Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 59 - 059 Boiled Fish Updated in the Early Morning

Chapter 59: 059 Boiled Fish Updated in the Early Morning

Qin Xi, who had emerged from behind, had noticed everything and cast a subtly inquisitive glance at Li Xianglu, her eyebrows slightly raised.

Li Jianqing didn’t find anything wrong with his sister’s behavior. He pulled Qin Xiaopang aside and said, "Get it away, you’re grossing my sister out."

Qin Xiaopang, seeing that the siblings were cut from the same cloth, spat out "Fussy about nothing"! He pouted and placed the basket aside.

The fishing rods were ready, two thick ones and one thin one. Qin Xi took one of the thick rods, while the other was shared by Li Jianqing and Qin Zhen. Li Xianglu got the thin rod, meticulously crafted, which left Qin Xiaopang with his lips pouting sky-high, incessantly muttering about whether he really was their brother.

Qin Xi shot them a stern glare, alarming them into running straight ahead.

Li Xianglu and Qin Xi, carrying their fishing rods, moved chairs together toward the river.

Li Family Village’s production team benefitted from being close to the river, with convenient irrigation and drinking water making it a famously affluent village, despite the orange-tinged water from the abundance of loess.

However, there definitely were fish in the river. During the slack farming season, many men would come down, stretch nets from both sides of the river, and drag them to a point where they could block the water and gather the fish. They usually caught quite a few, which would then be shared among several families.

Qin Xi led the group directly to a deep-water area. The terrain was a bit higher here, the current gentler, and it was particularly easy to catch fish.

Li Xianglu spaced herself away from them, moving a couple of meters aside to set up her chair. After checking the water level, she adjusted the length of her line and the float. She baited her hook with practiced precision and sat down quietly, her movements seamlessly executed as if she had done it hundreds of times. All of these details were keenly observed by Qin Xi, who was adjusting her own fishing line nearby, her gaze growing more profound.

During spring, the water level was high, and the fish bred over the winter were most likely to bite. Almost immediately after Li Xianglu sat down, she noticed the float start to move. But she remained calm, gazing steadily without even a twitch. She was, after all, her father’s apprentice and knew these basics well. The fish were just testing; move now, and she would scare them away.

After several tentative nibbles, the float suddenly plunged downward. A thrill went through Li Xianglu’s heart. That was definitely a bite. One second, two seconds, three seconds—now, set the hook!

Li Xianglu shot to her feet, grabbed the rod with one hand, and swiftly took a couple of steps toward the bank. Once the fish was confirmed to be biting down hard on the hook, she yanked with all her strength, flipping the fish onto the bank.

The ’smack smack smack’ sounds soon followed. Li Xianglu looked over joyously at her catch—a fatty fish, likely around three pounds, its gills tinged red, a carp!

Li Xianglu’s commotion drew the attention of the others, all of whom rushed over, with Li Jianqing staring in exaggerated shock.

Qin Xiaopang’s eyes widened in disbelief: "Caught one so fast?"

Meanwhile, Qin Xi’s lips curled into a slight smile. That series of actions Li Xianglu just performed were those of an experienced angler: playing the fish and then flipping it onto the bank. This wasn’t something a first-timer could do. It required long-term training. Typically, when one hooks a fish, they would reel it toward the bank and then rely on someone else with a net to help land it. Wild fish are incredibly strong in the water, and it’s easy for them to get away without care.

With a self-satisfied smile that blossomed across her face, Li Xianglu had no idea that her exceptional skills had already been observed.

Li Jianqing hurriedly unhooked the fish, helping his sister put it into a bucket. Qin Xiaopang couldn’t wait to start fishing again, utterly enticed by the big catch.

Before long, Qin Xi caught a fish too—a wild catfish that weighed seven or eight pounds. Li Xianglu’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Wild catfish were treasures—few bones and excellent for soups or spicy boiled fish.

Both had their catches, leaving Li Jianqing and Qin Xiaopang scratching their heads in desperation.

Ten minutes later, Li Xianglu caught another—a crucian carp, weighing over a pound, lively and wriggling. She squinted her eyes happily, having secured food. Qin Xi, helping to unhook the fish, couldn’t help but smile at Li Xianglu’s glowing eyes at the sight of food.

As the evening darkened, Li Xianglu had caught seven fish: four big carps, two crucian carps, and one bighead grass carp.

Qin Xi had caught ten: four big catfish, four big carps, and two crucian carps.

Li Jianqing and Qin Xiaopang caught nothing.

On the way back, both were disheartened, their feelings written all over their faces, looking as if they could hang oil calabashes from their chins. Li Xianglu nearly laughed out loud, her disappointment at not catching a catfish significantly lessened.

When Mr. Li saw the fish, he was amazed, especially hearing that his granddaughter had caught seven; he was even more delighted, insisting that two carps be taken to Old Man Lan to show off.

Qin Xi then smiled and suggested, "Grandpa Li, I caught four catfish. How about we eat them at your place tonight? If I take them home, it would be quite a shame to let my dad’s culinary skills go to waste."

Mr. Li immediately nodded: "Good, good! That young fellow, you stay too. Let’s all eat at home. There’s no need to divide the fish we caught together."

Upon hearing he should stay, Li Jianqing glanced at his sister, who smiled and nodded in agreement. He then willingly accepted with a "Sure!"

Qin Xiaopang went to call Qin Shouren, while Li Jianqing put all the fish into a basin, allowing them to swim to their heart’s content.

Qin Xi rolled up his sleeves and began to help with the fish cleaning.

Once the fish were ready, Li Xianglu directed him to chop the fish into fist-sized chunks before sending him off to wash his hands.

She used a well-sharpened knife to slice all the fish, simply marinated them with ginger and cooking wine, then laid them out in a porcelain basin.

Four catfish, weighing a total of thirty jins, it was already dark by the time Li Xianglu finished slicing them all.

Grandpa Li and Uncle Qin were chatting outside, while Qin Xiaopang and Li Jianqing were playing in the yard, and Qin Xi was helping with making the fire.

The rice was already steamed, and all that was left was the fish. It can be difficult to cook, yet easy as well—it all comes down to freshness. As long as it’s fresh, it’s always delicious however you cook it.

She heated up a mix of lard and vegetable oil, stir-fried half a basin of green onions, ginger, and garlic, added hot water, brought it to a boil, and then put the fish in.

After adding all the seasonings, the cooked fish were taken out and placed in a large basin usually not in use, which had a diameter of eighty centimeters.

After placing the fish inside, Li Xianglu heated up a big spoonful of oil in a small pot, sprinkled a handful of dried Sichuan pepper and chili powder over the fish, and poured the oil heated to eighty degrees directly on top.

"Tic lah"—the entire room was fragrant instantly, while Qin Xi, standing aside, watched with an unfazed expression as if seeing a full Manchu-Han banquet wouldn’t surprise her.

The people outside smelled the aroma of spicy oil and came into the house one after another.

Grinning, Grandpa Li asked Li Xianglu to also light the oil lamp in his room, then he fumbled in the kitchen corner and produced a bottle of Moutai.

Qin Shouren’s eyes lit up as he took it and saw, "Wow, this is some fine liquor!"

The kitchen was spacious; six people around a table were not crowded at all.

After Li Xianglu served rice and sat down, Grandpa Li said cheerfully, "Everyone, please start eating!"

Qin Xiaopang couldn’t wait to stab at the fish with his chopsticks, pulled out a piece without regarding the heat, and swallowed it directly, only to have his face change as he felt the burn. Qin Xi quickly passed him a cup of water, and he gulped it down before starting to cry out, "Oy, it’s scalding me to death!"

Li Xianglu rolled her eyes as she placed a piece of fish into Grandpa’s bowl and said, "The oil on top seals in the heat, how could it not be hot inside!"

Qin Shouren couldn’t do anything with his shameful son, and instead praised to Grandpa Li: "Uncle Li, Xiang’s cooking skills are outstanding, the fish looks so pretty in color!"

Mr. Li humbly replied with a smile, "She just loves to experiment with food. Come on, everyone dig in, but watch your tongues, eh."

Everyone smiled and began to eat.

Mr. Li and Qin Shouren enjoyed eating and drinking, while Li Xianglu watched enviously from the side. Moutai, the 1974 Moutai!

Qin Xi, sitting next to her and seeing the gleaming eyes fixated on the bottle, couldn’t help but chuckle. The girl wanted a drink, so she poured a glass and put it in front of Xianglu.

Her eyes brightened, but she looked longingly at Mr. Li.

Seeing this, Mr. Li shook his head and said, "Go ahead and drink. You’re at home, with family. You can’t do this outside."

Li Xianglu’s eyes squinted with laughter; if she had a tail, it would wag to the sky.

She took a cautious sip, hmm, it’s the type with a strong aroma, slightly sweet as it enters, not harsh, fragrant and lingering—truly a fine liquor.

Li Xianglu couldn’t help but take another sip, "What a fragrant drink! In my previous life, my father didn’t smoke, loved to drink tea, and enjoyed a little liquor. When I was a hundred days old, my father used to feed me dips of liquor with his chopstick. Normal kids would have cried from the spiciness, but not me, I smacked my lips, savoring the flavor."

However, Li Xianglu overestimated this body’s capacity for liquor. Moutai has a strong kick, this body was originally weak, and although it had recuperated for a while, it had been lacking for too long and had particularly poor alcohol tolerance. Halfway through the meal, Li Xianglu’s face turned entirely red, and she kept giggling foolishly, leaving Mr. Li dumbfounded.

Qin Xiaopang snickered, attempting to take the glass in front of her, but Qin Xi snatched it away first and drank it, to the chagrin of Qin Xiaopang who kept clamoring.

Mr. Li sighed helplessly, "Qin Xi, help your sister back to her room, this girl can’t hold her liquor at all."

But Li Xianglu just giggled, looking at everyone saying, "Do you know which flower is the prettiest?"

"It’s the ’Whatever Flower’! Hahaha!"

Seeing Qin Xi support her arm to walk out, revealing a mischievous expression in her eyes, she teasingly gazed at Qin Xi’s long legs and murmured, "Long-legged Uncle, your legs are so long!"

Qin Xi froze completely, and seeing that she was already babbling nonsense, he quickly sped up, carried her onto the bed, removed her shoes, and covered her with a blanket.

After he closed the door, Qin Xi’s face was flushed, and he glanced at his long legs, wondering, "Are they really that long? It seems I’ve been flirted with by a little girl."

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