Chapter 23: 022: Shameful Self-employed Individual i
Translator: 549690339
Ni Yang didn’t care about what the village people were discussing; her only focus was on having a good life and being true to herself.
She parked her brand new bicycle in the yard and called out, “Mother, I’m back.”
Just as her words fell, Ni Cuihua, with an apron around her waist, came out from inside. When she saw the bicycle, her face changed, “Yangyang, did you buy this bicycle?”
Ni Yang nodded, “Yes, mom, what do you think of this bike? Isn’t it grand?”
Ni Cuihua, somewhat agitated, walked over to Ni Yang, “How could you buy such a big thing without discussing it with me first? Even though we have profitable business now, we can’t just squander away like this! How are we supposed to make ends meet at this rate?”
Ni Cuihua’s worries weren’t unfounded. After paying the rent, they were left with a balance of only seven hundred yuan. The bike had to cost no less than two hundred yuan. With Ni Yang’s spending habits, even a mountain of gold would be exhausted!
Ni Yang chuckled and hugged Ni Cuihua’s arm, “Rest assured mom, 1 won’t spend money recklessly. I bought the bike to do business. Trust me, 1 know what I’m doing. I’ll make sure you and my little sister live wealthy lives!”
At these words, Ni Cuihua’s face softened a bit, she then asked, “Doing business? What business do you want to do? Is it appropriate for a young lady like you to go out and show herself in public?”
“Mom, these are old beliefs. Even the chairman has said, men and women are equal now. Should 1 wait and watch our resources deplete?” Ni Yang smiled and answered back.
With a sigh, Ni Cuihua said, “I’m concerned that you’ll be bullied outside, you’re still a young girl. I talked to your Aunt Ning today, she has a few acres of land, why don’t we just peacefully farm the land and stop dreaming about the impossible?”
During this period, working for oneself was considered a lowly profession, especially for Ni Yang, who was a girl. If a girl spends too much time in public, it could harm her chances of finding a good marriage.
“Mom, 1 didn’t bring you to Beijing to farm!” Said Ni Yang, her expression serious. “You can stay at home and take care of my sister, and leave the issue of money to me, there’s no need to worry.”
Ni Yang suddenly became serious and even Ni Cuihua, her mother, felt a sense of fear.
“Mom, rest assured, 1’11 make sure you and my sister have a good life. Believe in me.” Ni Yang’s voice softened, looking at Ni Cuihua, her cat-like eyes filled with determination.
Looking at her daughter, Ni Cuihua inexplicably nodded, “Okay, Yangyang. 1 trust you.”
Having successfully persuaded her mother, Ni Yang revealed a dazzling smile and went to the bicycle to unload the supplies she had purchased that day.
Ni Cuihua took the fish from Ni Yang’s hand, somewhat puzzled, “Yangyang, this fish has such a strong smell. You bought so much, I’m afraid we won’t be able to finish it.”
Ni Yang smiled slightly, speaking mysteriously, “Mom, we’re going to become prosperous because of this fish.”
Ni Cuihua looked puzzled, “Become prosperous through fish?” Fish was the least popular food. Was her daughter still feeling groggy?
Ni Yang didn’t explain further. She took one of the fish into the kitchen and placed the remaining five in the bamboo basket and hung it in the well.
Refrigerators were available at that time, but the price was too high for ordinary people to afford. Hence, they made use of the low temperature in the well to preserve food.
The preservation effect of the well was actually quite good, if somewhat troublesome.
Ni Yang picked up the left-over black fish, chopped the head and bones into chunks for making soup in a casserole, and cut two large pieces of fish to get slices. Ni Yang, having experience in the catering industry from her previous life, had excellent knife skills. The fish slices she cut were just right in thickness and incredibly beautiful.
After the fish slices are cut, they are put into a large bowl, seasoned with a spoonful of salt, minced ginger, chopped scallions, wine vinegar, and then marinated. Finally, two eggs are added, and a layer of starch is spread over the fish. The fish slices are now marinated and ready.
Ni Yang washed a pickled cabbage that she bought today and cut it into chunks. Then, she prepared some minced ginger, minced garlic, and other spices, heated the wok, and when the oil reached high heat, she put in broad bean paste to fry out the red oil. Then, she added the spices, followed by the pickled cabbage. After several minutes of stir-frying, a delicious aroma wafted through the air.
As the pickled cabbage became fragrant, Ni Yang immediately poured the prepared fish soup into the wok. The thick white fish soup looked incredibly nutritious.
When the pickled cabbage fish soup in the wok began to boil, Ni Yang used chopsticks to pick up the fish slices and put them into the wok one by one.
In the blend of sour fish and pickled cabbage, the mouth-watering aroma soon filled the courtyard. The sour and spicy flavor of the pickled cabbage fish soup was tantalizingly satisfying.
Before serving, Ni Yang finely chopped cilantro and green onion and scattered it over the fish. Then, she poured on hot rapeseed oil, creating a sizzling sound. The oil mixed with the scent of cilantro and green onion, creating a sour, appetizing, and extremely aromatic dish that made one’s mouth water.
Standing by the pot, Ni Cuihua exclaimed, “Yangyang, what kind of fish is this? Boiled fish?” She was amazed. This was the first time she knew that fish could be cooked like this!
The aroma was incredibly strong, even before they had started eating. If this is how it tasted, would she accidentally swallow her own tongue while eating?
“This is pickled cabbage fish, mom, you should try it,” Ni Yang picked up a translucent piece of fish and handed it to Ni Cuihua.
The fish was incredibly tender. As she bit into it, a sour and spicy flavor spread through her mouth. The fish was tasty and melted in the mouth, leaving her longing for the next bite. It had no trace of fishy smell and was irresistible. Eating such fish, one could easily consume three to four bowls of rice.
Ni Cuihua had never tasted such delicious fish in her life, and she looked at Ni Yang with surprise. “This fish tastes amazing!” she exclaimed.
She could hardly believe it was fish if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.
Ni Yang gave a slight smile, “If it’s good, eat more.”
Ni Cuihua waved her hand, “I’ll have more with you later. What else do you need to fry? I’ll get the fire going for you.”
The rural area still used traditional stoves that needed firewood. Although it wasn’t as convenient as gas, the meals cooked on it tasted far better.
“Just stir-frying some green vegetables, then we can start eating,” Ni Yang said, placing the washed vegetables by the stove.
They prepared three dishes for the evening: Stir-fried Green Vegetables, pickled cabbage fish, and steamed egg custard.
The egg custard was steamed in a rice cooker using the leftover egg yolk from making the pickled cabbage fish. After evenly mixing the egg yolk, she added some rice soup, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and steamed it. The resulting egg custard was incredibly delicious.
For a mother and daughter, these three dishes were plenty.
Sitting at the dining table, Ni Cuihua suggested, “Why don’t we invite your Aunt Ning over? She’s always taken good care of us, and I’m sure she’s never tasted this pickled cabbage fish.”
“Sure,” Ni Yang went into the kitchen, added another set of tableware, and went to the north wing.
Initially, Ni Chenggui refused because frequent freeloading was embarrassing during these straitened times. But she couldn’t resist Ni Yang’s enthusiasm so she came over, trying not to appear shamefaced.
“Yangyang, I’m so sorry. Look, here I am again freeloading,” she said..