The riverbed is shallow, the water surface is sparkling, and small fish swim freely underwater, looking like they could be caught in one net.
In fact, they are very perceptive. They would swim away quickly before people even got close. Only Qin Yan, who was small and agile, caught a few. The fish were very small, less than the size of a palm. The children were very excited and kept grinning.
Yunling was cleaning the fish on the side, methodically cleaning several small fish and threading them onto wooden branches.
They chose a place without grass or trees, dug a hole, gathered some dry branches, and started a fire.
Without any salt or seasoning, I picked some wild onions and celery from the riverbank, rubbed them on the fish, and stuffed them inside its belly, so at least it had some flavor.
After setting up the fish, Yunling kept an eye on the fish roasting over the fire while watching the two children in the river.
After a while, a fragrance gradually wafted out, and Yunling's stomach rumbled. She swallowed and thought it smelled quite good.
Qin Yan and the others also smelled the aroma and came ashore one after another. They sat on the small rock opposite Yun Ling, looking at the steaming fish, and asked anxiously, "Third Aunt, how much longer until they're cooked?"
Yunling flipped the fish over, looked inside, and saw that there were still red streaks of blood inside. It wasn't cooked yet. She said, "It'll be a little longer. You two take it, I'll finish cleaning up the rest."
Qin Yan and the others nodded excitedly, each taking two fish, their eyes fixed on the grilled fish.
Yunling killed the fish that was still jumping on the ground, picked a large leaf and put seven or eight small fish in it, and kicked the frog on the ground aside. She didn't know when she had caught it.
After cleaning the fish, I went to find some wild scallions nearby and unexpectedly found a few wild chives. I picked some, washed them, rubbed them on the fish, and stuffed some into the fish's belly.
"It should be ready by now?" Yunling looked down at the fully cooked fish.
Qin Yan pointed to the largest one and said, "I want this one."
Qin Tao slapped her hand away and said, "Give the biggest one to Third Aunt."
Yunling looked at the four fish, one large and three small: "We'll each have one of the small ones, and we'll share the big one."
All three of them contributed, so to be fair, no one lost out.
Qin Yan nodded, secretly choosing a large one from the three small ones. She took a bite and found the meat to be very tender, like steamed egg custard.
Yunling took the fish Qin Tao handed her. It smelled of meat and was steaming hot. The belly of the fish was slightly charred. She tore off a small piece with her fingers, took a bite, and found the fish meat to be very tender with a hint of scallion flavor. It was a little fishy, but still acceptable.
She watched the two little girls eating heartily and reminded them, "Eat slowly, be careful of fish bones."
Qin Yan raised her head, her lips glistening with oil. She licked them and nodded emphatically.
Yunling finished her own food, then ate a large piece, and then went to grill the remaining small fish.
It was almost time to finish work, so they couldn't linger too long. After a while, Qin Tao finished eating, sat down, and picked up the other fish to start grilling.
After grilling all the fish, each person ate one, leaving six fish. They picked a large leaf from the riverbank to wrap them, which was just enough to make a dish.
After putting out the fire with sand, on the way home, Yunling remembered how happily the two little girls had eaten and asked curiously, "Have you never grilled fish by the river before?"
“My dad brought me here before, but it wasn’t good; it was very bitter,” Qin Yan said, tilting her head.
Yunling guessed, "It's probably because it wasn't cleaned properly."
Qin Yan shook her head: "We've caught fish this small before, but our families think it's too much trouble and won't let us do it anymore."
Qin Tao recalled catching a few fish with her sister in the river before, smaller than this one, about the size of a finger, which were eventually fed to the chickens by their grandmother.
I never knew fish could be eaten this way. It's so much fun working with my aunt.
"Third Aunt, shall we come again next time?" Qin Yan asked, blinking her big eyes.
Qin Tao also stared intently at Yun Ling.
Yunling replied ambiguously, "We'll talk about it next time."
She enjoys playing with sensible little girls, but that doesn't mean she likes having two little girls inseparable from her. Without any freedom, how can she sneak food?
Qin Yan glanced at Qin Tao and sighed like a little adult.
As soon as Yunling reached the door, she saw a woman in a white shirt with a beautiful face and an air of scholarly refinement. Beside her were a pair of identical twin daughters with chubby cheeks, wearing little skirts, and very cute.
When the woman saw Yunling, she greeted her with a smile and a gentle voice, "Hello, you must be the new educated youth Yun! I am Lin Ting, and I came to the countryside four years ago."
Then she said to the twins, "Huihui, Lili, call her aunt."
The twins smiled shyly and called out "Auntie" in their childish voices.
Yunling responded and looked at Lin Ting, feeling particularly uncomfortable.
She felt disgusted just thinking about what this woman had done.
If you know that the man you married doesn't have a job that requires him to be home all the time, you should accept the reality that he can't be with you.
If you really can't accept it, then get a divorce. It's not like you don't have a mouth.
She's hooking up with her brother-in-law, tsk tsk.
"Yunling." A deep male voice rang out from not far away.
Yunling snapped out of her daze and saw Qin Chuan's tall figure appear at the doorway. The setting sun cast a gentle glow on him.
Yunling smiled and stepped forward, explaining, "Xiaotao and I went to the river to grill fish, so we came back a little later than usual."
Qin Chuan nodded, looked at the green ball in Qin Yan's hand, and said, "It's nothing, everyone just got back."
He asked curiously, "Why did you decide to grill fish by the river today?"
Qin Yan glanced at her third aunt and said cautiously, "I want to eat roasted frog, but my third aunt said it's not good to eat frog, so she took us to the river to roast fish instead."
Qin Chuan looked down at Yun Ling, raised an eyebrow, patted Qin Yan's head, and said, "Your third aunt is right. Frogs carry a lot of viruses, and eating them can easily make you sick. Don't sneak around eating them next time. If I find out, I won't bring you any treats next time we go to the county town."
Qin Yan exclaimed in surprise. She had originally planned to secretly grill some food with her older sister by the river, but now that was out of the question. Looking at her third uncle's serious expression, it seemed as if he was just waiting to catch her doing something wrong.
He immediately assured her, "I won't steal any food."
Qin Tao smiled secretly. Little Swallow really loved to eat, and sometimes she was disobedient. When she saw food, she would forget all the adults' instructions.
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