bookbashuk Chapter 193 Killing the Fish
Chapter 193 Killing the Fish
It's Lunar New Year's Eve.
The city was bustling with activity, and children were running around in the streets, all looking forward to tonight's New Year's Eve dinner.
Tonight is the only time of year that I can eat such delicious food that I usually can't bear to eat.
Xu Sui sat in front of the mirror, raised her hand to tidy her messy hair, and got up to walk out.
The Qin family members who went out to buy groceries gradually returned and were sitting in the yard picking vegetables, while Old Mrs. Qin and Tian Hua were busy in the kitchen.
It's already past noon, so some dishes need to be prepared in advance to avoid being caught off guard later.
Xu Sui came out of the house and immediately saw a large grass carp in the bucket. The fish was still lively and jumping around. Xiao Fen was holding a bowl and sharpening a kitchen knife with the bottom of the bowl. Her movements were very skillful.
He sharpened the cleaver until it gleamed coldly, then grabbed a fish from the wooden bucket, stunned it with the back of the knife, and swiftly chopped it down.
A live grass carp was gutted in an instant, its scales were scraped off, and its inedible internal organs were thoroughly cleaned.
Xu Sui was slightly taken aback, walked over and stood aside, and couldn't help but praise her.
"Sister-in-law, your technique is really good."
They're on par with those professionals.
Xiao Fen put the cleaned grass carp into a basin and washed it clean. She raised her chin and smiled proudly, "That's right, this skill is passed down from my ancestors. When I was a child, I often helped my father kill and sell fish."
Later, her father died in an accident. She thought that although her father was gone, the skills he taught her were still there. At worst, she could kill and sell fish to earn money to support herself and her family.
Unfortunately, times have changed.
Those fish-killing jobs are rare, secure positions; they're government jobs, so how could she possibly get in?
"I'll show you my skills later. I may not be good at other things, but I'm definitely an expert at cooking fish. Last year during Chinese New Year, my whole family praised how delicious my fish was."
"By the way, Sui Sui, do you like spicy or sour food? If you like sour, how about we have sauerkraut fish for dinner tonight?"
My mother-in-law had pickled some sauerkraut a few days ago, which is perfect for making sauerkraut fish.
Xu Sui thought for a moment, "Just make whatever flavors Mom and Dad like to eat, I'm fine with it."
She's not picky; she likes both sour and spicy food.
Xiao Fen waved her hand, "No need, I've already asked them. Grandma and Mom and Dad all said that since you're pregnant now, whatever flavor you like to eat, we'll make it. They can all eat it."
These days, it's good enough to have fish to eat; most families don't have much to be picky about.
Xu Sui was slightly taken aback, then smiled and her eyes crinkled, "Then let's have sauerkraut fish."
"Okay, perfect timing. We have sauerkraut at home, so we don't need to spend extra money to buy it." Xiao Fen also likes to eat sauerkraut fish, and adding some potatoes as a side dish makes it appetizing and refreshing.
Even if she eats coarse grains, she can still eat quite a lot.
By afternoon, wisps of smoke rose from the stoves of every household, and the aroma of all kinds of food filled the air.
The children would gather around their own stoves or run to other people's stoves to see what they would be having for their New Year's Eve dinner, and what they themselves would be having for their own.
There are four or five households in the same courtyard, all sharing one water tap.
You have to queue up whenever you need water.
Especially on Lunar New Year's Eve, every household has to cook the New Year's Eve dinner, and everyone is busy cooking at the same time. There is only one tap, so it is naturally not enough, and they have to take turns.
Xu Sui couldn't just do nothing. She couldn't help with anything else, but she could still manage to pick vegetables.
So she was responsible for sitting under the eaves with her sister-in-law, Qin Yan, picking vegetables.
Xiao Fen lined up to wash the vegetables, while the kitchen work was left to Grandma Qin and Tian Hua.
Aunt Ma, who was in front of Xiao Fen, was carrying a vegetable washing basin. She glanced at Xu Sui sitting under the eaves, then looked at Xiao Fen, who was busy working, and whispered with a wink:
"We're both sisters-in-law, but she can just sit under the eaves and casually pick some vegetables, while you're busy here and haven't even had a chance to catch your breath."
"Is your mother-in-law being unfair to both sides? If so, that won't do."
Xiao Fen glanced at Sister Ma and, almost without guessing, deduced that this person was trying to sow discord.
She held the vegetable washing basin and pouted, "Auntie, what are you saying? My sister-in-law is pregnant, and she's quite far along in her pregnancy, so she can't do heavy work. We're all family, so what's wrong with me, as the eldest sister-in-law, doing a little more?"
"Don't you dare try to sow discord between us sisters-in-law, or I'll tell my brother and sister-in-law."
In the past, Xiao Fen would definitely have felt that her mother-in-law was biased and that the old lady was also biased, and she would have definitely made a scene.
However, after Xu Sui and Qin Yunzhou returned, they would occasionally buy meat to improve their family's diet and also helped them find a temporary job, making their lives a little easier.
Moreover, this position is half hers; once her mother-in-law retires in a few years, the job will be hers.
Based on this alone, she felt that doing more housework was worthwhile.
Besides, there wasn't much work to do at home. If you really think about it, when Xu Sui and her husband got married, their families didn't give them anything, but when she married Qin Min, her parents-in-law really contributed both money and effort.
Xu Sui isn't going to stay in this house forever; she'll be going back to the military to be with her husband later.
Therefore, there's no point in arguing about some things. After all, if we really had to argue, the eldest son's family would be the ones who benefited.
Sister Ma: "..."
How did this person change their personality?
She remembered that Xiao Fen used to be the most calculating person.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing? Why are you cutting in line?" While Sister Ma was lost in thought, someone suddenly cut in line for her.
The person who cut in line was none other than Xiao Fen, who had just been talking to her.
Sister Ma was always a troublemaker, and she couldn't stand being treated like this. She immediately stepped forward to grab the person.
Xiao Fen rolled her eyes and quickly dodged away. "Who told you to hogging the toilet without using it?"
"Everyone behind you is waiting. If you just stand there daydreaming and not getting water, then we, the people behind you, have to get some, right?"
Upon hearing this, the people behind nodded in agreement. "Yes, Aunt Ma, several households in our courtyard share one water tap. If you're not going to get water, then go outside and don't block everyone else from getting water."
"Xiao Fen did the right thing. If it were me, I would have done the same."
"Yes, me too. We can't let you block the way and delay everyone's time. Today is the Lunar New Year, and everyone is busy."
A cacophony of accusations erupted, and Sister Ma's face darkened with anger.