

She didn't want to be without a mother, nor did she want a mother who was in prison. Even if she didn't have the opportunity, she would create one.

Looking around, I didn't see She Weiqiang and She Yaozong, but I did see She Ning, who had just squeezed to the front of the crowd.

"Ah Ning, please help me explain that my mother was not involved in the theft."

She Lili's eyes lit up. She let go of Chen Shengnan's hand and looked at She Ning with expectant eyes.

Detective Chen has a good relationship with the She family. If She Ning pleads for her mother's life, the chances of her mother not being arrested will be much higher.

She Ning met her red, tear-filled eyes with a calm and cold gaze.

Lin Xiufen is a wicked person who deserves to suffer. She has hurt her and her family time and time again. She Ning is not a saint and is not so magnanimous as to not pursue the matter. However, she has not yet spoken up to refuse.

Guan Xiuli stepped forward and decisively shielded She Ning behind her with her small body. At the same time, she retorted to She Lili without any politeness.

"Don't drag A-Ning into this. Whether she was involved or not, the police will investigate. Besides, you know the truth in your heart."

Anyone with eyes can see what bad things Lin Xiufen has done. She doesn't believe She Lili is unaware. Now she even wants the victim to help the perpetrator get away with it. She must have some serious illness.

Guan Xiuli's blunt words were like a bullet, shattering her seemingly impenetrable but actually fragile shield.

The self-deceptive act of burying one's head in the sand has been brutally exposed.

She Lili's face turned red instantly, then white.

She wasn't as thick-skinned as Lin Xiufen; the moral principles she had been taught since childhood constantly reminded her that she shouldn't act this way.

She was torn between upholding her inner principles and ensuring her mother's well-being; the two conflicted constantly within her, but ultimately, the former prevailed.

"I'm sorry, Aning." She lowered her head in shame.

She was wrong; she was making unreasonable demands.

Not far away, Lin Xiufen, whose head was covered by a black cloth bag, became even more agitated after hearing She Lili apologize to She Ning.

When her guards weren't paying attention, she managed to break free of her hood and remove the cloth from her mouth.

Her face was so thin it was almost devoid of flesh, and her eyes, wide and frighteningly large like copper bells, were bloodshot as she glared fiercely at She Ning. Her curses grew even more vile, spittle flying from her mouth, as if she wanted to devour She Ning whole.

At the same time, she broke free from the guards' restraints and seized the opportunity to rush towards She Ning, seemingly wanting to die together with her.

The two comrades guarding her reacted quickly. They stepped forward and, just before Lin Xiufang could touch She Ning, grabbed her arms and pressed her to the ground.

Even as she was pinned to the ground, she refused to give up, spitting in She Ning's direction with a ferocious and twisted expression, as if she had gone mad.

You little brat, you son of a bitch, you bastard...

After cursing She Ning with the most vile and vicious language, she turned to curse She Lili, showing no regard for the fact that She Lili was the child she had carried for ten months and given birth to with great difficulty.

Something useless.

I'd rather have a dog than you.

It's better to just have a piece of raw char siu.

If I had known it was so useless, I would have preferred to drown it in a urinal at birth.

It's not even as good as a single toenail of my son Yaozu.

...

The sarcastic words echoed among the crowd, but She Ning paid no attention to her curses. It was truly pitiful for her cousin; her love for her mother seemed to have been wasted.

Standing not far from She Ning, She Lili's eyes darkened, the light in her eyes gradually faded, and her face became expressionless.

"Block it and take them away," Chen Shengnan said decisively, looking at the chaotic scene.

Originally, they were still looking for an opportunity to see if there was any room for negotiation. At this moment, She Aijun did not dare to speak up to stop them. He stepped aside to make way for them and waved his hand to let the villagers who were gathered together make way for them to leave.

Lin Xiufang was pulled up, but she showed no sign of stopping. As she passed She Ning, she struggled desperately to break free of her restraints, but the comrade guarding her was on high alert. Her hands were tightly bound behind her back, making it impossible for her to move.

Even with her mouth gagged again, she still made muffled sounds, her forehead bulging with bruises, clearly very agitated, and it seemed she had been cursing quite fiercely.

The comrades who detained her shoved her into the back seat of the jeep, and then two comrades sat on either side, sandwiching Lin Xiufang in the middle.

They first evacuated back to the station, while Chen Shengnan and another colleague stayed behind to visit the public, collect clues and evidence. She Lao Er's house was an important investigation site, while She Lili and several households near her house were their key interviewees.

She Lili is now completely listless and utterly disappointed in Lin Xiufen. She is cooperating fully with the police, answering all questions truthfully.

As for where the rest of her family is, She Lili smiled wryly at the question and then shook her head to indicate that she didn't know.

She was at home in the morning, and neither her father, She Weiqiang, nor her older brother, She Yaozong, appeared at all during the entire incident.

After the crowd dispersed, She Ning followed Guan Xiuli home.

In the kitchen, Chen Yuzhen saw She Ning return and got up to give up her seat. She then went back to her room to continue practicing picking up mung beans. Guan Xiuli didn't have much to do today, and seeing the old lady exercising her hands, she watched with great interest.

She Ning took out the steamed dumplings and put them away. She then took the wooden chopping board to the water tank in the yard and cleaned the fish. With swift and skillful movements, she removed the scales and gills, gutted the fish, cleaned the internal organs, and removed the fins. In just a few movements, the fish was clean. The whole process was smooth and efficient, without any unnecessary actions.

After drying the fish, She Ning held the fish by the tail, with the cleaver close to the tail. No one knew how she did it, but with a few quick swipes, the fish meat and bones were cleanly and neatly separated. Guan Xiuli watched the whole process in a daze.

Fish slices kept emerging from her knife on the cutting board, each one thin and even. Guan Xiuli measured several slices, and to her goodness, every single one was exactly 0.4 centimeters, down to the last millimeter.

Guan Xiuli stared at She Ning with wide eyes, knowing that She Ning was a good cook but seeing her knife skills for the first time.

"Good, excellent knife skills."

She Ning pursed her lips and smiled shyly, "It's just that I'm used to it."

Speaking from the bottom of her heart, her face flushed slightly, explaining that the perfect cut was all thanks to the blessing of spiritual energy.

Her body was exceptionally agile after being nourished by the Spirit Rice and Linglong Fruit. She had absolute control over all aspects of her body. In her previous life, she could slice fish into even slices, but not every slice was the same thickness.

She Ning quickly sliced ​​the remaining fish meat into pieces, then placed the sliced ​​fish pieces into a bowl of clean water and gently rubbed them to remove the blood.

After draining the fish fillets and marinating them, She Ning then chopped up the fish bones and head, using the head and bones to make fish soup.

"Aunt Guan, don't cook lunch, just eat at my house." She Ning invited with a smile as she took the pickled cabbage that Guan had taken out of the jar.

The fish was quite big, so even if we gave some to Aunt Wang, they couldn't finish it. On the way back, I heard from her that Yaohua and Liqun had gone out to play with their classmates, and Uncle Weibing was at work and wouldn't be home for dinner. She was the only one at home today.

"I'll accept your offer without hesitation," Guan Xiuli replied with a smile. "You know I have no resistance to your cooking."

She also had a whole chicken that she had brought back from her sister's place. Guan Xiuli went home, cleaned the chicken, and brought some dried mountain produce with her.

"These were sent by your uncle's comrade-in-arms. He said they were hazel mushrooms. They have a famous dish there called chicken stew with mushrooms. Do you know how to make it?" Guan Xiuli looked at She Ning with expectant eyes.

The dried hazel mushrooms in the bag were uniform in size and rather large. Even before getting close, they emitted a unique aroma similar to nuts, which looked very tempting.

She had made chicken stew with mushrooms in her previous life, but she didn't use hazel mushrooms. It was delicious, but it was still a little different. Now, looking at this chicken and these mushrooms, she was getting a little hungry.

Fortunately, there were always sweet potato noodles at home. After soaking the hazel mushrooms and sweet potato noodles in warm water, She Ning took the whole chicken from Guan Xiuli, rolled up her sleeves, and chopped the chicken into pieces.

Since the hazel mushrooms and sweet potato noodles don't rehydrate quickly, She Ning washed and chopped the other vegetables first, then set them aside for later use.

"Sister Aning, the police are coming out." Before returning from She Lao Er's house, she asked the village children to keep an eye out and tell Chen Shengnan when they saw her leaving.

"Thank you, here, have some." She Ning took out a handful of White Rabbit candies from her pocket and handed them to them.

"Thank you, Sister Aning." Holding the candy, the children chased after each other with beaming smiles.

After saying goodbye to Guan Xiuli and Chen Yuzhen, She Ning quickly picked up the lunchbox she had packed earlier and headed out. She Ning arrived just before they got on their three-wheeled sidecar motorcycle.

"Sister Shengnan, thank you for your hard work. It's almost lunchtime now. Why don't you come over to my house for a bite before you leave?" Standing next to the car, She Ning sincerely invited.

Chen Shengnan glanced at her watch; it was indeed getting late.

"Let's skip this time. We're in a hurry to get back to the office to report on our work. I'll come visit you guys next time I have a break," she politely declined.

She Ning had already anticipated that she wouldn't come over for dinner, so she handed her the lunchbox in her hand, saying, "Then you can take this and eat it on the way. It won't take up much time or cause any trouble."

The lunchbox in her hand was still warm, and the air was filled with the aroma of dumplings. Chen Shengnan immediately recognized that the lunchbox contained her favorite cabbage and pork dumplings.

Next to the lunchbox were several dipping sauces, one of which was the sweet, sour, and spicy flavor that she had been craving ever since she ate it at Zhu Xiujin's.

However, we had already taken so much food from her in the morning, it wouldn't be right to take more.

“If you’re not going to take it, then you can come back with me for dinner. You can leave after you’ve eaten. I believe Director Li would agree even if he knew.” Seeing that she was hesitant and about to refuse, She Ning interrupted her in advance.

Chen Shengnan exchanged a glance with her colleague, and seeing the other person nod slightly, she accepted the lunchbox.

"You silly girl, you asked that question on purpose, didn't you?" She had a firm grasp on the Chinese people's tendency to compromise and make concessions; if you wanted to open a window, you had to tear down the roof first.

She Ning smiled shyly and remained silent.

"What if I don't choose either of these options?" Chen Shengnan asked curiously.

She Ning smiled slyly: "Didn't you make your choice?"

"Ah, hahaha, you little rascal." After a moment of speechlessness, Chen Shengnan realized what she meant and burst into laughter. She then patted She Ning on the shoulder and praised, "Well done."

She Ning smiled without saying a word.

After seeing Chen Shengnan off, She Ning returned home and saw that the hazel mushrooms and sweet potato noodles had been soaked for a while. She first blanched the chicken pieces, then heated a pan with a little oil and fried the chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides. She then added scallions, ginger, star anise, and dried chili peppers and stir-fried them until fragrant.

Apart from She Ning, everyone else is from the south and prefers spicy food. She only gave half a single dried chili pepper as a sign of respect for the classic way of making chicken stew with mushrooms.

Add seasonings such as light soy sauce, sugar, and salt, stir-fry evenly, then add enough water to cover the chicken pieces. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add hazel mushrooms and continue simmering.

During the stewing process, She Ning used another stove. She heated the oil, put the chopped ginger, scallions, and dried chili peppers (a little bit) into the pot and stir-fried them until fragrant. She then added the chopped pickled cabbage and stir-fried it evenly until the pickled cabbage was fragrant. She then set it aside.

After cleaning the pot, fry the fish head and fish bones until golden brown on both sides, add boiling water, bring to a boil over high heat, cook for ten minutes, then use a slotted spoon to remove the fish bones and reserve the broth.

"Sister, what's good to eat today?" After coming home from school, She Ni hadn't even put down her crossbody bag before rushing to the kitchen.

"Slow down, don't fall." Following behind her and pushing her bicycle into the yard, She Hongmei watched as she ran and almost fell, and warned her.

"Aunt Guan's chicken stew with mushrooms, Aunt Wang's pickled fish, our own homegrown stir-fried bok choy, and your favorite tomato salad with white sugar." Taking a break from her busy schedule, She Ning pinched She Ni, who was hugging her waist, and recited the names of the dishes one by one.

"Go wash your hands and help prepare the dishes."

"Okay, I guarantee I'll complete the mission." Upon receiving the task, She Ni immediately got to work.

The broth from the chicken and mushroom stew began to thicken, and She Ning added the soaked sweet potato noodles into it.

On the other side of the stove, the fish soup, after being cleaned of impurities, is poured into the stir-fried pickled cabbage and brought to a boil over high heat. The marinated fish slices are then added, and once they turn white and float to the surface, seasonings are added to taste. Finally, the soup is served in a bowl.

The sauerkraut fish was a large portion, so she filled two plates equally.

Finally, sprinkle cilantro, chopped green onions, and minced garlic on the fish fillets. Since they can't eat spicy food, we won't give them dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. Heat the peanut oil and pour it over the fish fillets. With a "sizzle," the unique aroma of the pickled fish rises up, making your mouth water just by smelling it.

She Hongmei walked in and took a sniff. "This method is quite novel. It smells appetizing."

"Tomato fish is also delicious, I can try it next time." She Ning moved the sauerkraut fish aside. The chicken stew with mushrooms was almost ready. The sweet potato noodles were stewed until soft and tender, and the chicken was stewed until tender and flavorful. She put it into another large bowl. She Ning couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

It smells so good.

It's much more fragrant than the chicken and mushroom stew she made in her past life.

"Mom, this fish was a gift from Aunt Wang. Could you please send a bowl of it to their house, along with these braised pig's trotters? She should be home by now," She Ning said while stir-frying bok choy.

She Ning had already packed the pickled fish and braised pig's feet into a bamboo basket. Upon hearing this, She Hongmei picked up the basket and went out.

"Mom, I'll go with you." After setting out the tableware, She Ni handed the puppy she was playing with to Aunt Guan and followed closely behind, holding onto She Hongmei's clothes.

"Ah Ning, is there anything I can help you with?" Guan Xiuli asked, standing at the door while letting the puppy play by itself.

"Could you please call Grandma, Auntie?" In the kitchen, She Ning quickly packed the bok choy into a bowl.

When She Ni and She Hongmei returned, she was just coming out with tomatoes mixed with white sugar.

"Perfect timing, come wash your hands and eat."

"Yay, let's eat!" She Ni rushed over like a little firecracker.

Five people sat around the table. The weather wasn't sunny today, and there was a breeze while we ate under the peach tree, which was very comfortable.

"Aunt Guan, thank you for providing the ingredients. Try my chicken stew with mushrooms," She Ning said with a smile.

Guan Xiuli had her eye on this dish for a long time. It was placed right above her, and whenever the wind blew, its aroma would always waft towards her nose, so enticingly fragrant.

Guan Xiuli took some chicken nuggets, hazel mushrooms, and glass noodles, and her eyes lit up when she ate them.

The chicken was tender and flavorful, the hazel mushrooms were fresh and fragrant, and the glass noodles were soft and soaked in the rich broth. It was absolutely delicious.

"You should all try it, it's delicious!" she strongly recommended.

She Hongmei first served a piece to She Ni and Grandma She, and then ate it herself last. The taste was indeed quite good.

The sweet potato noodles, soaked in the broth, became soft, tender, and slippery, which Chen Yuzhen loved to eat.

The pickled fish uses silver carp, which has few small bones. She Ning also carefully removed the small bones when slicing the fish. The fish slices are white, tender, and smooth, making them perfect for the elderly and children.

Homemade pickled cabbage is tangy and refreshing, and the leaves and stems are crisp and delicious.

She Ni was so engrossed in her food that she didn't even bother to eat her favorite tomato salad with white sugar.

The milky white fish soup is tangy and appetizing, with a rich fish flavor.

Guan Xiuli was originally eating sauerkraut and fish, but then there was more fish soup in the rice. She mixed the soup with the rice and took a bite, and then a whole new world opened up for her.

"This fish soup is delicious, and it's also perfect for soaking rice in." Guan Xiuli asked for more rice several times after discovering a new way to eat pickled fish.

"This is appetizing, and it's also good to eat in the summer. Restaurants could consider offering it." Even while eating, She Hongmei didn't forget about her business.

She Ning nodded in agreement.

They have plenty of seafood and freshwater fish here. For sauerkraut fish, it's not limited to silver carp; black carp, grass carp, and other fish are also fine. These fish are not expensive, and you can also pickle the sauerkraut yourself, so the cost is not high.

"Eat first, the food won't taste good if it gets cold," Chen Yuzhen reminded them.

"Awoo awoo..." The little puppy was eating its own special food under the table, and it looked up and barked in agreement.

After the meal, everyone was stuffed. Touching her round belly, She Ning let out a burp. She hadn't eaten so much in a long time.

I must restrain myself next time.