Ao Muyang: "..."
That evening, Lu Wuyai returned accompanied by Gu Yuxin.
Hou Banshuang's condition is not bad. He cut his thigh muscle with a cleaver, but did not hit the major artery, so it was just a flesh wound. It looked serious at the time, but it was actually not difficult to treat.
But he can't move for at least two weeks. If the stitched wound tears again, it will be very serious, so he must stay in the hospital to recover.
Lu Wuyai took the money to the hospital to visit their wives and paid their medical expenses to put their minds at ease.
Liu Xiaole's family didn't ask for money, which annoyed Lu Wuyai: "I've already planned how to build the house, why don't you sell it? I hope to build a small house and get married."
After hearing his words, Liu Xiaole had nothing to say and could only gratefully accept the money.
Lu Wuyai didn't just want to help Song Qiumin's family; her family's land was really good.
Their new house is one that Li Muzhi bought from the village committee for their wedding. Their old house was also located at the eastern end of the small village, at the foot of Dalong Mountain.
This plot of land is the highest in the entire village. If a small building were built there, one could see Longxian Lake from the top. From a feng shui perspective, this plot is considered the best, offering a panoramic view.
Of course, the homesteads in the broken fishing village were worthless; they wouldn't sell for even 20,000 yuan, let alone 200,000 yuan. Song Qiumin and her fellow villagers were well aware of this, and they understood why Lu Wuyai insisted on giving Song Qiumin 200,000 yuan.
Song Qiumin was very stubborn. Since she said she wanted to sell the old house to Lu Wuyai, she went home the next day to clean the old house and hand it over to Lu Wuyai, and then went with him to transfer the ownership.
Lu Wuyai said helplessly, "There's no rush to transfer ownership. You go stay with Xiao Niu first, I'll go take a look at this old house."
In fact, not only was Liu Xiaole's family very anxious, but he was also very anxious about repairing the house.
In the second half of July, Hongyang was once again shrouded in heavy rain. After three or four days of continuous rain, the originally hot weather suddenly turned cool.
Lu Wuyai's old house wasn't finished yet, and the roof started leaking and letting in drafts again. It was very windy outside, but very quiet inside. It was raining heavily outside, but only a light drizzle inside.
The renovation of the old house was not easy, because the roof needed seaweed. Gu Yuxin and her son helped him find it. This stuff is very rare now, and they hadn't found it yet.
And so, Lu Wuyai bought a new plot of land no matter what, and so he started building a house whenever he wanted.
Just then, the school renovation was finished, and the construction team was out of work for a while, so Lu Wuyai invited the contractor and himself to his house for dinner.
It's been raining for the past few days, and he hasn't gone out to sea, so he doesn't have any fresh seafood. His refrigerator is full, but he doesn't have any main ingredients suitable for a hearty dish.
At noon, he thought for a moment and, seeing that the rain had lessened, took the little count (dog) out of the village and came to the stream at the south end of the village.
The overall layout of Coconut Grove Village runs east to west. To the west of the village is a bay with an island trading port, to the east is Longshui Lake, to the north is Dalong Mountain, to the south are farmland, streams and villages, and to the south is the ocean.
The river at the southern end of the local village is called the South River.
He was wearing a raincoat when he went out. The little count (dog) wagged its tail and ran along the road. It specifically ran into a mud puddle. Its four paws slapped the water's surface, making a splashing sound, and soon it was covered in mud.
Passing through a forest at the southern end of the local village, Lu Wuyai reached the riverbank. The rain continued to fall, the stream rushed swiftly, and the clear water cascaded down, creating white sprays.
The food ingredients he prepared this time came from this small river.
This stream isn't small. At its widest point, it's three to four meters wide. Both sides are lined with bluestone slabs. Village women often wash clothes here, stepping on these slabs. A few years ago, when the water quality was better, people could even use the river water to wash rice.
The rain started, and the river level rose, submerging the bluestone. Ao Muyang tried to find a step, but just as he bent down, there was a "plop" sound, and a large wave of water splashed on him, covering his head and face.
He turned his head helplessly and saw Earl Light (the dog), who had just jumped into the water, peeking out and looking at him timidly. Clearly, the boy knew he was in trouble.
The clear stream flowed gently, and suddenly Earl's (the dog's) yellowish head emerged from the water. Every now and then, waves would crash against it, and rainwater would trickle down its fur. It had a silly face, like a statue.
Lu Wuyai couldn't help but laugh. Upon seeing the little count (dog), it immediately forgot its troubles and began wagging its tail as it swam in the stream.
Despite the little count (dog) being startled, some small fish on the water surface panicked and disappeared without a trace.
Lu Wuyai simply rolled up his trousers and stood by the river. The river water submerged his calf, reaching up to his knees, and felt cool and refreshing.
He looked up downstream. There was a small stone arch bridge, nearly ten meters long and more than three meters wide. The entire structure was made of granite, and it was very sturdy.
Like the Zhaozhou Bridge, this bridge has no piers, only an arched opening. Now, the rushing water flows through the arch. The sides of the arch are blocked with stone slabs, forming a large pool.
Looking at this strange yet familiar hometown bridge, Lu Wuyai's thoughts became somewhat lost.
It so happened that a few children had run out to play in the rain. They climbed down from the bridge, took off their clothes and pants, and jumped into the underpass.
The pool there is like a swimming pool, with deep water and stone slabs to block the rapid current, so the water flow is gentle and it is perfect for playing in the water.
Watching the children's happy laughter, Lu Wuyai's melancholy mood improved as he recalled his childhood. He shouted, "The water is deep today, be careful."
The children laughed loudly: "Okay, Uncle Yang. No problem, Uncle Yang."
The little count (the dog) swam over, and the children chased him in the water, grabbed him, and drowned him, entertaining themselves for a while.
Green water plants sway in the river, and a large number of small fish live among them.
On rainy days, the water and air pressure become abnormal, causing small fish to emerge from the water to breathe. Standing on the riverbank and looking down like this, you can see schools of small black fish everywhere.
This is Lu Wuyai's target: Clear Water Jade.
It's hard to say what kind of small fish it is. There are crucian carp, grass carp, common carp, snakehead, and other small miscellaneous fish, collectively known as clear water fish, because they can only live in places with clear water.
They are all fish fry and juveniles, living in groups in the river, numbering in the countless throughout the year.
Because the fish fry were too small, and Coconut Grove Village was close to the sea and a large lake, no one was interested in them. At most, some children would catch them to play with or feed them to the chickens and ducks. At other times, everyone ignored them, allowing their population to continue to grow.
Lu Wuyai came here to catch these small fish and shrimp, and then make a mixed fish stew in an iron pot.
Fishing for small fish is unethical anywhere; it's called scooping them out of the water, but it's fine here.
The South River flows out of Lake Longsari, and the fish fry originate from Lake Longsari. Finally, the river flows into the ocean, and the fish fry will also enter the ocean downstream.
Moreover, they are all freshwater fish, and they will definitely die if they enter the ocean, which means that even if no one catches them, they will not grow big.
There's no need to use fishing nets to catch fish in fresh water; discarded mosquito nets or sieves will suffice.
Lu Wuyai shouted, "Hey, come here."
The children laughed and swam upstream. Even though the river was swollen due to the rain, it only rose up to their bellies, which was no big deal for the fishermen who were familiar with the water.
"What are you doing, Uncle Yang?" a child named Li Xiaomi asked.
Gu Yuxin handed him the screen net he had brought and said, "Help me catch a few freshwater fish, and then, Uncle, I'll treat you to spicy noodles and soda."
"Who still eats spicy noodles these days? They eat sausages and potato chips." Li Xiaomi rolled her eyes.
“We’re not drinking soda anymore, we’re drinking cola, yogurt, and arteries.” A boy named Li Xiaojun next to him laughed.
“A pulse isn’t an artery.” Another child laughed.
Li Xiaojun was furious: "I misspoke, okay. Li Xiaozhi, if you laugh again, I'll beat you up."
Lu Wuyai waved his hand, signaling them to be quiet, and said, "Then I'll treat you to sausages, potato chips, cola, and a bottle of Mai. That would be great."
"They also require us to go online." Li Xiaomi began negotiating the terms.
Lu Wuyai sneered, "Rubbing your nose and face, huh? Okay, what day is it today? Shouldn't you be at Teacher Lu's tutoring class? Why are you playing in the river? Did you skip class?"
The children were dumbfounded: "Um, Uncle Yang, please keep your voice down. You want sausages, cola, and freshwater fish, right? We're here to get them for you."
Lu Wuyai snorted and said, "You two know each other."
The task was simple. Each of the two children had a net. They each held the net at both corners with both hands, then used one hand to support the net on the water's surface while the other hand pulled it to the riverbed. A while ago, the nets were brought in; there were freshwater fish inside.
Li Xiaomi and Li Xiaojun are fishing, and the other children are playing their own little tricks.
Once the clear-water fish floated to the surface, they could be caught without tools. The children stood quietly by the river. After a while, the water calmed down, and the clear-water fish floated to the surface again.
At this moment, they quickly bent down and splashed the river water onto the bank. Some small fish that couldn't escape in time were even splashed onto the bank along with the water.
Lu Wuyai picked it up with a bucket, and with the help of the window screen, he cleaned half of the bucket in no time.
That's enough for us," he said, whistling and waving. "Let's go to the supermarket together."
The children cheered and jumped for joy. Without drying themselves, they put on their clothes and walked on the road, still wet.
The owner of the small supermarket at the village entrance is named Li Mucheng. He is of the same generation as Lu Wuyai, but a few years older.
After entering, Lu Wuyai dried his head with a towel, then took out 100 yuan and placed it on the counter, saying, "Let them eat and drink their fill, I'll pay the bill."
Li Mucheng laughed and said, "What are you doing here? Go catch some freshwater fish."
Five or six children were overjoyed. Each of them carried a bunch of snacks and drinks, ran to the supermarket entrance, sat on small stools, and started eating and drinking while making a ruckus.
Lu Wuyai took another hundred yuan, and Li Mucheng said, "You're so generous. They bought you some small fish, why did you spend so much money?"
Even the oldest among them, Li Xiaomi, felt embarrassed and said, "Uncle Yang, we can't take it anymore."
Lu Wuyai said, "It's alright, take whatever you like, eat and drink whatever you like, don't be polite with me. There are also sunflower seeds and peanuts, they're delicious too. Come on, everyone, have some. Don't throw away the sunflower seeds and peanut shells, put them in this bag."
"Uncle, we love you to death!" The children were overjoyed.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Lu Wuyai herded them all to the primary school on the mountain like cattle.
Lu Wuyai raised an eyebrow when he saw the group of brats: "Where did you go at noon? Why did you just get back?"
"They went to bathe in the river, how dangerous!" Lu Wuyai feigned lingering fear. "Luckily, I bumped into them, that's why you caught them."
Lu Wuyai said gratefully, "Thank you very much."
Li Xiaomi and her group were furious: "Uncle, we hate you so much!"
After dropping the children off at school, Lu Wuyai went back to process the freshwater fish, preparing to cook the mixed grilled fish dish in an iron pot.
This dish is very common. It's a staple food for fishermen, and it's been around for a long time. In the past, mixed fish were stewed in a small iron pot. It was a dish for poor families.
But in Lu Wuyai's hands, this dish was naturally not so simple; he used it as a main dish.
Since it's a main dish, it's not easy to make.
This job requires patience. He sat by the door, used a knife to cut open the small fish's bellies, squeezed out the innards with his fingers, and then rinsed them in water. He added a little cooking wine to the water to remove the fishy smell.
The small fish were washed clean one by one and dried one by one.
After drying, the next step is to roast them, which is the origin of the name "roasted mixed fish in an iron pot".
He took the small fish, strung them together with wire, and hung them by the door. Then he mixed together peanut shells, melon seed shells, rice husks, dried tangerine peel, sawdust, and other things he had collected before, lit them, covered the container, and started smoking. He smoked and roasted the small fish.
This method is similar to fire-dried fish. This Hunan-style dish was one of ***'s favorite dishes during his lifetime. It became famous in the 1960s and 70s and was highly sought after by working people in various fields across the island.
However, this dish is quite laborious to prepare, and small fish and shrimp are more suitable as appetizers. For people in that era, solving the problem of food and clothing was obviously more important.
So later, the craze for grilled fish gradually subsided.
Lu Wuyai learned the recipe for this dish by chance, and later figured it out on his own. He used it to make iron pot grilled mixed fish and found that it tasted even better.
After several hours of baking, the small fish turned into dried fish. Next, Li Muyang added just a little peanut oil to the pot. Once the oil was hot, he put the dried fish in and quickly fried them until they turned golden brown.
The little Earl (dog), who had been rolling around in the mud at the door, rushed over, squatted down beside him, twitched his nose, squinted his eyes, drooled, and stuck out his tongue.
Lu Wuyai chuckled and wiped its mouth with a piece of chopped chili pepper.
This little Earl (dog) is really spicy. Dogs have a habit of licking their lips with their tongues, and they like to lick their lips even more when they are stimulated. They will do this even if their mouths are very spicy, because it is a subconscious behavior that they cannot control.
So the more he licked, the spicier it became, and the spicier it became, the more he licked. The little count (dog) wailed and ran out to roll around in the mud again. After tumbling a few times, the spiciness in his mouth lessened, which made him like the muddy environment even more.
Lu Wuyai successfully pulled off a trick and burst out laughing.
After frying the dried fish, he took it out and started stir-frying it with scallions, ginger, and garlic. When it became fragrant, he added a large amount of sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise and stir-fried it together.
Next, he would add chili sauce, green and red peppers, and stir-fry until the oil turns red. He would also add chopped cucumber for seasoning, and finally pour in water to heat the soup.
A light drizzle was falling, and the clear water in the pot quickly became coated with a layer of red oil. With a "bubbling" sound, a spicy aroma wafted out of the iron pot.
The little count (dog) won't be coming back this time.
As evening fell, Lu Wuyai, holding an umbrella, led the way to the door. A gentle sea breeze blew, and a fine drizzle fell. She held a small floral umbrella in her hand, the sleeve of which hung down, revealing half of her snow-white forearm. Crystalline raindrops fell on the umbrella, making a pitter-patter sound. Then the rain splashed up, like pearls falling onto a jade plate.
Behind her graceful figure, two teachers, Li Zhijie and Zhu Chunhong, and a burly man were chatting and laughing.
This rough man is the foreman of the town's construction team. His name is Sun Fuhua, and he is from Gantan Town, the same hometown as Sun Fuhua.
Upon entering, Lu Wuyai first placed sunflower seeds, peanuts, and snacks on the table. He then prepared fruit tea, made from fruit juice and green tea. He said it would make you feel very comfortable in the summer.
Lu Wuyai poured tea for the three of them, while he went to set out the cold dishes on the table first: salted duck eggs, braised shredded potatoes, pickled fish skin, stir-fried snails in soy sauce, shredded kelp with scallion oil, and jellyfish with cabbage hearts.
Although the weather hasn't been hot these past few days, it's still the dog days of summer, so we still need to eat cold dishes.
In addition, he also prepared two home-style green dishes, two fishermen's home-style dishes, garlic and chili stir-fried clams and oysters, and finally added a pot of grilled mixed fish as a main dish, and the meal was complete.
Lu Wuyai offered cigarettes to Sun Fuhua and Li Zhisheng. Sun Fuhua must have heard of his reputation, and was flattered: "Do it yourself, I'm so hot. Brother Yang, you're too kind."
Li Zhisheng calmly accepted the cigarette offered to him, and also accepted the light, then squinted his eyes and swallowed the cloud in one gulp.
After the meal, Lu Wuyai said, "Everyone, eat this pot of fish first. Eat it while it's hot. It's a bit spicy. See if you can eat it."
This small fish has been dried and roasted. Because no oil is used in the process, the fresh aroma of the fish has been perfectly preserved.
When we refueled later, the small fish were already cooked, so they only ate the oil on the outside, not the meat inside. Crispy on the outside and crispy on the inside, fragrant on the outside and fresh on the inside.
Furthermore, it had already been stewed in soup, and the skin contained sesame oil. The fish had a variety of flavors and textures from the outside in. Everyone who tried it raved about it.
"It's spicy, fresh, and fragrant—it tastes amazing!" Zhu Chunhong swallowed the fish and laughed, "Oh, Yangzi's cooking is really good. If a girl from another family marries you in the future, you won't have to worry about food."
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