"A monster? What monster?"
Fu Wan wondered if she had misheard. In broad daylight, could it be that her brother had been watching TV so intently last night that he hadn't come to his senses yet?
Unexpectedly, Fu Mingmeng took a sip of water and then excitedly gestured to Fu Wan.
"It is said that there is a monster that is longer than a boat and taller than a house, with a big mouth, sharp teeth, and hands and feet."
If Shunzi and the others hadn't run so fast, they probably would be dead!
Fu Wan and Ye Xiaocui listened in a daze, but neither of them took it seriously. Fu Wan had heard no fewer than twenty versions of the story about sea monsters since she was a child.
There are all sorts of bizarre claims, like a mouth bigger than a pot in the house, five legs, and six eyes.
In reality, these are mostly rumors spread by fishermen who didn't see clearly at night. Some are deep-sea creatures, fish whose growth is caused by genetic mutations due to the high pressure in the deep sea.
However, even if there are such issues, it won't stop people from going out to sea. Apart from the possibility of great white sharks attacking people and extreme weather such as typhoons, there's basically nothing that can prevent people from going out to sea.
After all, these days, not being able to eat is far more terrifying than monsters.
Fu Ming was just trying something new, and seeing that Fu Wan and Ye Xiaocui forgot about it as soon as they heard it, he simply turned around and went to find his niece again.
Hmph, kids will definitely love hearing this news!
As it grew dark, Ye Xiaocui began preparing dinner.
With nothing else to do, Fu Wan also followed behind her mother, helping out.
Being busy in the kitchen is also a way to spend time with family. Listening to Ye Xiaocui's nagging while picking vegetables is simple, yet very interesting.
Since Fu Wan and Fu Ming weren't home at noon, Ye Xiaocui cut off a small piece of the meat that Fu Zhenhua had bought, minced it, and made a winter melon and meatball soup.
This was the first time Fu Ling and Qin Mingzhu had ever tasted meatballs like this. The fragrance of winter melon combined with the savory flavor of the meatballs, plus Ye Xiaocui throwing in a few clams, made the taste absolutely delicious.
After having meatball soup for lunch, Ye Xiaocui wanted to try a different recipe for dinner.
In this heat, you can't dry cured meat. Meat cured with salt only lasts a little longer, it has no other advantages.
Marinated pork is unhealthy and doesn't taste good if left for too long. Fu Wan also said that eating too much marinated food is not good either, but there's not enough room in the refrigerator for these ten pounds of meat.
Ever since Fu Wan bought a refrigerator last year, Ye Xiaocui has been very curious about it, and she likes to put all sorts of things into the refrigerator, such as chili sauce and pickled mud snails.
Ye Xiaocui was at a loss when her daughter forbade her to use salt to marinate the food.
"What should we do with this pork? Should I render it into oil?"
Ye Xiaocui was also helpless, never expecting that one day she would be troubled by having too much meat to finish.
Fu Wan noticed that there was quite a bit of fat in the bag of pork and suddenly had an idea.
"Render the fat into oil, and fry the rest into meatballs. I'll chop the meat for you, Mom. I haven't had your fried meatballs in ages!"
Come to think of it, the last time I had fried meatballs was during Chinese New Year!
It was only after Ye Xiaocui mentioned the meatball soup they had for lunch that Fu Wan remembered the fried meatballs.
Although they are both meatballs, frying meatballs involves far more steps than making meatball soup.
Since it was rare for her own daughter to want to eat it, Ye Xiaocui didn't hesitate and simply nodded in agreement.
Fried meatballs can be kept for a longer time. Fu Wan is quite skilled at chopping meat, and before long, a very strong aroma of meat wafted from the Fu family kitchen.
Villagers leading their oxen and carrying their tools home from work couldn't help but gasp as they passed by. They were already hungry after working all afternoon, and the smell made their stomachs rumble like thunder.
"Sister-in-law Ye, oh my, what's going on at your house? It smells so good!"
When Aunt Huang, who was familiar with Ye Xiaocui, passed by, she couldn't help but peek out and ask. Ye Xiaocui didn't hide anything, picked up a few fried meatballs in a small bowl and took them out.
"Hey hey, fried meatballs, girl, come and have one!"
"Oh my, no way! This is meat! Let me just smell it, I'm too embarrassed to eat it!"
"Oh, look at you, have a taste. I usually wouldn't buy this much meat, but Zhenhua is so honest. He bought so much meat this morning because my Wan saved Honghong..."
While Ye Xiaocui and Aunt Huang were chatting outside, Fu Wan was also busy inside. The meatballs had just been put into the oil, and she had to keep an eye on the fire to make sure they didn't burn!
Aunt Huang was too embarrassed to resist the delicious aroma of the meatballs, and with Ye Xiaocui's constant urging, she wiped her hands and took one from the bowl.
It has to be said that Ye Xiaocui is really good at making meatballs. These meatballs are just the right amount of salty, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Aunt Huang took a small bite and nodded repeatedly in praise, but she couldn't bear to eat any more. Instead, she held the food in her palm and continued talking to Ye Xiaocui.
Ye Xiaocui knew at a glance that this person wanted to take it back to his family for his children to eat.
So she stuffed two more over, and Aunt Huang couldn't refuse, leaving behind a large bunch of green beans and a few eggplants in the basket before finally accepting the two meatballs.
Hey, with these meatballs, her grandchildren will be so happy tonight!
Not only did the villagers passing by smell the aroma of Fu's fried meatballs, but Fu Ling and Qin Mingzhu, who were playing hopscotch with their children in the next alley, were also irresistibly drawn in by the fragrance.
The two of them immediately refused to play anymore and hurriedly ran home.
As soon as she entered the house, Fu Ling rushed into the kitchen.
"Mom, what's that smell? It smells so good!"
Fu Wan pointed to the yellow porcelain basin on the stove, "Fried meatballs!"
"Meatballs? Great! Let me have a taste!"
Fu Ling's mouth was practically watering, but Fu Wan stopped her eager hand.
"Go wash your hands, they're as black as charcoal, you'll get diarrhea if you eat them!"
"Hehe, I'm going to wash my hands!"
Fu Ling rushed out, while Qin Mingzhu was washing her hands by the well.
She's a bit of a germaphobe; without Fu Wan reminding her, she has to wash her hands and feet thoroughly as soon as she comes back from outside.
Seeing Fu Ling come over, Qin Mingzhu handed her a small bar of soap, which Fu Wan had specially cut for them to wash their hands.
Fu Ling took the bag, roughly rubbed it, washed her hands, and then hurriedly pulled Qin Mingzhu into the kitchen.
"Take the bottom one, it's not hot. You can try two first, and then take this bowl to Honghong's house next door."
While they were washing their hands, Fu Wan took out a rice bowl and filled it with fried meatballs.
Seeing this, Ye Xiaocui did not stop them, but instead nodded in agreement.
"We have to deliver it to them; Zhenhua bought this meat!"
Although their own daughter saved Fu Honghong, as neighbors, Fu Zhenhua's family also took good care of Ye Xiaocui and the others when Fu Wan and the others went out to sea.
A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative, but only through reciprocity will close neighbors grow closer.
Fu Ling picked up the meatballs and was about to run outside when Fu Wan called her back.
"Be careful not to fall. If Honghong's grandparents don't take her in, you know what to do, right?"
Fu Ling's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Hehe, I know, I'll drop it and run."
Fu Wan couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this, and Qin Mingzhu added with a smile, "We also have to tell them that if they don't accept our invitation, we won't go to her house to play."
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