Chapter 18: Pickled Cabbage and Fish Stew
Lin Yushu naturally refused, but he couldn't persuade Lin Shu. In the end, he could only carry the big grass carp helplessly and leave in a daze in Lin Shu's sweet smile.
"Dad, we're back. Look at the fish Xiao Pu and I caught!" Lin Shu's soft and rising voice revealed a hint of pride, which made people raise the corners of their lips unconsciously when they heard it.
Lin Yushu didn't dare to listen to the laughter inside anymore, and walked quickly towards home with the big grass carp in his hand.
At this time, Lin Dashan and He Guixiang in the yard were stunned.
Caught so many fish?!
There were more fish than water in the bucket, and there was a pungent smell of water pepper that had not been washed away on the bucket wall. By the time we were delayed on the way back, three of the fish had already turned upside down.
After saying hello, Lin Shu quickly took another bucket, replaced the water with clean water, and poured all the fish that were still alive and kicking into it. The three fish with their stomachs turned upside down, one large and two small, were just the right dish to add to breakfast.
"Mother, hurry up and stew the fish! These fish are already dead. Let's put them in the pot and stew them right away. Eat the bread with the stewed fish and we'll all have a full meal!"
He Guixiang came back to her senses, sighed with joy, and swiftly picked up the fish that were still breathing in and out, and took them outside to process the scales and internal organs.
"Mother, add some pickled cabbage to the stew. I love it!"
"Oh! I'll do whatever you say." He Guixiang responded from a distance.
Lin Dashan couldn't help but ask Lin Shu how she did it.
Lin Shu's eyes danced as she said, "This is Xiao Pu and I's exclusive secret recipe. Even Dad can't tell us. Anyway, if Dad wants to eat fish in the future, Xiao Pu and I will take care of it."
Before returning, Lin Shu had told Lin Xiaopu that no one should tell this method. Although fishing with Polygonum hydropiper is green and pollution-free, it is essentially using the juice of Polygonum hydropiper to anesthetize the fish. If more people know about it and everyone does it, it will definitely affect the ecological environment in the water.
Therefore, this cheap method of fishing with hot pepper grass can only be used by her and Xiao Pu from time to time.
Lin Dashan didn't ask any further questions, but just chuckled twice, "My daughter is really capable."
Lin Xiaopu also laughed. Yes, my sister is very capable!
"Then Daddy has to keep his word and allow me to dig a fish pond behind our house. When the pond is finished, Xiao Pu and I will put the fish we catch in the pond. Daddy can always catch the freshest fish whenever he wants to eat them!"
Lin Dashan smiled innocently and said, "Dig, dig, dig, my daughter can do whatever she wants!"
Lin Shu blinked her eyes and said playfully, "Father is tired enough working in the fields every day. How could I bear to tire you out? I'll ask Father to lend Brother A'ye for a few days. Just three days. I won't let him delay his work in the fields."
After hearing this, Lin Dashan felt very relieved and agreed readily. It happened that the field had just been tilled and some weeds had grown out, which he could get rid of by himself. Before the family split up, he did much more work than he did now.
He Guixiang made a simple version of sauerkraut stewed fish and served it together with the previously prepared noodles and thick porridge.
For breakfast, the family usually has thick porridge, pickled cabbage and flatbread, or dry rice and two side dishes. The men in the family will have the strength to work only after they are full. Dinner is a little simpler. Usually, there is no dry rice, but thick porridge with pickled cabbage. Sometimes, if flatbread is baked, it will be flatbread with thin porridge.
He Guixiang felt a little regretful that she didn't make dry rice for breakfast, otherwise she could eat the dry rice with the pickled fish and drink up all the soup.
Lin Dashan didn't think it was a big deal. Even after drinking the thick porridge, he could still drink two bowls of fish soup, and finally his belly was full of food.
After eating, he couldn't sit still, so he carried a hoe and went to the field. He patted his belly from time to time, looking very satisfied.
After Lin Dashan left, Lin Shu said to He Guixiang with an expression as if she had suddenly remembered something, "Look at my memory. I forgot to tell my parents that Xiao Pu and I couldn't lift this bucket of fish. Luckily, I met my cousin Yushu on the way, and he helped me carry it back. When I left, I thanked him and asked him to take one of the fish with him."
Lin Xiaopu glanced at her furtively. Ajie's words were unclear, and those who didn't know might have thought that cousin Yushu had seen it and offered to help.
He Guixiang was silent for a while before nodding, "Ashu did a great job. Yushu helped, so I have to thank you."
"Mother, what's the relationship between our family and Third Uncle's family? If I ask my cousin to help, will it make things difficult for Father?"
He Guixiang laughed. "No, your father and your third uncle have let go of what happened long ago. It's just that the two brothers are both stubborn and neither of them is willing to give in first. Your third aunt is very good at dealing with people. Just wait and see. She will come to thank you in person for the fish soon."
"What kind of person is Third Aunt? She bullied Mother before the family split up. If she had bullied Mother, I wouldn't have treated her well."
He Guixiang quickly said, "That's not true. Don't give your Third Aunt a hard time."
Before the separation, the family had lived together for many years, and there were bound to be some bumps and bruises. She was gentle in nature, and suffered a lot from her sisters-in-law, but in the final analysis, they were all trivial matters.
The eldest sister-in-law is cunning and likes to take advantage of others. She also speaks harshly. When there is an opportunity to take advantage of the third sister-in-law, she will not miss it. But she knows how to handle things. If someone takes advantage of her, she will return the favor in other ways. For example, if the eldest sister-in-law says something unpleasant, she will help to return the favor. If the eldest sister-in-law goes too far, she will directly report it to the old woman.
He Guixiang appreciated her kindness, so if her third sister-in-law didn't like to do something, she would help out even if it was a little bit hard and tiring. Sometimes, her third sister-in-law felt embarrassed and would make some little toys for A Yao and Xiao Pu to coax them. She was good at needlework, and A Yao learned from her in the beginning.
Thinking of the past, He Guixiang sighed, "After the unpleasantness over the division of the family property, your Third Aunt ignored me for a long time. Your Third Uncle is as simple-minded as your father. Back then, he had a sullen face and asked our family for an extra acre of land. It must have been your Third Aunt who arranged it behind our backs. But I don't blame her. Your Third Aunt has always been holding a grudge. She wanted to save more money to send your cousin Yushu to school in town. But education costs money, and since she couldn't save enough, she could only plan to buy land."
Lin Shu also knew that studying cost money, but she had never had a clear idea of it. She asked curiously, "Why do we have to go to town? There's no school in the surrounding villages?"
"Yes, of course not. Our Tianshui Village is under the jurisdiction of Jingxi Town, which has twelve villages under it. Of all the villages, only Daoxiang Village has a private school. That school is run by an old student who specializes in teaching children to learn. It has been running for many years. The son and grandson of the village head all go there for their enlightenment. Your cousin Yushu also went to the old student's school for half a year when he was a child. He had some talent for studying, but your aunt made a big fuss."
After hearing what she said and thinking about it, Lin Shu found it easy to understand.
The southwest region lacked a strong literary tradition, and couldn't compare to the counties and towns that prioritized imperial examinations. Furthermore, Jingxi Town, to which Tianshui Village belonged, was exceptionally mountainous and impoverished. People were content to have enough to eat, leaving little money for study or imperial examinations. Jingxi Town itself was likely short of talented scholars. In other regions, a mere student wouldn't have the credentials to open a private school, but this old student from Daoxiang Village was the only hope for the entire area.
Thinking of her aunt's family having three sons, Lin Shu asked, "Don't your aunt's sons go to school?"
He Guixiang explained, "When she gave birth to her two sons, the family wasn't well off, barely having enough to eat, so she didn't send them to school. Later, your grandmother used the money she had saved over the years to buy a few acres of land, and the family finally became a little better off. Lin Duoliang, your aunt's third son, did go to school with Yushu, but he couldn't sit still and wasn't cut out for studying. Because her own children weren't very promising, she prevented your cousin Yushu from going as well."
"It just so happened that Xiao Pu was not in good health at that time. He fell ill every few days. It cost a lot of money to see a doctor and get medicine. Your grandmother asked Yu Shu to come back, saying that she would send him when the family had more money. But after that, he never went back. Now Yu Shu is old, and the old student said that he would not accept students over ten years old. In fact, your eldest aunt had caused a scene in the school, which made the old student angry and he was unwilling to accept your cousin Yu Shu anymore. If he wanted to continue studying, he had to go to the school in town, and the expenses would be much higher. Because of this, your third aunt has been angry with me for many years."
When A Yao was around, she kept comforting her, saying that even if Xiao Pu was in good health, her grandmother would still call Yu Shu back because of her personality. However, He Guixiang still couldn't let it go, and she felt guilty towards her third brother's wife.
Lin Shu listened thoughtfully, but soon she smiled, "Mother, I thought it was a big deal, but it's just this? Cousin Yushu wants to continue his enlightenment, so why not come to me? I came from a marquis's mansion in the capital. Not only can I teach, I'm also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."
Lin Shu's words were absolutely true. Before the apocalypse, she had just been admitted to a key university. In the five years since then, she'd read a fair amount of miscellaneous books, and her knowledge was quite good. With the original owner's memories, it was only a matter of time before she'd digested those things and made them her own.
He Guixiang was stunned when she heard this.
Country women are illiterate and she didn't understand what was going on for a while. Only after her daughter reminded her did she remember that although Ah Shu was a maid, how could she, the daughter of a marquis, be the same as an ordinary maid?
She didn't expect that her Ah Shu was so amazing. She was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and now she can even be Yu Shu's female teacher!
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