Zhou Xiaozheng and Cheng Hongli entered the kitchen and saw Cheng Hongli taking a deep breath with her eyes closed, and they both burst into laughter.
Lin Lishan, worried she might feel embarrassed, gave them a stern look, "You’re laughing at us now, but wait and see, you won’t get to eat anything. We’ve prepared quite a bit of sea snails and mantis shrimp. We’ll have a seafood feast tonight. Xiao Wu, do you have any red wine left? Seafood pairs perfectly with red wine."
Zhang Guoqing chuckled and said, "Mom, you really know how to enjoy life. I have so, but if I don’t, as long as you ask for it, I’ll imdiately go to the provincial city to buy so. I just happen to have a bottle of white wine, which pairs best with seafood. Let go back and get you two fully cooked crabs to bring to Jiao Jiao."
Zhou Xiaozheng gave Zhang Guoqing a aningful look after hearing that. This kid really knows a lot.
He stepped forward and packed two of the largest crabs and a bowl of sea snails into a big wooden tray, covered with a clean cloth, and said, "Xiao Wu, rember to tell Jiao Jiao to only eat the roe. After the confinent, she can eat as much as she wants. Check with your mother about whether she can eat these sea snails. Shanshan, keep cooking, these are not enough to gap the teeth."
Zhou Xiaozheng helped carry the bamboo baskets to the car, and when Zhang Guoqing saw this, he said, "Dad, you’re not planning to take these two baskets ho, are you? It’s too much."
Zhou Xiaozheng waved him off, "Let’s go, hurry back, rember to go to Master Fatty’s. Tell Jiao Jiao there will be buns waiting tonight."
Seeing his impatience, Zhang Guoqing didn’t insist. There was no need for pleasantries between him and his dad, so he nodded, got into the car, and drove off quickly.
The drive from the county town back to the village was swift, and worried that the crabs might get cold, he sped up. When he got ho, he saw his mother waiting at the gate, smiling at him.
Zhang Guoqing got out of the car, carrying two baskets of seafood towards the gate, and said with a happy grin, "Mom, are you happy to see your eldest son?"
Mother Zhang, seeing him carrying in both hands, quickly stepped forward to take one of the baskets, "Co on, give one to your mom. Both hands are busy, they’re quite heavy, aren’t you tired? Where did these co from? They’re not sothing we regularly see."
Zhang Guoqing held on tightly to the baskets, shaking his head, "Mom, they’re not heavy, I can carry them. Co with inside, you need to sort these out now, so are alive, they’ll be wasted if they die. My father-in-law brought them from another province, and there’s another basket in the car for Grandma Zhou."
Mother Zhang hurriedly led the way to the well, "Leave them here, I’ll handle it. You go deliver to the Zhou family first. Also, check on Jiao Jiao. You’ve been out all day, your second brother said you’d return early, probably went to find your father-in-law."
"I know, I’ll get the stuff from the car and head in right away," said Zhang Guoqing as he walked off briskly.
He carried the big wooden tray to the west wing’s inner room, where Zhou Jiao was already waiting eagerly, "Ta-da... look what I brought? Big live crabs! Dad bought a whole car full of seafood and rice. The noodles are piled up in the cellar like firewood in the woodshed. Mom stead these first, worried about your confinent and the cold, so you just eat the roe of two crabs. Dad said, when you’re out of confinent, you can eat as much as you want."
Zhou Jiao looked at Zhang Guoqing in delight and asked curiously, "Where did my dad go today? How did he buy so much seafood? It’s expensive, isn’t it? And the rice, did he get it from the black market through connections? You should tell Dad to be more economical; these aren’t cheap."
Zhang Guoqing chuckled, shaking his head mysteriously, "Dad went straight to the fishing village. All the 400 pounds of rice and flour were bought from a nearby village. There are three boxes of large prawns and three boxes of large yellow croakers hidden in the cellar, with the barn filled with large dried fish. Besides these, the crabs are all female, each this big, a total of three large baskets brought back weighing 50 pounds.
Right now, in the county yard, Aunt Cheng is steaming seafood, mom is wrapping red roe mixed with at buns for you to eat tonight. Dad specially instructed the buns to be filled with red roe and pork belly, so they’re small enough for you to eat in one bite, but exquisite with a thin crust and lots of filling. I’m also to find out from Master Fatty how to prepare prawns and yellow croakers during your confinent. Jiao Jiao, aren’t you excited? Happy?"
Zhou Jiao laughed heartily and took the lid Zhang Guoqing handed her, grabbing a large piece with chopsticks to feed him.
Zhang Guoqing quickly stopped her, "I can’t eat it. I still have to go to your grandma’s place and it’d be a hassle to brush my teeth after eating. There’s already a portion prepared to send over. You eat, I’ll have mine later in the county. Dad bought these crabs just for you; he even daydread of you happily eating crabs and grinning at him.
Knowing you can’t eat cold foods, he was regretful for a long ti, worried you didn’t have anything to eat. So, he thought of letting mom make buns. Feel free to eat, Dad’s already delivered two drakes, and there are 18 crabs inside, with 50 pounds being over 40, and here 18 plus 8 for grandma. Just stead a pot, and the rest are all for your buns."
He then went on to hold his awake son, "Oh, my son, you’re so young; otherwise, you could have enjoyed the delicious food too. You must grow up quickly. Daddy and grandpa will get you big crabs like these. Has our Ping’an been good today? Oh, still recognize daddy, right?"
Upon seeing Zhou Jiao looking back at the sea snails, "Jiao Jiao, Dad told to check with Mom if you can eat sea snails. Better not eat them now; they’re too fresh, might not be good for the baby. Hold on a bit, I know the address now, once you’re out of confinent, we’ll buy more and you can eat as you wish. How’s that?"
Zhou Jiao looked longingly at the big sea snails, feeling wronged, "Brother, you must rember to take there. Son, your mom went through a lot, just for you."
"Haha, don’t worry, we’ll make it up next ti. Our Ping’an, tell mom, ’Mom, thank you. I’ll be very filial when I grow up. Mama is the best mom.’ Once dad asks the chef, we’ll make mom big yellow croaker and big prawns. Does Ping’an want to eat? You’re still too little. When you grow up, mom and dad will take you. So, our Ping’an should grow up well, eat plenty, drink lots of milk, and sleep a lot to grow fast," Zhang Guoqing said softly to the son in his arms.
Zhou Jiao put the food down after a few bites, planning to reheat it for dinner, "Brother, you still haven’t told where you bought them. I thought, assuming Dad drove there, it must be the neighboring province with the fishery, as our side is allocated from there."
Zhang Guoqing chuckled and softly said to his son, "Ping’an, see how smart your mom is? She’s guessed it. It was bought from the fishery; the details can be explained by grandpa when he returns. Your grandpa hasn’t bragged to your mom yet. Dad’s giving grandpa a chance."
Zhou Jiao gave him a glare, "Quickly, tell , aside from delivering stuff, anything else? Hurry back and eat the seafood feast and help us taste it."
Zhang Guoqing leisurely patted his son, "Mom said seafood must be paired with red wine. The old Russian white wine you bought last ti and the fruit wine at ho, I’ll take them to her; she’s waiting."
Zhou Jiao laughed so hard she fell back on the stove and clutched her stomach, "Oh dear, my goodness, red wine with seafood, why not add steak too? Mom’s gotten used to the petite bourgeoisie life, corrupted by the capitalists. Isn’t she afraid of poisoning? You didn’t tell her red wine can’t go with seafood?"
Zhang Guoqing grinned and shook his head. Probably, aside from his father-in-law, others only knew the basics.
After a while, Zhou Jiao held back her laughter, hearing Xi Zi and his group shout in the yard, urging Zhang Guoqing to complete his errands quickly, lest the crabs die and get wasted. They didn’t forget to remind him to bring over so veggies; after all, they couldn’t just eat seafood.
Zhang Guoqing carried Master Fatty’s food container, along with wine, wild chicken, and cured at, out of the yard, and saw a few children reaching into the basket to grab the crabs. He urgently called out, "Careful, they might pinch your fingers. Wait for Grandma to steam them before eating."
Xi Zi happily shouted, "Uncle, did Grandma buy these for us? I knew they were from Grandma; she always buys rare things. I had these crabs last ti when my little uncle brought them. My little uncle’s were smaller than Grandma’s, one’s as big as two of his. Grandma sure knows how to shop."
The kids joined in, "Grandma knows how to shop."
Zhang Guoqing laughed heartily, "This ti you’re wrong, Grandpa bought them, went straight to the fishery. Be careful with your hands, lest you get pinched, let Grandma cook so for you first. Mom, are you in the kitchen? Otherwise, I’m heading off first."
Xi Zi grinned at his uncle, waiting for him to finish calling before saying, "My grandma went to find Auntie. She said she doesn’t know how to cook these, but Auntie does, so we’ll wait for her to cook later."
"Oh, tell your grandma Uncle’s gone out, no need to prepare dinner for him. Don’t bother about for now, can’t take you along, there’s a guest, next ti Uncle will take all of you to town." With that, seeing it was about ti, he hurried off.
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