Ningxia took it and took a sip. It was acceptable. She was sure the siblings would finish it if she asked, but there was no need. "There are several clusters of honeysuckle on the step behind our house. Do you recognize them?"
Lin Yi didn't understand what Ning Xia was doing, but he still shook his head honestly, "I don't know..."
Ningxia put down the fish in her hand and said, "Then take out all the wild onions in the bag, and put them together with the perilla leaves I just picked. Wash them and put them away until I come back." After saying that, Ningxia went out.
There is a bamboo forest behind the house, with bamboos growing at different heights. Ningxia saw a lot of honeysuckle on these protruding mounds of earth.
Thinking about the plump fish, Ningxia plucked a handful and went back, handing it to Lin Yi, "Wash it and put it in the kettle to soak. Use a small amount. If you put too much undried honeysuckle, you will have diarrhea." After giving the instructions, Ningxia hurriedly went to chop fish and cut vegetables.
She is a good cook. After all, she has been self-sufficient since she was old enough to understand. There is no reason for her not to know how to cook. She herself is quite fond of this hobby. However, it seems that since she took the two kids on the road, her hobby has become a duty.
Ningxia had no time to think about anything else and focused entirely on the fish. She originally wanted to stew the whole fish in a milk pot, but the pot was too small and the fish was too big, so she could only chop it into pieces.
Even so, Ningxia only put in half of the fish fillet. Seeing that the water in the pot was about to overflow, she had to stop and threw in a handful of green onions and perilla leaves. The green onions were picked by them on the way, and there was a large patch of perilla leaves at the entrance of the valley. When she came back, she picked some to remove the fishy smell. There were no seasonings, and she was afraid that it would be too fishy, so she just put it all in, and threw in a few dried chili segments.
Soon the fish soup was bubbling and turning milky white, and the whole room was filled with the aroma of fresh stewed fish. The three of them sat around the stove, staring at the pot in the middle with fierce eyes. Ningxia saw that it was almost done, so she scooped out a small spoonful, blew it to cool it down, and then put it into her mouth.
The rich and fresh flavor instantly enveloped her taste buds, unexpectedly fresh. She thought that this river fish would be very fishy, but unexpectedly the fishy smell was almost imperceptible. The unique fragrance of perilla and the taste of green onion wrapped the taste of fish into her mouth. After drinking it, there was a hint of spicy taste on the tip of her tongue.
The original ingredients are so good that this pot of fish soup is extremely fragrant.
Ningxia picked up a smaller piece of fish. The taste was not as outstanding as the soup, mainly because the salt was not fully absorbed and it was a bit light. However, it was delicious. After being cooked for quite some time, the fish was still firm and tender.
Ningxia turned around and looked at the two children's staring eyes. She couldn't help but raise her lips, took out the bowl, and filled each of them with a bowl.
It is worth mentioning that the lid of the thermos that Sangsang found was cleverly designed. It was the same size as the body of the thermos and was a very uniform cylinder. The lid could even be considered a bowl. In this way, Lin Yi's eating utensils changed from a pot to a bowl, which could hold two bowls of the kind used by Ningxia and the others at a time.
"Sangsang, be careful of the burns, and be careful with the fish bones too." Ningxia was a little worried. There weren't many big fish bones like this. She was considering whether to feed her, but Sangsang insisted on eating it herself. Ningxia breathed a sigh of relief and let her do it. She just had to pay attention to it.
Sangsang was not a cause for concern as he ate carefully, bite by bite. However, Lin Yi on the side got a fishbone stuck in his throat because he ate too fast. When Ningxia found out, he had already swallowed the fishbone alive with a red face and thick neck.
"Eat slowly and drink some water." Ningxia handed over the kettle and was relieved to see that Lin Yi was fine after drinking it.
Lin Yi looked at Sangsang's smirking eyes and glared at her, blushing. Ningxia watched silently, chuckling inwardly. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, the wind carrying the intermittent chirping of cicadas. Inside, the house was filled with laughter and chatter, a joyful atmosphere.
"Anyway, we go to bed early at night, so we won't sleep at noon. Let's go to the pond to catch some more meat, cut it into slices and dry it. Then we won't have to worry about having no meat to eat on the road. What do you think about having a good rest at night?" Ningxia looked at Lin Yi with a rare eagerness.
"Okay." Lin Yi put away the washed bowls and heated up the water in a milk pan. Influenced by Ningxia, he couldn't bear to see the fire empty.
"I want to go too!" Sangsang raised his hand.
"Sure, if you can hold on and not take a nap, you can go with us." Ningxia didn't force Sangsang to stay at home.
After a simple tidy up, the three of them went out again.
After a busy day, Ningxia lay down on the bed and realized that the soreness all over her body was not much better than when she was traveling. She turned her head and saw that the two children had started snoring. It seems that she still needs to take it step by step.
Looking out the window beside the bed, Ningxia saw a string of fish she had hung on the tree outside the house. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise. She felt very satisfied when she thought of the large piece of dried fish fillets on the big stone slab in the valley.
The three of them were exhausted, especially Lin Yi. In the afternoon, she was busy cutting fish. It was Lin Yi who killed and washed the fish. The first few fish he caught were not very good, but he became proficient later.
Sangsang was responsible for handing the killed fish to her, and then hanging the fish fillets she cut on the stone slab next to her. After an afternoon, when the child was washing Sangsang's body before leaving, she could not open her eyes. When she came back, she drank some soup quickly and fell asleep.
Lin Yi insisted on washing the three people's dirty clothes, but was pulled back by Ning Xiasheng.
The three of them were finally clean again. Although there was still a faint fishy smell, Ningxia felt particularly at ease. This smell was a guarantee for her and the two children, a guarantee that they would not go hungry for the time being.
Ningxia was up early again. She'd been so excited yesterday that she'd exhausted the kids. This morning, she made them some fish porridge to nourish them. She always made a pot of fish soup for them, and now that she had the time, it was perfect for them to replenish their bodies. Raising children isn't easy, Ningxia sighed again.
A handful of washed whole grain rice was put into a milk pot filled with water. On the leaves on the table was a fish that had been processed and brought back yesterday. It had been exposed to the wind all night and had not deteriorated. After rinsing it briefly with some water, Ningxia used a knife to remove the fish bones in the middle and cut the fish meat into thick slices for later use.
Ningxia initially thought there was only one kind of fish in the pond, but when she was slicing the fish yesterday afternoon, she discovered there were two kinds. The difference in appearance was very small, and Ningxia couldn't recognize either one.
One type of fish had only a large fish bone in the middle, and another type had some tiny bones in the fish meat, but not many. She and Lin Yi picked out the fish with only bones and sliced them. The one with more bones was air-dried as a whole. The one used to make fish soup last night was the boneless kind. They couldn't tell any difference in taste, and it was just as fresh and delicious.
Ningxia kept stirring the porridge in the pot. When the porridge was almost ready and the soup became thick, Ningxia threw in the fish meat, a handful of chopped wild onions and a few perilla leaves. The room was filled with fragrance and the white steam of hot porridge filled the air.
Even though she had eaten two meals of fish yesterday, Ningxia couldn't help swallowing. Seeing that the two children showed no signs of waking up, she simply scooped a bowl for herself to fill her stomach.
Unlike yesterday's fish soup, which was thin and refreshing, today's fish fillet and multi-grain porridge has a slightly thicker texture. One bite and you'll feel a full sense of satisfaction. This is the magic of food.
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