As soon as Gou Dan and Er Dan left, the other children followed them out the door.
Yu Rujia, inside the door, heard Erdan's angry roar: "Dog Egg, leave some for me."
Yu Rujia peeked out and saw a group of children huddled together, licking the basin. No wonder they were vying to wash the basin; that was what they were after.
Gao Shujing noticed the children's movements and said with a smile, "Rujia, you've successfully developed another delicious dish. Our family's menu is getting more and more diverse."
Although he was preoccupied with Duoxi and didn't get to eat much, he had to admit that the snails were indeed delicious; their fresh and unique flavor made his mouth water.
Gao Guojing smacked his lips with lingering satisfaction: "Following Sister Rujia, there's no worry about not having good food."
Yu Rujia wasn't quite satisfied with her meal: "There's still a pot of snail meat left. Let's stir-fry half of it for lunch today to go with the rice."
Gao Guojing glanced at his watch and said in surprise, "It's almost noon, time to make lunch. I'll go prepare it."
This morning, he was busy cutting snails, stir-frying them, and eating them. He didn't even have time to check the time. If Yu Rujia hadn't reminded him, he would have forgotten about lunch.
Over at the hand pump well, the kids who had finished licking their basins were praising the snails one after another.
Da Wa licked his lips, savoring the delicious flavor: "These snails are so tasty, and those people still say they're not good. They're really ignorant."
Unfortunately, his mother didn't know how to cook it, and cooking snails required a lot of precious seasonings. Just the oil alone would be enough to make his mother feel bad for a long time. He could never enjoy such a delicacy at home.
Erdan: "That's right. They also said that Duofu's family is broke and can't afford meat, so they eat snails. If I could eat such delicious snails every day, I wouldn't eat meat."
I always thought the meat at home was the best, but at Duofu's house, everything—from wild scallion pancakes and chestnuts to cold noodles—was better than the meat. Today's snails made Erdan realize that the meat he'd eaten before was really just so-so.
In Erdan's mind, meat refers to the chicken and pork he usually eats; snails don't count as meat.
Dog Egg said with a knowing look, "Me too, I could eat snails every day."
Duofu boasted, "Besides my aunt, no one else can make snails. They're not as good as my aunt."
Duolu proudly tilted his chubby little face up, practically pointing his nose at the sky: "Yes, my aunt is the best."
Gou Dan sincerely made another request: "Can't I really be a child of the Yu family? I can call Aunt Yu 'Auntie'."
Duolu was furious, his big eyes blazing with fury: "No way! Auntie can only be ours. You're not going to call her Auntie."
Duo Shou smiled and said, "Brother Gou Dan, you can't say things like that. If Aunt Guihua finds out, you'll get a spanking again."
Thinking of his own mother's anger, Gou Dan gave up on being Yu's child, but still said with some regret, "I wish my mother had Aunt Yu's skills someday."
Hua Zi, with a wicked grin, urged, "When Gou Dan goes back, you can let Aunt Guihua give him a try." After all, Gou Dan was the first to bite when he was licking the bowl, leaving none for them to eat. Aunt Guihua deserves to teach him a lesson.
Dog Egg, oblivious to Hua Zi's ulterior motives, naively said, "I'll ask my mom to make it when I get back, make a lot, and then I'll treat you all to a meal."
At this point, he had forgotten the fact that when he came home, he would ask Huang Guihua to cook for him, and the only thing he could eat was stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots.
Young and naive Duoxi sidled up to Gou Dan and grinned, "Brother Gou Dan, can I come to your house for a meal?"
Dog Egg patted his chest and said with great righteousness, "Once my mom makes it, I'll come and call you so you can eat your fill."
Gao Guojing took a bunch of vegetables to the hand pump well to wash them. The children, who were savoring the delicious snails, finally remembered that they had to go back for dinner. They called out to each other and then went home.
The stir-fried snails at noon also received rave reviews, and a group of kids, including Gao Guojing, went to collect snails again after their afternoon nap.
After dinner, Huang Guihua brought some mountain produce and, along with Gou Dan who was rubbing his bottom, went to the door.
Huang Guihua: "Rujia, Gou Dan said that your snails are especially delicious. This little rascal is making a huge fuss and insists on eating them. Can you tell me how to make them? If it's not too complicated, I'll make some for him."
Normally, if Gou Dan makes a fuss and demands something, she'll beat him up, and he'll quiet down.
No matter how much she beat him today, he wouldn't stop. She couldn't very well beat her son to death, so she had no choice but to swallow her pride and come to his door to ask what was going on.
Yu Rujia didn't mind telling her how to make it, since even if she knew, she wouldn't follow her recipe anyway. Snails made with shortcuts would be bitter and fishy, and inedible.
The era of free trade is long gone, and Huang Guihua couldn't imagine that day would come. It's impossible for her to keep the prescription and use it more than ten years later.
Yu Rujia: "The key to delicious snails lies in the mud and the seasonings..."
A string of seasonings was thrown down, and at least half of the names of the osmanthus flowers were ones I'd never even heard of.
Huang Guihua clicked her tongue: "How could something made with so many ingredients not taste good? You're really generous."
In fact, quite a lot of seasonings were used, but most of them were picked by Yu Rujia on the mountain. One picking could last for several months, and only a small portion was bought with money.
For Yu Rujia, stir-fried snails are much more cost-effective than many other dishes in their family.
After all, it's just a little effort and some necessities like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar; it's not really an expense.
Yu Rujia: "It only happens a few times a year, not every day, so why would I be reluctant to spend the money?"
Huang Guihua thought to herself, "You may not eat snails more than a few times a year, but you eat plenty of other meats too." Considering the Yu family's situation, she ultimately didn't say it aloud.
Dog Egg stood by, looking on expectantly, and said, "Mom, do you know how to make it? I also said I was going to invite Duoxi and the others to eat it."
Huang Guihua choked. If Gou Dan were to eat it, she could just make do with whatever she wanted, but it was a different story when Duo Xi and the others were eating it.
Putting aside the fact that she eats expensive food every day, just considering that Yu Rujia treated her son to snails with so many added ingredients, she couldn't possibly fool her.
Yu Rujia didn't want Duoxi and the others to come back with pouts, so she refused, saying, "Duoxi is just a little kid. He talks a lot every day. He doesn't even know what he's said. Sister Guihua, don't take it seriously. He definitely won't eat it."
Huang Guihua said seriously, "Just because Duoxi doesn't remember doesn't mean we shouldn't take it seriously. You've given Gou Dan so many good things, I have to give back a little."
Since Gou Dan started following Duo Fu and the others, he has changed many of his slovenly habits.
When she encounters Duofu and the other children, she gives them some food, but they are too well-behaved and don't usually reach out to take it.
Since Duoxi finally had the idea to come over for a meal, she had to take it seriously and get things done.
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