The matches in the stove crackled, and the red flames kept licking the bottom of the pot. The thick white soup in the pot was boiling, and the white fish meat could occasionally be seen.
A handful of finely chopped green onions was sprinkled into the pot. At the same time, an iron spoon was used to scoop up a large bowl of fish meat, but there was less soup.
A pair of rough, frozen hands like short and thick radishes picked up the full bowl of fish soup.
The woman serving the soup was all smiles. She saw the three men at the table from a distance and said with a smile, "The fish soup is ready. Come, benefactor, this bowl is yours..."
The middle-aged fisherman sitting at the table heard the woman's voice and hurriedly stood up. The woman wanted to hold the man down, but she couldn't.
"You were injured underwater just now. You should rest for a while. Why are you acting so reckless like a cow..."
"Hehe~"
The fisherman smiled innocently.
"I told you it's okay, it's just a little skin breakout. I'm full of energy and feel like I have endless strength."
"I'll go get our father a bowl of soup. You've been busy all day, so come and eat with us instead of working at the stove."
The man was quick and nimble, and quickly brought over two bowls of fish soup.
Zhang Mingtu looked at this scene and felt an inexplicable feeling in his heart.
He helped the fisherman drag all the fish weighing more than 300 kilograms onto the shore.
It was clearly that man's net, but the man insisted that the fish was caught by Zhang Mingtu.
Seeing that Zhang Mingtu was not going to take it and was about to leave, the fisherman became anxious and simply sold the 300 kilograms of fish at a low price.
He refused to accept the money and insisted on giving it to Zhang Mingtu, and even dragged Zhang Mingtu to his house for dinner.
"We make a living on this river every day, and if we fall into the water, we will see each other and help each other.
“But even after the man on the river is rescued, we still have to host a feast with good wine and food to entertain our benefactor.
"Now your benefactor is not even a fisherman. How dare you go into the water and fight with that big fish to save a lowly person like me? You won't even eat a meal?"
Zhang Mingtu tried to postpone it several times but failed.
I thought it would only take the time of a meal, so I finally agreed.
However, he saw that the fisherman was poorly dressed and the woman named Xiulan looked pale, and it was obvious that her family was not well off. Therefore, he picked two large carps weighing about ten pounds and a catfish that was barely two meters long from the 300 pounds of fish.
The fisherman didn't think too much about it, but the woman named Xiulan had a hint of shame on her face and secretly poked the fisherman twice.
Seeing this, Zhang Mingtu laughed and said, "I heard that the fish cooked by fishermen may not look top-notch, but the taste is first-class.
"I've eaten a lot of fish, but I've never had a carp weighing over ten pounds or a catfish this two meters long. Today I want to try the fisherman's cooking. If I'm not satisfied, I'll tell you."
…
The man asked the woman to stop, but she did not stop. Soon, four or five more dishes were served one after another. There was not only fish, but also pork, vegetables, and even a plate of persimmon cakes.
The fisherman's father dug a jar of rice wine from the ground. He stroked the muddy jar and said with a smile, "I saved a drowning man from the river that year. This is a gift from him. I think it tastes good and is worthy of his benefactor."
Before Zhang Mingtu could refuse, the old man had already broken the seal, straightened the color, and poured Zhang Mingtu a cup first.
"My benefactor saved me, and my son has reborn into the Li family. This glass of wine must be poured by me personally..."
The old man was already quite old, and I didn't know where he had learned these polite words and etiquette, but many of them seemed clumsy and there were some omissions.
Although the Zhang family is an escort agency, they have all kinds of etiquette and jargon that are much more complete than this one. Zhang Mingtu can easily see the old man's mistake, but he did not point it out because the old man's words are sincere and genuine.
Compared with hypocritical and polite etiquette, this true feeling is the most important.
Etiquette is meant to make people feel respected and enthusiastic, and the elderly are already enthusiastic enough.
None of these surprised Zhang Mingtu. What surprised Zhang Mingtu was that he had seen this old man before.
At first, Zhang Mingtu wanted to investigate the specific conditions of the dam and the granary, and then the old man told Zhang Mingtu the corresponding conditions of the dam.
And yesterday when it snowed heavily, the old man picked a lot of fish and went to the city to sell them. Zhang Mingtu also gave him a bowl of mutton soup.
Yesterday the old man was busy, with hope in his eyes and anticipation for the future.
Today, the old man looked excited, grateful and fortunate.
He was even able to utter some superficial and polite words of gratitude, which was completely different from Zhang Mingtu's impression of an old man who could only repeat the story of his son's death and accuse the county magistrate of being a dark person.
"Come, drink!"
Zhang Mingtu's thoughts were still wandering when the old man raised his glass.
"Come on, do it!"
The fisherman also followed suit and drank with them. His movements were a little rough, but more heroic.
"Eat some food, eat some food, how about trying our fisherman's cooking?"
It can be seen that Old Man Li and his family have tried their best to make this dinner grand.
Freshly cut pork was brought from the market, and white radish was also cut for the fish soup. The radish leaves were not wasted. After being rinsed with water, they were cut open and mixed with some spicy seasonings and a small amount of oil.
There was a small half-steamed carp next to it. It was not that they didn't want to steam the whole fish, but the whole fish was too big to fit in the steamer.
And I really couldn't get familiar with it in a short period of time, so I gave up.
Cut the catfish into thick slices and fry them in oil.
It was fried golden on both sides. I don’t know what seasoning was used, but it tasted quite good.
Such banquets can be seen everywhere in later generations, and many people will not finish their meals due to poor cooking methods.
After all, although the fish has been processed as best as possible, it still has a fishy smell.
Oil paper is also rarely used.
This era was not as rich in material resources as later generations, and it was common to have very little oil and fat. People's treasures usually did not eat any oil in their meals. If they could mix a spoonful of lard into their meals, it would be a supreme delicacy.
Frying fish in oil is already quite a grand event.
Zhang Mingtu was fully aware of all this, yet he did not feel disgusted or dissatisfied.
This banquet was quite grand for him.
"Hey, the fish tastes especially delicious today. Xiulan, your cooking skills have improved again."
"No, I just did it the usual way."
"This tastes really good, please eat more, my benefactor."
“It tastes really good.”
Zhang Mingtu nodded in admiration. These largest fish were the ones that swallowed the most blood of the catfish goblins at the bottom of the river.
They were closely watched by Zhang Mingtu and not a single one escaped.
After swallowing the catfish demon blood, the meat texture has subtly changed, showing signs of demonization, and of course the taste is quite good.
An ordinary ginseng that is a hundred years old may not be as good as this meal of fish.
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