The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 154 - 143: Fried Dried Small Fish

Chapter 154: Chapter 143: Fried Dried Small Fish

Manbao looked at the oil in the jar and, even without Keke’s help, knew it wasn’t enough. She pursed her lips, set down the oil pot, and went out feeling dejected.

As soon as Junior Ms. Qian saw it, she understood. She glanced at the oil in the jar and thought it seemed quite ample.

If that wasn’t enough, how much oil would they need? She dared not bring it up again, worried that the child would pester her for fried fish.

Manbao squatted in front of the bucket filled with small fish, watching them swim back and forth. Her eyes darting around, she grabbed a basin and began to scoop up the fish.

Upon seeing this, Datou approached and asked, "Little aunt, what are you scooping them up for?"

Manbao replied, "I’m going to find Shanbao."

Datou’s mouth fell open in surprise. He quickly clutched the wooden basin protectively and said, "Little aunt, the young master has his own fish; we don’t need to send any over."

"Not all of it, just half. The other half, we will fry," said Manbao, knowing she should offer something in return for help. So, she decided to take more, then negotiate with Bai Shanbao to give him half, and fry the other half.

Manbao excitedly described how delicious fried fish was to Datou, who began to drool at the thought. "Do they have that much oil at their house?" he inquired.

"For sure," Manbao affirmed, "Their kitchen has loads of delicious and fun stuff."

As a regular visitor to the Bai Family, Manbao had been to their kitchen many times and could even say she knew her way around.

This stopped Datou from objecting any further. He even helped scoop the fish and called Daya over to help. Together, they carried the basin to the Bai Family’s home.

Zhou Xi and Junior Ms. Qian were busy in the kitchen while Ms. Feng and Ms. He went to the vegetable garden. Old Zhou had just taken the men out, so there were no adults in the courtyard.

So Manbao went to the Bai Family’s home with Datou and Daya, carrying a basin full of fish.

Manbao visited the Bai Family almost every couple of days. The servants knew her well and would open the door for her, notifying the young master in the process.

Bai Shanbao ran out and happened to meet them carrying the wooden basin. He said joyfully, "I have fish too; you don’t need to bring me any."

Manbao explained, "It’s not for free; I want to eat fried fish, but we don’t have enough oil at home. I want to trade half a basin of fish for fried fish."

Bai Shanbao cocked his head, puzzled. "What are fried fish like?"

"You just fry them in oil. You don’t understand cooking, but the chef will know once you tell her." Manbao elaborated further on how incredibly tasty fried fish were.

Of course, she had never eaten it, but that didn’t stop her from imagining it based on Keke’s description.

Bai Shanbao also couldn’t resist swallowing at the thought and led them to the kitchen, "I want to eat the fried fish, too."

Manbao agreed without issue.

The Bai Family’s chef was also preparing dinner. Daji had just delivered fish, and the chefs were considering boiling one fish and frying another when the young master arrived.

Manbao couldn’t cook, but since she was little, she had followed around her elder sister-in-law. Even younger, she had been on Junior Ms. Qian’s back as she stir-fried and cooked, so naturally, she was very familiar with the cooking process and gave confident instructions.

The chef always obliged the young master, and despite feeling frying fish was wasteful of oil, she set up a separate pot for it.

The fire was a bit high at first, but the chef, a master of her craft, quickly figured out the right temperature. Following Manbao’s instructions, she processed the small fish, seasoned them, then coated them with flour before frying.

The oil sizzled and a delicious aroma filled the air in no time. Four children gathered around excitedly. The chef hurriedly beckoned them to step back, fearing the oil would splatter on them.

Once the chef decided the fish were ready, she took them out to drain the oil, trying one before starting on the next batch.

Manbao no longer watched the oil pot but was squatted next to the dish of fried fish, swallowing saliva in anticipation. Bai Shanbao did the same.

The chef chuckled, "If the young master and misses want to eat, go ahead. I’m still frying more here."

Bai Shanbao grabbed a fish first, followed by Manbao. Datou and Daya held back, too shy to reach for one.

Manbao took a bite, finding it deliciously crispy and flavorful, and immediately grabbed another fish to stuff into Daya’s mouth, then one for Datou, before continuing to enjoy the fish with Bai Shanbao.

The chef fried batch after batch, and hardly any time was given for the fish to cool before the kids started eating. By the time Ms. Liu arrived, they had already eaten quite a bit.

Ms. Liu quickly pulled them aside, "You can’t eat too much at once, save some to eat slowly over time."

Bai Shanbao stuffed a fish into his grandmother’s mouth, excitedly saying, "Grandmother, it’s so tasty!"

"Tasty, but moderation is key," Ms. Liu instructed, "Eating too much of anything isn’t good, you have to control yourselves even if you love it."

After tasting, Ms. Liu found the fried fish to have a unique flavor and thought they’d make good snacks for the children, but they shouldn’t eat too much at once.

In the end, Ms. Liu decided to have the chef fry some more fish so Manbao could take a basin back with her. She patted Manbao’s head, "You can’t eat anymore tonight. Eat less in the future, or your stomach will hurt, understand?"

Manbao happily agreed and went back home with Datou and Daya, carrying the basin.

Ms. Qian fell silent for a moment when she saw the basin of freshly fried fish that the three children brought back, then said to Junior Ms. Qian, "The yams in the field can be harvested, right?"

"I dug some up today; they are quite big already and should be edible," Junior Ms. Qian answered.

"Then let’s dig up a few tomorrow, and have Manbao take them to the Bai Family," Ms. Qian proposed.

Junior Ms. Qian agreed with a nod.

Ms. Qian turned to look at Manbao, who was dividing the fried fish among everyone. She called Manbao over, touched her flushed face, and chided, "Next time, don’t be so impolite. Who goes straight to someone’s door with fish like that?"

Manbao sheepishly agreed and with sparkling eyes, "Mom, the fried fish is so good. You should have some."

Ms. Qian shook her head, smiling, "Mom can’t stand the fishy smell; I’ll pass. You all go ahead and eat."

Manbao appeared regretful, "Such a delicious thing and mom can’t eat it. Mom, I want to send some fried fish to our teacher and my friends."

Ms. Qian laughed, "If you want to send them, go ahead."

Manbao jubilantly went to look for boxes to use for packing.

The nice boxes in the house were not available, but she had ones woven by Zhou Er. Zhou Er had made them for her because she needed something to pack stuff in. Manbao found two smaller ones for the fried fish, planning to bring one box to Mr. Zhuang the next day and give the other to Zhou Si, to pass on to Second Miss Fu.

Last time, Second Miss Fu had gifted Manbao a beautiful letter with flowers painted on it, and Manbao had yet to find something suitable to send in return.

Of course, Manbao was not just sending fried fish; she also wrote a letter to Second Miss Fu, telling her about the fun day. This was the most fun she had had in her life. She thought fishing was really exciting, as thrilling as the New Year.

If only she could fish every day. Now, Manbao was already hoping that the dam upstream would break again, so they could fish every day and play by the river all the time.

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