"Come, have a taste first." Aunt Cao sifted the salt, then pinched a piece of fish thread and fed it to Xu Jiang's mouth.
Xu Jiang opened her mouth and took it, grinding the dry and fragrant fish shreds with her teeth and swallowing them. She stared with bright eyes and nodded, "Delicious! Auntie's cooking is really good."
Aunt Cao smiled and fed her another mouthful.
Well, it's dry but not woody, fragrant but not greasy. It doesn't use any other seasonings, but relies on the right amount of heat to bring out the freshness and fragrance, and then adds salt to enhance the flavor, giving you a taste of the rustic countryside.
After frying the cicada fish, fry the loach in the same oil. When stewing loach with tofu, you need to fry the loach first to remove the fishy smell.
First, pan-fry the loach until its skin is crispy, then remove the bones and meat. Add water and simmer until the broth boils white. Then, skim off any remaining debris and foam, leaving only the thick, fatty broth. Finally, chop the tofu into cubes and simmer in the broth. Season with salt, chili oil, and pepper until the flavor is fully absorbed. Remove from heat.
This dish is smooth and fragrant, suitable for all ages. Xu Jiang praised it highly after tasting it.
Compared to the first two dishes, perilla snails are relatively simple to prepare. Blanch the cleaned snails in water, add ginger and garlic to a simmer in oil, then simmer with rice wine and soy sauce. Finally, add perilla seeds and simmer until the broth is dry. Remove from heat and serve.
When you eat it, the soft and chewy snail meat will be sucked into your mouth. The unique fragrance of perilla will spread as you chew it. If you take a sip, the taste will be so addictive.
Apart from these three dishes, which require some effort, the remaining wild vegetables and seasonal vegetables can be prepared quickly by simply blanching and mixing them with food, or making them into soups.
Just as they were about to set the table, a figure ran into the house and threw himself into Aunt Cao's arms, "Grandma, I'm back."
Aunt Cao smiled brightly, patted her grandson on the back, and said, "Okay, okay, you're back just in time for dinner."
Lu Zhen walked up to Zhuang Shi again and called her "mother" affectionately, which made Zhuang Shi's eyes and heart soften. Then he walked up to Xu Jiang and called her "sister."
Xu Jiang touched his head, then compared him to herself, "Why do you feel taller?"
Zhuang smiled and said, "He has grown a bit taller. I just altered his clothes yesterday."
The Cao family raised him very well.
Xu Jiang asked again, "How was your homework today?"
Lu Zhen methodically poured out the philosophy and essays taught by Master Lin, leaving Aunt Cao and Madam Zhuang feeling dizzy. Xu Jiang listened patiently and then asked him two more questions, which he answered in a coherent and organized manner.
Xu Jiang praised him, "That's a very good answer."
Lu Zhen was somewhat pleased with himself, "The teacher also praised me today."
Aunt Cao came over and patted his head, urging him, "Go wash your hands quickly, and then call your grandfather and the others to eat."
Lu Zhen replied "OK", then ran to fetch some water, brought it to the outer courtyard, and asked the people who were working to wash together.
Xu Jiang leaned on Aunt Cao's shoulder and jokingly asked, "Are you jealous?"
Aunt Cao slapped her and scolded her with a smile, "You are so frivolous."
Where the dust gradually settles, in the small house with green tiles, people smile and greet the guests, drinking up the clouds in the sky.
The sun sets in the west, and the wind stirs up clouds and mist. After eating and drinking to their heart's content, Xu Jiang and Lou Yunchun, their faces flushed, bid farewell to the Cao family and, leading their donkeys and horses, disappear into the twilight.
Xu Jiang suggested, "Let's take a walk for a while?" The two of them ate and drank a lot in the warm hospitality of the Cao family, and a walk was just a way to help digest the food.
Lou Yunchun nodded, "Yeah."
Xu Jiang couldn't help but smile when she saw that his face was soaked with alcohol and his steps were slow.
Lou Yunchun heard the laughter and turned around to ask, "Laughing, what?"
"Laughing at some drunk cat."
Just now at the banquet, Lou Yunchun was greedy and drank a lot of rice wine. Now that he was drunk, he looked a little stupid.
Xu Jiang took a half step closer to him and asked softly, "Can you still walk? Do you need help?"
Lou Yunchun looked at her for a while, then stretched out his hand.
Xu Jiang took his hand, but before he could hold it firmly, she pulled it over and placed it on the donkey's neck. He was stunned for a moment, then immediately pulled his hand back and wiped it vigorously on his clothes.
The donkey also shook its neck and took two steps to the side in disgust.
Xu Jiang laughed out loud.
Lou Yunchun looked at her sullenly, then pulled her over and held her tightly.
The two of them walked out of the alley together, then rode on donkeys and horses and slowly headed towards Yonghefang.
When they returned to the bookstore, Lou Yunchun was no longer drunk. The two of them settled the donkey and horse and started to clean up the debris on the counter.
The wooden couch will be delivered tomorrow, so I have to put everything in order first so that nothing gets lost and I don’t lose my composure.
During this cleanup, the box containing Xu Jiang's portrait was moved, and someone brought up old grievances and harassed Xu Jiang until her lips were numb.
But this painting is really difficult to deal with. If I put it in the shop, it will make people jealous. If I take it back, it will offend people. It is not easy to deal with it.
Hu Xu was a master painter, and he portrayed Xu Jiang very vividly. But when he returned, he let others see his beloved every day. Lou Yunchun felt even more uncomfortable just thinking about it.
Finally, Xu Jiang suggested, "Why don't you keep it for me?"
Lou Yunchun thought about it and agreed.
However, Xu Jiang did not let him take away the painting of Xiangshan White Rib, and kept it for the festive and beautiful look.
Lou Yunchun didn't say anything about this, but a few days later he sent Xu Jiang a hand-painted painting of "Spring Ploughing" and asked her to hang it in the most prominent place in the shop. But that's all for later.
After they had put away their belongings, they sat down and chatted. When they talked about today's book appraisal conference, Xu Jiang couldn't stop laughing.
"After this incident, the reputation of Jisheng Book Bureau has been completely ruined." Then he asked, "What will be done with them in the future?"
Lou Yunchun picked up some words and told her, "The Bookstore will be disbanded, and Jisheng Bookstore will be investigated. From now on, you can publish any book you want without being restricted by others."
"Really?" Xu Jiang's eyes lit up, and she looked elated. She then clapped her hands and said happily, "Then I have to clean up the engravings as soon as possible, make a list of the publications, and then go to the government office to apply and try to get the approval as soon as possible."
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