Seeing that the two kinds of shrimp were almost ready, Tian Sangui started preparing scallions, ginger and garlic, and first soaked the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies in warm water.
"Wang Erwa, come help me start the fire!"
Wang Erwazi, who was squatting outside, immediately got up and went into the kitchen, as he was best at starting fires.
"Oh, you're running low on firewood. Do you have any in the backyard? I'll go and bring you two bundles."
"Oh, okay, there are pine needles in the shack in the backyard. Bring some over so you can use them as kindling."
Tian Sangui wiped his hands on his apron and shouted instructions to Wang Erwazi, who had leaped out of the room.
"Got it!" came a reply from afar, disappearing at the threshold of the backyard.
Taking advantage of this moment, Tian Sangui quickly bought the necessary items from Fei Wangwang's store.
To prevent Wang Erwa from seeing that some items were not from this era, she didn't even have time to haggle and hurriedly paid directly.
After closing the shop, she did a rough calculation: rapeseed oil, hot pot base, broad bean paste, beer, chicken essence, light soy sauce, and five-spice powder—these cost her three hundred coins!
Especially beer, a small can costs a hundred coins, oh my god, it's so expensive it makes her heart ache.
Back then, a can cost at most five yuan, but here it's dozens of times more expensive—it's outrageous!
They are all essential for cooking, but there's nothing we can do about it. We can only try to earn more money in the future to maintain the raw material prices that are higher than those of this era.
Wang Erwa carried two bundles of thick wild pear tree branches on his shoulder, and a bundle of firewood with pine needles tucked under his arm. He tilted his head and dragged the firewood into the kitchen.
Tian Sangui put aside his heartache and began preparing the spicy crayfish.
Wang Erwazi started the fire, and Tian Sangui put rapeseed oil into the pot, making sure the oil covered about half of the bottom of the pot.
Heat the oil, add the cleaned crayfish, deep-fry for half a minute, then remove and set aside.
Next, add scallions, ginger, garlic, hot pot base, and broad bean paste. Then add the previously soaked Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies, and stir-fry evenly with a wooden spoon until fragrant.
"Wow, San Gui, you're really good at this!"
Wang Erwazi's mouth watered at the aroma; it was the first time in his life he had ever smelled such a delicious fragrance.
The difference between his mother's cooking and the shrimp he made was like heaven and earth. Now he was even more looking forward to the bowl of river shrimp that Tian Sangui had promised him.
"This is nothing. Once it's cooked, it'll be so delicious you won't be able to stop eating it."
Tian Sangui smiled and continued with his work.
Beer in the pot: "Turn up the fire!"
Wang Erwa immediately did as instructed: "Okay!"
Once the beer boils, add a handful of sugar, then add chicken bouillon, light soy sauce, and five-spice powder, and stir-fry evenly.
Finally, add the main ingredient, crayfish, and a ladle of hot water. Bring to a boil over high heat for a while, then uncover, add cucumber chunks, turn off the heat, cover, and simmer for half an hour before serving!
The bright red crayfish are ready to be served. Take a bite and you'll find the meat tender and flavorful, with a spicy and numbing sensation that will linger on your lips—it's incredibly delicious and satisfying.
"It smells so good! My goodness, this is the first time I've ever known that shrimp is so delicious."
"San Gui, you're so clever! My mother has lived most of her life and never could make something this delicious. You're so talented!"
Wang Erwazi was sucking on a shrimp tail, a word of praise tucked into his lips.
Hearing this, Tian Sangui couldn't help but smile. Who doesn't love nice words? It proved that her cooking skills were really good.
Tian Sangui felt relaxed and didn't dwell on Fei Wangwang's swindling of his money. He had promised to give him a bowl of food, but in his good mood, he turned it into a large soup bowl and filled it with lobsters, telling him to go back and enjoy it slowly!
Wang Erwazi was overjoyed and made a promise to Tian Sangui while holding the big bowl.
"I'll go catch more from the river tomorrow. I'll process them for you and then give them to you. There are tons of these in the river, more than you can eat!"
That's such a great relationship, you can brag about it until you don't want to eat anymore, it's just too blissful.
"Okay, if you have anything else, bring it to me and let me see it. If you can't eat it, you can throw it back into the river!"
"Alright, I'm going home now. If you need anything in the future, just come and call me under the jujube tree. I can help you with the work!"
Wang Erwa was overjoyed. From then on, he was willing to help Tian Sangui with all her work. Just seeing her smile made him content.
"Pfft, okay, I'll ask you for help from now on!"
"Go back quickly!"
Her brothers will be back from the fields soon, and if they see Wang Erwa laughing incessantly in front of her, they'll surely pick up their hoes and beat him.
She had only meant well by bringing him food, and she couldn't let him suffer a beating from his brothers because of a misunderstanding; that would be a terrible mistake on her part.
"Let's go! I'll be waiting for you under the jujube tree tomorrow!"
Wang Erwazi skipped away, then turned back to wave goodbye to Tian Sangui at the door.
If his mother heard what Wang Erwazi said, she would be furious. Usually, when she asked him to help with chores, Wang Erwazi would ignore her. If she got annoyed, he would run outside to hide and slack off.
His mother was furious. The last time she came back from the fields, she told him not to talk to Tian Sangui anymore.
Wang Erwazi let it go in one ear and out the other, having no idea what his mother was saying.
Tian Sangui closed the door, went into the kitchen, and cooked the remaining vegetables.
When my family members returned home around the same time, they were immediately drawn to a large bowl of brightly colored calamari on the square table as soon as they entered the yard.
As I approached the table, the aroma filled my nostrils, and my mouth involuntarily watered.
"Third Sister, what did you make? It smells delicious!"
As Tian Sangui walked to the kitchen door, she saw her second brother, his hands covered in mud, picking at a pile of crayfish.
I can't wait to try it!
"Second brother, go wash your hands first. I made spicy crayfish. We'll eat after you wash your hands!"
"What's that name? It's so long!"
"Mmm~ Delicious, ah, it smells so good! Third Sister, your cooking skills have improved!"
Tian Er didn't take Tian Sangui's words seriously. Despite the lobster being too hot to handle, he stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.
It's crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a numbing and spicy flavor that's absolutely delicious and incredibly satisfying!
Zhang watched with a smile that didn't fade, and seeing her son's hands covered in mud, she patted him on the back.
"You brat, go wash your hands! They're all dirty, how are you going to get your sister to eat?"
When Tian Sangui was mentioned, Tian Er reluctantly led Xiao Si and Xiao Wu to the kitchen door to wash them clean.
Then she went into the kitchen and helped Tian Sangui bring all the remaining dishes to the table.
Zhang carried a bowl of rice and placed it on the small wooden table behind her, serving each family member a portion of it and placing it in front of them.
After washing the pot, Tian Sangui added a ladle of water, covered it, and used the remaining embers in the stove to heat the water, making it easier to wash the dishes later.
After taking off their aprons and sitting down, the family eagerly started eating the crayfish as Zhang gave the order to begin.
They imitated Tian Er, putting the whole thing into their mouths and crunching it down with each bite, enjoying it immensely.
However, Tian Sangui frowned: "Stop, stop now, that's not how you eat it!"
The family members stopped biting and looked at Tian Sangui with puzzled expressions.
"It smells delicious! How should we eat it?"
Looking at the juicy crayfish in her hand, Zhang asked her a question.
Tian Sangui picked one up with chopsticks and held it in his hand, patiently demonstrating it to his family and explaining it to them.
"Press down on the shrimp's tail shell, then use a little force to loosen it every two segments, then press down on the shrimp's tail, push your hand towards the head, and then pull it back."
"Look, a complete shrimp tail has been produced!"
In front of his family, Tian Sangui sucked the shrimp tail into his belly, leaving the shrimp head lying on the corner of the table.
"The shrimp head is all internal organs and has no meat, so you can't eat it. You can just eat the shrimp tail!"
"Oh? That's such a waste! I think shrimp heads are delicious too!"
"No, it's too dirty. You'll easily get parasites. Just eat more shrimp tails. There will be more tomorrow. Don't feel bad about wasting them!"
Tian Sangui advised Qinpu's family that for the sake of their health, they should throw things away if necessary.
After listening to Tian Sangui's words, the family tried to eat it using her method. Their eyes lit up; it was indeed much tastier than what they had eaten before.
So, they started showing off loudly.
Unconcerned about their greasy hands, they didn't touch the rice, focusing entirely on the crayfish.
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