After driving around the shrimp pond and orchard, Chen Zhiyao didn't go home, but went straight to the old house.
Today was a rare day without going out to sea, so Grandpa Chen spent the whole day in the orchard.
In the morning, I repaired the damaged fence in the orchard, and in the afternoon, I tidied up the overgrown weeds along the banks of the shrimp pond.
The cut weeds were all thrown into the orchard.
The tasty wild grass was quickly eaten by the fluffy chicks, and what was left that couldn't be eaten became nutrients for the lychee and mango trees.
The price of free-range chickens is extremely high at the end of the year, so Grandma Chen plans to raise a batch of chickens to sell at the end of the year.
However, it's too early to start raising them now. Grandma Chen is currently raising a batch of feed chickens for a shorter period of time.
In three or four months, after this batch of chickens is sold, another batch of authentic free-range chickens will be raised for the Chinese New Year.
Now, in the orchard, apart from a few roosters, some young chicks kept for their own consumption, and some old hens that lay eggs, the rest are all newly caught chicks.
More than 200 fluffy little creatures—it's quite a sight.
They look cute, but they're really noisy, chattering away, driving Chen Zhiyao crazy.
Grandpa Chen threw the weeds in his hand into the orchard, and turned around to see Chen Zhiyao driving over on her electric scooter.
The old man stepped forward with a smile and asked, "Tangtang, what brings you here?"
"You promised to cook a big meal for you tonight, so I came over to the vegetable garden to pick some vegetables. Grandpa, could you catch a big rooster for me?"
Today she plans to cook a chicken in two ways: one half as salt-baked shredded chicken and the other half as a conch and abalone chicken stew.
The baby chickens are too small; the roosters would be just right.
She had already decided on the dinner menu: a big rooster. But she was too scared to catch it.
"No problem, I'll catch you the biggest one."
As he spoke, Grandpa Chen turned and went into the storage room, and soon came out with a large net.
While Grandpa Chen was catching the rooster, Chen Zhiyao casually picked up a dozen or so free-range eggs in the orchard.
She had a lot of oysters at home and had originally planned to make oyster omelets.
However, considering that we already have three main dishes—conch and abalone chicken stew, salt-baked shredded chicken, and mixed fish stew—we decided to switch to vermicelli and scallops.
"Oysters don't keep well, so why don't we take the meat out and cook it together with the mixed fish stew?"
The family orchard is very large, and the roosters that roam there every day are all very agile.
Grandpa Chen went through a lot of trouble to catch a rooster that weighed more than three pounds.
At this moment, the old man's head and clothes were covered with chicken feathers, and he looked somewhat disheveled.
Just as Chen Zhiyao was about to take the rooster that was tied up, her grandfather unexpectedly dodged it.
"Tangtang, would you dare to kill a chicken yourself?"
Looking at the rooster staring directly into her eyes, Chen Zhiyao suddenly stopped, and said in a low voice with a guilty look:
"No, Grandpa, could you please help me with this?"
Grandpa had originally intended to help prepare the chicken, so he immediately smiled and agreed:
"Okay, okay, I'll feed the shrimp and chicken here, and then we'll go home together."
"Grandpa, you're the best."
The grandfather and grandson quickly fed all the shrimp in the shrimp pond and the chicks in the orchard.
Before leaving, Chen Zhiyao also visited Grandma Chen's carefully tended vegetable garden.
There weren't many vegetables in the garden at that time, so she went straight to the cabbage patch where the cabbages were growing the best. The cabbages in the patch were growing very well, each one round and plump, looking particularly fresh and vibrant.
Knowing there would be plenty of food for dinner, she specifically chose the smallest cabbage, as she was afraid she wouldn't be able to finish the larger ones.
She casually tossed the old, fallen leaves from the cabbage into the orchard, leaving only the tender inner parts.
Then I picked some scallions, ginger, and garlic as well.
With all the ingredients prepared, she soon drove Grandpa Chen home.
The grandfather and grandson each sat on a small stool, busy working at the water tap in the yard.
In front of Grandpa Chen was a large rooster that had been scalded with hot water, and he was busy plucking its feathers.
In front of Chen Zhiyao was a half-basin of seafood, including scallops, whelks, abalone, clams, and oysters.
In addition, there were quite a few small fish in the pool waiting for her to deal with.
Conch, abalone, and clams—this is meant to be used together with chicken to make a conch, abalone, and chicken stew.
The oysters need to have their meat removed; we'll use it to make a mixed fish stew later. The remaining scallops will naturally be used to make steamed scallops with vermicelli.
Just as Chen Zhiyao finished processing the seafood, Grandpa Chen also turned a whole chicken into a large bowl of fresh chicken pieces.
Although the old man can't cook, he's quick and good at preparing ingredients.
Chen Zhiyao was the head chef, and her grandfather assisted her. The two worked together very well and made six dishes and a soup in an hour and a half.
Salt-baked shredded chicken, conch and abalone chicken stew, mixed fish stew, vermicelli and scallops, hand-shredded cabbage, and Shi Jiugong tofu soup.
Every time a dish is prepared, Ah Huang and Xue Tuan would excitedly call out, their mouths practically watering.
The two little ones could only look but not eat, while Chen Weiqiang, who returned early, had almost eaten his fill under the guise of tasting the food.
As soon as the last dish came out of the oven, Grandma Chen and Yan Shuting returned, urged by Chen Weiqiang.
As soon as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law entered the yard, they smelled an enticing aroma of seafood.
Upon entering the room and seeing a table laden with delicious-looking dishes, everyone gave Chen Zhiyao a thumbs up. The moment the conch, abalone, and chicken stew with vermicelli, scallops, and hand-shredded cabbage were served, everyone's mouths were filled with sweet words, showering her with compliments.
"Tangtang, you're amazing! The food looks, smells, and tastes delicious. You've truly inherited the skills of your mother and grandmother." Chen Weiqiang praised her even before they had tasted the food.
Grandma Chen happily placed a large chicken leg on her granddaughter's plate, saying, "Our Tangtang has surpassed her mother in skill; she could be a head chef."
Yan Shuting also placed a plump abalone on her daughter's plate, praising it sincerely:
"The taste is really good. It would be even better if we could eat this more often."
"No problem, I'll cook a big meal for everyone next time we're not at sea."
"The capable should do more. Next year's New Year's Eve dinner will be in your hands as the new head chef."
"It's not impossible. I'll be the head chef, and you can help me out, Mom."
"No problem, I'll help you out."
Chen Zhiyao was quickly tricked by her mother again amidst the praise.
"By the way, how was the fishing this afternoon? If it was good, I'd like to go fishing with you guys tonight."
Speaking of this, Yan Shuting gets angry.
"It's not that great. The village is so small, and almost everyone in the village knows where you can fish."
"Recently, whether it's the dock or the secret base, there have been a lot of people fishing there. All the fish in the vicinity have already been fished out."
"Last night was alright, but today was not so good. I fished all day and only earned 300 yuan."
300 yuan is actually quite a lot, but fishing was so profitable before that Yan Shuting's appetite gradually grew.
Grandma Chen placed a small chicken leg on her daughter-in-law's plate and comforted her gently:
"You've already calculated all that; I only made 200 yuan. Earning 200 or 300 yuan a day is already pretty good; it's much more profitable than running a small shop before."
After being comforted by Grandma Chen, Yan Shuting cheered up and, right after dinner, dragged her whole family to go fishing.
Chen Zhiyao felt the fishing wasn't going well today, so she decided to take a walk on the white sand beach.
When I went out, I also took a bucket and tongs, planning to pick up some small seafood on the way back.
Every time she goes to the beach, she feels like she's missing out if she doesn't bring back some seafood.
I personally love this kind of heartwarming everyday life. Are there any other fans who enjoy watching slice-of-life videos?
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