Chapter Forty-six Contradiction

  "It's noon and we can't eat that much in one meal. What should we eat first? You decide, okay? And how do you like to eat it?" asked Erniang.

  Chu's family was deep in thought for a moment, then said: "Leave the river crab for tonight, let's eat the yellow croaker and shrimp first? Is there any rice noodles? If so, we can make a rice noodle dish with the croaker, it's not bad. The shrimp will be cooked in salt water, the flavor is also good."

  After finishing, Chu Jiaqiang also went to help. To make eel silk or eel slices, you need to debone them. Deboring yellow eels is simple: put the yellow eels in a bucket, add some salt, cover with a bamboo basket, and pour boiling water into the bucket to scald the eels to death. When the eel's mouth opens and its body curls up, you can add cold water until it reaches a warm temperature. Then use a small knife made of bamboo strips to cut along the belly of the eel, then cut along both sides of the eel's back, remove the spine and internal organs from the belly, and it is done.

  This method is traditional but very effective.

  The method of making fans and eel slices is not difficult. The fans are washed, soaked, and drained of water. The eel slices are mixed with soy sauce and placed in a container to remove excess oil after frying. Onions and ginger slices are added to the container, heated with vegetable oil until fragrant. Add a small amount of salt, sugar, pepper powder, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil for seasoning. Then add the fans and fried eel slices, cook until done.

  Saltwater shrimp is even easier to clean, just rinse with plenty of water a few times. This transparent shrimp has a sticky substance on its surface unlike yellow croaker.

  The internal organs are not difficult to remove. Use a knife to make an incision on the back of the shrimp, then remove the intestinal tract. Alternatively, if you want to keep the whole body intact, use a toothpick to lift up both ends of the intestinal tract at the second segment of the tail and the first segment of the head, then pull it out. This way, the shrimp will remain intact after removing the intestinal tract.

  After cleaning, boil water in the pot, add ginger slices, scallion knots, cooking wine, and 2 small spoons of salt. Cook for two minutes. After two minutes, pour in the cleaned shrimp and cook over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes before serving. It's great with a dip of vinegar. This dish is probably one that housewives are most skilled at making, as it's simple yet delicious.

  Second Aunt also had Chu Jia Yan pick two loofahs from the vegetable garden, peel off the edges of the loofahs, and then stir-fry them with lean meat, which tasted very good.

  Everyone enjoyed the meal, and Ye Caihong couldn't help but think: Now rural life is not bad either! The food here is better than in the city. Although there are hotels everywhere in the city, with many dishes that dazzle your eyes, and the chefs' skills are also good, those are only for people who have money to enjoy. How many migrant workers can afford to indulge?

  Moreover, the dishes in the city's hotels are all made with a lot of ingredients to have that flavor, how can these farmhouse dishes be authentic? Ye Caiping glanced at Chu Jiaqiang and saw that he was eating faster than anyone else. She thought to herself, no wonder this guy didn't want to leave after coming back, it must have something to do with the food here.

  After dinner, Wu Shu came again, and the two of them went back to the reservoir.

  "Work will start tomorrow, the location is as you said. The riverbank on this side of the reservoir, just set up a pier here, and the small island is at the end without the big tree, then go straight from there. Is that okay?" Wu Gong pointed to three locations.

  Chu Jiaqiang nodded: "No problem, I designed a simple rendering, Uncle Wu, take a look, is this okay?" Chu Jiaqiang had also studied some architectural design in college and now brought out his skills.

  Wu Shu Gong took a look and found it was a three-dimensional blueprint with various dimensions marked on it. He then smiled at Chu Jiaqiang and said, "You rascal didn't study architecture, what a waste! This is the best outcome, with this blueprint, even without my guidance, others can still complete it. Alright, I'll keep the blueprint and make sure to get it done beautifully for you."

  The fifth uncle rolled up the drawings and said, "Right, we need to bring back the gravel. Little Yi will have to work hard today, there is no gravel in our town, it's a bit far away, he may finish hauling steel and cement by nightfall. So it's best to haul a truckload of gravel back tonight, so we don't have to wait tomorrow. As for sand, that's easy to handle, we can get it locally, the sand here is also usable."

  Chu Jiaqiang shook his head: "The sand is still outside, it's better to pull it out! These sands can't be moved, I have other uses for them. Anyway, it doesn't make a difference of one day, tomorrow we'll worship the gods and just get things started."

  Wu Shu Gong did not quite understand Chu Jiaqiang's behavior, but since Chu Jiaqiang was the boss, he just went along with whatever he said.

  "Is there anything else we need to prepare?" Chu Jiaqiang asked.

  Piling by the river is not easy, the groundwater on the side of the riverbed is very strong, and water pumps must not be lacking.

  "In the afternoon, you just need to pull over the wire and I've already prepared everything else. Those tools are not available in our village, but I borrowed them from elsewhere yesterday. They will be delivered on time tomorrow, so don't worry about it. Remember, the power of the wire must be large enough, otherwise it may not work."

  Chu Jiaqiang nodded slightly, and the two of them discussed some more details. Chu Jiaqiang went to the town again, bought some electrical wires with a higher power rating, came back, cut off the old house's circuit breaker, and then pulled out the wires. This task was not difficult for him, after all, his previous physics studies were not in vain.

  Second Uncle also came to help, carrying several large bamboo poles, setting one up every 50 meters. These bamboo poles are as thick as a thigh and are made of hemp bamboo, often used for pulling electric wires.

  Chu Jia Wan and Ye Cai Ping also came to join in the fun, but they ended up making more trouble. The electric wire that was originally hung on the bamboo pole hook was messed with by their clumsy hands and fell down again. It wasn't until Chu Jia Qiang's face turned black that they finally walked aside to watch as spectators.

  With those two hindrances out of the way, this time it went much more smoothly.

  "We'll go play by the reservoir, it's more fun there." Chu Jia Yan suggested.

  The two of them ran to the edge of the reservoir and saw a large body of water, with sparkling waves, and in the middle was a small island that complemented each other. On the other side were high mountains, reflected in the reservoir, making the scenery quite beautiful.

  "Is your brother going to build a suspension bridge here?" Ye Caiping also suddenly understood Chu Jiaqiang's intention, secretly thinking that this guy really dared to do it. It seems that returning to the countryside is not an escape, but a desire to achieve something.

  He didn't know that Chu Jiaqiang wasn't doing it for the sake of fame, but rather for convenience in his cultivation. On another note, he liked a leisurely life. Life was fleeting, and rushing about in the city for money, for a house, for a lifetime, just wasn't worth it.

  "Ah! Right in front of us is my brother's orchard, where he has just planted a lot of fruit trees. Some of them might be ready to eat by next year. And behind us, this riverbank, he has planted a large patch of yellow flowers. It will be even more beautiful then." Chu Jiajuan also admired her older brother, who had given up his high-paying job in the city to come back and do this kind of thing. Who else would have such courage?

  Ye Cai Ping fell silent, already understanding that Chu Jia Qiang seemed to be planning to settle down here and it was impossible for him to leave with her. If the two were to be together, she would have to give up her life in the city and return to this rural village. She asked herself if she could do it? For a moment, she too felt confused, her heart conflicted, finding it hard to make a decision!