Chapter 63 Eighty-point full
But there were so many birds that it took a lot of effort for my mother and I to clean them up.
Qin Yao boiled a large pot of water, poured the water into a wooden basin to cool, then poured all the birds in and rolled them twice.
Then Dalang and his two siblings were responsible for plucking the feathers, and she took a pair of scissors to cut open the bird's belly. After a whole afternoon of work, she got a large bowl of bird meat.
Last time, our family made stir-fried sparrows, but the four brothers and sisters made a mistake and were punished not to eat the meat, so they didn't get to eat it.
This time, I was so excited to see this big pot. It wasn't even dark yet, so I was looking forward to heating up the pan and pouring oil in it.
Qin Yao thought that there would be a lot of people eating there, so she decided to fry the bird meat first.
The freshly fried meat is crispy and delicious with a little bit of salt.
Qin Yao scooped out a small bowl, sent the four children who were staring at her eagerly out of the kitchen, and fried all the bird meat in oil, filling a full bowl.
The aroma drifted to the noses of Old Man Liu and his two sons, who were building a shed on the river bank. They were so greedy that they drooled. They secretly quickened their pace, thinking about finishing it quickly so that they could eat the delicious dinner quickly.
There was so much bird meat that Qin Yao only took out half a bowl. The remaining half could be kept for two or three days after frying and could be saved for her family to eat slowly later.
When Qin Yao finished killing the fish, her eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. He, and her second sister-in-law, Mrs. Qiu, came over with their children.
Zhang stayed by the river, watching the water mill grinding the wheat.
As soon as the two arrived, Qin Yao didn't need to explain anything. In their eyes, her kitchen was as familiar as their own home, and they found what to do.
Mrs. Qiu picked vegetables from her own garden, including beans, greens, and gourds, and washed them at the sink. After washing, she also picked up the water celery that Qin Yao had picked that morning, leaving only the tenderest ones.
Then he went into the kitchen, put down the chopping board, and cut the vegetables.
He took out a large rice washing ladle and asked Qiu how many people were eating today so that she could measure the rice and cook porridge.
Qin Yao quickly reminded: "Second sister-in-law, I count as five."
Unexpectedly, as soon as these words were spoken, the two sisters-in-law burst out laughing.
Wiping away the tears from her laughter, He said, "I know. I have already calculated that there are five for you without you having to tell me. Don't worry, I will definitely make sure you are well fed."
Qin Yao shrugged awkwardly, thinking to herself, I'm just afraid that you will assume that you're only eating until you're 70% full.
After Mrs. Qiu counted the number of people and reported it to her eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. He had an idea in her mind. The men were all working today and were consuming a lot of energy. The third brother's wife had also eaten a lot, and the second brother's wife was pregnant and couldn't eat less, so they should all eat until they were 80% full.
She picked up the rice cup. It was more precise than a computer, not a single grain of rice was extra.
After the ingredients are prepared, He takes over the cooking.
Seeing the half basin of fried bird meat, He couldn't help swallowing.
"Third sister-in-law, it has to be you, otherwise we wouldn't have this blessing."
This kind of fine bird meat is the most delicious, but also the hardest to catch. I have never eaten so much at once before.
The ingredients are so good, and her third brother and sister-in-law are willing to use oil and salt, so she will show them her cooking skills today.
Pour oil into a pan, first pour in the scallion, ginger, garlic and dried chili and stir-fry until fragrant, then pour the bird meat into the pan and stir-fry quickly, add half a bowl of soy sauce and stir-fry until well cooked, then pour in a bowl of water, cover the pot with a wooden lid and simmer.
When the water is almost boiled dry, open the lid and add the chopped water celery. Stir-fry until the water is completely gone. Add a little salt and stir-fry a few more times. Serve in a large bowl.
The aroma of the food filled the yard. The meat coated in sauce had an enticing sheen and tasted so good when mixed with rice.
Dalang and his children had stopped playing long ago. They helped to set the table and squatted in front of the dining table waiting for dinner to be served.
He continued to cook the fish and stewed a pot of thick fish soup. The fish meat was tender, and beans and sliced melon were added to it. It was another refreshing dish.
Put the vegetables into the pan and stir-fry until they change color, then take them out immediately, sprinkle with minced garlic, add two drops of hot oil, and the garlic aroma will immediately burst out.
The food was ready here, and the shed on the river bank was almost built.
The fragrance in the yard was so tempting that the father and his five sons quickly covered the yard with the last two pieces of thatch and secured them.
"Let's call it a day and go home for dinner!" Liu Ji clapped his hands, stood up and was the first to leave.
Zhang's wheat had just been ground, so she asked Liu Bo to carry it and put it in Qin Yao's yard first, and then carry it back home later.
"Wash your hands!"
Seeing that his father and three brothers were about to sit down to eat without washing their hands, Liu Ji hurriedly called out to them.
Old Man Liu glared at him unhappily, "Why are you being so pretentious? It's not dirty after just washing in the river."
Liu Ji quickly glanced at Qin Yao and said firmly: "No, washing hands before meals is the rule in my family!"
As he spoke, he winked wildly at his father and brothers, specifically at Qin Yao.
Liu Bo and the others understood. If this was Qin Yao's request, then they should just wash their hands.
Although Old Man Liu felt it was a bit troublesome, he chose to respect it.
Liu Ji looked at the four men, father and son, who were queuing up to wash their hands obediently, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
What's the matter? You didn't wash your hands when he told you to, but when you knew it was Qin Yao's request, you just obeyed?
"Please sit down, dinner is ready." Qin Yao greeted.
Liu Ji then sat down depressed.
However, as soon as I saw the sumptuous dishes on the table, my depression disappeared instantly.
The dinner table tonight was silent. No one had time to speak, for fear that if they spoke they would eat less.
However, the portion sizes had already been strictly controlled by He, so after finishing the meal, everyone was basically 80% full, which was just right.
Liu Ji thought that with so many people at home today, Qin Yao should give him some face and be able to take a break for a while.
Who would have thought that when the last person put down his chopsticks, Qin Yao habitually called him, "Clean up."
He and Qiu, who were about to stand up to clean the dishes, were startled and didn't know whether to stand or sit.
Qin Yao smiled and told them not to move, and then the two of them sat down again.
That's right, there's nothing surprising about seeing the third brother working at his home.
There were only four people, Old Man Liu and his sons. They watched Liu Ji quickly clean up the dishes and take them to wash. They felt it was ridiculous that the sun was rising from the west today.
Old man Liu looked at Qin Yao, wanting to say something but stopping himself. He wanted to say that when there were no outsiders around, letting the third child cook was just a hobby between the couple and they had no say in it.
But now, asking the third child to do housework that only women can do in front of outsiders, isn't that a bad idea?
But before she could finish her words, Qin Yao had already stood up and was excited to go to the river to see what the shed they had built looked like.
He and Qiu also followed. They were busy cooking for the whole afternoon and had no time to go and take a look.
Zhang looked left and right, and seeing the shocked expressions on the father and his four sons' faces, she couldn't help but want to laugh.
Old man Liu had never been to the kitchen in his life, let alone clean up the dishes and wash the pots.
However, because men usually do more heavy work in the fields, Zhang's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law took the initiative to take on the housework.
But no one stipulates that men must work in the fields and women must do housework.
In the third brother's family, Yao Niang does the heavy work, so it's natural for the third brother to do the housework, isn't it?
Zhang was quite understanding, and the third child was now a very good cook.
After all, it was she who taught me the cooking skills!
I feel a little proud when I think about it.
(End of this chapter)