Chapter 42 Dried Mackerel

When she saw the three big buckets full of fat fish outside, Jiang Cuihua was dumbfounded. She, the spendthrift girl, was wasting money again.

Li Chunfang put the wooden bucket in the yard and drank some water. He took a breath and said, "Yinyin, there are only so many fish. I can't even count them. Anyway, I've spent all the money you gave me. I only have 23 cents left."

She almost ran herself ragged buying these fish today.

After saying that, Li Chunfang stuffed the remaining change into Liu Yinyin's hand.

Liu Yinyin smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, auntie. When the mackerel is dried, I'll give you two to try."

"No, just keep it for yourself. I have dried fish at home too, so you don't need to give it to me. You can return the barrel to me anytime." Li Chunfang left after delivering the things. She was in a hurry to go to another house.

Three buckets of big fish and ten pounds of lotus roots.

Jiang Cuihua felt so heartbroken when she saw this, but she didn't say anything. Everyone wants to live a good life if they have money.

Liu Yinyin smiled and said, "Mom, let's put the sweet potato vermicelli work aside and deal with these fish first."

"What to do?" Jiang Cuihua was still confused.

Liu Yinyin: "...It's too late to kill and marinate the fish today, so let's keep them overnight. Mom, please move the wooden barrel and basin from the kitchen over here. I'm afraid so many fish will die if they are squeezed into one barrel."

Jiang Cuihua went to the kitchen to get something in a daze.

The fish in the wooden barrels were still alive and it was hard to tell how many there were. Liu Yinyin had an idea and added two grass carps weighing two kilograms into each wooden barrel.

There were all kinds of fish in the bucket, including grass carp, carp, and black carp. Each fish was quite large. Liu Yinyin counted them and found that there were exactly forty fish, including the ones she smuggled from the system.

Liu Yinyin muttered, "Mom, take two back later and send two to Gu Cheng's family. Keep two at home to eat and make the rest into dried mackerel tomorrow."

There are thirty-four fish left, weighing at least seventy kilograms, more than enough for drying the fish.

Jiang Cuihua hesitated for a moment and said, "There are so many fish. Let Gu Cheng send four to his family."

Even if the couple is not around to show filial piety, people in the village will not say that they are doing anything wrong if they send a few more gifts.

Liu Yinyin: "......That's fine."

It has been a long time since I had eaten such a big fish, so Liu Yinyin wanted to cook one for dinner in the evening.

How to eat?

Liu Yinyin licked the corner of her mouth and said to Jiang Cuihua, "Mom, can you go home and get some pickled vegetables?"

Jiang Cuihua glanced at her and asked, "Want to eat pickled fish?"

Liu Yinyin nodded.

"Okay, I'll go home and get it." Jiang Cuihua responded happily. As a girl who loves sour food, she was happy.

"Please pick two fish to take back, and also take some lotus roots, otherwise we won’t be able to finish them." Liu Yinyin said.

Jiang Cuihua didn't bother to be polite with the lady, she packed two fish and two lotus roots and went home to get some pickled cabbage.

Liu Yinyin's family had all kinds of seasonings. Jiang Cuihua brought a bowl of pickled cabbage and helped kill the fish and cook...

It didn't take long before a big bowl of pickled fish was ready.

Liu Yinyin sprinkled some chopped green onions and dried chilies on it, then poured some hot oil on it, and the rich aroma immediately filled the air.

Jiang Cuihua asked curiously, "When did you become such a good cook?"

This pickled fish is so delicious. When Liu Yinyin was at home, most of the cooking work was done by her two sisters-in-law. She didn’t have many opportunities to cook, and the dishes she cooked at that time were not as delicious as they are now.

Liu Yinyin coughed lightly and said with a smile, "...Mom, I have nothing to do at home, so I spend all day worrying about food. I even asked Gu Cheng to find me a book in the county town that specifically teaches people how to cook."

In order to avoid arousing suspicion, she did ask Gu Cheng to buy her a cookbook. The original owner...had only graduated from elementary school, so she was not illiterate after all.

Jiang Cuihua was incredulous and said, "There is such a book? Rich people enjoy themselves and write down how to cook in a book."

In her eyes, only city dwellers would buy books to read, unlike those country folk, most of whom were blind.

In addition to pickled fish, Liu Yinyin also fried some wheat sprouts, and the staple food was corn cakes.

Liu Yinyin calculated the time to cook, as Gu Cheng came back a little late today.

"Mom." Gu Cheng was relieved to see Jiang Cuihua at home.

"Let's eat when we get back. The food is getting cold." Jiang Cuihua smiled.

There was braised pork in red sauce in the cafeteria today. Gu Cheng ordered one and brought it back. He opened the lid of the lunch box and put it on the table. He saw a dozen pieces of greasy braised pork in the lunch box.

"Hey!" Jiang Cuihua slapped her thigh, "If I had known you would cook braised pork, we wouldn't have made pickled fish."

Oh my God, there was braised pork and pickled fish, the food was so sumptuous that Jiang Cuihua didn't dare to eat anything.

What kind of family dares to eat like this?

Liu Yinyin directly picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in her bowl: "Mom, try it quickly, the braised pork made in the factory cafeteria is good."

Tonight's meal was indeed rich, and Liu Yinyin even regretted not steaming some white flour buns to eat.

The corn tortillas are not very good, so if you want to eat them, just enjoy them.

"Auntie Chunfang brought some fish?" Gu Cheng asked casually. When he came in, he saw the buckets and wooden basins outside were filled with fish.

"Well, I'll make dried mackerel tomorrow. I'll leave four for you, as well as some lotus roots. You can take them to your parents tomorrow."

As Liu Yinyin spoke, she picked up a piece of braised pork and ate the lean meat on the tip, leaving the fat for Gu Cheng to eat because it was too greasy and she really couldn't eat it.

Jiang Cuihua smiled happily when she saw this. She understood that a lady would love a man and save the good things for Gu Cheng to eat. After all, who doesn't like to eat greasy and fatty meat these days?

This is a wonderful misunderstanding.

Liu Yinyin suddenly thought of something and looked at Gu Cheng and asked, "By the way, how are Liu Ergou and the others?"

There was no news in the village today. However, no news is actually good news. If something really happened, Liu Ergou would not have stayed away from home for a whole day.

Gu Cheng put down his chopsticks and said, "When I went there this morning, I heard that the baby had been born, a girl. The child is fine, but the adult has lost too much blood and has lost her vitality, so she has to stay in the hospital for a few days.

He couldn't leave alone, so I left him an extra ten yuan, and when I got off work, I borrowed a few food coupons from my colleagues to deliver to him."

That's why he came back a little late.

"Alas." Jiang Cuihua sighed upon hearing this, "So his mother really doesn't care about them anymore?"

Gu Cheng said truthfully: "When I went there in the afternoon, everyone was hungry all day."

The hospital cafeteria provides meals for patients, but as Liu Ergou is a family member, he definitely needs food coupons to eat.

"What a sin! Xin Xiujuan is so confused." Jiang Cuihua felt that there was something wrong with her brain.

He only has a son and daughter-in-law by his side, but instead of treating them well, he wastes their time.

She never thought that when she gets old and sick in the future, would Yang Guizhi be willing to take care of her?