Back to the small fishing village in 1982

Chapter 1027: Kill and Eat Meat (7200 words)
As soon as Lin Xiuqing came out, she heard them bragging that eating this fish would make one immortal, and she laughed too.

"Do you think it's Tang Monk's meat?"

"You stay at home every day and watch TV a lot. Do you know about Tang Monk's meat?"

"There are several children at home. As soon as the monkey is released, they all gather around the TV. It's hard for me not to know."

"You like to watch it yourself, don't you?"

"You know what, it's really pretty."

"Stop talking. There's still a lot of work waiting for you in the workshop. Go and call the aunts over. Kill the fish and pick the fish. It might really rain later, so you have to collect the dried fish quickly."

"I know. I was just about to get started. It was not because you asked me to take pictures that I wasted my time here. You can deal with this fish yourself."

Lin Xiuqing gave the old lady some instructions again, asking her to remember to help with cooking.

As soon as he came back, there was a lot of work to do, and he kept saying it was going to rain, which made her very worried. But she had to wait for Ye's mother to come back to help, so that she could have time to take care of the chores at home. Now she could only leave the cooking to the old lady.

An old person in the family is like a treasure, and can come in handy at critical moments.

The old man is used to working. Although he is over 80, his hands and feet are very nimble. If Ye Yaohong had not been admitted to hospital and fallen ill the year before last, he probably wouldn't even need a cane.

Lin Ji had nothing to do and was not in a hurry to leave. He squatted there and watched him kill the fish. He had seen him at home so he came over to take a look and asked him what he was looking for.

"What did you want from me before?"

Ye Yaodong took one last puff of the cigarette in his hand, then pressed the cigarette butt directly to the ground and raised his chin towards the corner, motioning him to look over there.

"There are a bunch of boxes over there. The canned fish in them are the windfall I fished out of the sea. I want to sell them in the store, but I don't know how much to sell them for, so I want to ask if you want them? If you want them, I'll sell them all to you, and you give me a suitable price."

He spoke half-truths and made sense.

Lin Ji raised his eyebrows. "From Haidilao? There are so many. There must be dozens of boxes, right? Hundreds of boxes?"

"No, open the nylon bag. The boxes have been opened. Just take two cans and have a look. Open them and have a look."

He walked towards the pile of goods and casually opened the nylon bag. "I noticed that you always seem to be able to pull up some strange and good things from the sea. This fish struck by lightning is one, and so are these canned fish. And I heard some gossip before, and there seem to be quite a few strange fish, too?"

"May Mazu bless me, and the God of Wealth follows me every day. I am born with good fortune."

"Maybe it's true. Otherwise, who would get rich so quickly like you?"

He casually opened a box and took out a can to take a look. "Dace with fermented soybeans? This fish is mostly exported, or supplied to major factories or military units."

"Really?" Ye Yaodong pretended to be surprised. "You are really good. You can tell it at a glance. I had to open it and look at the fish inside to know it was canned fish. Otherwise, I have never seen it. And the oil and fermented black beans inside are quite fragrant when mixed with rice."

"You are really lucky. Such a large batch of goods is worth a lot of money."

"Shh, keep your voice down, keep a low profile."

He stood up and looked at his neighbors on both sides. Fortunately, everyone was cooking in the house at this time. When he brought the goods back, his elder and younger sisters-in-law had already gone to the workshop to help, so no one heard their conversation.

"Okay, let's talk about this batch of goods and count them again tonight."

"Okay, let's talk about these goods tonight."

Ye Yaodong spent half a day scraping the scales on just one side of the fish. He put down the knife, asked him to help turn the fish over, and then continued scraping.

"By the way, do you have a washing machine? Can you bring me one?"

"Row."

"How much does this can of fish cost?"

"About three or four dollars. I'll have to ask the price later. If you sell it to me, it won't be that high."

"I understand this."

Even if the price shrank by half, those dozens of boxes would be enough for him to make a fortune.

When he comes over again in the evening, I'll show him the caviar.

Anyway, they all said they were fished out of the sea, and it was not illegal to fish things out of the sea, so things fished out were naturally ownerless and naturally his to deal with.

The people in Linji are naturally very secretive, and he definitely doesn't know the source of the goods.

But if he doesn't dare to touch it, then it doesn't matter if he keeps it for himself. Although this caviar is hyped up, it is actually very ordinary for Chinese babies. Even if you ask him to eat it every day, he won't be able to eat it.

"Do you want more dried fish? Do you want to weigh a few thousand more pounds?"

"Are you addicted to shipping?"

"Hehe, it's rare to meet a big customer like you, so I must try my best to push more goods to you."

"Let's see after a while. It's Qingming Festival soon. I won't go out during this period. I'll just rest at home for a few days and then decide."

"Okay, I'm here anytime."

"Those two kids are peeing and digging in the mud." Lin Ji raised his chin towards the two little girls who were digging in the mud at the edge of the soil, motioning Ye Yaodong to look over.

Ye Yaodong turned around and saw that it was true. Pei Yu was pulling up his pants, Ye Xiaoxi was stirring the mud with a stick and even dug into the baby's mouth. He was giggling and looked carefree.

"Don't worry about them."

"One is yours, and whose is the other one?"

"Higurashi's."

"Oh, he's been going out to sea with his father every day lately?"

Ye Yaodong responded vaguely, without saying anything clearly, and changed the subject, "Damn, this fish is so big, it's really hard to kill. It took me a long time to scrape off the scales. I don't even wash myself this carefully when I take a shower."

"Open it up and see how big the isinglass is?"

"Ah."

He gently cut open the belly with a knife, then pulled down the thin flesh on the belly little by little, turned the belly over, and saw a bunch of internal organs. He gently cut off the fish bladder with a knife, being careful to avoid breaking it.

"Wow, this is top quality. The fish bladder must be about 50 centimeters long. So is the fish liver. It's very nutritious to eat."

Ye Yaodong also divided the internal organs with a smile on his face, and first picked out the whole fish maw, trying to make it look better.

The maw of this hairy catfish is about 50 centimeters long and weighs about four or five kilograms, but this is because the debris inside the maw has not been cleaned out. Once it is cleaned and dried, it should weigh about one kilogram, maybe a little less.

That big piece of fish liver was also very big, almost as big as pork liver.

At this time, Lin Ji couldn't help but envy his good luck and good appetite. He just slaughtered and ate such delicious things. It turned out that he made too much money.

Damn, he hasn’t enjoyed any happiness at all and he has to run around everywhere every day.

"As agreed, you will cut a piece of meat for me to take back later."

"You just threatened me!"

Lin Jishang smiled and raised his eyebrows, pointing at the goods in the corner, "You're still counting on me to deal with these goods!"

“I can also sell it in my own store.”

"Do you want a washing machine? I'll give you a discount. It's imported. I'll pay you whatever you pay for it. I haven't even charged you for the film yet. I'm going to give you two rolls. How about I give you one more roll? Do you want it? If not, forget it."

Seeing his sincere concession, Ye Yaodong didn't feel so painful anymore.

"Then I'll give you a piece of top-quality fish meat with reluctance. Wow, this meat is so good. Eating it can really strengthen your body and protect you from all diseases. Ha~tsk~"

"Well, to keep fit, you should have more."

"I got caught in the rain. I got caught in the rain for quite a while just to catch this fish."

"Cut the meat below the head for me, thicker ones! Don't want them burnt!"

"You're really good at choosing! The tail one is for you."

"No, just this one piece. Since you're giving it away, you have to be sincere. Who doesn't give away the good things and keep the bad ones for themselves?"

"No, my family's traditional custom is to eat the good ones by yourself. Keep your fingers away, otherwise I will chop it up and add some ingredients to it for you later."

The two of them talked about the conditions in a long and tedious manner. Finally, Ye Yaodong reluctantly cut a piece from the middle for him. It was about seven or eight centimeters thick and more than twenty centimeters in diameter. If it was cut again, it could be cut into two or three slices and cooked into a soup pot, which would be enough for the whole family to have a meal.

"Ah! You really killed it? Such a big fish, and you killed it so quickly?" As soon as Ye's father entered the yard, he saw that he had already cut several pieces of meat from the fish. He was shocked and his face was full of pain.

"Ah? Yes, I've already taken the photo, so shouldn't I kill it while it's fresh?"

"I brought back a bucket of ice cubes and was thinking of putting them aside for a while. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"If you don't eat them while they're fresh, are you going to wait until they go rancid before killing them? Isn't that a waste?"

"Wait a bit. After all, it's so expensive. Why rush? If you regret it after you wake up, you can still sell it."

Ye Yaodong couldn't help rolling his eyes. This fish was fresh, not something else. He could put it aside for a day or two before considering it.

Lin Ji was holding a large piece of fish in his hand, and was afraid that Ye's father would go back on his word, so he just slipped away.

"I go first."

"You gave him such a big piece of meat? This is a fish that was struck by lightning and leapt into the dragon gate."

Lin Ji walked faster.

"Keep your voice down. It's just right that you brought back some ice. This fish is too big. There's no place to put it whole. I can slice it into pieces and put ice on them to keep it fresh. It can be stored for a few days."

"I'll cut it thinner and take a few slices out to stew in the evening. Send two slices to the eldest brother and the second brother later, and send two slices to Uncle Pei as well."

"How much did those ice cubes sell for?"

"Eight dollars per person, not much left, but the more we can sell, the better, otherwise it will just melt away. Why did you cut such a big piece for him?"

"I've already told him about the canned fish in the corner. Come over tonight to discuss the price and count the quantity for him to move away. This way, they won't be piled up in the yard forever. Everyone who comes over will have to take a look and ask what they are."

Father Ye frowned and nodded, "That's fine, it's better to deal with these as soon as possible, so that they don't have to pile up all over the yard and take up space, and I'm also worried that they will expire."

"And what about all that caviar you still have?"

"After these are dealt with, I'll open a separate box for him tonight to see if he wants it and whether he dares to take it."

"You can just sell this, there won't be any problem, right?"

"We fished it out at sea, it's not illegal income. Moreover, if he wants to deal with it, he should take it directly to the high seas or abroad."

According to the trajectory of his previous life, this person will also make a fortune smoothly, so you can give it a try.

"Then see for yourself."

Father Ye was attracted by the fish maw placed aside. He squatted down and took it in his hand, looking at it back and forth.

"After cleaning it up, hang it on the porch to dry. Keep it out of the sun and out of the rain."

"know."

"It's a pity. There may not be good weather in the future, and I don't know how long it will take to dry. I hope the quality of the dried fruit will be better."

"You can give these two pieces of meat to Uncle Pei first, and give him the money from selling ice cream."

"Let's take them all over in the evening. We have to settle the bill anyway, so why make an extra trip?"

"You are so lazy! I asked you to bring down the blankets from the boat to dry them a few days ago, but you didn't take them. If you bring the fish over, what will others do if they see it?"

"How dare you say that to me? Why don't you go get it yourself? I'm busy running back and forth, and I'm always busy. I'm not idle all the time. You can go get it now."

"Forget it, I'll tell Chen Shi later."

"How dare you say you're lazy."

"Aren't you lazy? If the top beam is not straight, the bottom beam will be crooked."

Ye's father was so angry that he almost laughed.

After the two men squatted there arguing for a while, they waited until the fish was killed and cut into thick oval pieces. They took a bucket and filled it with a layer of ice, a piece of fish, a layer of ice, and then another piece of fish.

Even after filling four large buckets, there were still fish heads and tails, as well as several pieces of meat left. He kept these to give to his friends, the village chief, and the village secretary.

Cover it with a piece of torn clothes and put it in a cool place away from sunlight. The food in the bucket should be able to stay fresh for four or five days, but not for any longer.

"I'll make a fish soup tonight, braise the fish tail and liver, and keep the fish head. Tomorrow morning, I'll buy some tofu and make some fish head tofu soup. If it's burnt, it doesn't matter. I can just scrape it with a knife. Okay, that's fine. It's a clear plan!"

Father Ye looked at his satisfied expression and didn't want to pay any attention to him, so he gave the meat to Father Pei first.

Ye Yaodong also brought a few buckets into the house and put the remaining meat aside for the time being. He had to deal with the fish maw first.

First remove the black film, blood threads, blood film and impurities inside the fish maw, and then clean it.

It is worth noting here that you should not tear the fish bladder, otherwise the fish maw made from such fish bladder will be worthless.

After washing, soak it in water for 2-3 hours to soften it, and then let it air dry.

The traditional method is to place the fish maws individually on bamboo grates or bamboo rafts and dry them in the sun, which requires experience, otherwise they are prone to cracking or mold. Another method is to dry them in the shade, which takes a long time, but is better than direct exposure to the sun.

After Ye Yaodong processed the fish and put it in water to soak, he went to deliver the fish meat first.

After lunch, choose a time and put it in a ventilated place to dry.

He only picked out the hairy fish meat to give to people he was familiar with. As for other relatives, it depended on how his mother decided to send them.

Anyway, there are several buckets there, and I definitely can't finish them. I was just joking with Lin Ji just now, so I must give them away.

However, Lin Jishang was indeed a good person, and he played along with the others in a joking manner, which gave him a great advantage, and it was worth it for him to cut a large piece of good meat to feed him.

He was walking in the village with the bucket, but he saw that the roads in the village were deserted and there were not many people. He felt a little strange. Although there was no sun today, it was not raining either, so there were too few people.

It was not until he walked near the door of Ye Yaosheng's house that he saw a group of people gathered there, and there were constant cries of crying and shouting.

"Oh my, what kind of unlucky person did I marry? She can't give birth to a son, and she still points at my nose and scolds me..."

"Fellow villagers, please judge for yourself. How miserable I am to have such an ignorant mother-in-law. My daughter-in-law has already been married, but she keeps saying that the ones she was engaged to before are more likely to have children."

"You're predicting that I won't be able to have children? Then where did my two children come from? They say flowers bloom before fruits grow. At least I can lay two eggs and raise them."

"I have such a miserable life. If I had known earlier, I would have raised two children by myself to avoid being bullied by others. If it weren't for Ah Sheng's honesty, who would dare to have such a mother-in-law? No wonder the first one died before the age of 30. It's so tragic~"

Ye Yaodong walked in and heard it more clearly, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Brother Asheng's new wife is quite powerful. She has overpowered his mother and made his second aunt's face turn pale and blue, but she has nothing to say.

"Don't talk nonsense. The first one died because she couldn't have children and took the wrong medicine. What does it have to do with me? When have I ever bullied others?"

"Isn't it torture to force people to give birth to a son every day? Look, folks. This bowl of black liquid on the stool is the magic water she brought to me. She said that drinking it will guarantee giving birth to a son. Have you forgotten that the one before her drank the medicine and magic water at random and killed herself? My mother-in-law thinks I am too old. My life is so miserable. I have to make room for the previous fiancé as soon as I got married..."

"Don't talk nonsense, who asked you to make room for her?" Ye Yaosheng was at a loss and hurried forward to coax her.

"Your mother said that if I don't drink and can't give birth to a son, then she should stop occupying the toilet and let me get out of here early. You can still marry someone who can give birth to a son while you are still young."

"Don't listen to her. She's old and confused. The family has been divided. Don't bother with her."

Ye Yaodong's face turned black after hearing this. His second aunt was quite troublesome and she even deliberately pitted her son. Brother Asheng was really miserable.

No wonder I kept listening to the various battles between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law in his family in my previous life. They were even more exciting than those in TV dramas.

"What did I say wrong? Ah Sheng is already over 30 years old and doesn't even have a son. People always criticize him behind his back. What's wrong with letting you have a son? Are you trying to make Ah Sheng childless?"

"Listen, listen, folks, is this what a mother can say? She's actually cursing her son to have no children or grandchildren. How can she be a real mother? She's an enemy. How long have I been married? Only a month at most? And she's already anxiously saying that if I can't have a baby, I should get out. The guy she was engaged to before is better than me. If I can't have a baby, then I shouldn't occupy the nest."

"Okay, okay, stop talking. I'm the one who lives my life, not my mother. Don't pay attention to her."

Aunt Ye Er also cried and slapped her thigh, "Who am I doing this for? You forgot about me after you got married. I was thinking about you and wanted you to have someone to take care of you in your old age. There's nothing wrong with that. I did it for your own good, but you still get blamed. I'm really a nobody."

Some aunties and grandmas nearby were persuading her not to interfere, saying that their children and grandchildren would have their own blessings.

"Mom, please stop interfering. Who knows what kind of water this is? Can we drink it? What if someone gets sick from drinking it? My wife has given birth to two daughters, so there must be nothing wrong with her body. We will definitely be able to have children if we wait for a long time. Why are you in such a hurry? This mess has already been told not to be eaten."

"Who said I can't eat it? I'm doing this for your own good, but you don't appreciate it. You're pointing your finger at me and scolding me. You're all debt collectors. You're useless. How can I expect you to be filial to me when I'm old? Your wife can beat me out with a broom just by looking at me."

"Please put yourself in my shoes, mother. When we kill a chicken, we can still get a drumstick and a bowl of meat for you, but you bring me a bowl of magic water and force me to drink it. Your words imply that I can't lay eggs and you want me to make room for you."

"I did nothing wrong. Why didn't you drink when I told you to?"

"He got drunk, so I can find him a new wife, right?"

"Stop arguing!" Ye Yaosheng watched them quarreling over the bowl of talisman water and simply poured it out.

"It's gone, there's no need to argue or make any more trouble. Go back to your own home, mom. We will be filial to you, so you don't have to make any more trouble. If I'm destined to have a son, I would have given birth to one anyway. If I'm not destined to have a son, no matter how much you make trouble, it's useless. This is all God's will."

"You! Are you trying to piss me off to death?"

"You've already ruined one daughter-in-law, are you going to ruin another one? Learn a lesson, the two of us should just live our lives behind closed doors, and don't keep bringing weird things here."

After Ye Yaosheng finished speaking, he pulled his new wife home and closed the door, ignoring his mother who was still crying at the door.

Some elderly ladies who were familiar with the family helped Aunt Ye Er back to her home.

At this time, Ye Yaodong realized that his mother was also watching the fun in the crowd.

"Mom, why are you here?"

"Wherever there is excitement, there I am."

"You've got nothing better to do. It's not enough to torment one person to death, but you have to start all over again. She's only been married for a month, how could she get pregnant so quickly?"

"Your eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, and your wife all took three to five months to get pregnant. Why are you so anxious? It's not the new daughter-in-law's fault that she doesn't have a son at such an old age. Didn't she just get married?"

"She is just messing around and making trouble for no reason. If she offends everyone, who will take care of her in her old age? She will really have to beat them out with a broom."

"What are you doing? Why are you here?" After Ye's mother said a lot of things in disgust, she finally reacted and asked him.

"You just realized that I'm back?"

"I know you're back, so I'm just asking why you're here?"

"I killed a good fish and was planning to share some with some friends. I happened to hear the noise over here, so I came over to take a look."

"Your second aunt's head is full of shit, and she thinks other people's heads are full of shit as well."

"Stop scolding me. This is none of your business. Go back to work. There are a lot of jobs in the workshop waiting for your assignment..."

"Dongzi, why are you here?" Ye Yaosheng suddenly opened the door and walked out.

"Just passing by, not going out to sea today?"

"The engine broke down at night. It broke down just as we drove into town, so we docked nearby. This morning, we asked a veteran to go on board and check and repair it. He just came back as well."

"No wonder. I didn't see any boats at the dock when I came back, but you were at home."

"Hehe, do you want to come in and sit for a while? Have you eaten yet? Have a bite here?"

"No, no..." Ye Yaodong thought about it and finally picked up the bucket and gave him two pieces of hairy fish meat.

There was no share for him originally, but now that he had arrived at his doorstep and people had warmly invited him to dinner, he might as well show his appreciation.

"thank you."

Ye Yaodong then described the origin of the fish in a very exaggerated way, bragging a lot, so that people would not think that it was an ordinary fish that was so rare that it was worth giving away everywhere.

"Really? Why don't you sell such good fish?"

"Didn't I tell you? A large part of it was burnt by lightning, what's there to sell?"

"Haha, that's it, that's it."

At this time, Ah Sheng's new wife also came out wearing an apron and greeted them with a smile, asking them to come into the house and sit down.

He and his mother quickly made the excuse that they had something to do and left first.

The two of them were busy with their own things, one in the east and the other in the west.

We also met many women on the road. They had just finished watching the fun and were walking and talking.

Some thought that Aunt Ye was right, while others thought that the new daughter-in-law was right, and each had their own arguments.

Ye Yaodong felt that evildoers need to be dealt with by evildoers. For someone like his second aunt, she really needed a strong punishment. If it was a young and timid wife, she would not be able to make trouble and would be eaten alive.

He shook his head and said, "Who cares?"

He delivered the hairfish to each household, and at the same time he boasted dozens of times. He only went home slowly after talking until his lips were dry.

Most people were not at home, they were all out at sea, so he left it to their wives.

The fat man is not at home, and his portion happened to be given to Ye Yaosheng. If he comes back sometime, I will give him another portion. If he still hasn't come back by the time we finish eating, then forget it.

The hairtail meat at home has been stewed by the old lady until it is fragrant. It is stewed with rice wine. The soup is light orange in color, with the freshness of fish and the taste of wine. It is also sprinkled with chopped green onions, which looks extremely appetizing.

"Come on, come on. I've prepared a bowl for you first. Eat it first to fill your stomach, and then call them to eat."

He took several sips of tea before putting the pot down.

"Don't drink so much tea because it's cold. Have the fish soup instead."

"No need to prepare special meals for me. The big and small ones should all be back, right? Just call them all to the table and eat together."

The old lady thought that there were still several barrels of fish meat, so she smiled and said, "That's fine, then go to the workshop and call them. The four little ones are upstairs, I'll go call them down."

A big bowl of fish soup is especially popular with the whole family. There may be no vegetables on the table of people living by the sea, but there must be fish.

Each person got a big bowl and ate it all in one go. Even the remaining soup base was eaten up by Ye's father.

Lin Xiuqing smiled and said, "It's quite fresh."

"Isn't it fresh? This is a hairtail fish. It's said that this fish can be sold for thousands of dollars. How can it not be delicious? It was even struck by lightning..."

"What, what...what did you say?" Ye's mother asked in a daze.

Lin Xiuqing was also shocked. "Dad, how much did you just say? How much?"

Ye Yaodong also turned around and glared at his father.

"Over...over a thousand dollars? What? Don't you know?"

Father Ye looked left and right, and suddenly his voice became lower.

(End of this chapter)