Chapter Twenty-One
After reading for a while, Ji Wanmei saw that it was almost time, so she got up, went to the kitchen, and began to prepare a meal.
Today, when Ji Wanmei went shopping with Luo Chunyan, she passed by the farmers' market on the way back. She saw that there were vendors selling fish, so she spent two yuan to buy a fish and two jin of those cheap river shrimp.
Although Pingquan County is not a coastal area, it has quite a few small rivers around it.
Unlike later times, when resources were not overexploited and overfished, resources at this time were extremely scarce.
When resources become scarce, prices naturally rise.
Moreover, many people don't know how to cook these small shrimp to make them taste good, and they also dislike their strong fishy smell and lack of meat, so they think they are not tasty and therefore sell them at a particularly low price.
Sometimes, at fish stalls, if there are so many river shrimp that no one wants them, they will be given away to the fish vendors at half price.
When Ji Wanmei arrived, the fishmonger had only two fish and two jin of river shrimp left in his basket, and no one had bought them. When Ji Wanmei came over to ask about the price, the fishmonger readily said, "Miss, there are only two snakehead fish left. If you want them, I'll give you the two jin of river shrimp for free. I can close up shop after you buy them."
Upon hearing that fish and shrimp were included as a free gift, Ji Wanmei nodded and said, "Okay, then please weigh them for me. Also, please kill and prepare the fish for me, as it will be difficult for me to handle it when I take it home."
Seeing that Ji Wanmei was a delicate young woman whose hands looked like they had never done any housework, the fishmonger smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'll clean it for you and gut it."
Perfect timing! He can take these fish innards home to feed his ducks. Those things really help them lay more eggs.
When Luo Chunyan saw that Ji Wanmei had ordered two catties of river shrimp, she advised her, "Meimei, these kinds of river shrimp are the worst to eat. They have very little meat, and they taste fishy with a mouthful of shrimp shells. Why do you want them?"
Ji Wanmei smiled without saying a word: "It's okay, I'll take it back and try it."
Luo Chunyan had no idea that these river shrimp, when stir-fried with salt and pepper, were incredibly delicious.
She remembers that back then, a plate of salt and pepper river shrimp like this would cost at least forty or fifty yuan at a barbecue restaurant.
In the ten years following her previous life, Ji Wanmei lived alone and always felt that her home lacked a sense of warmth and community.
Although she has earned money, owns her own house and car, and is financially secure, and has even hired a housekeeper to clean and cook for her, she will occasionally cook something for herself to treat herself when she is in a good mood.
It's a way to enjoy yourself after a busy day at work.
Ji Xingguo was unaware that he still thought his daughter was the same pampered girl he had spoiled so much that she never had to lift a finger in the kitchen, and he rarely let her in, for fear that she would get splashed with oil.
Before she got married in her previous life, Ji Wanmei could only cook noodles, fry an egg, and sometimes reheat cold dishes. Her father cooked almost all the time-consuming and detailed elaborate dishes.
But Ji Wanmei felt sorry for her father, who worked so hard every day, and wanted to do something to show her respect for him.
When she came back and went into the kitchen, Ji Wanmei took out an enamel basin, filled it halfway with water, sprinkled some salt in, and poured the river shrimp in to let them spit out the sand.
After vomiting for two or three hours now, I should be almost done.
The vendor had already cleaned the two snakehead fish for Ji Wanmei; all she needed to do was take them back and slice them according to her preferred cooking method.
Ji Wanmei planned to use the two snakehead fish to make a sauerkraut fish soup, then use the two pounds of river shrimp to stir-fry with salt and pepper, then make a cucumber salad and stir-fry some shredded meat.
Three dishes and a soup are enough for her and her father.
Moreover, if there's any leftover fish soup, she can reheat it and have another meal after her dad goes to work tomorrow at noon.
Ji Wanmei first took out the soup pot from under the kitchen cabinet, filled it halfway with water, put it on the stove and started cooking. On the other side, she found the slicing knife that her father often used, carefully sliced the snakehead fish into thin slices, marinated them, and put them in a large bowl for later use.
There was sauerkraut in the kimchi jar; the sauerkraut was made by the aunt next door and given to them.
At this time, neighbors often helped each other.
Besides, with Ji Xingguo's status, who wouldn't want to do him a favor? It's just helping to make some pickled cabbage, a simple favor.
Therefore, even though there was no woman in charge of the Ji family, they could still eat these home-style dishes.
Ji Wanmei took out the pickled cabbage, rinsed it with cold water to remove the white foam, and then cut it into small pieces for later use.
By the time she finished preparing the dishes, the water in the soup pot had already boiled. She put in the chopped garlic and ginger slices first, then added the pickled cabbage to make the soup base. In the soup base, Ji Wanmei also chopped two tomatoes, whose sweet and sour taste could enhance the flavor.
Because Ji Wanmei doesn't cook often, she can't be as skilled at managing both cooking and cooking as her father.
She's a bit slow at handling things; often, she only goes over to lift the lid after the water on the stove has boiled, and only goes to open the cupboard to get plates after the vegetables on this side have been chopped.
But it was precisely because of her slow, unhurried pace that she possessed a unique and charming elegance amidst the rising steam in the kitchen.
The broth quickly developed its delicious flavor.
Ji Wanmei lifted the lid of the pot and smelled it before gently placing the fish slices with the ingredients into it. After the cornstarch on the surface of the fish slices solidified instantly upon contact with the boiling soup, she gently stirred it with a soup spoon, making the fish soup turn white and delicious in an instant.
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