Chapter 9 Fish and Crab
Gong Zhili moved the refrigerator to the correct location and left it there according to the instructions, then went to deal with the things the villagers had brought.
When the villagers saw the refrigerator landed next to the kitchen door, they actively put everything they had on hand outside the door, filling up the narrow platform under the eaves outside the door. They bowed to the refrigerator, took their inexplicably excited children away, and discussed something enthusiastically with each other.
Gong Zhili shook her head helplessly, knowing that the mountain village was closed, and that seeing today's scene would definitely be something they would savor for a long time. However, they would understand once they left the village. Even if they saw it, it would be impossible to convey it. People who left would naturally forget the disharmony in the village - this was one of the powers she gained from the land, and she knew how to use this power the moment Suzuki drove out of the village.
After hearing the crowd outside disperse, Nanako and Mimiko came out to greet her.
Gong Zhili pointed to the items lined up outside the door and said, "I'll go collect the buckets. You guys move the things in slowly."
She went to the lake, picked up a bucket, a fishing rod and a stool. In one afternoon, the bucket was filled with two lively grass carps and three stream crabs tied with grass stems.
The two little girls seemed to enjoy checking what was placed outside the door and moving them into the house. Gong Zhili simply let them do it all by themselves. After putting the buckets away, she went to the open space in the south to take the bamboo baskets home. The reed stalks and mushrooms still needed to be dried for a few days, and then she would collect the clothes - starting tomorrow, these clothes would no longer be hung on wooden racks, but on hangers.
Nanako and Mimiko were still moving things like industrious little bees. Miya Chiri came to the kitchen and found that they had consciously classified all kinds of seasonings, ginger, onions and other things and placed them on the kitchen stools. Miya Chiri rolled up her sleeves and put the things in order. Some of the sauces had to be put in the refrigerator later.
Gong Zhili steamed the rice, washed the wild onions, took out a few long red peppers and cut them, sliced the ginger, and crushed and minced the wild garlic.
The sunset outside the house gradually deepened in color, shining into the kitchen sink and breaking into shimmering waves. Gong Zhili rubbed the kitchen knife twice on the newly bought whetstone, and quickly picked up a grass carp from the bucket, knocked it unconscious, scraped off the scales, and cut the fish in half along the spine - the half with the fish head was cooked with chopped pepper flavor, and the fat fish body was cut into large pieces and steamed.
The newly bought stainless steel steamer was steaming on the stove. In the left side of the pot lay fish pieces coated with a thin layer of salt, sprinkled with ginger slices and scallions on the surface. The right side of the fish head was covered with chopped pepper sauce, and the bright red sauce was flowing down the fish gills.
Gong Zhili wasn't sure if the order was correct, but the fish was fresh and the ingredients were clean, so it wouldn't be too bad.
There was still a grass carp that could not be eaten today. She was too lazy to spend time dealing with it, so she took the hemp rope she had cleared out of the warehouse and went to the shore.
There were a ton of hemp ropes in the warehouse, of all different thicknesses, lengths, and types, but they had gathered quite a bit of dust from the sheer pile. She rinsed the ropes in the water. The setting sun cast its last rays across the reed marsh, and the golden stalks swayed gently in the wind. Gong Zhili squatted on the bank, gathering the longest reeds she could find. She first crossed two stout reeds in a cross, wrapping the rope around the intersection several times and tying a firm knot. Then, she added two more reeds, crossing them diagonally to form a circular frame.
Thin reeds radiated from the center like the ribs of an open umbrella. She took thin canes and began to weave them horizontally, tying a knot with each turn. The canes and reeds intertwined to form a grid, the meshes uniform in size, just wide enough for water to flow through but preventing grass carp from escaping. Her movements were rhythmic and practiced, and the reed net took shape.
She left an opening at the top of the net and wove a ring of thin rattan. She threaded a thin hemp rope through the ring and tied a knot at the end for easy pulling. Finally, she tied a few small stones to the bottom of the net to ensure it would sink into the water.
Nanako and Mimiko followed her when she reached the shore, squatting beside her and watching the whole process.
As she closed the simple fishing net, they began to applaud enthusiastically.
Gong Zhili threw the grass carp into the fishing net, tied the hemp rope to a small tree on the shore, stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Have you finished moving the things?"
Nanako and Mimiko said in unison, "We're done moving!"
Gong Zhili said, "Do you want to play crab?"
Nanako: "Will it pinch people?"
Gong Zhili: "If you don't catch it the right way, it will definitely get pinched, and it will be quite painful."
Mimiko asked with concern: "Has Lord Gong ever had his hand pinched by it?"
Gong Zhili picked up a swimming crab from the bucket and said, "I won't cry out in pain even if I get pinched."
Mimiko: "Then I won't cry out in pain!"
Nanako whispered: "I don't want to be pinched..."
Gong Zhili picked up a pair of scissors and cut off the spines on the crab's legs. Then he asked them, "Would you like to try brushing the shell?"
After getting a positive answer, the three of them crowded in front of the pool. Gong Zhili taught, and the two children learned seriously. The blue-gray shell of the stream crab gradually revealed its original luster. The two children put the cleaned stream crab into the pool. Gong Zhili opened the crab shell, and the crab roe inside flowed like gold. Mimiko couldn't help but exclaimed "Wow".
Gong Zhili also had a smile on her face. She asked, "Do you want to steam it or stir-fry it? Stir-frying it will be a bit spicy."
Nanako said, "I want to eat it directly."
Mimiko: "Me too, I want to eat this directly." She pointed at the crab roe.
Gong Zhili removed the crab gills and crab stomachs, steamed two stream crabs, and cut another one in half to reveal the snow-white crab meat. Then he poured ginger slices and wild garlic into the hot pan with cold oil, and sprinkled dried chilies. When the aroma filled the air, the two children had already run away because they couldn't stand the pungent smell. Gong Zhili poured the last stream crab into the pot. The crab shell made a "crackling" sound when it came into contact with the hot oil, and the blue-gray shell quickly turned into a bright red. When the cooking wine was poured in, the fishy smell was dispersed, and the addition of light soy sauce made the soup thicker. For fear that the crab roe would be stir-fried, Gong Zhili carefully scooped up the soup with a spatula and poured it on the crab. The crab roe and seasoning blended together, giving off an enticing aroma.
......A single stream crab is still too cheap to fry, Gong Zhili had no choice but to catch more next time.
She carefully placed the stream crab on a plate, sprinkled it with chopped green onions, and then took out the fish and steamed crab.
Two children came over to serve the dishes, both wearing newly bought heat-insulating gloves - Suzuki was in the process of purchasing, and for some reason, the two children also bought a lot of small items.
The dinner was really satisfying, but the grass carp tasted noticeably lighter after the crabs, which I will try to improve next time.
Nanako also tried the spicy fried crab. Although she gasped because of the spiciness, she obviously liked the taste.
Mimiko also tried it, but she didn't like it as much as her sisters.
After dinner, Gong Zhili didn't send them to bed like he did yesterday. Instead, he said, "The village chief sent me a message saying we can go pick out chickens and ducks. Will you go with me in a few days?"
Although the grass seeds have not been sown on the large open space next to the barn, there is a fence there, so it is okay to let the ducks roam freely outside. The chicken coop and duck house will be built in the next few days. The other side of the open space is very close to the lake, so the ducks can be raised semi-free-range.
Originally, they wanted to start by raising chickens and ducklings, but the village chief tactfully expressed that she lacked the equipment here, so Gong Zhili smoothly changed her plan: let's just bring back the grown-up chickens and ducks.
Nanako was very happy at first when she heard that she was going to pick chickens and ducks, but after hearing the second half of Lord Gong's words, she lowered her head and started fiddling with her fingers.
Mimiko's reaction was similar to hers.
Seeing this, Gong Zhili asked, "Don't you want to see other people in the village?"
The two children could not answer and did not know what to say to defend themselves.
Gong Zhili hummed, "Hmm..." and said, "Then what should I do when I need someone to run errands or pass on messages in the future?"
The two children seemed frozen in place, only their fingers were almost knotted.
Gong Zhili smiled and said, "If you don't want to see me, then don't meet me for now. Wait until your chickens and ducks lay eggs before you start running errands for me."
When she said this, the two children nodded vigorously as if they had been pardoned. Mimiko whispered, "We must raise chickens and ducks well."
Nanako nodded along, never realizing that the better the chickens and ducks were raised, the sooner they would have to go out and run errands.
Gong Zhili smiled and urged them to take a shower: "After taking a shower today, I will teach you how to use the washing machine."
She also discovered that these two children could not only see cursed spirits, but also learn things very quickly. When they reached the age, they would have to be sent to school.
When the two children heard that they were going to learn how to use the washing machine, they were also excited. After taking a bath, they stood in front of the washing machine and watched Gong Zhili's teaching almost devoutly.
If you have children at home, a low stool is really an indispensable piece of furniture.
They stand on low stools to use the washing machine, and stand on low stools to brush their teeth and wash their faces.
Gong Zhili plugged in the refrigerator, then went to sort out the daily necessities she had received today, classifying them and putting them in boxes.
She looked at the night sky from the balcony. The stars were twinkling in the sky and it looked like tomorrow would be a good day.
The night breeze by the mountain lake smells cool and moist, carrying the faint fishy smell of the lake water, the woody fragrance of the bamboo forest, and the freshness of the grass leaves, occasionally mixed with the moisture of the soil on the shore, like a cup of cold air brewed by nature.
Gong Zhili sat on the balcony railing and admired the starry night for a while, waiting for the child to finish brushing his teeth and come to find her.
"Are you sleepy?" she asked, turning around. "You've worked hard collecting reeds today. I still have a lot of things I need you to help me with tomorrow. Go to sleep today."
Nanako's face was red from the steam in the bathroom. She mustered up the courage to ask, "Did we say something wrong just now?"
Gong Zhili leaned on the balcony railing with one hand, not caring much about this matter: "You are still so young, why are you thinking about these issues?"
Nanako bit her lip, not being comforted by her.
Gong Zhili laughed: "Don't forget, we are a family now. If you say something wrong, it can only be because I didn't teach you well, so don't say such things."
A family...
Nanako's face suddenly turned red, joy and helplessness washed over her mind, and she was unable to utter another word.
Gong Zhili patted her head and waved to Mimiko, who was standing by the balcony door: "Do you want a pat on the head too?"
Mimiko was shy for a few seconds, then ran over.
Gong Zhili stroked the child's furry head for a while and felt refreshed: "Okay, time to go to bed now."
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
