Chapter 253 Shrimp
Arya tied the small boat and the two of them climbed onto the big boat.
Erya was very generous. She held up a big black bass and asked her, "Comrade Xia, how about stewing this fish for lunch?"
Xia Zhizhi nodded, pointed at the shrimps, swimming crabs and a few scallops crawling around in the warehouse, and said bluntly, "I want to eat this too!"
Arya doted on her very much. She picked out the big ones and filled a steamer with them, and also picked out a few other fish.
When the fish were being cleaned, Xia Zhizhi squatted beside them and watched. As long as the fish tasted good when eaten raw, Erya would give her a few slices for her to taste.
Oil, salt and seasonings are not cheap these days. For ordinary people, there is no need to think about frying or the like. The main cooking methods are stewing, boiling and stir-frying.
Erya lit the stove and wiped the inside of the pot with an oilcloth to fry it. She then threw some green onions and ginger in, put the cleaned fish on it, added a little water, and put a steamer full of shrimps, crabs and shells on top, and then another steamer full of coarse grains as the staple food.
Xia Zhizhi asked Ah Ju to take out ten steamed buns made of 200g of flour from the big bag on his back and asked Erya to heat them up together, as her membership fee.
Each person can get one, and the extra one will be given to Erya.
After the water boils, simmer for about ten minutes and it’s almost done. The shrimps and crabs are cooked, and the fish soup below is almost done.
Perhaps it was because the ingredients were fresh enough that Xia Zhizhi thought the food tasted good even without any seasoning, just steamed or boiled, retaining its original flavor.
The fishermen had a general feeling about seafood and preferred the steamed buns made of two-grain flour that Xia Zhizhi brought. Seeing that she liked to eat shrimps and crabs, the others basically left them untouched and gave them all to her.
Ah Ju peeled the shrimps for her, making sure every piece was intact. She dipped them in the sauce that Er Ya prepared for her, and ate them one by one, not being too satisfied.
Erya originally wanted to help Xia Zhizhi peel the shrimps. This thing is very tiring and it is really hard to do without some skills. Looking at Xia Zhizhi's fingers, I'm afraid that a pinch would make a hole. Fortunately, this man is very capable, so Erya doesn't have to worry about it.
Erya held a steamed bun made of two cups of flour in her hands, sat next to Xia Zhizhi, and ate it slowly. She said to Xia Zhizhi enthusiastically, "Eat it first. If it's not enough, I'll steam another basket for you. I just saw a few octopuses in the small warehouse. Let's catch them and steam them together. They're not bad either, and you don't have to peel them."
Nowadays, for fishermen, as long as they go out to sea, they eat fish and shrimp every day. They have already eaten enough. It is not that they love eating fish every day, but they simply have no choice. They are not craving for it at all.
But fine grains are still very precious and worth savoring slowly.
Seeing how considerate Erya was, she took out a small jar of sauce made by Yang Yingxu from her backpack and said, "This is the sauce made by my friend. It tastes pretty good. Why don't you try it with this steamed bun?"
As soon as the lid is opened, the fragrant aroma of beef sauce hits you.
With such a large jar of oil, Erya was thinking, how long can it last for cooking?
Erya carefully picked up a little bit of it and put it on the steamed bun and tasted it.
The sauce is rich and has a very rich taste.
Xia Zhizhi broke her steamed bun open, put a layer of beef sauce in it and handed it to Erya.
Erya widened her eyes and looked at the steamed bun moistened with red oil. Isn’t this too luxurious?
She took it, took a bite, chewed and swallowed it carefully in her mouth, then her face slowly turned red, her eyes became moist, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Spicy.
Xia Zhizhi likes spicy food, so Xiao Yang naturally caters to her taste and puts chili peppers in all the sauces, which is suitable for people who often eat spicy food.
But for people who never eat spicy food, it is like putting fire in their mouths.
Amount...
Xia Zhizhi asked her, "How about eating it with coarse grains or mixing it with fish?"
Erya rejected Xia Zhizhi's proposal.
Although it is spicy, the taste of fine grains, oil, meat and sauce is really delicious. Mixing it with other things would defile it!
Erya passed the steamed bun to her parents and brother. Each of them took a bite and chewed the rest slowly.
His eyes narrowed into small crescents, and he sighed sincerely: "It would be great if I could eat steamed bread like this every day, no, every month."
After eating the steamed bun, Erya laughed and drooled, and said to her mother: "When I make money in the future, I will make you this spicy sauce steamed bun every birthday. I guarantee you will be full!"
Her mother smiled and patted her head.
Xia Zhizhi gave the jar of beef sauce to Erya.
Erya was embarrassed to accept it.
Xia Zhizhi said, "Why should I be embarrassed? We are friends. Why don't you steam a few more crabs for me later?"
After dinner, Erya steamed another basket of crabs for Xia Zhizhi. She sat at the bow of the boat, enjoying the breeze and slowly gnawing on the crab legs. She felt so comfortable.
Today's harvest was pretty good, and it wasn't too late to go back. Erya and the others had to go to the team to hand in the fish first, so Xia Zhizhi said goodbye to her.
On the way back, after thinking about it, I deliberately went through Erya’s village.
Xia Zhizhi and Aju were exceptionally good-looking, and their clothes were nice too. Compared to the fishermen on the beach who were often exposed to the wind and sun, they didn't seem to be from the same dimension.
As she passed through the village in such a swagger, many people stared at her, and some brave children even chased after her.
Xia Zhizhi was also very easy to talk to. She took out some candy from her bag and gave two pieces to each of the children, encouraging them to study hard and serve the country when they grow up.
When she passed by the educated youth site, she went over and knocked on the door.
The person who opened the door was a gay man. When he saw Xia Zhizhi, he was stunned.
"Comrade, comrade?"
Xia Zhizhi called out to him twice before he came back to his senses.
The male educated youth blushed and stammered, "Hello, comrade, who are you looking for?"
Xia Zhizhi took out her press card and the copy of the People's Daily newspaper that had been received by her.
"Hello, comrade. My name is Xia Zhizhi. I'm a reporter for the newspaper. Our commune is located on the coastline. We have to be on guard against enemy raids while also engaging in production and labor. Everyone's enthusiasm and courage are worth learning from. I want everyone to know the contributions of the commune members. I would like to interview the educated youth in our brigade to obtain some materials. Is it convenient for you?"
"It's convenient!" The educated youth looked at the newspaper, then at Xia Zhizhi, and then at her press card. He was so nervous that he didn't know what to do.
Fortunately, a female educated youth rescued him: "Tao Zhiqing, what's wrong?"
The male educated youth surnamed Tao calmed down and invited Xia Zhizhi to enter the educated youth center while replying, "It's a reporter from the newspaper, here to interview us!"
"Newspaper reporter?" The female educated youth's voice was a little nervous, and she quickly came out of the house.
Tao showed the newspaper to the female educated youth and said excitedly: "Look, educated youth Jiang, it's Comrade Xia! It's Comrade Xia! Comrade Xia who was received by the leader!"
The female educated youth named Jiang was plain-looking and of medium height, but she had a smile on her face, the kind that easily appealed to people at first sight.
She looked at the newspaper, then at Xia Zhizhi, and immediately stepped forward to shake hands with Xia Zhizhi, saying enthusiastically: "Comrade Xia, I have always regarded you as my idol, but I never thought I would be able to meet you in person. Let's go inside and talk!"