Two days ago, Wang Chunhua went out to play with the girls in the village and invited Lin Xiaoxiao, but Lin Xiaoxiao didn't go.
It's too cold outside. No matter how many layers you wear, you still can't stand it if you stay outside for too long. So she simply decided not to join in the fun. Besides, she has plenty of fish and meat in her space.
If you want to eat it, just take it from the refrigerator.
But I didn't expect Captain Wang and his team to be so polite, bringing me such a big fish. "You brought me such a big one, what do you eat at home?"
“I have three more of these at home, that’s enough to last until the New Year.” Wang Chunhua had originally intended to chat with Lin Xiaoxiao, but seeing Han Qiushi return, she put down her things and left.
Looking at the huge fish, Lin Xiaoxiao thought she should add one more thing to the New Year's gift.
When Han Qiushi saw such a big fish, he thought of the boiled fish that Lin Xiaoxiao cooked last time, and it made his mouth water.
Lin Xiaoxiao was actually craving food too. She had been eating alone for a while, choosing simple ingredients from her space and rarely spending a lot of time preparing meals. Now that there was another person in the house, she was happy to put more effort into cooking.
Lin Xiaoxiao assigned the task of cleaning the fish to Han Qiushi, saying, "This fish is so big, I'll cook it in three ways for you to try."
Han Qiushi didn't understand what "one fish, three ways" meant, but anything that passed through Lin Xiaoxiao's hands was bound to taste good. He took the fish to the kitchen, put on Lin Xiaoxiao's apron, and began to process the fish.
Lin Xiaoxiao was preparing the seasonings and side dishes.
Seeing that Han Qiushi had finished preparing the fish, she began to cut it. She first cut out the fish meat from both sides, sliced it, and put it in a clean bowl. Then she started to chop the fish bones into small pieces. As for the remaining fish head, she planned to make a fish head tofu soup.
After dividing the fish meat, she first marinated the fish pieces and fillets with scallions, ginger, garlic, salt, starch, and other seasonings.
This time, I plan to make a dish of pickled cabbage fish. I'll take out the pickled cabbage, chop it, and put it in a bowl.
Start by heating oil in a wok. Once the oil is hot, put some fish meat and fish head into the wok and fry until golden brown on both sides. Stir-fry a few times, then add boiling water to cook. In another wok, the oil is already hot. Put the marinated fish pieces into the wok and fry until golden brown.
Heat the oil in a pan, leaving enough for stir-frying vegetables. Sauté scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers until fragrant. Add the fried fish pieces and stir-fry. Add cooking wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame seeds, and other seasonings, stir-fry, and then remove from heat.
After washing the pot, add more oil. When the oil is hot, add chili peppers, scallions, ginger, and garlic. Add the pickled cabbage and stir-fry until fragrant. Then, add the milky white fish soup that is boiling on the side. Once it boils, remove the pickled cabbage. Then, add the marinated fish fillets to the pot. After the fish fillets are cooked, place them on top of the pickled cabbage.
Finally, add dried chili peppers and star anise, then pour hot oil over them, and the pickled fish is done.
Meanwhile, the fish head in the pot is also cooked. Add the chopped tofu and simmer for a few minutes. Season and then plate.
One fish, three ways—that's enough trouble.
The main dish was cornbread that had just been placed in the fish head pot. Han Qiushi glanced at the fish and meat on the table several times, but after picking up his chopsticks, he quickly turned into a rice-eating man.
After the two finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen, Lin Xiaoxiao took a basin of fish to Captain Wang's house, while Han Qiushi took a lunchbox to chat with Jiang Li.
I had a very relaxing and enjoyable two days.
That morning, I heard Lin Xiaoxiao's name being called on the radio; there was a letter from her.
Lin Xiaoxiao thought it was a letter from her teacher or the Han family after they received the items, but unexpectedly, it was only a letter from the Han family.
Upon opening the envelope, they found words of gratitude and concern from Lin Xiaoxiao, saying that her family loved the things she sent and that they had tasted food from afar.
After saying all that, Baihehua started talking about Lin Xiaoxiao's teacher, Su Li.
Bai Hehua was sensitive to the name Su Li because Han Qiushi had mentioned that Su Li was Lin Xiaoxiao's teacher and relative. When Bai Hehua went to the hospital to visit a friend, she heard the name Su Li.
She paid closer attention and discovered that Su Li, who had broken her leg, was also a teacher, and only had her husband to take care of her; her situation didn't seem very good.
Bai Hehua mentioned it briefly, since there are many people named Su Li, and it might be a coincidence, but after thinking it over, she still felt she should say it.
So that Lin Xiaoxiao wouldn't be unaware of the situation while she's far away.
After reading the letter, Lin Xiaoxiao asked the postman if this was the only letter she had received.
After asking, Lin Xiaoxiao realized that her teacher hadn't replied. She remembered that her teacher had children around her age. Logically, if the teacher wasn't feeling well, they should have their own salaries and money, so they shouldn't be in a bad situation. Something must have happened.
"I'm going to go to town to make a phone call." There were no phones in the village. In those days, getting a phone was very expensive, and even if you did, making and receiving calls was still very expensive. Not only did you have to pay to make calls, but you also had to pay to receive calls.
Many people are incredibly efficient when making and receiving phone calls, usually hanging up within 57 or 58 seconds, afraid of having to pay an extra minute if they exceed the limit by even a few seconds.
Han Qiushi also read the letter and knew that Lin Xiaoxiao was worried about her teacher's health, so he went to town with her to make a phone call.
Lin Xiaoxiao called Su Li's workplace. The phone was in the duty office, and the call was answered shortly after it went through.
"Hello, I am a student of Ms. Su Li. I would like to ask you how Ms. Su Li is doing lately? Is it convenient for her to answer the phone?"
The person on the other end of the phone was Su Li's colleague, who replied, "Oh dear, she might not be able to come over right now. Su Li broke her leg before her exam and can't come here to answer the phone."
"She fell. Is her condition serious? Is she in the hospital or at home?"
After some communication, Lin Xiaoxiao roughly understood that Su Li was still in the hospital. She had not only broken her leg in the fall, but also had a problem with her coccyx, and would have to stay in the hospital for several days.
These days, her husband has been taking care of her, and her children rarely appear. Even when they do, they're always arguing, so the situation isn't good.
Lin Xiaoxiao wanted to ask the teacher why the family had become like this. Although Su Li's children were not very noticeable before, they did not have any conflicts with the teacher. Why do they quarrel so often now?
But then I thought, the person who answered the phone was a colleague after all, and there were many things I couldn't discuss with her.
After asking about the general situation, Lin Xiaoxiao hung up the phone.
After thinking for a moment, he turned to Han Qiushi and said, "I want to go to the capital to see my teacher."
Seeing Lin Xiaoxiao's worried expression, and knowing that Su Li was like family to Lin Xiaoxiao, Han Qiushi naturally wouldn't object. On the contrary, he was very happy that Lin Xiaoxiao could go to the capital.
In this way, can I take Lin Xiaoxiao home for the New Year?
Han Qiushi: "Okay, I'll go arrange the train tickets right away, and I'll pack my things when I get back."
After Han Qiushi finished his business, the two returned to Wangjia Village to find Captain Wang to get a letter of introduction.
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