"Brother Yang, this isn't a grass carp, it's a big black fish."
"This guy is fierce, covered in spines, you can easily get your hand pricked if you're not careful."
"Let's make some tofu stew with it, it's very fresh."
Zheng Weiguo dragged the net ashore. This black fish was probably two to three catties. Just this black fish alone made the trip worthwhile.
With the black fish, Zheng Weiguo simply tied the bamboo basket to the side of the boat and hung it in the water. This way, the fish could be kept alive longer. They still had to find bird eggs in the reeds.
As they rowed through the reeds, Zheng Weiguo and Liu Maosheng cast their nets from time to time. They didn't catch many fish, but they did find quite a few lobsters and river crabs.
By the reeds, Zheng Weiguo pulled out a few tender reed roots, peeled off the outer skin to reveal the snow-white stalks. The few of them had been darting around in the reeds for an hour or two and were thirsty.
Although these reed roots weren't as sweet as sugarcane, they were crisp, tender, and juicy. Pulling out a few helped quench their thirst.
"Brother Yang, look there, isn't that a bird's nest inside?"
Chewing on a reed root, Liu Maosheng suddenly pointed to a very dense patch of reeds to the east. The reeds were surrounded by water, so bird nests could only be built in the dense stalks, otherwise, the eggs would be ruined if they fell into the water.
Even on the muddy ground below, rising water could easily wash away a bird's nest, so they were usually built on the reed stalks.
"It really is."
"The stalks are too dense inside, the boat can't get in."
Chen Yang glanced over. The reeds were too dense. If they tried to squeeze the sampan in, the bird's nest would surely fall into the water.
"Brother Yang, isn't this simple? I'll swim over and get it."
Liu Maosheng took off his shirt, grabbed it, and held it up. With a splash, he plunged into the water. In a few strokes, he swam to the bird's nest. The adult bird was not there. He saw that there were over a dozen eggs inside.
"Be careful, don't touch any snakes."
Chen Yang glanced at the surface of the water. There were many birds in the reeds, and thus many snakes. These snakes also loved to eat bird eggs, and even smaller birds could be preyed upon by water snakes if they weren't careful.
Liu Maosheng carefully placed the bird eggs one by one into his shirt, wrapped them up, and held them out of the water. He swam back with one hand.
"There are two left, the rest are all here."
Liu Maosheng handed the eggs wrapped in his shirt to Chen Yang, and then climbed back onto the sampan.
"Ten eggs, enough for the two little ones to eat."
"Thank you both today. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have managed it today."
Chen Yang thanked Zheng Weiguo and Liu Maosheng. They had caught fish, retrieved bird eggs, and even caught some river crabs and lobsters. They had a bountiful harvest.
"Brother Yang, we don't need to be so formal."
"Yeah, if it weren't for Brother Yang, we wouldn't be able to earn any money."
Zheng Weiguo and Liu Maosheng quickly waved their hands. They were already grateful to Chen Yang, and they were naturally happy to be able to help him now. Sudanan Novel Network
"Alright, I won't be polite then."
"I'll send you some of the lobsters when they're cooked later."
In the summer, gathering with friends around a table, eating beer and lobsters, that kind of atmosphere was very good.
"Let's go back."
After wandering in the reeds for several days, they could no longer distinguish whether their bodies were covered in sweat or river water.
Carrying the basket home, the two little ones swarmed around Chen Yang, listening to them call out "Dad is amazing." The vanity of the old father was greatly satisfied.
"Yanyan, we're not making braised fish today. This black fish stew is very fresh."
Different fish have different cooking methods. If it were carp, braising would be tastier. This black fish is better for stewing to bring out its freshness.
He scooped a large spoonful of cooking oil and pan-fried the prepared black fish. Then he poured in boiling water and added some ginger and garlic. After a short while, the milky white fish soup was ready.
It's a shame that it's hard to buy tofu right now, otherwise, adding some old tofu would make this black fish and tofu soup exceptionally delicious.
"Your cooking skills are improving. I'm afraid the children won't want to eat my cooking anymore."
Shen Xue looked at Chen Yang, who had easily turned clear water into milky white fish soup, and felt a little admiration for her husband.
"Some things are innate, you can't envy them."
"We have a natural talent for cooking."
Chen Yang chuckled with a bit of pride. His cooking skills were indeed not bad. Putting aside whether it was delicious or not, at least the presentation was quite good.
His mother-in-law brushed the river crabs and steamed them in boiling water, completing another dish of steamed river crabs.
When the fish soup was ready, Shen Xue made braised pork and threw in the peeled boiled wild bird eggs to simmer together. The bright red braised pork with these wild bird eggs, once served, made the two little ones excitedly rub their hands.
Chen Yang didn't make the lobsters. The two little ones weren't interested in them, and their father-in-law and mother-in-law couldn't even be bothered to look at them.
These things had no meat, were quite fishy, and unlike river crabs, they at least had roe and meat. Chen Yang's stomach rumbled with hunger, so he ate his meal first.
If he had time later, he would go to the fields to get some garlic and make some minced garlic flavored lobsters. Taking a bite at night would be absolutely amazing.
"This fish soup is very fresh."
His father-in-law took a bowl of fish soup and smacked his lips. He had lived for most of his life and had never tasted such fresh fish soup, which wasn't fishy at all.
"Of course, Dad. I fried the fish with almost half a bowl of cooking oil. We wouldn't have dared to use so much oil before."
"To remove the fishiness, the fish needs to be fried until fragrant. I also added ginger, green onions, and the rice wine you brewed, which completely removed the earthy smell. The step of adding boiling water is also crucial. Whether the soup turns white depends on this boiling water."
Chen Yang tasted the black fish soup himself. This taste, the primitive wild black fish, was truly fresh! The artificially farmed ones in later generations couldn't compare at all.
"Daddy, but the braised pork and quail eggs are delicious."
Chen Hao tilted his small head, his chubby little hand holding a bird egg. Chen Yang wasn't sure if these were quail eggs, but they were about the same size, and the little guy ate them with relish.
"I like drinking soup, Daddy, it's delicious."
Watching the two little ones argue about which dish was better, the couple smiled at each other.
"If it's delicious, eat more. After dinner, I'll take you to see a play tonight."
Liu Chunmei lovingly stroked the heads of the two little ones. Tonight, the production team had invited a troupe to perform, and it was the older folks who were the happiest.
People in this era still loved watching plays.
The Huangmei Opera from Anhui province was quite good.
Perhaps many people in later generations knew about Huangmei Opera from the song "To save my husband, I left home, who knew I would win the imperial examination, win the imperial examination and wear red robes...". The unique opera-style singing of this song fascinated many people.
While fascinated, they also learned about Huangmei Opera as a form of Chinese opera.
"Yay, yay!"
"Daddy and Mommy always put me to bed so early, I'm not sleepy, I want to play."
The little babies were so excited to hear about going to see a play tonight that they almost jumped up. Chen Yang and Shen Xue blushed upon hearing this.
Putting the children to bed early was for their physical and mental health. Scientific research showed that children who slept early grew faster, and it was definitely not for any other reason.