Lanzi and Li Jinxiang thought what Juhua said made sense and nodded repeatedly. Liu Xiaoi was too stuffed to move and didn’t say a word, her big eyes darting from one person to the next. ’Anyway, my als are usually decent enough, and I morized everything Juhua taught today. It doesn’t seem that hard.’
Yang Family smiled and said, "Never mind a young girl like you. I’ve been cooking for decades, and even your Uncle Zheng says my food isn’t half as delicious as Juhua’s. Don’t you worry, just try cooking slowly. After a while, you’ll get good at it. My Juhua just loves to experint with new things. I don’t get in her way, and she actually manages to make them work."
izi heard this and nodded repeatedly.
After the al, Yang Family shooed the group of young girls away, telling them to go have a chat. She then cleared the table with Zheng Changhe.
The girls, full and satisfied, sat lazily in the courtyard. They basked in the sun, idly working on their handiwork and making small talk.
izi laughed. "I need to walk around. I’m so full, I feel all blocked up just sitting here!" She stood up and started to sway back and forth.
Lanzi looked at the others and smiled shyly, pursing her lips. "Look at us, stuffing ourselves like we were starving. Juhua must be laughing at us. I don’t even eat this much during the New Year—and my mom’s cooking is nowhere near as good as Juhua’s."
Li Jinxiang and Liu Xiaoi also giggled, feeling embarrassed. They hadn’t felt it while eating, but now that they were finished, they realized how shaless they’d been.
Liu Xiaoi rubbed her belly contentedly. "The only ti I can eat with such abandon is when my family butchers a pig. My older brothers usually give the best tidbits they get, but I think in my whole life, today’s al was the most satisfying."
She was the youngest daughter at ho, born after four older brothers, so her parents naturally treasured her. On top of that, she was hardworking, so her brothers were all very protective of her.
Juhua chuckled softly. "Listen to you all. Why think so much about it? When there’s food, don’t be polite. Just rember to think of when you have sothing good to eat in the future."
She then told them about the ti Big Mouth Zhao had given her a large soft-shelled turtle, and how she’d shalessly taken it ho, cooked it, and eaten until her belly was round. The story made them all burst out laughing.
Liu Xiaoi said excitedly, "Juhua, is that true? My brothers are experts at catching fish and Huang Shan! Next spring, I have to co find you to teach how to cook them. My cooking is okay, but it’s just spicy. I feel like compared to your food today, mine is missing so kind of flavor."
Juhua asked, "Do you just add chili peppers, put the lid on, and let it boil for a long ti?" Villagers believed, "’Simr fish for a thousand boils, and it’ll be safe in your belly,’" but they didn’t realize that overcooking made the at tough and destroyed the fresh flavor.
Liu Xiaoi nodded repeatedly, blinking her big eyes. "Doesn’t the saying go, ’Simr fish for a thousand boils, and it’ll be safe in your belly’? My mom says you have to cook it for a long ti so you don’t get sick from eating it."
Juhua explained that she shouldn’t cook it for too long. Once it’s cooked through, that’s enough. That way, the at stays tender and the flavor remains fresh.
izi tilted her head, asking skeptically, "Then why do you cook pig’s head and pork offal for so long? I heard you even have to let it simr in the pot overnight."
Juhua was stumped—she didn’t quite know how to explain it to her. Seeing them all staring at her, she thought for a mont, organized her words, and then said, "Huang Shan and fish are easy to cook. A little ginger and green onion in the stir-fry can get rid of the gay taste. But pig’s head and pork offal are naturally very dirty—that’s why we usually don’t eat them. Even after they’re cleaned, you have to use strong seasonings and simr them thoroughly until they’re fall-apart tender. That’s how the flavor becos fragrant. A short two-hour period won’t do."
Lanzi wrapped a handkerchief around her hand, wound the thread for sewing shoe soles around it, and pulled it tight. She smiled and said, "See? It’s not so easy to beco a good cook. How long you cook sothing depends not only on what it is, but also on your own judgnt!"
Juhua looked at her with admiration. "That’s right. But the more you do it, the more you’ll understand. It’s like the saying goes, ’practice makes perfect’!"
izi said to Liu Xiaoi, "I don’t care, if your brothers catch any Huang Shan or soft-shelled turtles next year, you have to let try so. If Juhua says they’re delicious, then they must be really delicious. We were such fools for not liking them before."
Liu Xiaoi quickly promised that if her brothers caught any, she would bring them to Juhua’s house first. She’d call everyone over to learn how to cook from Juhua while they all tasted the dish together.
Their conversation left all the girls filled with anticipation. After all, only families with lots of boys could get such things regularly. The adults were too busy, and the won would never go out to catch them.
Juhua’s eyes, in particular, were shining. ’Her family is small, and with her brother busy studying now, he doesn’t have ti to go after such things. If Liu Xiaoi’s brothers are good in the water, then there shouldn’t be a shortage of these treats. Besides, didn’t Big Mouth Zhao also say he’d catch more for ?’
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