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Aunt Xia added salt to the fish, and Xia Tieshu, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched the back of his head before blushing and speaking up.
Just like cutting Fava Beans, Xia Muxin taught them step by step. Even making these unfamiliar fishing nets and using the Crossbow came with diagrams for guidance, and she was right there offering instructions and suggestions. However, for someone like him who had never cooked before, this was no easy task.
Aunt Xia understood her eldest son's feelings; after all, the fish were hard-earned, brought back by Songzi under the scorching sun every day. Although she wasn't quite sure how the fish would taste when dried this way, they would follow Xia Muxin's lead without question. At that moment, hearing Iron Tree's suggestion, she nodded without hesitation; after all, the fish needed to be marinated for a while.
With his mother's approval, Xia Tieshu leaned on his cane and joined the others in drying mushrooms.
The mushrooms needed to be dried whole, but they inevitably came back with some dirt and impurities. Thus, washing them was the first and most challenging step because the mushrooms were fragile and could easily break. They had to be handled gently, and it was best to rinse them lightly.
During this process, the crushed mushrooms at Xia Tieshu's feet could already fill a pot of soup for lunch. Songzi, who had just returned with the fish, laughed for a while until their mother smoothed things over, saving Xia Tieshu from being teased by his younger brother.
After cleaning the mushrooms, it was bright outside. Songzi returned with the fish and drank some water before heading off with a bucket. A few days ago, Xia Muxin had bought some nails for Xia Tieshu to make two small buckets specifically for Songzi, which he found amusing.
Xia Muxin also didn’t allow them to drink raw water, so she made two medium-sized buckets—one for boiling water and another for Apple Snails.
Soon after, the two began preparing to dry the fish.
Xia Tieshu stoked the fire in the stove while Aunt Xia drained the fish. Once the pot was heated red, she added a little oil—not pouring it all in at once but brushing it on until the entire pot was coated. Only then did she carefully lay out the cleaned small fish one by one.
This required gentle heating over low flame; however, managing the fire was a skill in itself since the heat needed to be evenly distributed throughout the pot rather than just heating the bottom like when stir-frying. This left Xia Tieshu sweating profusely, but fortunately, he managed to control everything quite well.
Aunt Xia was skilled at this task because she had to flip the fish. With little oil, if the fish cooked too much, it would stick to the pan. Since her eyesight wasn't good, she relied on her sense of smell; as soon as the fish emitted a fragrant aroma, she quickly flipped it.
Once the small fish were roasted to a golden brown on both sides, she used a utensil to take them out and laid them flat on a large wooden board made by Xia Tieshu. She then carried the board outside to let it dry in the sun.
As she took the fish out of the pot, Xia Tieshu couldn't help but pinch one and put it in her mouth. Her eyes widened immediately as she exclaimed, "Mother, this fish is so fragrant, so crispy, and incredibly delicious!"
Aunt Xia's face was filled with a kind smile. She leaned down to sniff the aroma of the fish and nodded in satisfaction. Thinking of how capable and understanding her children were, her smile grew even wider.
"Aunt, Uncle, you should go check; Lord Wang has brought dozens of people to your fields to harvest the grain."
- End of Chapter -
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