Many hands make light work. In the same half hour, Qin Xiaoxiao only caught seven or eight crayfish by herself, but Qin Ergou and the other kids caught forty or fifty crayfish in an instant, making Qin Xiaoxiao jump for joy.
The children spent more than an hour catching fruit candies. When they left, almost everyone had about ten fruit candies. Qin Xiaoxiao even gave Qin Ergou two extra fruit candies to thank him for leading the way in helping.
Qin Xiaoxiao had just finished packing her things and was about to go back when Su Lu arrived first.
“When I got off work, I didn’t see you at home. I thought you went to Grandma’s, but Grandma didn’t know where you were either. I searched for a long time and asked several people before I finally found you. What made you come to the river? Have you forgotten about falling into the ice in winter? Don’t come to the river so often in the future.”
Su Lu muttered to himself as he carried the bucket, and when he saw the crayfish inside, he couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"You came to the river just to fish for this?"
Qin Xiaoxiao nodded, holding Su Lu's arm. "That's right, I paid nearly three pounds of candy for these crayfish."
Qin Xiaoxiao held up her fingers and proudly raised her chin.
Su Lu rolled his eyes. "Are these junk items worth three pounds of fruit candy? Which one is more and which one is less? Honey, can't you do math?"
"Want some? Fine, I'll fish for you next time I'm home. It's not worth spending three pounds of fruit candy for so little!"
Qin Xiaoxiao pouted, "That's because you've never eaten spicy crayfish. Wait until I make it, and I guarantee it'll be so delicious you'll swallow your tongue."
Su Lu rolled her eyes again. "How could I not have eaten it? I ate a lot of this stuff when I was a kid. It's not tasty at all. The shell is hard and dirty, and there's hardly any meat. It's hard to peel. If my family hadn't been so poor when I was a kid that we couldn't afford meat, this thing would at least be considered meat. Otherwise, who would eat this? Now people in the village use it to feed chickens."
Qin Xiaoxiao continued to purse her lips, "Hehe, just you wait. Once I turn it into a delicious dish, you'll know whether these three pounds of fruit candy flowers are worth it."
After saying that, Qin Xiaoxiao stopped waiting for Su Lu and skipped towards the educated youth compound with her hands behind her back.
Su Lu watched Qin Xiaoxiao's retreating figure, then shook his head with a smile.
"He's still a child!"
The two quickly returned home, one after the other. Qin Xiaoxiao tossed Su Lu a brush and then directed him to clean the crayfish. She then ran outside to pick a lot of edamame to cook and eat.
There wasn't time to cook the peanuts. She and Su Lu didn't grow peanuts in their private plot, and if they wanted to eat them, they would have to go back to the Qin family's private plot to pick them, which was too much trouble. She was too lazy to go.
Edamame is cooked in three minutes after the water boils. Qin Xiaoxiao put the seasonings in while the water was boiling: Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, coarse salt, two bay leaves, and finally some cumin.
After the edamame was cooked, it was taken out and set aside. Su Lu's crayfish were also almost cleaned and the shrimp veins were removed. Qin Xiaoxiao checked them and found that they met all the standards before starting to prepare to make spicy crayfish.
First, take out two bottles of beer from the space and set them aside. Then, stir-fry ginger, scallions, garlic, dried chili peppers, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and bay leaves in heated soybean oil until fragrant. Next, add fermented bean paste, then pour the cleaned crayfish into the pot and stir-fry over high heat. Finally, pour beer into the pot.
Since there were a lot of crayfish, Qin Xiaoxiao poured in most of a bottle of beer, added a little water, and then added soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, and sugar to taste. She covered the pot and simmered it over high heat for 20 minutes, then uncovered it and cooked it for another 10 minutes. Finally, she reduced the sauce over high heat, and a spicy and fragrant crayfish dish was ready.
Carrying a bowl of crayfish out of the kitchen, she looked smugly at Su Lu, who was already swallowing his saliva, and asked, "How is it? Delicious, isn't it?"
Su Lu's eyes never left the wok when Qin Xiaoxiao was stir-frying various seasonings, and he stayed by her side without leaving her side when she was braising the crayfish. Now that the crayfish was done, Su Lu's eyes were practically green with envy.
Nodding repeatedly, Su Lu swallowed twice more. "It smells good, wife, can we eat now?"
Qin Xiaoxiao smiled and placed the crayfish on the table, gesturing for Su Lu to take off his shoes and get on the kang (heated brick bed).
Having received permission, Su Lu could no longer hold back. He quickly took off his shoes, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and sat down, waiting for Qin Xiaoxiao's order.
Qin Xiaoxiao first poured out one-third of the crayfish, then placed two bottles of beer on the table. "Crayfish and beer, that's the perfect match."
He pushed the cooked edamame towards Su Lu, saying, "You eat first, I'll take some to my grandparents to try."
Su Lu, who was about to pick up his chopsticks, quickly got out of bed and put on his shoes when he heard this. "You eat first, I'll go and take it to Grandpa and Grandma."
Qin Xiaoxiao quickly stopped him, "No, you've had a long day at work, eat quickly, I'll deliver it, and I'll also check if my uncle and brother are back yet?"
Su Lu looked completely bewildered. "Aren't Grandpa and Brother home? Where did they go?"
Qin Xiaoxiao then remembered that she hadn't told Su Lu about Doctor Liu breaking his leg.
"Dr. Liu broke his leg while collecting herbs in the mountains. My uncle and my brother took him to the county hospital in a tractor. It was in the morning, and we don't know if he's back yet."
"Alright, you eat first, I'll be right back."
Su Lu stopped trying to stop him. The aroma of the crayfish was making his mouth water, and he couldn't resist any longer. "Alright, I'll eat first. You go and come back quickly."
Su Lu glanced at the sky again. "It's still light out. It'll be dark soon. Although the village is quite safe, you still need to be careful and not come back too late."
Qin Xiaoxiao agreed and carried the basin out of the educated youth compound.
The Qin family had just started eating. Qin Feng and Qin Ye hadn't returned yet. There were only four women in the house besides Qin Aiguo, so the meal was simple. Ma Dahua made noodles, and the meat sauce that Qin Xiaoxiao had sent over a few days ago was perfect for mixing with the noodles.
Qin Xiaoxiao arrived just in time. She placed the basin on the table and said with a smile, "You've come at the perfect moment. I caught some crayfish during the day and made spicy crayfish for dinner. Grandpa and Grandma, do you like it?"
Qin Aiguo and his grandmother had already smelled the aroma; the fragrance was so strong it went straight into their noses, making them unable to resist swallowing their saliva.
Grandma Qin peered into the basin; it was a bright red color.
"Why did you suddenly think of eating this? I never ate it when I was a kid, I thought there wasn't enough meat and it was too much trouble. You only started eating it now that you're married?"
What's wrong? Can't make ends meet? Are you out of money?
"Grandma has money, Grandma will give you money. Tomorrow, I'll have Su Lu buy a pound of meat, and Grandma will make you braised pork."
Grandma Qin's words deeply moved Qin Xiaoxiao, who hugged and kissed her repeatedly, saying, "My dear grandma, I love you so much, you're the best person in the world to me."
Grandma Qin wiped her face in disgust and glared at Qin Xiaoxiao. "You've got saliva all over my face. Get away from me and stop shaking me. It's making me dizzy."
Qin Xiaoxiao clung to Old Mrs. Qin, refusing to let go. "No, I'll keep holding you, I'd rather die than let go." (End of Chapter)
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