Chapter 143 Fried Dried Fish
Manbao looked at the oil in the can and knew it was not enough without Koko scanning it. She pursed her lips, put down the can and walked out sadly.
Xiao Qian understood it at a glance. She looked down at the oil in the jar and thought there was quite a lot.
If this is not enough, how much oil will be needed? She didn't dare to mention it again, for fear that the child would pester her for fried fish.
Manbao squatted in front of the wooden barrel containing small fish, watching the small fish swimming back and forth. She rolled her eyes, took a basin and scooped the fish out.
Datou came up to them and asked, "Auntie, why are you fishing them out?"
Manbao said, "I'm going to find Shanbao."
Datou opened his mouth wide, quickly grabbed the wooden basin, and said to protect his food: "Auntie, the young master also has fish, so we don't need to send it to him."
"Don't give it all away. Give half of it and fry the other half." Manbao knew that asking someone for help would require payment, so he decided to take a little more, and then discussed with Bai Shanbao to give him half and fry the other half.
Manbao and Datou described how delicious the fried fish was. Datou's mouth was watering, and he asked, "Do they have that much oil at home?"
"Of course there are," Manbao said, "There are so many delicious and fun things in their kitchen."
As a frequent visitor to the Bai family, Manbao had been to their kitchen and was even familiar with it.
Datou didn't stop them this time, but helped to fish the fish over. Then he called Daya to come and help, and the two of them carried the fish to Bai's house together.
Zhou Xi and Xiao Qian were busy in the kitchen, while Feng and He went to the vegetable garden. Old Zhou had just taken the men out with him, so there was no adult in the yard.
Manbao took Datou and Daya and carried a basin of fish to the Bai family.
Manbao would come to the Bai family almost every one or two days. The servants of the Bai family were very familiar with her. As soon as they saw her, they would open the door and let her in, while also asking someone to notify the young master.
Bai Shanbao ran out and saw them carrying the wooden basin. He said happily, "I have fish too. I don't need you to bring me fish."
Manbao said: "It's not for free. I want to eat fried fish, but my family doesn't have enough oil. I want to exchange half a basin of fish for fried fish."
Bai Shanbao tilted his head in confusion, "What are fried fish like?"
"Just fry it in oil. You don't know how to cook, so just tell the cook and you'll understand." Manbao emphasized how delicious the fried fish was.
Of course, she had never eaten it, but that didn't stop her from imagining it based on Koko's description.
Bai Shanbao couldn't help swallowing his saliva and took them to the kitchen. "I want to eat the fried fish too."
Manbao said it was no problem.
The Bai family's cook was also preparing dinner. Daji had just delivered the fish, and they were thinking about boiling one fish and then frying another, but then the young master came.
Manbao doesn't know how to cook, but she has been following her eldest sister-in-law since she was a child. When she was even younger, Xiao Qianshi carried her on her back to cook. Naturally, she is very familiar with cooking and can give instructions in a very professional manner.
The cook always responded to the young master's requests. Although she felt that frying the fish would waste a lot of oil, she still cooked another pot.
The fire was a little big at the beginning, but the cook was a skilled culinary artist and she quickly figured out the size of the fire. She processed the small fish according to Manbao's method, marinated it, coated it with some flour, and then fried it in a pan.
The oil sizzled and a fragrant aroma soon filled the air. The four children came closer to take a look in surprise. The cook quickly asked them to step back, fearing that the oil would splash on them.
The cook thought it was ready so she took it out to drain the oil. After tasting it and thinking it was good enough, she put it into the second pot.
Manbao no longer looked at the oil pan, but squatted in front of the plate to look at the fried dried fish. He couldn't help swallowing his saliva, and Bai Shanbao couldn't help swallowing either.
The cook looked at him amused and said, "Master and the ladies, eat whatever you want. I'm still frying it."
Bai Shanbao reached out and grabbed one, followed closely by Manbao. Datou and Daya were a little reserved and didn't dare to reach out.
Manbao took a bite and found it crispy and delicious. She pinched another piece and stuffed it into Daya's mouth, and stuffed another piece into Datou's mouth, and then she and Bai Shanbao happily started eating together.
The cook prepared one pot after another, and the four children started eating almost before they had even cooled down. By the time Mrs. Liu heard the news and rushed over, the four children had already eaten a lot.
Liu quickly pulled them up and said, "Don't eat too much at once. Save it for later."
Bai Shanbao stuffed one into his grandmother's mouth and said happily, "Grandma, it's delicious."
"Delicious food must be eaten in moderation," Liu taught them. "Eating too much of anything is not good. Even if you love it, you must exercise restraint."
Liu has tried it and thinks that the fried fish has a unique flavor and is very suitable as a snack for children, but you can't eat too much at one time.
Finally, Mrs. Liu took charge and asked the cook to fry some more. She then filled a bowl for Manbao and took it back. She reached out and touched her little head and said, "You can't eat any more tonight. If you do, eat less in the future, otherwise your stomach will hurt, understand?"
Manbao happily agreed and carried the basin back with Datou and Daya.
When Mrs. Qian saw the pot of steaming fried fish brought back by the three children, she was silent for a moment, then said to Little Mrs. Qian, "Can the yams in the field be harvested?"
Xiao Qian said, "I dug some today. It's quite big now. I think it's edible."
Qian said, "Dig a few tomorrow and have Manbao take them to the Bai family."
Xiao Qian responded.
Qian looked at Manbao, who was distributing fried fish to everyone, and called her over. She touched her red face and said, "Don't be so rude next time. How can you just bring fish to my house?"
Manbao responded sheepishly, his eyes sparkling as he said, "Mom, fried dried fish are delicious. You should try some too."
Qian smiled and shook her head, "Mother can't stand the smell of this fishy smell, so I won't eat it. You guys can eat it."
Manbao felt a little regretful, "Mother can't eat such delicious food. Mother, I want to send some dried fish to my husband and my friends."
Qian smiled and said, "If you want to give it to me, then give it to me."
Manbao happily went to find a box to put it in.
There were no good boxes at home, but there were bamboo boxes. Zhou Erlang made this box for Manbao to put things in. Manbao found two smaller ones and put the small fish in them. She planned to take one box to Mr. Zhuang tomorrow and give the other box to Zhou Silang to take to Miss Fu Er.
Last time, Miss Fu gave Manbao a beautiful letter with flowers painted on it, but Manbao hasn't found a suitable gift in return.
Of course, Manbao not only sent Xiaoyuzai, she also wrote a letter to Miss Fu Er, telling her about the fun things that happened today. This was the most fun thing she had ever had since she grew up. She thought fishing was really fun, just as fun as the Chinese New Year.
It would be great if they could go fishing every day. Now Manbao is hoping that the upstream dam will break again so that they can go fishing every day and play by the river every day.
I wish all mothers in the world a happy Mother's Day!
(End of this chapter)
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