Liu Jingze, holding a bowl and a spoon, said, "Grandma, Hongmei, let me show you if you like the taste of this cilantro."
"This is the taste. So it's called cilantro? Your great-grandfather used to make me a bowl of noodles with this in it. But after I went to the battlefield, your great-grandfather never cooked for me again, and I never ate cilantro again."
Liu Jingze saw that his great-grandmother was still lost in her memories and didn't know what to do. After a while, the old lady came to her senses, took the bowl, and said, "Tell Hongmei that whoever likes this cilantro can put it in themselves."
"Okay, Grandma, you eat first. The food will be ready soon. Hongmei will start cooking. I'll go help."
"Go."
The old lady ate the fish balls, which still tasted the same as before. After eating them, she felt particularly comfortable, and even her younger relatives who had been injured in the past felt warm and cozy.
Zhang Hongmei ladled the fish balls into two large basins in the kitchen.
Liu Jingze came in again. "Hongmei, Grandma said that whoever likes it can put it on themselves. She likes it."
Are you cooking? I'll start the fire.
"Auntie, is the rice ready?"
"It's ripe."
"Then I'll cook the dishes?"
"Okay, you can cook it. I'll go put it on the table."
Zhang Hongmei first stir-fried the smoked meat and potatoes, and then stir-fried the fish skin last.
Liu Changhe kept pacing outside the kitchen; the smell was really strong.
The table was placed on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the old lady's room. "Hongmei sat down on the kang next to me."
"Grandma, do you like the fish balls?"
"It's delicious, just like last time. I'm not eating anything else today, just fish balls."
"The fish soup is so delicious." Liu Changhe sipped the fish soup slowly.
"I think this fish skin is really flavorful. Hongmei, you should come to our house. Grandpa loves this kind of food, and yours is just right for his taste."
"Grandpa, why don't you come with us to the capital? I'll cook for you."
"You silly girl."
Liu Aimin was so focused on eating that he realized he had eaten delicious food outside, but none of it tasted as good as what this girl made.
Liu Jingze also picked up a piece of fish skin. It tasted really good; at least to him, it was both numbing and spicy, perfect with rice. He then picked up another piece and put it in Zhang Hongmei's bowl, saying, "Try what you made yourself."
"I don't really like the texture of fish skin when I bite into it, but the taste is pretty authentic."
“Hongmei, come to our house for dinner again tomorrow. Look, your great-grandmother ate a whole extra bowl.”
"Tomorrow? If I come to your house for dinner every day, I'm afraid I'll eat all the fine grains."
"It's okay, just eat without worry. Mom, can we have fish again tomorrow? Can Hongmei make it again? I love that sauerkraut fish too."
"Hongmei, come again tomorrow and cook a nice meal for your uncle. He's been craving your pickled fish for ages." Liu Changhe's family knows their old man best.
"Okay, let's have my aunt make pancakes tomorrow. Pancakes soaked in the sauerkraut fish soup taste even better."
"Look at all you people, all you old folks and young children do is eat," the old lady complained as she ate.
"Hongmei, eat more. This mouthful of rice isn't even enough to feed the cat."
"Grandma, I want to eat more fish balls. What's the point of eating too much rice and fish balls?"
Liu Jingze served Zhang Hongmei a bowl of fish soup. "I think the fish soup is especially delicious. Hongmei, have some."
"My soup needs cilantro, and it would be even more fragrant with sesame oil."
"Hehe, we'll have someone send it to you when we get to the capital." The old lady loved Zhang Hongmei's longing expression.
"Is that possible? But it doesn't taste good when I eat alone. It only tastes good when I eat with my family."
"Hehe, bring it back when you're on vacation. We'll eat together then." Hu Aifen liked Zhang Hongmei like this.
Liu Aimin poured his father another glass of wine, and the two of them had almost finished a bottle of wine.
Liu Changhe's family immediately stopped them, saying, "You two are almost done. If you finish the wine today, there won't be any left tomorrow."
The father and son stared at their wife in surprise. "Mom," she said. "No, we've finally had such a delicious meal, don't restrict us."
Zhang Hongmei ate half a bowl of rice, a bowl of fish balls, and a bowl of fish soup, and then stopped eating.
"Aren't you going to eat the red plum?"
"I'm not eating anymore, I'm full. Jingze, you can eat more."
Liu Jingze really ate a lot: three bowls of fish balls, two bowls of soup, and one bowl of rice.
“I always eat too much when I eat Hongmei’s cooking.”
"Hehe, I'll go get you two some candied hawthorns. Hongmei, remember to take them all back with you when you go back. Your brother Jingze doesn't eat much, so don't save any for him. He can come to your house to eat them when he wants some."
"Grandma, when are we going to make hawthorn cake?"
"If you want to eat it, I'll make it for you tomorrow." Liu Changhe's family had a particularly good temper and were especially patient with Zhang Hongmei, an outsider.
"Let's make it the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll have pickled fish. We're really into dried fish now. Hehe."
Liu Aimin put down his chopsticks. "Should we go up the mountain again? Let's send more people so we can have a good New Year."
Hu Aifen pouted, "This fish doesn't taste good without oil."
"Yes, there's not much oil left in the canteen. It's oil that was skimmed off a wild boar around the Mid-Autumn Festival. We've been eating it for months, what's left?" The old lady said helplessly.
"It's better than nothing, even if it doesn't taste good. These fish balls don't have any oil in them."
"Uncle, there's no oil in this, but there are quite a few ingredients: white wine, sugar, and eggs."
"That's not particularly difficult; it's easier to find than oil."
"Hehe, Hongxi will definitely organize people to go." Liu Changhe wasn't worried at all. Given Wang Hongxi's character, she would never let this opportunity slip by.
"Then I'll go again next time."
"Go ahead, Jingze, you two go. Hongmei, how do you want the fish pickled?"
"I didn't intend to marinate it; I just wanted to cut the fish into small pieces, coat them with batter, and deep-fry them until cooked. They can be eaten directly or braised."
“Okay, I’ll help you with the work.” Hu Aifen also thought this was the best approach.
"Hongmei, do you have enough oil left?" The old lady wondered how much oil the girl had left after frying the twisted dough sticks.
"Grandma, I still have some left, don't worry, it's enough."
"Your aunt made you a new quilt. You'll have to prepare your own food. There's a bag of flour and half a bag of rice at home."
“I have just as many, don’t worry. Before I left, I asked my aunt to make pancakes with me, and we ate them in the car.”
"If you figure it out yourself, then you're good to go. Just tell me what you want, and I might have it right here."
"I'd like to add some five-spice powder when frying fish, do you have any?"
"There are no seasonings. You'll have to figure it out yourself. All we have at home are Sichuan peppercorns and star anise."
"That works too. You can stir-fry the peppercorns and star anise until they're dry, then crush them. You can marinate the fish pieces overnight."
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