Rebirth 90: The Long Road to Finding a Son

"My goodness, this dish is too complicated to make, isn't it? Brother Sun, there are so many steps, I can't remember them after watching them once, can you write them down for me later?" Nanny Xiaoye was a little stunned watching Sun Aimin's operation and his explanation of each step. Can a fish be made into so many different ways? I just don't know if it will taste good.

"Okay, no problem. It's not that hard actually. Just remember some basic knowledge and a lot of dishes are universal."

At this time, the fish fillets have been almost processed. Add a little cooking oil and mix well, and the preparation of the fish fillets is done.

Afterwards, Sun Aimin took three tomatoes, washed them, cut a cross on the top, blanched them in boiling water, peeled them, cut the tomatoes into small dices, and put them on a plate for later use.

Based on the existing ingredients in the Luo family, several side dishes such as tofu shreds and green vegetables were prepared. Then, the pan was started. First, the pan was lubricated with oil, and then lard and peanut oil were added. After the oil was heated, the fish bones and fish meat were added and fried. At the same time, the nanny was explained: "When doing this step, it must be fully fried, otherwise the fish soup will be fishy."

After frying one side, Sun Aimin took the pan off the heat, exerted a little force with his hands, and flipped the pan beautifully. The fish bones in the pan had been completely turned over, and there was no mess at all.

Luo Changgeng's wife and nanny Xiaoye couldn't help but exclaimed. Luo Changgeng's wife was generous with her praise: "Little Sun, it's obvious that you didn't learn this skill overnight. Today I not only had a feast for my taste buds, but also a feast for my eyes. Hahahaha... Fortunately, our children are not at home, otherwise this little fish meat would not be enough for them to snatch!"

At this moment, there was a joyful atmosphere in the kitchen.

Sun Aimin added onions, ginger, garlic and other ingredients into the pot to remove the fishy smell, added an appropriate amount of boiling water, and started to cook the fish bone soup over high heat.

After filtering out the fish bones, you get half a basin of milky white fish bone soup.

He then blanched the side dishes, fished them out, and placed them on a plate. He added a proper amount of oil to the pot, added onions, ginger and other seasoning ingredients and stir-fried them until fragrant, poured the diced tomatoes into the pot, and stir-fried them over medium-low heat until they were soft and juicy, then poured in the fish bone soup and continued to simmer for five minutes.

Then, he used a colander to scoop out the onions, ginger and other ingredients in the soup, added white pepper, salt and other seasonings, scattered the fish fillets into the pot one by one, and turned off the heat after they were cooked.

Sun Aimin poured the fish fillets and the ketchup fish bone soup in the pot into a deep plate with side dishes, sprinkled some sesame seeds, chopped green onions and minced garlic on them, and poured a little hot oil on top to bring out the aroma of green onions and garlic.

In this way, a dish of bright red and tempting fish fillet in ketchup is ready.

Luo Changgeng's wife couldn't help but exclaimed: "Xiao Sun, what you cook is not a dish, it's a work of art! I'm really afraid that if I eat your dishes a few more times, the home-cooked dishes at home will become hard to swallow!"

Nanny Xiao Ye quickly agreed, "That's right, Brother Sun, I've grown up to be in my twenties and I've never heard of these rules and tricks for cooking."

She vowed to Luo Changgeng's wife, "Auntie, don't worry, I will definitely practice my cooking skills in the future and try my best to make sure you have enough to eat..."

This dish seems to have many steps and is troublesome to prepare, but Sun Aimin is quick and steady in every step. It only takes about twenty minutes from processing the fish to serving it in the pot.

While the fish bone soup was being cooked, he also made a stir-fried choy sum and a dish of spicy and sour potato shreds. In addition, Xiaoye cooked shrimp, vermicelli and cabbage in a casserole, as well as cold shredded jellyfish and winter melon meatballs. The dinner was complete.

After the dining table was set, Luo Changgeng's wife went to the master bedroom on the first floor and helped her mother-in-law out.

The old couple's bedroom is on the first floor and their study is on the second floor. When the old man has nothing to do, he likes to go to the study upstairs to study medical books and practice calligraphy and painting.

His son and daughter-in-law both suggested moving the study to the first floor, but the old man disagreed and insisted that going up and down the stairs was just exercise for his legs.

The old lady is two years older than Mr. Luo and is now 92 years old. In 1997 and even more than years later, the couple were considered to be very old.

The old lady is not as energetic as the old man, she is often sleepy and her legs and feet are not very flexible. Although she has a famous Chinese medicine doctor, it is difficult to solve the aging problems caused by age.

The old lady was very happy to see a guest at home, and she asked Xiaoshu to sit next to her: "Come, child, sit here with grandma!"

After Xiaoshu sat down obediently, Mrs. Luo asked her eldest daughter-in-law, "Is this the little prodigy that the second son mentioned? Oh, how come this child is so handsome?"

Qian Xiaoshu was a little embarrassed when the old lady praised him as a "little prodigy". He said in a childish voice: "Grandma, I'm not a little prodigy. I just studied Chinese medicine with Grandpa Luo for a while and I think this is more interesting..."

The old lady laughed and said, "Okay, okay, we are not child prodigies, but we can catch up with them through hard work, or even surpass them... Grandma, I'll tell you in advance, don't be fooled by the old man's smile, when you really become his apprentice, his stubborn temper will be exposed, don't cry then..."

When Mr. Luo heard this, he was not happy and immediately retorted: "Old woman, please don't ruin my show. If you scare the child away, you have to compensate me with an identical one..."

The two old men bickered at the dinner table, making everyone laugh.

At this time, there was a noise at the door: "What are you so happy about today? I can hear your laughter from far away!"

It was Luo Changgeng who came back. He had said that he would be back later today because of something else, but the event was cancelled at the last minute.

Luo Changgeng's wife quickly asked him to wash his hands and eat: "Go wash your hands quickly, there will be delicious food today, we are in for a treat!"

After everyone sat down, they started eating. The Luo family greeted Sun Aimin and Xiaoshu, father and son, "Don't be polite when you come to our house, order whatever you want. The second son will tell you about your father and son's situation. It's not easy to find the child."

Mrs. Luo was nagging like an elder. Thinking of the story she heard from her second son, she couldn't help but feel sad. She quickly picked up some vegetables and put them in the bowl for the little tree beside her. She said, "Little tree, treat this place as your home. Eat more and grow tall and strong!"

Xiao Shu nodded and replied politely: "Yes, thank you grandma!"

Luo Changgeng's wife saw that the atmosphere was a little dull because of the old lady's words, so she quickly tried to smooth things over: "Come on, everyone try this fish fillet in ketchup. If Xiao Sun hadn't come home, I wouldn't have known that cooking fish would involve so many steps."

After listening to her introduction, the Luo family quickly picked up the fish slices with chopsticks and put them into their mouths. The fish meat was smooth and tender, and it melted in the mouth after a little chewing. Because it was deodorized, there was no fishy smell at all, but the freshness was perfectly preserved. Coupled with the sweet and sour taste of tomatoes, it left a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth, and it was endless aftertaste.

Several people praised the dish highly. The meal was a great pleasure for the guests and hosts. Everyone talked and laughed, and after eating and drinking to their heart's content, it was almost eight o'clock.

During the dinner, the issue of Xiaoshu going to school was also mentioned. This was exactly what Sun Aimin was most worried about. If Xiaoshu decided to follow Mr. Luo to study medicine, he would have to live in Mafang City for a long time. In this case, he would have to find a school for him locally. Now, the child's household registration issue was the most difficult.

However, Luo Changgeng was very enthusiastic and took the initiative to agree to help Xiaoshu find a school. He knew the leaders of the Education Bureau. What was a very difficult matter for Sun Aimin was just a matter of a word for Luo Changgeng.

Sun Aimin is extremely grateful to the Luo family, and he will definitely find a way to repay them.

After dinner, they talked for a while, and then Sun Aimin was ready to leave: "It's getting late, I won't bother you with my child. I have to go back to my hometown in the next two days, and my child will have to wait a few days before he can come and study with you, Mr. Luo."

Mrs. Luo said, "It's getting dark outside. Why don't you two stay here for the night and leave tomorrow? We have guest rooms at home. There's plenty of room."

Sun Aimin politely declined, "It's quite convenient to take a bus here, and it's not too late yet. We have booked a room at the hotel, and there are two brothers there. If we don't go back, they will be worried!"

"In that case, we won't keep you here! Be careful on the road, eldest brother's wife, go and see off the grandson and his grandson!"

Luo Changgeng's wife was also a kind-hearted person. She accompanied Sun Aimin and his son to the gate of the community, and watched them get into a taxi before turning back home.