Chapter 36 Catching Fish
After learning from the Huang family's lesson, Zhao was smart this time. The next day, she asked Song Jinsheng to go to Dongming Village to inquire about the Wu family and Wu Wei's situation.
Dongming Village is quite far from Rongshu Village, in the opposite direction of Shili Village. It would take more than two hours to go there alone. Adding the time spent gathering information, I’m afraid I won’t be able to get home until tomorrow afternoon.
Zhao went to Dazhu's house in the village before dawn, and used his stone mill to grind five liters of brown rice flour in exchange for half a liter of brown rice.
After returning home, I kneaded the dough and boiled ten brown rice cakes in a pot.
The brown rice cakes were dry and hard, and did not taste as smooth as brown rice porridge. The family shared four cakes with the porridge in the morning, and wrapped the other six in oil paper for Song Jinsheng to take with him as dry food on the road. In addition, he was given ten cents so that he could get a ride if he got tired on the road.
Song Yuntang quietly watched everything Zhao did, and felt slightly touched in his heart.
My parents passed away early in my previous life, and I lived alone for many years with no one caring about me.
Now she has such a group of family members who care about her, giving her an extremely subtle sense of warmth.
"Actually, there's no need to rush my marriage. My second brother is two years older than me."
Without thinking, Zhao waved her hand and said, "That won't work. We have already agreed on it. Only when your marriage is settled can mother feel at ease."
After she finished speaking, she washed her hands and went back to her room to embroider her handkerchief.
These handkerchiefs are the family’s biggest income this year, so they must be treated with care.
Song Yuntang had nothing to do, so he went to the mountains with his two younger brothers.
The brothers Zhuzi and Zhuanzi looked quite reserved when they went out with Song Yuntang for the first time.
"Sister, do you really know wild vegetables?"
asked the pillar who was walking behind with an empty basket.
Song Yuntang walked in front and said calmly, "At least I know more than you do."
As I was walking, I inadvertently looked down from the mountain and suddenly caught a glimpse of a fish flipping its head at the foot of the mountain near the river.
Song Yuntang's eyes lit up.
"Just wait for me here."
After instructing her two younger brothers, she found a long stick nearby and walked towards the river.
The water level near the shore was a little low. Even though she used a long stick to push the fish to the shore, she still couldn't reach the fish in the river when she squatted down.
But the river bank was steep and the water below was so deep that you couldn't see the bottom at a glance. Song Yuntang, who couldn't swim, didn't dare to go into the water rashly.
Seeing this, the pillars and piles came to the river together.
"Sister, hold my hand, I'll catch it." Zhuzi put down the basket in his hand, came to the river, and extended his hand to Song Yuntang.
Song Yuntang did not hesitate. She clasped Zhu's wrist with one hand and climbed up the bush closest to her with the other hand to slowly put him down.
Zhuanzi was not idle either, and he held tightly onto Song Yuntang's arm that was clinging to the bushes.
The fish had not yet completely died when it was lifted out of the water by the pillar. Song Yuntang weighed it in his hand and estimated that it weighed about four or five kilograms, enough for a good meal for the whole family.
"My second brother left at a bad time. It looks like he won't have a good time."
This fish must be eaten today. It’s so hot today, and if we leave it until tomorrow it will probably go bad.
On the other side of the river, when Song Jinyuan came to the river with a bucket, he saw the three siblings. He shouted anxiously across the river, "Tang'er, don't bring pillars and stakes near the Jingshui River. The river is deep and unsafe."
"I know, I'll leave right away." Song Yuntang put the fish into the basket and urged his two younger brothers, "You guys take the fish back first, I'll just take a look around and come back."
"good."
After Zhuzizhu left, Song Yuntang continued to wander around the periphery, passed through the forest near Jingshui River, and found a large clump of leeks on the wasteland on a hillside at the edge.
Below here are vast tracts of farmland and well rivers. There is not much vegetation on the hillside, mostly weeds. Usually, few people come here, but Song Yuntang was lucky.
She picked up a small hoe and squatted on the grass to dig leeks under the scorching sun.
Half an hour later, Song Yuntang stood up from the ground, and suddenly his eyes went dark. He almost fell down due to dizziness. The hoe in his hand fell to the ground and almost hit his feet.
He stood there for a while and then went back home through the woods carrying a large bundle of leeks.
When Zhao saw Song Yuntang coming back, she quickly put down the sewing basket in her hand and asked, "Tang'er, where did you get so many radishes?"
"On the hillside to the northeast."
She placed the radish on the long table outside the kitchen, took a dustpan and put it aside, tore off the skin of the radish, pinched off the yellow and dry leaves, and placed them neatly in the dustpan.
Zhao Qiao'e also stood beside her and helped clean up.
"Tang'er, Zhuzi Zhuangzi brought back a fish and said you caught it by the Jingshui River?"
Song Yuntang hummed, "Luckily, I saw the fish turning white, so I caught it and asked them to send it home first." She looked in Zhao's direction, "Mom, do you have a small jar at home?"
"Yes." Zhao Qiao'e wiped her hands on her apron. "I'll go wash a jar first and pickle the garlic sprouts. They can be kept for a longer time."
Song Yuntang raised the corners of his lips, "I think so too."
But she's not very good at it.
In the previous life, most of his energy was spent on studying medicine. Although he had some decent cooking skills, he had never made pickled leeks.
After all the radishes were cleaned, Zhao Qiao'e took a large wooden basin, and the mother and daughter poured most of the basin with water to wash the radishes. They cut the radish leaves and stir-fried them. As for the white radishes, they were all pickled in small jars that had been cleaned in advance.
Fortunately, Zhao Qiao'e knows how to do these things, and Song Yuntang only needs to help her. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for her to do it alone.
Song Yuntang prepared the lunch dishes, while Zhao Qiao'e was in charge of cooking. She stewed a big pot of fish soup, threw in a few wild wolfberries that she had picked in the mountains, and added a few wild vegetables, which filled the air with freshness and fragrance.
Zhao Qiao'e brought a large bowl of fish soup to the table, "Come and try the fish soup made by Tang'er, it smells delicious."
"Tang Er did this?"
After being surprised, the family picked up their chopsticks and tasted it.
"It tastes really good. I didn't expect Tang'er to have such cooking skills."
After eating and drinking, everyone went back to their rooms for a nap. Liu Xiangyun took the shoes she had made to Song Yuntang's room.
"Tang'er, your pair of shoes is already made. Try them on first to see if they fit. If they don't, I'll make some alterations for you."
Song Yuntang nodded, took off her own shoes, put on the new shoes made by Liu for her, and walked a few steps in the room.
“Just right.”
Liu smiled knowingly, "Okay, if the size is just right, then wear it." She covered her mouth and yawned, "I feel sleepy at this time every day. I'm going back to my room to rest first."
Song Yuntang nodded, "Okay."
After Liu left, she took off her new shoes and placed them on the shelf under the dressing table, then put on her old shoes again.
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