"Brother Jingze, the heavy lifting is up to you now. First, chop off the fish head, then pick the fish meat off the bones. I'll peel the skin off."
"Okay." Liu Jingze followed Zhang Hongmei's instructions and removed the meat from both fish. Zhang Hongmei also peeled off the fish skin.
"I'll stir-fry the fish skin with scallions and add plenty of chili peppers for Grandpa and Uncle to have with their drinks. They'll definitely love it."
There are two ways to eat this fish.
"Yes, it can also be used to make sauerkraut fish. But let's not make it today because Grandma doesn't feel comfortable eating something too spicy."
"Alright, now it's your turn, the most important one. Use the back of the knife to mince the meat into a paste, the finer the better."
"Alright, just you wait and see. Although I don't have Dashan's skills, I can work slowly." This had become Liu Jingze's obsession. He really couldn't accept Zhang Hongmei praising others; it hurt him deeply.
"Then take your time. Slow and steady wins the race. I'm going to prepare the ingredients." Zhang Hongmei said as she left the kitchen. "Auntie, do you still have any flour or starch at home?"
"Yes, I'll go find it for you. Your aunt is making you a cotton-padded jacket."
"Are you making me clothes again? I have several. I'll go inside and take a look."
"Auntie, I'm coming in."
"Hongmei, come quick! Isn't it beautiful?"
"Wow! It's so beautiful, Auntie, your craftsmanship is amazing." It was a light red printed silk cotton-padded jacket with a side opening and flower-shaped buttons.
Zhang Hongmei originally intended to refuse, but she saw some cotton-padded jackets and really liked them, so she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"Auntie, I love it so much. I didn't want it at first, but now I can't even walk away."
"How could I not want it? This was made especially for you, so try it on quickly. Go show it to your great-grandmother; she was the one who chose this fabric."
"Then I'll shamelessly accept it. I'm going to wash my hands; they all smell fishy."
Zhang Hongmei hurriedly went outside to wash her hands, then went inside to change into a red cotton-padded jacket with a side opening.
"Jun, you're so handsome! You were already fair-skinned, but you look even better now. Let me hold up a mirror for you to look in."
Looking at herself in the mirror, Zhang Hongmei thought she was truly beautiful (especially her face).
"Go and show this to your great-grandmother right away. I have a piece of green silk here that I'm going to use to make a dress for you. Your great-grandmother said you have to wear this dress to wish her a Happy New Year and she has to take a picture of it for you."
As Zhang Hongmei stepped out of the house, she saw Liu Jingze rushing out with a kitchen knife in his hand.
Liu Jingze was startled by the scream from his mother's room. Just as he was about to go and see what was going on, he saw Zhang Hongmei, who was as beautiful as an angel, come out and stared at her for a moment.
"Jingze, doesn't Hongmei look good in this dress?"
"She's beautiful, and she's even more beautiful." Liu Jingze woke up. He knew before that this girl was pretty, but she always wore drab clothes. She was so stunning in such bright and beautiful clothes now.
"Hehe, my son has good taste."
Zhang Hongmei didn't answer, but went into the old lady's room. "Grandma, how is it?"
"Beautiful, absolutely beautiful, much more beautiful than your mother."
"I really love it, but pairing it with a green skirt is a bit... something, isn't it?"
"What do you know? You'll find out when you put the dress on after it's finished."
"Okay, I'll trust your judgment this time."
"Hehe, I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice."
"Yes, yes, I believe you."
"Remember to take photos when you go back to the city, then have Jianguo and the others pick them up and bring them to me."
"You miss me that much? Why don't I not go and stay in the village with you?"
"Get out of here. I like this dress, but I can't wear it myself, so I'm making you wear it for me."
"Yes, yes, yes, you like clothes."
Liu Jingze stood at the doorway, watching the two interact, a genuine smile spreading across his face. He then turned and went back into the kitchen to continue working.
Zhang Hongmei returned to Liu Aimin's room, changed her clothes, and said, "Auntie, put this aside for now. I'll wear it when the dress is finished."
"Okay, I'll go get the rice. We'll have refined grains today. I'll also stir-fry some cured pork and potatoes later. With fish and meat, it's a good day."
"You can just wait to eat today, I'll cook."
“No way, your great-grandmother would be upset with you and scold me. Come on, let’s go together.”
Zhang Hongmei looked at the fish and said, "Jingze, this is fine. Put them all in the bowl."
"Auntie, I'd like some white wine, sugar, flour, two eggs, and half a bowl of goat milk."
"Okay, I'll go find it for you right away. Your grandpa's going to bring the goat milk this morning."
Zhang Hongmei chopped the scallions, put them in a bowl, mashed them, added some water, then poured the scallion water into a basin, added salt, sugar, a small cup of white wine, and a drop of vinegar.
Use only the egg whites, dissolve the flour in warm water, and pour it into the fish bowl. "Brother Jingze, now it's your turn. Stir vigorously until the fish becomes firm."
"Okay." Liu Jingze took the chopsticks and stirred vigorously.
Zhang Hongmei lit a fire, filled a pot halfway with water, added scallions, ginger slices, and a few peppercorns, and then put in the fish head that had been split in half and the fish bones that had been cut.
"Hongmei, take a look. I think this fish is ready."
"Okay, then cover it with the lid and wait until the fish soup is cooked and cooled before making the fish balls."
"Then I'll start a fire."
Once the fish soup turned milky white, half a bowl of goat milk was added. Liu Jingze was then instructed to simmer it over low heat.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were also scooping rice from another stove, looking at the two little ones with smiles that made their eyes disappear.
Another half hour passed. "Brother Jingze, you can stop cooking now. I can start making fish balls in half an hour."
Why wait until it's cold?
"If you poach the fish balls in hot water, they will fall apart."
"So that's how it is."
"Auntie, where are the potatoes? I'll chop all the vegetables now and we can stir-fry them in a bit. Also, I need some dried chili peppers so I can stir-fry the fish skin for my uncle and grandpa later."
"No need for you, I can cut it myself. Just tell me how much you want it cut," Liu Jingze volunteered.
His mother and grandmother felt a pang of sadness; this boy used to never even step into the kitchen, but now he's doing it quite well.
Half an hour later, Zhang Hongmei washed her hands and secretly added a drop of spiritual spring water, stirring it continuously with one hand. "Brother Jingze, you can start a fire now, but it can't be a big fire."
Zhang Hongmei used her left hand to grab fish meat, and her right hand to use a spoon to scrape off the fish balls squeezed out by her left hand, then put them into the pot, repeating this action continuously. Until the whole bowl of fish meat had been poached into balls, and the pot was almost full of soup and fish balls.
Zhang Hongmei picked up a bowl, put a small pinch of chopped pickled vegetables in it, scooped out a few meatballs and a spoonful of soup. "Jingze, go and give this to Grandma, let her taste it and see if she likes the flavor of cilantro. Actually, it would be even more perfect if there was sesame oil."
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