Li Yuzhu nodded, holding the child as she sat in front of the cart, while Dong Qing pulled the cart as they continued towards the county town.

They returned to the city and had a meal at a small restaurant. After finishing their meal and leaving the restaurant, Li Yuzhu asked, "Where are we going to sell all these fish?"

Dong Qing said, "It's not feasible today; I'll have to take it to the market tomorrow morning. But it needs to be kept in water to survive until tomorrow, which is too much trouble. I'm thinking of trying to sell it at a restaurant instead."

Not long after the reform and opening up, restaurant business was not good. Restaurants didn't need much fish, and many restaurants didn't even want fish. Dongqing went to several restaurants in a row, but in the end he still brought the fish home and could only sell it at the county market the next morning.

Back home, Dongqing went to the cooperative and bought a new plastic sheet.

Dongqing nailed two large frames with wooden boards, placed the two frames in the house, laid the newly bought plastic sheet flat in the two frames, then carried buckets to the well to fetch water, filled the two pools with water, and then poured the fish into the water.

The fish were caught from the river not long ago; they were all alive, and swam away as soon as they were put into the water.

Li Yuzhu said, "Dongqing, it's still early. These days, even the poor can't afford fish. Why don't you ride your bicycle and deliver some fish to my parents' house? I'll drop the kids off at the neighbor's house and ask her to watch them for a while. I'll ride their bicycle to the city and deliver some to my sister."

Dongqing said, "Just stay home and rest. You don't need to do this. Your eldest and second eldest sisters are at work during the day, and there's no one home if you go there now. I'll deliver it to your parents' house first, and then I'll deliver it to your eldest and second eldest sisters when I get back."

Dong Sanmei doesn't have a fixed home now. She eats at the company cafeteria every day. Sending her fish is useless because she can't cook. If you're going to send her fish, you should send her cooked fish.

Dongqing picked out the biggest fish and sent dozens of them to his father-in-law's house, then rushed back before sunset.

When Dongqing returned home, he scooped some small fish out of the pond, then scaled and stuffed them, cleaning up most of the small fish in the basin.

Li Yuzhu asked, "Are we going to eat all of these? How can we eat such small fish?"

When Dongqing's father was alive, he often went fishing. In those days, capitalist tails were being cut off everywhere, and there was no market for selling fish. When he got home, he would put the fish in a water tank to keep them. The big fish were stewed or braised, and the small fish were fried.

Fry the small fish in oil until they're crispy; they taste delicious! You don't even need to spit out the bones because they're all fried to a crisp.

Dongqing said, "I'll fry up some extra small crispy fish and take some to my three older sisters."

Li Yuzhu said, "Okay, you start frying. I'll pack some more and send a few more to them."

After feeding her son, Li Yuzhu put him on the bed, scooped some small fish out of the pond, and sat down on a stool to start tidying up.

The family used a coal stove. Dongqing had pried it open beforehand, and by then the fire was already burning. He put the pot on and poured rapeseed oil into it.

One deep-frying isn't enough to get the fish crispy; it needs to be deep-fried several times.

After Dong Qing finished frying the fish, he put the fish that Li Yuzhu had just washed into the pot and continued frying it.

After frying, start frying again, then dip the fried fish in oil a second time.

The fish are already cooked through after the first fry. The second fry is to fry them until they are burnt. The second fry is much faster. Just put them in the pan, stir them a few times, and they can be taken out. Otherwise, they will burn.

The third frying was even faster; all the fish were fried in no time.

Li Yuzhu put the fried fish in her mouth, and after eating it, she said, "It's so delicious!"

Dongqing said, "The small fish rolls and steamed buns taste even better with a scallion on top. If you like them, I'll catch fish for you often. You can cook at home; my three older sisters will be getting off work soon, so I'll bring them over."

Dongqing took out a fish skin bag, filled it with dozens of large fish for his sister, tied it to the back of the bicycle, hung the fried small fish on the handlebars, and rode the bicycle towards the city.

Dongqing didn't know why, but she always felt that she favored her second sister, so she rode her bicycle to her second sister's house first.

He carried the fish to his second sister's door, raised his hand to knock, and his brother-in-law immediately opened the door. He asked, "Brother-in-law, hasn't my second sister come back yet?"

My brother-in-law said, "Your second sister just got back and is cooking in the kitchen. What did you bring? It smells so good!"

Just then, my second sister came out of the kitchen and said with a smile, "I know it's small fried fish without even looking at it. My siblings and I used to eat a lot of these when we were little, but we've almost forgotten what it tastes like over the years!"

Dongqing said, "I caught some fish in the river with Yuzhu today, and I'm bringing some over for you. Take some out quickly, and I'll take the rest to my eldest and third sisters' houses."

Dong Ermei said, "You've had a long day of running around, so you don't need to do it yourself. Let your brother-in-law do it. You can have dinner at my house tonight."

Dong Qing agreed and squatted down to start packing the fish. Dong Ermei said, "There's no need to bring fish for your third sister. She can't cook it anyway. Have your brother-in-law go to his workplace and invite her over for dinner."

"No need to notify me, the freeloaders are here!"

The door wasn't closed when Dongqing came in. He didn't need to turn around; he could tell from the sound that it was his third sister.

Dong Ermei smiled and said, "You're so lucky! Sit down and rest for a bit; the food will be ready soon."

"Third sister will cook for you."

After Dong Sanmei finished speaking, she walked towards the kitchen.

My second brother-in-law packed some fish for my eldest sister, and also packed some fried small fish, and carried them downstairs to my eldest sister's house.

Dongqing said, "Second sister, I won't stay for dinner. I'm going home."

Dong Ermei said "Wait a moment," turned and went into the kitchen. She picked up a piece of beef and handed it to her younger brother, saying, "I just bought this at the market after get off work. I bought a lot; take it home for your wife to eat tonight."

Dongqing didn't stand on ceremony with her second sister. She nodded, took the beef from her sister's hand, walked to the kitchen door to say goodbye to her third sister, and then turned and left the house.

Dongqing returned home, parked his bicycle in the yard, and took the beef from the bicycle into the house.

Li Yuzhu had already prepared dinner. Dongqing took the beef that his second sister had given him into the kitchen, sliced ​​it, and plated it. He also grabbed a clove of garlic.

Dongqing placed the plate of beef and garlic on the table. Li Yuzhu said, "Why buy beef when we have so much fish at home? It's such a waste of money."

Dongqing said, "Second Sister gave this to us. Quickly put your son on the bed and let him sit down to eat."

After hearing this, Li Yuzhu didn't say anything more. She turned around, went into the bedroom, put her son on the bed, and then returned to the dining table to sit down and eat.

Li Yu picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of beef, and put it in her mouth. She hadn't eaten beef in many years, and it tasted incredibly delicious. She said, "I can count the number of times I've eaten beef in my entire life on one hand. It's so good."

Dongqing peeled a clove of garlic and handed it to his wife, saying, "Beef tastes even better with garlic. I'll buy you beef often when I have more money."