Chapter 64 Dealing with Small Fish and Pig's Trotters
The old lady carefully opened the oilcloth packaging, examined it, and nodded happily.
"I only gave you two taels of silver, how come you bought so many things?"
Gu Yuexuan thought to herself, "You're really calculating!" But she said lightly, "The money my grandmother gave me wasn't enough. I supplemented it with the money from selling charcoal."
When the old lady heard this, her memory finally caught her attention: "How was the final settlement made for the charcoal you shipped to the county town for sale?"
"Tu Subo has already negotiated with a restaurant he has long owned. Charcoal delivered there will be divided into two grades based on quality. The inferior charcoal will cost eight cents per ten catties, while the superior charcoal will cost sixteen cents."
The old lady was quickly calculating the invisible abacus in her mind, with a look of satisfaction on her face.
"Calculated this way, it is indeed more profitable than sending it to a brick kiln."
"But the material is not expensive, why don't you buy more?"
Gu Yuexuan rolled her eyes silently in her heart and responded helplessly: "Grandma, even if the price is low, it still requires silver to pay. If you don't have silver, how can you buy more?"
Trying to test her and ask her to make her own subsidies is really wishful thinking!
The old lady felt embarrassed, and there was a hint of displeasure in her smile, but Gu Yuexuan didn't mind.
She quickly arranged the various spices and seasonings she had purchased, and poured the small fish in the wooden basket into the wooden basin.
Just then, Li came in carrying a large bundle of firewood. Gu Yuexuan immediately stepped forward to take the firewood and gently placed it on the ground.
Mrs. Li noticed the small fish in the wooden basin and asked with a puzzled look on her face, "Xuanxuan, these little fish are so small, can they really be eaten?"
They had tasted rare and precious fish of various sizes before, but they had never seen such a small fish before, which made them feel surprised.
Gu Yuexuan's eyebrows curved, a smile on her lips, and she said softly: "Although this little one is inconspicuous, it has its own unique flavor. When the dishes are served later, Aunt San will taste it herself and you will know the difference."
The lively little fish in the wooden basin in front of them attracted everyone's attention, and everyone couldn't help but ask questions.
After their curiosity ended, some people turned their attention to the pig's trotters that were not perfect in appearance.
Yu looked hesitant and asked doubtfully, "I often see others eating pig's trotters, but I've never tried them myself. What do they taste like?"
The ladies and gentlemen present all paid attention to elegance in their daily diet and behavior. They usually avoided foods that did not look good, such as pig's trotters, let alone touching foods with bones.
It seemed that no one among the crowd had ever tasted pig's trotters.
The old lady wanted to take this opportunity to criticize the purchase of useless things, but Gu Yuexuan spoke first: "This pig's trotter can be bought for only half the price. When cooked properly, its taste is no less delicious than pork."
Yu was half-believing and half-doubting, and asked with doubt: "Xuanxuan, you are not kidding me, are you?"
Gu Yuexuan's smile brightened when she heard this. She asked, "Why am I teasing you?"
Then, she took out two small bowls, poured soybeans into them and added clean water to soak them. Then she brought a small stool and sat down, inviting her kindly: "If you have some free time, why not help me sort these little fish?"
Since I got home late today, it will take a lot of time to process these small fish. If I don’t hurry up, I’m afraid dinner will be delayed.
When talking about dinner, Yu seemed quite concerned.
She was the first to sit down with a bold gesture, and then Xi Lanfang and Li Shi also joined in and started preparing dinner together.
In the simple little kitchen, cleaning the fish seemed quite tedious, and no one wanted to touch the rough and hairy pig's trotters.
Gu Yuexuan couldn't help but laugh secretly. She stood up and handed the basin filled with pig's trotters to the elders beside her. At the same time, she saw Tu Subo coming in and said casually, "You've come just in time. Help me split these pig's trotters."
Tu Subo rolled up his sleeves calmly, picked up the kitchen knife, and deftly inserted the blade into the center of the pig's trotters that were burnt black by the charcoal fire. Then he swung it hard, and the knife flashed like water, instantly splitting the pig's trotters in half.
Gu Yuexuan took the pig's trotter from Tu Subo's hand, carefully brushed off the carbon black on the surface, and then handed it to him, asking him to chop the pig's trotters into small pieces one by one, with skillful and smooth techniques.
In another corner, Xi Lanfang was meticulously preparing small fish, but her gaze kept drifting to Tu Subo, watching his every move on the stove. A hint of bitterness flashed in her eyes, and she couldn't help but mutter: Physical labor is a man's job.
But Tu Subo not only took on the heavy work, but also took on all the chores in the kitchen. If this goes on for a long time, I'm afraid...
Perhaps because the expression on her face was too obvious, Li couldn't help but gently remind her, "Sister-in-law, our family's situation is not as good as it used to be. It's only right for Bo'er and his wife to support each other. You must remember how patiently Tu Subo taught Minxu!"
Tu Su Minxu is still unable to comprehend the profound truth, nor can he necessarily fully understand Tu Subo's teachings to him.
However, those few words that came out of Tu Su Minxu's mouth were enough for Xi Lanfang to feel Tu Subo's intentions.
And he himself is willing to do this.
Xi Lanfang struggled internally for several times before finally sighing silently. She lowered her head slowly, her tone filled with helplessness, "Third sister-in-law is absolutely right. As a mother-in-law, it's really not appropriate for me to interfere too much."
"Why would you interfere too much?"
Yu responded sarcastically, "It's already difficult to properly arrange three meals a day. Now is not the time to establish the authority of a mother-in-law or to set family rules. It's time to let go."
"Gu Yuexuan is already smart and capable, and she also remembers to take care of Tu Subo at all times. Having someone else to share your burdens and worries about you, how much effort have you saved?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but feel a trace of regret for not being able to arrange a marriage for Tu Su Min Fei earlier, otherwise her Min Fei would have someone to take care of her.
Several people were silent, each with their own thoughts, and the sound of chopping pig's trotters in the kitchen gradually died down.
Gu Yuexuan soaked the chopped pig's trotters in clean water and washed them repeatedly three times until the blood was completely washed away. Then she blanched them in cold water, took them out and rinsed them clean.
Stir-fry the onion, ginger and garlic slices in the pan until fragrant, then add the newly purchased spices and continue stir-frying. When the bay leaves change color slightly, add the dried Sichuan peppercorns and chopped dried chilies, and boil a pot of fragrant oil.
Amid the crackling sound of oil frying, she poured all the drained pig's trotters into the pot, added two spoons of syrup and appropriate amounts of rice wine and soy sauce, and stir-fried until the color was bright. Then she added the soaked soybeans, added water to the surface, covered the pot, and let the aroma slowly simmer in the pot.
At the same time, the small fish in the wooden basin have been cleaned up properly.
These small fish are still tender, so there is no need to remove the scales. Just squeeze out the internal organs and clean them.
After the small fish are cut open and impurities are completely removed, sprinkle with ginger slices and pour with rice wine to remove the fishy smell.
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