Yu Yao is now filled with regret. She should have drunk less alcohol, otherwise she wouldn't have forgotten everything.
Given Lu Ze's intelligence, it's uncertain whether there will be another chance to secretly probe the results.
Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Let's eat first; I have to go to work later.
While changing clothes in the locker room, Yu Yao bumped into Aunt Liu and greeted her with a smile, "Good morning, Aunt Liu!"
Aunt Liu pulled Yu Yao aside and said, "Yu Yao, I came here specifically to find you."
"You came here specifically to see me?" Yu Yao was taken aback, then seemed to realize something. "Is there something you need my help with?"
“It’s because of you that my little tiger has been picky about food these days and can’t eat. I’m so worried. Last night he wouldn’t eat anything again. I had no choice but to open a can of the braised ribbonfish you gave me. I didn’t expect him to like it so much. He ate two big bowls of rice with the can.”
"I came to see you today to ask if you could make some of those braised ribbonfish canned food for me." Aunt Liu said, a little embarrassed. "I know this is troubling you. I'll give you two cents per pound of ribbonfish for processing fees. I'll prepare the ingredients myself. Is that alright?"
“Why not? You’re giving me a chance to earn some extra money, I’m so grateful.” Aunt Liu had helped her a lot before, so Yu Yao wouldn’t refuse out of courtesy or reason.
Moreover, this was also a good opportunity for her to earn extra money.
For her, making braised ribbonfish was a piece of cake.
It costs two cents per pound. If you make a batch of more than ten pounds, that's more than two dollars, which is equivalent to two or three days' wages for her. Why not do it?
Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu smiled broadly and said, "Yu Yao, thank you. I'll prepare the ingredients as soon as I get home from get off work today."
"No rush, isn't the day after tomorrow Saturday? You can give it to me before you leave work on Saturday." Yu Yao looked at Aunt Liu and thought of the other aunties in the pre-processing workshop, so she added, "Aunt Liu, if any other aunties also want me to help them, they can tell me together."
"That's great! You don't know how envious Lao Liu and the others were when they found out I was coming. They also crave your cooking, but they're not as shameless as me and can't bring themselves to ask. Now that you've mentioned it, I'll tell them when I get back, and they'll be overjoyed."
After saying goodbye to Yu Yao, Aunt Liu hurriedly returned to the pre-processing workshop to announce the good news.
Yu Yao had only asked casually, just in case the other aunties felt awkward asking, but she hadn't expected them to guess right.
For her, herding one sheep or a flock of sheep is the same thing; it's all easy work, and she can even earn a little more.
Who would complain about having too much money?
On Saturday, the people in the pre-processing workshop worked extra hard, without even taking a lunch break, all in order to finish the production task as soon as possible and leave work early to go to the dock to buy fresh ribbonfish.
When it was time to leave work, Yu Yao waited for them at the agreed-upon location.
Before long, we saw Aunt Liu and her friends, each carrying a basket of fresh ribbonfish, coming over.
“Yu Yao, we’ve already processed these ribbonfish at the dock. You can take them home and cook them directly without cleaning them again.”
Looking at the cleaned ribbonfish, Yu Yao felt a warmth in her heart.
Actually, the processing she helped with included handling the ribbonfish, but Aunt Liu and the others did it for her, which saved her a lot of trouble.
"Now that it's all taken care of, I'm saved some trouble."
"Aunties and grandmas, wait for me under the biggest kapok tree between the food factory and the military compound at this time tomorrow."
After discussing the time and place for picking up the goods, Yu Yao packed the ribbonfish into the bamboo basket she had brought and rode her bicycle back to the military compound.
The compound wasn't far from the handover point; after riding for five minutes, I saw the sentries at the gate.
Back in the courtyard, Lu Ze hadn't returned from training yet.
Yu Yao took out all the prepared ribbonfish and put them in a large enamel basin to wash them with well water.
These ribbonfish weigh roughly twenty or thirty pounds, and a large pot at home can cook them all in one go.
Braised ribbonfish is not difficult to make; the challenge lies in making it delicious.
Yu Yao's braised ribbonfish was inspired by and improved upon the recipe of Fang Qiaoqiao's mother, Aunt Lei. She not only added yellow lantern chili sauce, but also used some unique island herbs, along with her specially made braising sauce.
The braised ribbonfish I made was absolutely delicious, and it goes perfectly with rice. Everyone who's tried it loves it.
Marinate the cleaned ribbonfish with salt, fruit wine, and ginger slices. This step can remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor of the fish.
After marinating for 15 minutes, heat oil in a cold pan and fry the marinated ribbonfish pieces until golden brown on both sides.
All the fried ribbonfish were put into a bamboo basket and set aside for later use.
The next step, and the key to making delicious braised ribbonfish, is the braising sauce.
The pre-mixed sauce, cooked in hot oil, released a rich and enticing aroma that could be smelled from several courtyards away.
The people in the old family compound are used to it now; as soon as they smell this aroma, they know that Commander Lu's wife has cooked something delicious again.
One military dependent family member, whose members weren't very good at cooking, simply sat on the doorstep with a bowl of rice in their hands and ate while enjoying the aroma in the air.
After heating the sauce, Yu Yao poured the ribbonfish from the bamboo basket into it, along with the island's unique yellow lantern chili sauce.
This chili sauce is fragrant and spicy, but although it's spicy, it's not likely to cause internal heat.
Thinking that the children and the elderly would eat more, Yu Yao didn't dare to add too much, only a little to enhance the flavor.
Once the braised ribbonfish has cooled in the pot, it can be canned.
As for canned fish, food factories have those.
If the workers need it, they can just go to the supplies department to buy it. Employees get a discount; a can of food costs only one cent.
The empty cans can also be used as storage bottles, which are very convenient for storing candied oranges or other snacks without wrappers.
Aunt Liu and the others had already bought it and delivered it to the military compound for Yu Yao, so she could just use it now.
Yu Yao was halfway through filling the cans when she saw Lu Ze return.
Thinking about what happened last night, she felt a little embarrassed and kept telling herself, "You drank yourself into oblivion last night and don't remember anything."
I had to repeat it several times before I felt a little better.
Lu Ze walked into the kitchen and looked at the pot full of braised ribbonfish, somewhat surprised, "Why did you make so many ribbonfish?"
Seeing that he didn't mention what happened last night, Yu Yao breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "This was processed by Aunt Liu and the others. They gave me two cents for each pound of ribbonfish. I can earn more than three yuan from this pot, enough to buy five or six pounds of pork."
Lu Ze wanted to say that with the family's financial situation, she didn't need to work so hard, but seeing the genuine smile on her face, he felt he shouldn't say anything more.
Since she's willing, let's do it.
At worst, I'll help her more and make her work less hard.
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