Chapter 7: Sour and Spicy Fish

The sour cabbage in Shudu is made from a large amount of fresh mustard greens that come on the market in early autumn. First, the whole mustard greens are cut in half, then they are dried under the sun until they are about 70% dry. After rubbing them with salt inside and out to extract the juice, several fresh chili peppers, ginger slices, and Sichuan peppercorns are wrapped around each half of the mustard greens, tightly tied into small bundles. These bundles are then neatly placed in a sour cabbage jar with water, and the remaining sour water from previous years' pickled cabbage is poured in. Some rock sugar is added, and the pickling process is supplemented with some cold boiled water or spring water. The process is repeated for each half of the mustard greens.

Take the dried chili peppers from the stove, which have been roasted to a semi-dry and semi-paste state. Crush them directly with your hands and put them into a small bowl. Add scallions, salt, and chicken essence. Holding the small bowl, go into the main room and place it on the dining table. Scoop a spoonful of pickled fish soup into it. This is the unique spicy seasoning for pickled fish porridge.

Li Siqi said, "I just mentioned it casually. Piwa has never been a worry for us since childhood, so I am still at ease. Hurry up and eat the fish, have some soup." After taking a sip of wine, he continued, "It's also good to take a break and remember to visit Fourth Grandfather tomorrow. Several uncles and elders will also come. Don't wander outside for a few years and forget about etiquette."

A family starts eating.

Li Jungé lifted his cup and toasted, saying, "Fortunately, Grandma is healthy, and so are my parents. I have been rushing back and forth when I come home these past few years. It seems like I haven't been able to spend enough time with you since I graduated from college. I have already quit my current job and plan to take a break. I will think about what I should do next."

Li Jungé immediately asked, "Is Fourth Grandfather ninety-four years old this year?"

Shi Sufen said, "That's right. The water and air in our Lijiagou Mountain are good, and there are many long-lived elderly people in the village who are in good health. On TV, they say that the big cities outside are heavily polluted, and everyone wears masks when they go out, just like bandits. Haha."

Shi Sufen has always doted on her children: "As soon as the youngest son came back, you started saying these things, eager to drive my son out. I think it's better to take a break first, get your body in good shape. Are you afraid that my son won't be able to find a job with his abilities? The youngest son makes twenty thousand a month in Chongqing, earning more in a month than your old man does in a year. What's wrong with taking a break?"

Tomorrow I will give you the card. You can spend it, but one still needs to have a solid foundation. You are still young, you haven't even found a wife yet, so you still need to work.

After the family had dinner together, they chatted for a while and then rested.

Wild plum wine is only sour, not sweet. After adding rock sugar, it becomes sour, sweet, and delicious, with a unique fresh bayberry fragrance, very palatable. Those who are not aware of its potency often unknowingly drink excessively, and when the aftereffect kicks in, they will end up completely drunk.

Li Junge said, "That's good. I will go and see him tomorrow."

Grandfather Si and Grandfather Li Junge are close brothers. Now, Grandfather Si is the eldest elder in the Li family. He graduated from Nanjing Education College in the year 1943 and is a legitimate university graduate. In his childhood, he studied the Four Books and Five Classics, and his foundation in Chinese characters is very profound.

Sauerkraut production is said to be easy, and every household in rural Shuzhou has it. It is said to be difficult, because the pickled sauerkraut must be neither too salty nor too bland, crisp and delicious. It requires the right amount of salt and sugar, the right level of moisture, and the right balance of tightness when stored. All of this relies on years of accumulated experience.

Sauerkraut is rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, amino acids, dietary fiber, etc. In addition, the storage method used is advantageous lactobacillus probiotics, which contains a large number of lactobacillus probiotics that can regulate the human digestive system.

Li Jungé said, "If Uncle Siyuan cannot come back, we can hold this grand birthday celebration at my home. After all, I will definitely be in the village for the second half of this year. We can take the lead and organize a good celebration. By the way, is Grandfather's health still good?"

Hurriedly said: "Hehehe, Mom, Grandma, my body is very healthy, mainly just mentally exhausted. It's very chaotic in Yuzhou, not as peaceful as it is here. I'm still not quite used to it."

Li Jungé opened the lid of the jar, and a sour fragrance rushed towards him. He immediately felt his mouth watering and couldn't help but smack his lips. After fishing out two handfuls of golden sour cabbage, he quickly closed the lid.

These years, you have been consistently sending money back home, even more than other children who work outside the village. We have been saving it for you.

After browsing for a while, he took out a jar of bright red wine, filled with small, spherical, deep red fruits. He said, "It's getting hot outside. The wild plums in the mountains were good last year. The plum wine we made is perfect for drinking now."

Shi Sufen said, "You should drink less alcohol and spend more time with them to play a game of Longmen Array. Especially your fourth grandfather, who lives alone next to the ancestral hall. We can't understand what's in his mind, and we can't figure out how to play the game together. Usually, he just listens to us and smiles without saying a word. Now that you're back, you two college students can have a good chat."

Open the pickled mustard greens, let the leaves stretch out, wash them in clean water, tear the leaf part into long strips along the veins, keep the stem part intact, then neatly arrange them on the cutting board, and slice the pickled mustard greens into thin slices with a diagonal knife.

For the people of Shu, the taste of pickled vegetables is sour and salty, with a crispy and tender texture, a bright golden color, a strong aroma, appetizing and refreshing, able to stimulate the appetite, aid digestion, and is an indispensable ingredient on the dining table.

Li Siqi is squatting in front of the cabinet, picking out wine. Besides some commercial wine, there are more than ten glass jars of infused liquor inside, including various fruits, herbs, and even snakes and insects.

Li Jungé said, "Okay." He sprinkled salt on the fish meat and bones, poured some cooking wine, added pepper, grabbed a handful of ginger and threw it in, then cracked two eggs, using only the egg whites and setting the yolks aside to make tomato scrambled eggs later. Then he began to coat the fish meat with the mixture.

The older generation always talks about "虚岁" (counting age in East Asian culture), so my grandmother said, "Big brother is 95 years old this year, and we should celebrate his birthday in August."

Li Jungé held his teacup, feeling incredibly calm, and gazed at the moon just rising over the mountains in the east. Suddenly, a poem came to mind: "The mountains encircle my ancient homeland, as the tide crashes against the empty city, loneliness returns. On the eastern side of the Huai River, the moon of old times still shines, deep into the night, passing over the women's wall."

Li Junge's pickled vegetables are all made by his grandmother herself. The old lady's pickling technique is well-known in the surrounding area, using spring water from their own backyard. The flavor is exceptionally delightful.

Shi Sufen just finished stir-frying garlic-flavored sautéed pea shoots, and was about to take the wok off the heat. Seeing this, she said to Li Junge, "Yao'er, you season the fish first, I can't handle it right now."

The pickled cabbage jars in Shudu are very distinctive, each with a mouth rim. Usually, water is added to the mouth rim to ensure that the water level always submerges the lid, which can isolate the air and achieve a good sealing effect. The pickled cabbage jar in the Li Jung House is over one meter tall and can hold dozens of catties of pickled cabbage at a time. Even the chopsticks used to pick up the pickled cabbage are one meter long.

Si Yuan is the son of Grandfather Si, Jun Lou is the grandson of Grandfather Si. In the 70s, he went to the United States and started a family there. Grandfather Si is from an older generation and is unwilling to travel overseas. Therefore, after retiring, he stayed at the old house in Li Jia Gou.

Li Siqi smiled and said, "Your fourth grandfather's physique is truly impressive. Last spring, he even climbed up Bifeng Mountain to hunt, and caught a rabbit weighing over seven jin. Now everyone regards him highly and won't allow him to go up the mountain again."

Sour vegetables, also known as "zhu" in ancient times, was mentioned in the "Book of Rites". It was a method invented by the ancient ancestors to preserve vegetables for a long time, allowing them to be consumed during seasons when fresh vegetables were scarce. Later, it developed into a distinctive culinary specialty in various regions.

Shi Sufen made a few more side dishes before starting to cook the fish.

Li Jungé has a black line on his forehead, but his body is in great shape. Although he doesn't dare to run around as a rookie in Yuzhou, he still runs 10,000 meters on the treadmill every day.

After finishing these tasks, Mr. Li sat by the stove and watched the fire, occasionally throwing a handful of firewood inside. He also grabbed a handful of dried chili peppers and roasted them on the stove.

Li Junge took out two large and two small cups, added a small cup to Grandma and Mom, and divided the remaining cups equally between Dad and himself.

"棒老二" is the alias of the bandits who used to live in the mountains. They often covered their faces with masks when they went out to rob houses, in order to avoid being recognized. It didn't seem funny when I was in Yuzhou, but when I thought about it according to my mother's description, it was really hilarious.

Li Jungé took a porcelain bowl, poured out around four liang of wine from the jug, and added some rock sugar to dissolve.

Shi Sufen said, "Who says it's not? Sigh, Siyuan is not by my side, I don't even know if Lianjun Tower can come back this year. With my son and grandson not by my side, even if the celebration is lively, I may not necessarily be happy."

Li Jungé covered the stove fire with ash, closed the stove door, and added a few ladles of cold water to the pot to heat up for washing dishes later.

Li Jungé quickly said, "That's expected. I might have to stay for dinner tomorrow, so you guys don't need to worry about me."

Put the phone back in the pocket, Li Junguo began to open the jar of pickled vegetables and scoop out the pickled vegetables.

When Li Jungé was a child, he followed his fourth grandfather to study until he was twelve years old and went directly to junior high school, which was equivalent to being a half-student. Therefore, Li Jungé's entire family respected his fourth grandfather very much. While it was okay to visit others, his fourth grandfather was the first person they had to pay respects to.

Li Siqi said: "Pia, you are already grown up, and we don't understand what you are doing. You need to handle things on your own. Although we may not be able to help you, we will not become a burden to you."

Grandma also chimed in and said, "Why do I feel like my good grandson has gotten even thinner this time he came back? He doesn't look as cute as he used to when he was chubby and adorable in his childhood."

Li Jia Gou is nestled among the mountains, tranquil and serene.

Shi Sufen carried this large basin of sour fish with pickled vegetables as she walked towards the main hall, while calling for Li Junge to turn off the engine and wash his hands to have a meal.

Li Jungé lay in the yard on a lounge chair, watching the sky. In Li Jiagou, where there was no light pollution, the sky was full of stars, each one brighter than the last. A curved Milky Way stretched from one end of the sky to the other. The sound of frogs and insects filled the air.

After finishing the pickling of the sour cabbage, start to clean the fish. Cut open and wash the big grass carp, remove the flesh from both sides, cut the fish head in half, chop the fish bones into pieces, then slice the two pieces of fish flesh diagonally into thin slices. Put the flesh and bones into separate bowls, and bring them into the kitchen together with the sour cabbage.

After a few minutes, open the lid. The aroma of sour cabbage soup has filled the kitchen. Then add the fish head first, and when it is half cooked, add the fish bones. After simmering for a few minutes, remove the pot, leaving only the soup in the pot. After the soup boils again, slide the fish slices into the pot. When the fish soup boils again, turn off the heat, sprinkle with chopped green onions, add a few Sichuan peppercorns, and pour a small ladle of hot oil over it. A strong aroma bursts out, and the sour cabbage fish is ready.

Melt a large piece of lard in the pot, then add ginger slices, garlic slices, and white part of scallions to stir-fry until fragrant. Pour in the pickled vegetables and stir-fry, then add water, cover the pot, and cook over high heat.

Shi Sufen said, "Later, I didn't go up the mountain anymore, but started fishing in the water. In the summer, I swim back and forth in the Wuxi River four or five times every day, catching fish and shrimp for fun. I'm in great spirits and very healthy."