"Comrade, you're too kind! But my girl has indeed been sensible since she was young."
Zhang Yongxian's dark face was filled with a proud smile.
Originally, Wang Zhimin wanted to ask about the towel, but when she saw her man's smile, Wang Zhimin didn't ask any more questions.
In front of outsiders, you should always give men enough face. This is what a woman should do.
Yang Baiyi was relieved to see that Chunni was not blamed, and Zhang Yongxian's attitude towards his daughter also surprised Yang Baiyi.
When Zhang Yongxian praised his daughter, the proud and complacent expression on his face did not seem fake.
"Auntie, these are the snails that my sister Chunni and I caught. Can you cook them for us for lunch today?"
Yang Xiaoxiao took the snails from her brother and showed them off to Wang Zhimin and his wife.
"Ya Dan! It's too late. The snails need to be kept in clean water for a few days and wait until the mud is spit out before they can be eaten."
Looking at Yang Xiaoxiao, who is younger than his own daughter, Wang Zhimin's face is full of love.
"Well, Sister Chunni, please get some water. Let's raise the snails."
The little girl's expression did not show much disappointment. The fun of catching snails mainly lies in catching them. Whether they can be eaten is secondary.
"Uncle Zhang, what fish did you catch today?"
Yang Baiyi asked as he walked towards the two brothers who were cleaning the fish.
"Comrades, you are in for a treat today. We were lucky enough to catch two big fish.
A three-jin grass carp and a five-jin bighead carp, which one are you going to eat?"
Zhang Yongxian knocked the ash out of his pipe and walked over.
"Of course I'll eat them all. Braise the grass carp and stew the bighead carp."
Yang Baiyi said casually.
"Comrade, the food station buys fish at 15 cents per pound. We'll process it for you, and we'll charge you 30 cents per pound, including the cost of cooking oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, firewood, and labor.
"Two fish weigh a full eight pounds, and that's two dollars and forty cents. The problem is, you three can't finish them all! Why waste that money? If you can't finish them, it's a waste, right?"
Zhang Yongxian thought Yang Baiyi didn't know the price, so he told him the charging standards.
"It's okay. Aren't there five of you? I want to try all the different kinds of fish.
I'll pay for it, and I invite you all to eat together. It will be more lively when there are more people."
It has been a year since Yang Baiyi came to this world, but he has hardly eaten fish.
"How can that be? You came here to eat and took care of us, so how can I let you treat us to a meal?
Although the cost, excluding oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and labor, is about the same as if we sold it at a food station, it saves us from going to the county town, so it’s a win-win for us no matter how you look at it.”
Zhang Yongxian refused sternly.
"Eh? Isn't this the garfish? Uncle Zhang, I want some garfish too. Simmer it in sauce for me. In addition to the two dollars and forty cents we agreed on earlier, I'll add an extra dollar."
Looking at the two one-foot-long garfish thrown casually on the ground, Yang Baiyi felt like he had discovered a new world.
The garfish, also known as the yellow croaker, is extremely delicious and has very tender meat. It was Yang Baiyi's favorite freshwater fish in his previous life, no doubt about it.
"Comrade, this thing is so fishy and tastes terrible. We fishermen don't eat it. We feed it to our chickens when we catch it."
Zhang Yongxian frowned. It seemed that in his opinion, the fish tasted fishy and was unacceptable.
"Uncle Zhang, you didn't handle it properly. The reason why the gizzard bream smells fishy is because there is a layer of mucus on its skin.
Rub it with salt, then put it in the pot, and eat it. It is guaranteed to be so delicious that you won’t even make a sound once you eat it.”
Yang Baiyi was talking with great joy, his mind filled with the smooth texture and delicious taste of the garfish.
"I thought so. It turns out that the method was wrong. Salt was very precious in the past. No one would use salt to rub fish just to eat it.
Chunsheng, go to the kitchen and ask your mother to bring out some salt. Rub the slime off the fish and try to see if it tastes good.
There are quite a lot of garfish in Hailin Reservoir. When we caught them in the past, we would take them home to feed the chickens.
If you rub it with salt, it can really become a delicacy, which is a great thing not only for your family but also for all the nearby fishermen.
Salt used to be scarce and was controlled by warlords or other powerful forces. Now that it has been liberated, the price has come down.
Zhang Chunsheng took out a black lump from the kitchen and smashed it on the ground with a hammer.
Yang Baiyi knew that it was coarse salt, but he didn't say anything. Coarse salt was just slightly bitter and would not do any harm to the body if eaten.
Wang Zhimin is a typical rural woman. She works efficiently and the four dishes were served on the table very quickly.
The portion of each dish is very substantial. We don’t have plates that big enough at home, so we use bowls to serve them.
There were braised grass carp, bighead carp stewed with tofu, and braised garfish with sauce. Wang Zhimin also gave a dipping dish with pickles.
Dipping vegetables with pickles is definitely the most popular dish in the three northeastern provinces and is indispensable all year round.
Because Northeastern cuisine emphasizes rich oils and red sauces, dipping vegetables in pickles is not only delicious but also very greasy, making it a great way to go with porridge.
"Auntie, let's invite everyone to eat together. We can't finish all the dishes. The reason I asked you to cook them all is because I want to taste them all."
Yang Baiyi remained calm and composed when he spoke, but Wang Zhimin and his wife were deeply moved.
People say Yang Baiyi is a prodigal son, but he is so polite.
Although he is a highly qualified young talent, he really doesn't take money seriously!
If you want to taste it, can't you come a few more times? It's such a waste to eat so much at one time.
"No, comrade, take your time eating. I'll just make some more for you."
Wang Zhimin didn't say to pack up the leftovers. At that time, if you went to the state-owned enterprise to buy vegetables, you had to bring your own lunch box. There were no take-out boxes or plastic bags at that time.
"Let's eat together. We're all brothers, there's no need to be so particular."
"Sister Chunni, come here quickly, let's sit next to each other and eat fish together."
Lin Wanru and Yang Xiaoxiao also greeted Wang Zhimin and his family.
"Okay, we make a lot of money from fishing every day, so let's be extravagant today.
Comrade, we have a large family and a big appetite, so you can just give half the money later."
The three children were very sensible. Without the couple saying anything, the children stayed away from the dining table obediently.
But the children's longing eyes still made Zhang Yongxian feel a little bit reluctant.
In order to provide for the family’s food and clothing, he went fishing every day, but he took all the fish he caught to the food station to exchange for money.
Only the small miscellaneous fish that the food station did not accept would be cooked and eaten by ourselves, and they would be cooked in plain water, not with so much oil like they do now.
"Boss, half of that is more than two dollars! Are you really planning on eating the whole thing?"
Rural women have long had diligence and housekeeping ingrained in their bones. At this time, Wang Zhimin no longer cared about the man's face. She pulled Zhang Yongxian's sleeve with an anxious look on her face.
"Eat it. There are three of them, and they charge so much for a meal. I can't blame Luo Ren for that. Just think of it as me catching only one fish today."
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