A tragic journey through ancient times, trying to make money

Zhang Yunyue took out the pickled fish separately and put them in a basin. Then she sprinkled salt on the fish and spread it evenly. She then coated them with a thin layer of flour and put them aside.

Then he called out to Zhang Xingfeng outside the courtyard: "Xiaofeng, come and light the fire."

"I'm coming."

Although Zhang Xingfeng is only 8 years old, he is very skilled in making fire. It is probably because he often made fire for Zhang's mother and Zhu in the past.

By the time Zhang Xingfeng lit the fire, the water vapor in the pot had evaporated.

Zhang Yunyue poured vegetable oil into the pot, waited for the oil to heat up, and asked Zhang Xingfeng to turn the heat to low. He put the small fish into the pot one by one, slowly turning them over and frying them until they were golden brown.

Then increase the oil temperature again, pour the fish back into the pan and fry it again, then take it out. The fried fish becomes crispy.

Zhang Yunyue tasted it and found it was crispy and delicious. She then picked up another fish for Zhang Xingfeng to try.

Zhang Xingfeng took a bite:

"Crunch, wow, sister, it smells so good, I took a bite and even bit off the fishbone."

"Mother, Second Aunt, how about you guys try it too?"

Mother Zhang picked up one with chopsticks, put it in her mouth and started eating. After she finished eating, she said, "It smells good and tastes even more crispy."

Although Zhu didn't say anything after the meal, Zhang Yunyue knew from her expression that her second aunt was very satisfied.

Zhang Yunyue put the fried fish aside and prepared to make sauerkraut fish. The sauerkraut had already been cut and placed aside.

Scoop out some of the oil used to fry the small fish from the pot, leaving the bottom oil, throw the ginger, garlic, dried chili segments, and peppercorns into the pot and sauté them until fragrant, then pour the sauerkraut into the pot and stir-fry for one or two minutes, add boiling water, and then put salt and other seasonings into the pot.

Take out the sauerkraut from the pot and put it in a vegetable bowl. Then put the marinated fish slices into the pot one by one to prevent them from sticking. Take out the fish when it is cooked. Then scoop out the soup and pour it into the bowl. Sprinkle ginger, garlic, dried chili segments and peppercorns in the bowl.

Heat the oil in a pan again and pour the hot oil into the basin.

The hot oil was poured out, and there was a sizzling sound.

The aroma of the pickled fish instantly spread throughout the kitchen. Just by smelling it, you know that the pickled fish was not a failure today. Finally, sprinkle it with chopped green onions and coriander and it’s done.

"Hmm, what did you cook today? It smells so good."

Zhang's father's voice came from outside the kitchen, and the people who had gone down to the fields came back.

Uncle Zhang Cheng: "This smell is really overbearing, it looks like there will be delicious food today."

Zhang Yunyue: "Father, you guys take a rest first. We can eat as soon as the fish and one other dish we cooked today are ready."

Zhang Yunyue continued to make crucian carp soup. She scooped out the oil used to fry the small fish and poured it into the pot. When the oil was hot, she put the crucian carp into the pot and slowly fry it until the surface of the crucian carp was slightly browned.

Then mash the crucian carp, add hot water, salt and other seasonings, simmer over low heat until the fish soup slowly turns white, remove the debris from the pot, then scoop out the fish soup and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

The main purpose of crucian carp soup is to drink the soup, because all the essence is in the soup. If there are wolfberries, you can sprinkle a few on them. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any wolfberries at home, so just forget it.

Zhang Yunyue: "Okay, it's all done, we can eat now."

Zhang's mother walked out of the kitchen and called to the people sitting in the yard to eat. Some people moved tables and some moved chairs. In the summer, the Zhang family mostly ate under the locust tree in the yard, which was cooler than eating in the house.

Father Zhang went to Grandma Zhang's room and carried her out of the house. After all, the old lady didn't like to stay in the house all the time, and it was quite hot in the house.

Zhang's mother and Zhu began to serve the dishes.

After everyone arrived at the table, Uncle Zhang Cheng looked at the dishes on the table.

"Wow, today's is so rich, who made it? We've never made it at home before."

Zhu: "Today's dishes were all made by Yueyue alone, and my sister-in-law and I helped. I was so hungry when Yueyue was cooking just now."

Zhang Cheng sniffed the food and said, "Yueyue, you are getting better and better. Yesterday's cold noodles were delicious. I didn't expect that today's fish would be so fragrant. It feels even more fragrant than the Tianxianglou in town."

Grandpa Zhang glanced at the second child and asked: "Do you still know the taste of Tianxianglou?"

Zhang Cheng: "Dad, every time I pass by the door of Tianxianglou, I can smell the smell inside. I used to think that the smell of Tianxianglou was good, but today I smelled what Yueyue made, and I think Yueyue's is better."

Zhang's mother laughed and said, "Uncle, please stop praising me. Yueyue will be shy soon."

Zhang Cheng looked at Zhang Yunyue's blushing face and said repeatedly, "Hahahaha, yes, yes, I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore."

Grandpa Zhang said at the right time: "Everyone, start eating quickly. It's a bit uncomfortable not to eat after smelling this, hahahaha."

Zhang Yunyue scooped a bowl of fish soup for grandma first.

"Grandma, have a bowl of fish soup first. This fish soup doesn't have any fishy smell and is nutritious."

"Okay, grandma, try it."

Grandma Zhang took a bite.

"The fish soup is very fresh. It has no taste at all, but it has the aroma of green onions. Everyone should try it."

After hearing this, the others also picked up their bowls and scooped some for themselves to taste.

Zhang Yunxue: "Wow, sister, it's so delicious."

Zhang Xingfeng: "Sister, it tastes so good. How about you do this next time you catch fish?"

The others also drank with satisfied looks on their faces.

After drinking the soup, everyone took out steamed buns from the basket and started eating.

Father Zhang picked up a piece of pickled fish with chopsticks and ate a bit, then ate a bite of steamed bun.

"Your dish is also delicious, the pickled cabbage is refreshing, and the fish is spicy, not bad, not bad."

After hearing this, the others nodded.

Zhang Xingyun: “I like this one.”

Zhang Yunxue: "Sister, I like this one too"

Zhang Yunyue almost forgot that this little girl also likes spicy food.

"If it's delicious, eat more. It's enough for today. If you want to go again next time, sister will make it again."

"Uh-huh."

Zhang Cheng: "When I came back just now and smelled this flavor, I felt it was overbearing. Now when I taste it, my tongue feels numb and spicy, and it goes well with rice."

Grandpa Zhang also nodded and said, "This is really good with rice. The fish is fried very crispy. You don't even need to remove the thorns. You can chew them and eat them."

Everyone enjoyed the meal, taking a bite of steamed bun and a bite of vegetable. If the fried fish was too greasy, they could have a bite of smashed cucumber or boiled vegetarian melon and beans, which were both very helpful in helping them relieve the greasiness.

Pickled fish does not taste greasy, the acidity of the pickled cabbage neutralizes the oil, making it a delicious dish to go with rice.

A lot of fish were caught in the afternoon, so Zhang Yunyue cooked them all. She thought there would be some leftovers, but unexpectedly, they were all eaten up. Everyone’s stomachs were full, and even the sauerkraut fish soup was eaten by everyone with steamed buns.

After the whole dinner, only a few steamed buns were left, and no vegetables were left. Looking at the finished dishes, Zhang Yunyue felt satisfied.

The happiest thing is that the food I cook is eaten by everyone and gets everyone’s recognition.

After dinner, Zhang's mother and Zhu cleaned up the dishes, and Zhang Yunyue cleaned the yard.

Grandpa Zhang, Father Zhang, and Second Uncle packed up the bamboo weavings that they would sell in town tomorrow before it got dark. If they finished packing tonight, they could set out directly tomorrow and save time. After all, it would take more than half an hour to walk, and if they went too late, they wouldn't be able to find a good spot to set up their stall.