Clearly, neither of them were good at fishing. After spending the whole morning by the lake, they only managed to get two pitiful little crucian carp in their bucket, not even a single long one.
Xu Milu checked the time and realized it was almost lunchtime, so she simply poured the fish out of the bucket back into the lake—this lake connected to Xingning Village, and further ahead was a reservoir contracted by the villagers, where most tourists from other places would go fishing.
"Little Aunt, why did you go back again? This is the trophy we caught this morning after a lot of hard work. I just sent a picture to my dad to show off."
Cui Qingli asked in confusion.
Xu Milu shrugged and said, "These fish are pitifully small. If we caught more, we could take them back, coat them in flour, and make crispy fried fish. But there are only two of them. Let alone taking them back to eat, I think it would be a waste of oil to fry them."
As the two were talking, someone on a motorcycle stopped by the lake. It was Tian Wen, the village head of Xingning Village.
"Xiao Xu, want to go fishing? The lake here is full of wild fish, they're very clever and won't bite at all. If you want to fish, go to the reservoir over there. My nephew, Tian Wangyuan, has chartered it. He won't charge you."
Xu Milu stood up and replied with a smile:
"No, village chief, we're just fishing here for fun. If we really want to eat fish, we'll go buy some. We're just taking a break today. Where are you from?"
Tian Wenle's face was full of wrinkles, and his joy was impossible to hide:
"I just went to Grandma Xiaomei's house. Isn't she pregnant? I was thinking of bringing her some goji berries, and I also slaughtered two of our roosters to take with her to help her recover. When my little grandson is born, you'll have to bring people over for the full moon celebration!"
Tian Wen's daughter married into a neighboring village. The two families lived not far apart, and it only took about ten minutes to drive there and back. Sometimes when Xu Milu returned to Xingning Village on business, she would see Tian Mei helping her father carry water.
"Really? Congratulations, Tian Mei! Next time I see her, I'll ask her for some red eggs. This is my friend Cui Qingli, she came out with me today. Qingli, this is Tian Wen, the village chief of Xingning Village."
Xu Milu smiled, introduced the two people to each other, and then said a few auspicious words to them.
After chatting for a while, Tian Wen glanced at the empty bucket beside Xu Milu's feet and said with a smile:
"Girls from the city are so sophisticated! It's already noon, and Mr. Xu hasn't eaten yet, has he? Why don't you come to my house for some big plate chicken? It's just two people, so it's just a matter of adding an extra pair of chopsticks. You're such a busy person, and you've only ever eaten at Xu Lanjuan's house before. No way, you have to come to my house and try my cooking!"
Xu Milu was just about to ask about greenhouse contracting, so she nodded and agreed: "Okay, you go back first, we'll come over for a meal later."
People in Ningcheng are hospitable. When they invite someone to their home for a meal, it is always a sincere invitation. In the past, when families were poor, the host would rather go hungry themselves than fail to make sure the guest was well taken care of.
Although everyone's living conditions have improved now, the warmth in Ningcheng people's bones has not changed. In addition, Xu Milu does not stay in the village often, so the villagers can't find her to invite them to a meal.
Today we finally bumped into someone. Tian Wen was afraid that Xu Milu was just being polite, so he insisted on taking her back.
“No way, Mr. Xu, you’re too timid. What if someone kidnaps you on the way and takes you to their house? I’m not in a hurry. Let’s go back together. Your sister-in-law is cooking at home. I’ll give her a call.”
The three chatted as they walked into the village. It was lunchtime, and many people were heading home from the greenhouses. Seeing Tian Wen leading Xu Milu back, they all smiled and struck up conversations.
"Mr. Xu, are you here to inspect the village today?"
"Hey Mr. Xu, wanna come over for dinner? My brother-in-law gave us a leg of lamb yesterday, and we're having stewed lamb today!"
"Is the village chief hosting a dinner party today? If he's treating Boss Xu to dinner, won't he have to slaughter a few of your big roosters?"
"Young Master Xu, come over to my place for a drink of water before you leave—the village chief is so stingy, isn't his food delicious enough...?"
Men and women, young and old, some Xu Milu knew by name, others she didn't, all greeted her warmly. Just as Tian Wen had said, someone was "hijacking" her along the way, but Tian Wen laughed and scolded them all:
"Go away, go away! I'm having guests today, what business is it of yours? I don't mind killing a chicken to treat Mr. Xu to dinner, but you're being treated to chicken droppings! Go away, go away!"
While Tian Wen was talking and joking with someone, Cui Qingli quietly tugged at Xu Milu's sleeve:
"Little Martial Aunt, so you're quite popular in the village?"
Xu Milu smiled but didn't explain.
It's true that the villagers are simple and honest, but it's also true that she has brought considerable benefits to Xingning Village. Since Xingning Village became "famous" online, countless tourists from other places have flocked here. Not only has the government allocated funds to strongly support the local tourism industry, but there are also various policies to benefit farmers, all of which are real benefits.
I heard that someone has contracted the wasteland behind the village and is preparing to develop it into a winery. I think that in another two or three years, Xingning Village will be more prosperous and wealthy.
Xu Milu smiled, her eyes crinkling, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.
...
...
Ningcheng is located west of Gansu and Xinjiang, so the dietary habits of Ningcheng people have been greatly influenced by Xinjiang.
Just like Xinjiang Dapanji, a classic delicacy from Xinjiang, it has taken root and sprouted in the local culture of Ningcheng, evolving into a different flavor.
Freshly slaughtered roosters are bled, plucked, gutted, and cleaned thoroughly. The skin is singed over a fire to remove fine feathers that are barely visible to the naked eye. The chicken meat is cut into walnut-sized pieces. Water is brought to a boil in a pot, and the chicken meat is placed in the cold water to remove the blood. It is then taken out and placed in a basin to drain.
Wash and peel the red potatoes, cut them into chunks, cut the green and red bell peppers into triangular pieces, remove the seeds from the dried chilies, and set them aside.
Heat oil in a wok, sauté scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then add star anise, fennel seeds, and dried chili peppers and stir-fry until fragrant. Add chicken pieces and stir-fry, then add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and a little cooking wine for color. Stir-fry for five minutes, then add white pepper, a little thirteen-spice powder, a spoonful of Sichuan peppercorn powder, and fermented bean paste for seasoning.
Stir-fry the ingredients in the pot evenly, then add a bottle of beer and enough boiling water to cover the chicken. Simmer over medium-low heat. Fifteen minutes before the end of cooking, add potato chunks and green and red bell pepper chunks. At this point, add salt and a little sugar to taste.
"Come on, the braised chicken is ready! Try your sister-in-law's cooking, isn't it pretty good? This chicken is a year old rooster, and I pressure-cooked it for half an hour. The meat is so tender now, I guarantee you'll swallow your tongues!"
Tian Wen brought out a huge plate, bigger than a head, piled high with chicken and potato chunks, with red and green pepper pieces dotting the chicken. Just looking at it made one's mouth water.
"Mmm, it smells so good."
Xu Milu sniffed, her sharp eyes spotting strips of black vegetables in the dish, and couldn't help but laugh, saying:
"This is... chicken blood noodles? Village chief, you even made chicken blood noodles?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
