Chapter 156: Stir-fried Bacon with Celery
"Oh! Big sister, your nose is so sharp."
"That's right. My child is getting married, so I had no choice but to buy two pairs."
Gao Xiulan spoke without blushing or getting nervous.
The aunt was unconvinced. She tilted her eyes and peered into the basket: "Only two, how can the smell be so strong?"
"You say this, oh, I really lost a lot."
Gao Xiulan suddenly grabbed her elder sister's hand, shook it twice, and then pretended to be an honest person who was unlucky.
"I didn't expect this fish was raised in a stinky ditch. When I got it, it was so stinky that I almost threw it out."
"But there's nothing I can do. I bought this with money, so if I throw it away, it will just be a waste of money, right?"
"You have bad eyesight, why are you buying fish from the stinking ditch?"
The aunt's expression softened when she heard this, and she looked at the green leaves peeking out from the basket and asked:
"Hey, where did you dig this water celery? It looks so fresh and tender."
"Don't you know this? Just that piece..."
Gao Xiulan started chatting with people directly, while Lin Xiaotong sat inside with the backpack at her feet to block the view of people outside.
Gao Xiulan chatted with the person all the way and finally got home smoothly.
It was already 5:30 in the evening and the men had all gone home from get off work.
Every household at the entrance of the alley started to eat, and some people sat on the doorstep with their bowls in hand.
An aunt saw Gao Xiulan and the others coming back with baskets on their backs and greeted them, "Are you out picking wild vegetables?"
"Yes, you're eating meat today. Xiaohui's mother, you're really willing to do that."
"How could I afford to buy meat? My daughter bought this with her salary."
"You insist on letting me try it. As a mother, it's hard for me to refuse. Otherwise, I'm afraid of hurting my daughter's feelings."
"Then your daughter is really amazing. She is filial, so you should just be happy."
Living in the alley, you see everyone everywhere, and when you meet, you can't help but talk to each other.
A group of people walked into the yard carrying baskets on their backs. When they got home, they could no longer hide the joy on their faces. After all, they had a big harvest today.
Diao Yulian stood in the yard with her hands on her hips, calling for her husband to come over and help her get things.
"Wu Shengli, where did he go?"
She stood in the yard, with her backpack at her feet, and shouted for help into the house.
Wu Jiabao also imitated his mother, putting his hands on his hips like a little adult.
"Here I am, here I am. Why are you back so soon? What are you calling me for?"
Wu Shengli came out wearing slippers, his clothes were wrinkled, and it was obvious that he had been sleeping in the room.
"Can't you see how tired I am? Why don't you come over to help me? Really, you don't even think of coming over to lend me a hand."
Diao Yulian now stood up straight, holding her head high and looking at people with her nose up.
Wu Jiabao was also very happy, holding his little head high with the small kettle hanging crookedly around his neck.
"Didn't you just go out and dig up some wild vegetables? What the hell is this?"
Wu Shengli kicked the backpack with his foot, and it suddenly shook a few times.
He felt something was wrong, half-knelt over to take a look, and a fish tail hit him in the face.
When he grabbed it with his hand, he found it was very slippery and frightened him so much that he threw it to the ground.
"You're asking for death, pick it up quickly."
Diao Yulian looked at the fish that was still sticking up its tail with heartache, and pinched the soft flesh on Wu Shengli's waist.
"It hurts, it hurts, be gentle."
Wu Shengli gave a look to his son who was watching the fun on the side. Wu Jiabao picked up his pants and trotted to catch the fish's tail.
The fish was quite strong. Wu Jiabao lifted up her shirt to hold the fish, then ran back to show her mother.
"My dear Jiabao, you have to wash Wu Shengli's clothes for me tomorrow!"
Diao Yulian felt both angry and amused when she saw her precious son looking so dirty.
"Okay, okay, I'll wash it, it's no big deal."
Wu Shengli asked with a shy face: "By the way, Yulian, are we having fish tonight?"
A murderous look came over: "Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating."
"Mom, I want to eat fish too. I want to eat fish head stewed with tofu." Wu Jiabao said as he reached out and tugged at the corner of his mother's clothes.
"Okay, okay, but we're out of tofu now. Can I make you some fish ball soup tonight?"
When she saw the child, Diao Yulian's expression changed from gloomy to bright in an instant.
"Yeah, Mom, I'll light the fire for you."
"Your dad will take care of the fire, you just play around."
"That won't work. Our teacher said that a man should help his mother."
Wu Jiabao patted his chest as he spoke and glanced at his father with disdain.
Wu Shengli received the son's disgusted look and rubbed his little head angrily.
"Then you wash the wild onions for Mom, and leave the fire-making to your dad. He's a grown-up and can't just eat and not work."
…
As Gao Xiulan and Lin Xiaotong stepped into the hanging flower gate, Xie Dajiao saw them and hurried down the steps to meet them.
They stayed in the front yard for a while because they wanted to take Song Chenlie's share to the third uncle's house.
"Old Xie, let's go inside and talk."
When Xie Da Jiao heard this, he went up the stairs with the backpack in both hands.
"Dad, isn't our Xiaoju's bed ready yet?"
Lin Xiaotong first put the two pairs of rain boots on the corridor to dry, and when she walked into the house, she saw the wood blocks piled against the wall of the main room.
"It's almost done. I'll put it up after dinner. I've already measured the sizes this time, so I can't make any mistakes."
When Xie Da Jiao mentioned this, she looked very proud.
Recently, after get off work, he was busy making a wooden bed for Xie Xiaoju at home. While listening to the model operas on the radio, he kept hammering away with his hands.
He had just taken the things out of the back building, and when he saw what was inside, he couldn't help but widen his eyes and exclaimed in surprise.
"Xiu Lan, why are there so many fish?"
Gao Xiulan took the warm water brought by Lin Xiaotong and took several big gulps. Only then did she feel her throat was no longer dry.
"Old Xie, you don't know how lucky we are today. We made a lot of money. Today..."
Gao Xiulan kept talking while moving her hands.
As soon as I got home, I took the fish out. Most of them were knocked unconscious but not dead yet.
But after being away from water for such a long time, the fish is dying. If you are still energetic, transfer it to a basin of water quickly so that you can keep it alive and eat it tomorrow.
I will deal with the rest tonight. I will spread salt on it and marinate it. It can be eaten for a while.
"Xiaotong, didn't you say last time that your aunt and the others were coming to our house for dinner? How about tomorrow? It's just the right time to have dinner while the fish is still fresh."
"Okay, Mom. I'll go talk to my aunt before I go to work tomorrow."
It was dark and the lights were on. In the yard, families were still working overtime to kill and pickle fish, and a fishy smell wafted from the pool.
Xie Xiaoju was also watching from the side, and excitedly raised his front paws to scratch Gao Xiulan's thighs.
"Don't worry, I'll give it to you later."
After Xiaoju came to the Xie family, his face became visibly bigger.
"Mom, how are we going to eat this water celery tonight?"
Lin Xiaotong squatted under the sink and soaked water celery in a wooden basin. She washed it carefully several times and then put it in the basin to drain.
"I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. Old Xie, go cut some bacon and make some water celery and bacon stir-fry. It's a great dish to go with rice."
"Mom, I'm going to go cut some vegetables first and light the stove later."
Lin Xiaotong thought about the delicious food and felt hungry again, so she worked more efficiently.
Seeing Xie Xiaoju crying anxiously beside him, he reached out, picked her up, and took her to make a fire.
"Xiaoju, you've gained a lot of weight."
After a busy meal, the steaming food was finally served.
Tonight the Xie family had water celery fried with bacon, fish soup, and stir-fried cabbage.
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