When Zhou Xiaozheng and his companion entered the kitchen, they saw Cheng Hongli closing her eyes and smelling the smell hard, and they both laughed.
Lin Lishan was afraid that she would be embarrassed, so she glared at them. "You're still laughing at us, don't eat later. We've also cooked a lot of conchs and shrimps, so we'll have a good seafood dinner tonight. Xiaowu, do you have any red wine? Red wine is perfect with seafood."
Zhang Guoqing nodded cheerfully and said, "Mom, you really know how to enjoy things. Yes, there are some, but even if you don't, I'll go to the provincial capital to buy them if you ask for them. I happen to have a bottle of white wine, which goes best with seafood. When I go back, pack me two cooked crabs and I'll take them to Jiaojiao."
Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at Zhang Guoqing meaningfully after hearing this. This kid really knows a lot.
He stepped forward, loaded up the two largest crabs, and filled a bowl with conch, placing them on a large wooden plate. He then found a clean cloth to cover it and said, "Xiaowu, remember to let Jiaojiao eat only the lids. After you're out of confinement, you can eat as much as you want. Ask your mother if you can eat these conchs. Shanshan, go ahead and cook some more; these aren't enough to fill your stomach."
Zhou Xiaozheng helped carry the bamboo baskets to the car. When Zhang Guoqing saw them, he said, "Dad, you're not going to take these two baskets home, are you? They're too many."
Zhou Xiaozheng waved his hand, "Let's go quickly, come back early, and remember to go to Master Fatty's. Tell Jiaojiao that there will be more buns when you go back in the evening."
Seeing that he was getting impatient, Zhang Guoqing didn't refuse. There was no need for him and his father to be polite. He nodded, got in the car, started the car and drove away quickly.
He returned to the village from the county town very quickly. He was afraid that the crabs would get cold, so he sped up. When he got home, he saw his mother waiting for him at the gate, looking at him with a smile.
Zhang Guoqing got out of the car, picked up two baskets of seafood, and walked towards the door, smiling cheerfully, "Mom, are you happy to see your son?"
Zhang's mother saw him carrying things with both hands and quickly stepped forward to take a bamboo basket. "Come on, carry one for me. My hands are full and it's quite heavy. It must be tiring. Where did you get these? They're not something you see often."
Zhang Guoqing clutched the bamboo basket tightly, shaking his head. "Mom, it's not heavy. I can lift it. Come in with me, and pack these up first. Some of them are still alive, and it would be a pity if they died later. My father-in-law brought some back from another province. There's another bamboo basket in the car for Grandma Zhou from the Zhou family."
Mother Zhang hurriedly led the way. "Put it by the well. I'll do it myself. You go take it to the Zhou family first. Also, go check on Jiaojiao first. You haven't been home all day. Your second brother said you came back early. I guess you went to see your father-in-law."
"I understand. I'll get my things from the car and come in right away." After saying that, Zhang Guoqing walked out quickly.
He carried a large wooden tray to the inner room of the west wing and saw Zhou Jiao waiting for her eagerly. "Ding ding... look what this is? A big live crab. Dad bought a cart of seafood and rice flour. The vermicelli noodles are piled in the cellar like firewood in the woodshed. Mom steamed this first, worried that you couldn't eat something cold during the confinement period. Just eat two lids of the red paste. Dad said that after you are out of confinement, you can eat as much as you want."
Zhou Jiao looked at Zhang Guoqing in surprise and asked in confusion, "Where did my dad go today? Why did he buy so much seafood? How expensive is that? And did he get the rice on the black market through connections? You should talk to Dad about saving some money. These must be expensive."
Zhang Guoqing chuckled and shook his head mysteriously. "Dad went straight to the fishing village. He bought 400 kilograms of rice and flour from a nearby village. Hidden in the cellar were three boxes of giant prawns and three boxes of large yellow croaker, and the warehouse was covered in large dried fish. Besides that, he brought back three baskets of crabs, all female and this big. He brought back 50 kilograms."
Right now, in the courtyard of the county town, Aunt Cheng is steaming seafood while Mom is making red paste and pork-stirred dumplings for you to eat tonight. Dad specifically asked for red paste and pork belly dumplings, small so you can bite one in each. They also want to be delicate, with thin skin and generous fillings. I'll have to go back and ask Chef Pang about how to eat prawns and yellow croaker during your confinement period. Jiaojiao, are you excited? Are you happy?
Zhou Jiao laughed out loud, took the lid handed to her by Zhang Guoqing, picked up a large piece with chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
Zhang Guoqing hurriedly stopped him, "I can't eat it. I have to go to your grandma's house later, and it will be troublesome to brush my teeth after eating. They have also prepared a portion for you to eat. You eat it, and I will go to the county town to eat it later. Dad bought crabs just for you. He said that he was dazed for a while after returning home, and even dreamed that you were happily eating crabs and smiling at him foolishly.
Knowing you can't eat cold foods, he'd been feeling bad for a long time, worried you wouldn't have anything to eat, so he came up with the idea of having Mom make dumplings. Don't worry, Dad already sent two bamboo baskets with 18 crabs in them. There's only about 40 crabs in 50 kilograms. We just steamed these 18 crabs, plus Grandma's 8, and made a pot of them. The rest is all for you to make dumplings.
After saying that, he quickly hugged his awake son and said, "Oh, son, you are too young, otherwise you can eat delicious food. You must grow up quickly. Dad will buy you a big crab just like grandpa. Is our Ping An good today? Oh, oh, you still recognize your dad, right?"
After saying that, he saw Zhou Jiao looking at the conch again, "Jiaojiao, the conch dad asked me to ask mom if you can eat it. Don't eat it yet. It's too fresh and I'm afraid my son won't be able to handle it. Be patient. I know the address. When you are out of confinement, we will buy more and leave them at your place. You can eat it however you want. Okay?"
Zhou Jiao looked at the conch reluctantly, looking at him aggrievedly, "Brother, you must remember to take me with you. Son, your mother has had a hard time. She fought hard for you."
"Haha, be good, I will make it up to you next time. Our Ping'an said to mom, 'Mom, Ping'an thanks you, and he will be filial to you when he grows up. Our Ping'an's mom is really a good mom. Dad will ask the chef to cook big yellow croaker and big prawns for mom. Ping'an, do you want to eat some? You are still too young. When you grow up, mom and dad will take you. So our Ping'an must grow up obediently, eat well, drink plenty of milk, and sleep more, so that he can grow fast." Zhang Guoqing said softly to his son in his arms.
Zhou Jiao took a few bites and put it down, planning to heat it up for dinner. "Brother, you haven't told me where you bought it yet. I thought about it, and if my dad drove there, there would only be a fishery in the neighboring province. We were allocated from there."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and said softly to his son, "Ping'an, look how smart your mother is. She guessed it all. It was bought at the fishery. Wait until grandpa comes back to tell your mother the details, okay? Your grandpa hasn't praised himself in front of your mother yet. Daddy will save the opportunity for our Grandpa Ping'an."
Zhou Jiao glared at him and said, "Tell me quickly, is there anything else besides delivering the food? Go back and have the seafood dinner and help us eat it back."
Zhang Guoqing patted his son calmly, "Mom said red wine goes well with seafood. I'll bring her the Russian white wine and fruit wine you bought me last time. She's waiting for it."
Zhou Jiao laughed heartily, falling onto the kang and clutching her stomach. "Oh my god, red wine with seafood? Why didn't you mention steak too? Mom's been used to a petty bourgeois lifestyle and has been corrupted by the capitalists. Aren't you really afraid of poisoning? Didn't you say red wine can't be paired with seafood?"
Zhang Guoqing smiled and shook his head. He probably knew only a superficial knowledge of wine, except for his father-in-law.
After a while, Zhou Jiao stopped laughing when she heard Xizi and the others yelling in the yard, urging Zhang Guoqing to get back to work so the crabs wouldn't die. They also reminded him to bring some vegetables; they couldn't just eat seafood.
Zhang Guoqing carried the fat chef's food box, along with the wine, pheasant, and bacon, out of the yard. He saw several children reaching in to grab crabs and hurriedly shouted, "Be careful, you might get pinched. Grandma will steam them for you later."
Xizi shouted happily, "Uncle, grandma bought this for you, right? I knew it was grandma, she only buys rare things. I've eaten this crab before, my uncle brought it to us. The one my uncle bought isn't as big as grandma's, but one is worth two. Grandma is really good at shopping."
The child below also shouted, "Grandma can buy things."
Zhang Guoqing laughed heartily. "You're wrong this time. Your grandpa bought it. He drove straight to the fish farm to buy it. Be careful not to get your hands caught. Let grandma cook some for you first. Mom, are you in the kitchen? It's okay, I'm leaving now."
Xizi looked at his uncle with a smile, and waited until he finished shouting before saying, "My grandma went to see my uncle's wife. She said she doesn't know how to cook some of these, but my uncle's wife can, so when she comes, there will be something to eat."
"Oh, tell your grandma that your uncle is out, so don't prepare dinner for him in the evening. Don't look after your uncle. I can't take you there now because there are guests. I will take you all to the city later." After saying that, he saw that it was almost time, so he walked out quickly.
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