As I stood in the kitchen, the aroma of deep-fried mud fish filled the air. The sizzling sound echoed in the quiet morning, and I carefully flipped each piece to ensure they were evenly cooked. The tangy scent of vinegar mixed with the freshness of leeks and young onion leaves, created a tantalizing marinade for the fish. Mudfish hinava, the new menu.
"Bellona leave the fish to me" Uncle Jiang said as he gently snatches the wooden ladle.
"Okay Uncle Jiang. Just make sure that you evenly flip each side, 'kay?"
Meanwhile, I busily prepared the cassava flatbread, known as 'piyaya'. In my visit in the Philippines, this is one of my favorite souvenirs!
I rolled out the dough, sprinkled it with sugar filling, and folded it after sprinkling a handful of sesame seed. I used a broken pot to cook this, since I don't have any choice and besides, I only need to moderately fried each side so that the sugar could melt without burning the dough.
With the mud fish and piyaya are in the making ready, Big Brother Allardy is into making the fufu. Since yesterday it had become a staple dish loved by hard workers looking for a filling meal.
He pounded the boiled cassava until it formed a smooth paste, shaping it into small portions. Each fufu packet held the promise of sustenance with a cheap price. Most of the dock worker pay was only 20-30 liang, so most of them eat just to fill their stomach. I sell fufu for only 1 coin and some of them would settle for this after asking for a bowl of soup for only 2 coins from Granpa Wu stall.
As the sun began to rise, I neatly packed the dishes into straw containers, ready to be taken to the market.
Just as I finished packing, Cree, with sleepy eyes, stumbled into the kitchen. He glanced at the array of food and exclaimed, "Elder Sister, you've outdone yourself again! These smells amazing!"
I chuckled and patted his head affectionately. "Thank you, Cree. Go brush your teeth and we would eat along the way."
With our goods prepared, we set off for the market.
As I entered the market, I spotted Grandpa Wu among the bustling crowd. His kind eyes lit up as he saw me approaching, and he greeted me warmly. "Ah, Bellona, I already clean your side."
I smiled back at him and handed him two portions of the pickled fish. "Thank you, Grandpa Wu! Oh, before I forgot I made something special for you and Grandma Wu today. I know how much you both enjoy a good meal together."
His eyes widened in delight as he accepts the lotus-leaf wrapped food. "You never cease to amaze me, Bellona. How do you manage to create such delicious dishes every time?" With YouTube of course! The hundreds of hours me watching primitive videos and Asian ancient cooking is not on vain!
I chuckled modestly, "Oh, it's just a little bit of creativity."
Grandpa Wu nodded appreciatively, his smile growing wider. "Well, you certainly succeed in that, my dear. Grandma Wu and I always look forward to your cooking. She said that I wont need to bother coming home without your dish."
"Then I would always save you some portion."
"Oh-oh-no need to do that. If you do, it would be too shameless for me not to pay!"
"No need to pay Granpa Wu."
"How can that do, business is business!" He firmly says, but how can I bear to earn the money from the old man who had shown us kindness since the very first day.
"I really can't bear to earn money from you Granpa, so why not just clean our side every now and then. In that way, we would not need to get up early in the morning and you could treat the two portions as a repayment."
"Eh? How can that do? Haist! Y-you are really cleaver little lass. Okay! Leave the cleaning to me then"
"Thank you so much Granpa! You don't know how much I hate making so early in the morning" I coyly says. What can I do, I have the body of a 7-year-old so I can't be so serious all the time. And besides acting cute can get you to great heights! I always remember how could I escape numerous beating from my parents if I just act cute to my granpa who in return would scold them.
He patted my shoulder affectionately. "You should get going then"
The three of us, Seeley, Cree and me begun to prepare out table.
"You didn't need to" Seeley suddenly spoke.
"What that's, Bal?"
"You didn't need to, just me enough would suffice!" I could see how serious he is.
I blinked in surprise as Seeley's words sank in. "Wait, you mean I don't have to wake up early to cook anymore?" I asked, trying to process the idea.
Seeley seriously nodded while still continue stacking all the packet meals. "That's exactly what I mean, Euno! I've been observing how tired you've been lately, and I thought it's time for a change. I'll take over the morning cooking duties so you can finally get some extra sleep."
A mix of emotions swirled inside me—warmth, gratitude, and a pinch of sadness—a proper young master had come to this. "But Seeley, are you sure you can handle it? Cooking requires waking up early, and it's not as easy as it looks."
He nodded confidently. "I may be younger, but I've been paying attention to everything you do in the kitchen. I've even tried a few recipes myself, so I'm up for the challenge. Plus, you deserve a break, Bal. You've been taking care of all of us for so long." All of my families called me Bellona, even the servants called me that, but only Seely persist to call me 'Euno and Bal', insisting that since we are twins, we need something special that only the two of us share.
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. Seeley's offer was both unexpected and heartwarming. "Thank you, Bal. It means a lot to me that you're willing to take on this responsibility. But are you sure you won't get overwhelmed?" A pampered young master like him have never been in the kitchen.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "I might make a few mistakes at first, but I'll learn along the way. And besides, you'll be there to guide me, right?"
I chuckled at his comment, touched by his thoughtfulness. "Oh, Bal, you really are the best brother anyone could ask for but don't worry I could manage this little bit of work."
"I could also cook Elder Sister! You just need to explain it to me once" Not to be outdone, Cree's comment made us all laugh.
"Okay okay, Little Cree. I'll teach you all the secrets and tips I've learned, and soon enough, you'll be a master chef just like me."