As it turned out, Duolu and the others' worries were not unfounded. Because Gou Dan was making a big fuss, Huang Guihua eventually went to pick some snails to take back and cook for him.
Yu Rujia's list of seasonings was reduced to just oil, salt, ginger, and garlic when Huang Guihua mentioned them. Even with these seasonings, Huang Guihua only used a tiny amount.
The snails hadn't finished accumulating in the mud, so the stir-fried snails were not only bitter and fishy but also full of sand. Gou Dan barely ate a few before refusing to eat any more, and in the end, of course, he got another beating of bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat.
Feeling wronged, Gou Dan complained to Duo Fu and the others that it was the same snails, but why did they become so unpalatable after being stir-fried by his mother?
The little ones were thankful that Duolu had pushed them away quickly that day, otherwise their fate would have been much worse than Gou Dan's.
After all, during the Lunar New Year, Gou Dan enjoyed eating what they thought was terrible. How bad could something be to make Gou Dan, who has such a low tolerance for bad food, complain? The little ones said they really couldn't imagine.
When Duofu returned, he told Rujia about it.
Yu Rujia thought to herself, since Erdan and the others like to eat snails so much, and they can't cook them at home, why not let them go with Gao Guojing to pick snails?
A small portion of what they collected was used to stir-fry for them, while the majority was used to make spicy snail meat sauce by having them pick out the meat.
When you want to eat it, take it out and it will be very flavorful whether you eat it with rice or noodles. It can also be stored for several months. When Gao Guojing returns to Jiangcheng, he can take it back to Xia Taishun and the others.
She had received over a thousand yuan from Xia Taishun and Xia Jingrong this time, so she couldn't possibly let Gao Guojing bring back just a few dozen bars of soap when she went back.
Let alone the fact that she employs child laborers, in an era where people rarely get to eat meat, if word got out about her methods, not only children but even adults would be compelled to get involved.
With that in mind, Yu Rujia brought it up.
Yu Rujia: "Duofu, if Erdan and the others like to eat snails, you can tell them to go with Uncle Guojing to pick snails and extract the snail meat every day for the next ten days, and exchange their labor for the snails that our family has prepared."
Gao Guojing: "Sister Rujia, we have enough snails to eat, so we don't need to call Erdan and the others to come and collect more. If it's not enough, we can collect more every day."
They've been collecting snails in fixed quantities these past two days, eating what they collect the day before.
Gao Shujing had some guesses in his mind: "Does Rujia want to make sauce and store it for later consumption?"
Yu Rujia: "Yes, snail sauce can be stored for several months. I plan to have Guojing take some back with him when he returns to Jiangcheng. In addition, you can catch more field frogs and pick mushrooms to make sauce and take them with you."
It's almost mid-August now. Gao Guojing will start high school in the second half of the year, and school will begin in early September. He has to go back by the end of August.
Upon hearing that the snails they were collecting were to be made into a sauce and brought back to Jiangcheng, Gao Guojing immediately realized that they wouldn't have enough snails. He could eat such delicious food for a year without getting tired of it. He also needed to find an opportunity to catch more field frogs.
Gao Guojing: "Duofu, call Erdan and the others over tomorrow and have them help pick snails and sort the snail meat. I guarantee they'll have snails to eat every day."
Aside from offering some pointers during the first two times when Yu Rujia stir-fried the snails, he directly handed the task over to Gao Guojing afterward, and the taste was just as good. Therefore, his guarantee was valid.
Erdan and the others received the message and indeed came over. After deciding on a method to exchange snails, they followed Gao Guojing around every day to collect snails. Once the snails had expelled all the mud, they picked up the snails together.
Eating and collecting snails every day, I'm busy and happy.
Some clever children, upon hearing the news, also brought snails to exchange for the stir-fried snails, and after successfully obtaining them, they exchanged even more frequently.
Some children took the cooked snails home for their families to eat. After confirming that the snails were really delicious, some people had the idea of letting their children take the snails they had collected home to cook and add to their family's dishes.
Unfortunately, the snails they prepared were still unpalatable, so they had no choice but to give up on this new ingredient.
After eating snails for several days in a row, Erdan managed to control his cravings and brought home the snails he was allotted for today. The whole family gathered around a bowl of snails to eat.
Erdan: "Mom, you ate these snails too, can you cook them?"
A few days ago, Erdan and the others, who were friends with Duofu, ate snails with the Yu family. By the time they realized it, the snails were all gone, so they didn't take them home.
Today, he specifically asked Gao Guojing to take his portion of snails home so that his mother could taste them and learn how to cook them.
Otherwise, if Gao Guojing stops making snails, they won't have anything to eat.
Conquered by the deliciousness, Zhou Yanhong slurped up the stir-fried snails that Erdan had brought back, saying, "Using so many ingredients to stir-fry snails, and only getting so little meat from one snail, is such a waste."
Erdan: "Doing it a few times a year is enough, there's no need to do it often."
Zhou Yanhong raised an eyebrow: "You've eaten so much at Duofu's house these past few days, isn't that enough?"
He worked for others for several days, while he ate and drank well every day, and only brought back snails today. I'm glad I didn't punish him, but he still dares to make demands. He's getting bolder and bolder.
Erdan, oblivious to his mother's resentment, continued to speak the truth without a care in the world: "You can never have enough of these delicious snails. The main problem is that so many people are picking snails to exchange for them these past few days, making them harder and harder to find later on."
"Uncle Guojing was very dissatisfied with the snails we picked today. He said they were too small and he would stop collecting them in a couple of days, then there would be no more snails to eat."
Captain Huang, with a snail in his mouth, spoke without it hindering his speech: "Snails don't keep for long, why would he collect so many?"
Erdan: "Uncle Guojing made snail sauce and took it to Jiangcheng. That sauce can be stored for a long time. We tried it, and it tastes so good. It's so fragrant that it almost ate our tongues. I wish Mom knew how to make it."
Zhou Yanhong said without blinking, "I don't have that skill, but you can learn. Both Cadre Gao and Educated Youth Gao are very good cooks, which shows that cooking is not a matter of gender. You should learn well, and Mom will be waiting to enjoy your blessings."
She often visited the Yu family and knew that the meals there were prepared by Gao Shujing and Gao Guojing.
In addition, Erdan often praises the food at Yu's house, especially these past few days, he has praised it even more often.
Erdan praised her, but he never thought of bringing some back for them to try. He even wanted her to cook something delicious for him. Dream on.
Erdan was tempted by his mother's words. If she could cook delicious food, wouldn't he be able to eat whatever he wanted?
Erdan: "Mom, Uncle Gao and Uncle Guojing's cooking is so delicious because Aunt Yu taught them how to cook."
“You can teach my dad to cook, and I can learn from him. Maybe one day I can cook as well as the two Uncles Gao. You’ll be so lucky then, you can wait for delicious food every day like Aunt Yu.”
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