Tao Hongying drove the mule cart to another village called Xiaowang Village.
Big Banyan Tree Village is a large village, located about four or five miles southwest of Broken Gold Beach. It is clean and prosperous.
Xiao Wang Village is a bit far, about seven or eight li southeast of Suijintan, close to the official road, and there are more people doing business in the village.
The Li family's mule cart actually bought quite a lot of things here: oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, a fresh piece of pork belly, and even a dozen pieces of freshly cooked tofu.
Jiayin's mouth watered at the thought of stewed fish with tofu, and she secretly moved two more carp out of her spatial storage.
The two carp, suddenly out of water, jumped around angrily, splashing water all over the old lady's face.
She deftly pulled the rope, threaded the gills through both fish, and hung them on the basket. Then she glared at her granddaughter and warned in a low voice, "We're almost home, so you better behave yourself."
Jiayin chuckled and jumped into her grandmother's arms, smearing her grandmother's face with drool.
Grandma Li sighed inwardly, feeling both happy and conflicted.
Even when her granddaughter, who is not yet two years old, tries to snuggle into her arms, she knows to avoid her injured shoulder.
Who wouldn't love such a sensible child?
It's her amazing ability that always makes people nervous.
Our family is not very capable now and cannot help with good deeds. Will this shorten my granddaughter's lifespan?
"Hongying, take the big fish and tofu you bought on the way back, add some cabbage, stew a lot, and share it with everyone, especially the village chief Uncle Zhao and the others, as well as Doctor Zhang and the new Chef Han. Don't leave anyone out."
"I know, Mother. No matter how good our family eats, we've never neglected these elders." Tao Hongying turned around, glanced at the two big fish, and cracked her whip a few more times.
With the sun almost directly overhead, she was in a hurry to get back and cook.
Tofu needs to be boiled a thousand times, and fish a thousand times; this dish won't taste good if it's not cooked long enough.
Sure enough, by this time, all the people who had been working on the mountain had returned.
Zhao Yuru and Dongmei cooked sorghum porridge together and were wondering what to cook next.
Seeing that Grandma Li and her daughter-in-law were returning with a full load of goods, not only were their own family members surprised and happy, but the villagers also gathered around.
"Auntie, you've struck it rich! You bought so much stuff!"
Grandma Li jumped off the car with a smile and replied loudly, "I visited both the Big Banyan Tree Village and Little Wang Village. I was lucky enough to buy two big fish and some tofu. I'll stew them in a bit, and everyone can have a taste."
"No, no, Auntie, you should keep it for the children. Jiaxi and Jia'an are still injured, and Fu Niu was terrified. Give the children some nourishment."
The villagers genuinely declined, and Old Lady Li didn't say much more.
But of the cabbages and radishes unloaded from the truck, the Li family kept only a small portion; the rest were carried to the main stove by the villagers.
Soon, just as Old Lady Li had hidden the basket containing the eggs, the village chief sent someone to deliver three or four catties of rice, clearly not wanting the Li family to suffer a loss.
Old Mrs. Li readily accepted the money and sat down to rest in the shack.
Jia Huan, who is usually quiet and reserved, was all smiles as she carried two big fish. She ran happily to the riverbank to clean them up and then asked her grandmother in a loud voice.
"Grandma, should we pan-fry this fish before stewing it?"
Grandma Li couldn't help but laugh and replied, "Don't worry about using too much oil. Cook it however you like. It's rare to find such a big fish. Besides, we bought two pounds of oil today, so a little extra won't make a difference."
Jiayin sat next to her grandmother, her face cupped in her hands, drooling over the stove, wishing the big fish would be cooked right away.
Jia'an and Jiaxi were sitting in the shack, wearing only shorts, their legs and bare feet exposed. The blisters on their legs had shrunk a bit after applying medicine, but the color was still unpleasant.
But it was so lively outside, especially since the big white goose they bought was tied up on one side of the shed, attracting more than a dozen children of all ages from the village, who were all chattering and laughing.
"This is a big white goose? My mother said one goose egg is bigger than three chicken eggs!"
"Your mother is lying, look how small its butt is."
“My mother doesn’t lie. If you don’t believe me, ask Grandma Li to bring a goose egg to see.”
"No, I'm afraid Grandma Li will hit people. Jia'an and Jiaxi were both pinched yesterday."
Jia'an and Jiaxi were in the shack, feeling like their hearts were being scratched by a cat, itching intensely.
While Grandma was holding her younger sister and watching her mother stew fish, they quietly opened a hole in the back of the shack and crawled out.
When their friends saw them, they were all surprised and tried to call out, but their mouths were covered...
When mischievous boys get together, never expect them to be quiet.
Before long, a boy picked up the big white goose, its rear end facing up, and everyone crowded around, not only to look at it, but also to examine it closely.
Don't these white geese have any pride? Aren't they ashamed?
Just as Jiayin was about to salivate, she heard a scream from next to the shack.
Then, the little rascals stumbled out, followed by the frantic white goose.
The white geese run and fly low, specifically targeting the naughty boys' bottoms with their beaks.
Suddenly, the valley was filled with howling and wailing, startling everyone who jumped up, thinking that wild beasts or insects had entered.
In the end, it was Li Laosi who grabbed the white goose by the neck, thus saving Jia'an and Jiaxi, who had been attacked the most.
"What's wrong with you two? Instead of resting in the shed, why did you have to provoke the geese!"
Jia'an and Jiaxi were on the verge of tears; they were just curious...
The villagers also grabbed their own sons to question them, and after understanding what had happened, everyone was both amused and annoyed.
Needless to say, every single one of the naughty boys got a slap and then went hungry.
Jiaxi and Jia'an were no exception. Li Laosi dragged them to the hot spring to wash their dirty feet, then threw them into the shack, and the whole family ignored them.
Soon, the stewed fish with tofu and cabbage was ready. The elderly people in the village all got a bowl, especially the new chef Han, whose bowl had a large piece of fish, and he was so happy that he kept thanking him.
Finally, there was still a little bit of fish left in the pot. Grandma Li picked out a bowl of fish for her granddaughter, poured a spoonful of fish soup on it, and the whole family gathered around the stove to eat.
"It smells so good, it really smells wonderful!"
"Yes, you need to pan-fry the fish in oil before stewing it to remove the fishy smell and make the soup look better."
"Tofu is still the best. It soaks up the fish soup so well that it's juicy with oil when you bite into it."
Everyone ate and praised the food, making Jia'an and Jiaxi so hungry they cried in their shack.
Jiayin squatted at the entrance of the shack, eating fish with a big smile. Seeing her two older brothers crying with snot and tears streaming down their faces, she laughed until her stomach was tied in knots.
Actually, fish are considered a "heating" food in traditional Chinese medicine. Even if they weren't naughty, we shouldn't feed them fish with all those blisters on their legs.
But they didn't know that; they really thought their family had abandoned them, looking pitiful like abandoned puppies.
Jiayin wasn't going to tell them, because her two older brothers were just too naughty.
Yesterday she was almost grilled on a stone slab, and today, even with blisters all over her legs, she still hasn't calmed down, causing chaos in the camp.
If we don't scare them a little, they might cause a huge uproar later.
It was clear that everyone had the same idea: eat and drink as they pleased, pretending not to see the naughty boys, letting them rub their bottoms where the geese had pecked them, and then wipe away their tears on empty stomachs.
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