Chapter 14 – Fish Stew

Chapter 14 - Fish Stew

All afternoon, Tao Hua busied herself around the house, seeking tasks to do.

Unfortunately, there were only a few mud-brick rooms in the home, with no livestock to feed, so there was no need to go gather pig grass or prepare food for them. The courtyard had been secured the day before, and Wei Dahu had risen early to fetch two large jars of water from the back mountain. He claimed it was spring water. Tao Hua tasted it and found it clear and sweet, far more refreshing than the well water.

With the recent conclusion of the busy farming season, many families in the village now had idle time on their hands. Some young men went to the town in search of work, while others ventured into the mountains to set traps for game.

Work in the town was scarce, but manual labor like carrying heavy loads could earn some copper coins. However, those with weaker constitutions couldn't handle such tasks, and the foremen wouldn't hire them. Hunting wild chickens or rabbits in the mountains relied purely on luck. If one was fortunate enough to catch game, selling it in town could also bring in some coins. Upon returning home, one could purchase essential household items like coarse salt and soy sauce, thus sparing a significant expense. Throughout the year, one might manage to save a bit of silver.

In rural areas, there were limited ways to earn money, and most savings came from frugality. In poor households with a dozen mouths to feed, when grown sons needed to marry and daughters were ready for marriage, selfish parents might sell their daughters to childless men in exchange for the silver needed to wed their sons.

If a girl's fate was even worse, losing her birth mother at a young age and enduring years of torment under a stepmother, she might be married off to a widower, alcoholic, or gambler. The silver earned from her would be hoarded by the stepmother to provide for her own children's weddings. Such families clung to her like leeches, draining her lifeblood. It was truly heartbreaking, making one question the value of living, preferring a swift end by drowning in a river.

Almost every village had such families, and Dahe Village was no exception. Tao Hua, as a new bride, lived at the foot of a remote mountain. With Wei Dahu away, she didn't dare venture alone through the graveyard. Thus, she remained oblivious to the village gossip, and the villagers were unaware that the new wife of the Wei family spent her days idly at home.

In the village, a young wife idling at home would be openly criticized as lazy for the rest of her life. What kind of family allowed its members to be idle? Couldn't she use that spare time to gather firewood in the mountains?

Tao Hua also wished to go up the mountain to collect firewood, but who dared to venture alone on her family's mountain? Throughout the afternoon, she diligently washed Wei Dahu's remaining two coarse linen outfits and tidied up the house, preparing an early evening meal to welcome him home.

As twilight approached, Tao Hua stood in the courtyard, finally hearing footsteps echoing from the rear mountain. A smile involuntarily lit up her face, and she hurried over to greet him.

Wei Dahu carried two large bags of coarse grains slung over his shoulders, one in front and one behind. His left hand held four wild chickens, two rabbits, and two fish strung together by their gills with grass. In his right hand were two packages wrapped in oil paper, their contents concealed.

Fortunately, he was tall and strong; otherwise, those two bags of grain would have overwhelmed him. Yet, he walked steadily without any sign of exhaustion, much to Tao Hua's concern.

Spotting Tao Hua, Wei Dahu grinned, bounding down the hillside with a few large strides. Entering the yard, he extended his right hand, holding the food packages, to her: "Tao Hua, look at the snacks I bought for you."

Tao Hua wanted to help him unload his burden, but Wei Dahu eagerly stuffed the snacks into her hands while rubbing his stomach with his free hand. "I'm so hungry. Have you prepared the evening meal? These two fish won't keep, let's clean them up and cook them tonight, shall we?"

"Tired, aren't you? Unload your things first," Tao Hua chided, staring at him.

Wei Dahu chuckled, seemingly unaffected by the exertion. However, he listened to his wife and removed the grain bags from his shoulders. The wild chickens had their legs tied and wings trimmed, while the rabbits were bound as well, unable to escape. Wei Dahu placed them by the kitchen door before depositing the two bags of grain inside.

Taking the honey water Tao Hua offered, he impatiently gulped it down without savoring the sweet honey taste. Rubbing his belly, he pleaded, "I can't wait anymore, Tao Hua. Please serve me a bowl of rice to fill my stomach." Evidently, he was ravenously hungry, not even waiting for the fish.

Hearing this, Tao Hua didn't have time to inspect the two large bags of grain. She swiftly filled half a basin with rice for him. Seeing that it was getting late, she hurried to prepare the two lifeless fish. Cooking thoroughly would take time, and her father had already made two rounds in the kitchen, likely indicating his own hunger.

Tao Hua skillfully dispatched the fish with a swift tap, then efficiently scaled and gutted it before rinsing it clean with two scoops of water.

Wei Dahu, squatting at the kitchen entrance, was busy eating from his bowl. Seeing her industriousness, he moved to the fireplace to help stoke the fire.

After the previous night, the couple had developed a seamless teamwork. When Tao Hua needed a stronger flame, Wei Dahu would stuff more dry wood into the stove; for a smaller fire, he'd extract burning logs and place them in another opening, ensuring that Tao Hua's desired heat level was met.

Tao Hua melted lard in the hot wok, and once the temperature was right, she gently placed the fish in, flipping it until both sides turned golden brown. She removed the first fish and repeated the process with the second. Initially planning to make a fish soup, Tao Hua considered that the two men in the house might not have much interest in it, so she decided to replicate last night's method: fry the fish, then return it to the wok with seasoning and whatever vegetables were available, finishing it off with a one-pot braise. Once the flavors had melded, she added some coarse salt, chopped green onions, and cilantro, completing the dish.

For dinner tonight, there was still a large pot of radish soup. Concerned about the eggs spoiling in the heat, Tao Hua took six eggs and, after chopping up the blanched purslane, mixed it into the egg mixture to create a simple purslane omelet.

A generous pot of braised fish, a large pot of radish soup, and a plate of purslane omelet – dinner was served.

The sky had now turned completely dark, and an oil lamp illuminated the main room as the family ate without lifting their heads.

Tao Hua wanted to finish quickly, thinking it wasteful to eat by lamplight. She planned to remind Wei Dahu to come home earlier in the future, so they could eat before sunset. Wei Dahu and Old Master Wei, on the other hand, were absorbed in the delicious food. For over a decade, the two had been indifferent to their meals, mainly because they couldn't afford to be picky. After Wei's mother passed away, father and son hadn't prepared proper meals together, usually just boiling rice with water and adding vegetables at the end, seasoned with salt before serving.

The food was edible but far from enjoyable, barely satisfying their hunger. They didn't dare to hope for a better taste.

Now that Wei Dahu had married Tao Hua, changes were evident daily in their home. The house was cleaner, the kitchen was tidy, and the yard was no longer empty, always filled with drying clothes. Most notably, the meals were now exceptionally flavorful, making meal times highly anticipated.

The fish soup was so flavorful that, having learned from the previous night's experience, Wei Lao quickly poured all the broth into his own bowl before his son could react, savoring it with his rice. Wei Dahu was a step too late and could only watch as his father's beard twitched in delight.

After the meal, Tao Hua stealthily carried the dishes to the kitchen in the dark, while Wei Dahu followed her with a lantern. When he offered to help with the dishes, Tao Hua evaded him: "Just sit in the courtyard for a while. I've kept the fire burning in the stove to warm some water for you to wash up later."

Wei Dahu didn't argue and followed her to the kitchen, placing the lantern on the stove for light. He then fetched a wooden bucket to draw water and took it outside. Heading back into the house, he fetched clothes and placed them on the stack of firewood beneath the eaves. Through the window, he said to Tao Hua, "There's still some hot water left in the pot. After I'm done bathing, I'll fetch more for Father to clean up. Later, I'll bring more water to heat for you to soak your feet."

Seeing him showering openly in the yard, Tao Hua blushed and quickly looked down, avoiding the image of a tiger descending the mountain. She scolded softly, "How can you be so careless, taking a bath outside where anyone could see?"

Through the window, Wei Dahu chuckled quietly, his deep voice seductively echoing in her ears, "It's pitch black out here. Besides you and Father, who else could possibly see me?" His bold words left Tao Hua speechless, leaving her no choice but to ignore him.

She realized that this man had no shame!

Well, if he didn't care, she certainly did!

As Wei Dahu showered in the yard, the sound of running water trickled through the window, speeding up Tao Hua's pace as she washed the dishes. Moonlight crept across the windowsill, illuminating Wei Dahu's tall figure as he bent and straightened, his movements to wipe his back causing a sense of seismic shift in Tao Hua's heart. She dared not lift her head again, storing the clean dishes away and wiping the moisture off the stove with a cloth. The splashing of water subsided after a while, returning the space to silence.

After a long while, Wei Dahu entered, clad only in his undergarment and with damp hair, carrying a bucket of water. He transferred the remaining hot water from the pot into another unused bucket and poured the freshly drawn cold water into the pot, adding firewood to heat it up.

"I'll take the hot water to Father. You keep an eye on the fire in the kitchen and put it out when the water's almost boiled. I'll come help you later," Wei Dahu told Tao Hua.

Tao Hua didn't dare look at him now, nodding softly. "Should I bring the lantern?"

"I can walk to Father's room with my eyes closed, silly Tao Hua. Do you think I'd trip?" Wei Dahu chuckled, feeling that his wife seemed a bit shy tonight, but he couldn't figure out why.

Old Master Wei was dozing off in the darkness when the sound of Wei Dahu entering the room woke him up.

The old man swayed, and seeing this, Wei Dahu couldn't help laughing. "If you're tired, just go to sleep. Who are you waiting for, sitting there?"

"I'm waiting for you to serve me and wash my feet," Old Master Wei said, pulling a cloth from the side and tossing it into the bucket. Wei Dahu squatted down, wetting the cloth and serving his father without complaint. "Lie down. I won't abandon my duties. If you're tired, just sleep. Why push yourself at your age?"

After washing his face, Old Master Wei threw the wet cloth at Wei Dahu's head, but the latter caught it swiftly. The old man took off his shoes as Wei Dahu dragged the foot basin from behind the door, poured the water from the bucket into it, and placed it by the bed. Old Master Wei comfortably stuck his weary feet into the warm water.

"How was your day?" Old Master Wei asked.

"I intended to dig a hole..." Wei Dahu started but was met with a glare from his father, so he quickly corrected himself. "I meant to catch a deer, but with Li Dalang's incident, many young men in the village are seeking work in town. I don't want to run into acquaintances. If they see how easy hunting seems, they might get ideas and venture into the mountains together. If something happens, it could cause more trouble."

"Did you see a deer?" Old Master Wei glanced at him.

Wei Dahu rejoiced, "If we venture deeper into the mountains, I might even encounter a bear. Nothing is impossible." The depths of the mountains held everything. His father disapproved of his snake hole excavation and was constantly trying to deceive him with words.

"Remember your limits and don't assume you can conquer the mountains," warned Elder Wei. "When you come across larger creatures, it's best to avoid them rather than provoke them, do you understand?"

Wei Dahu nodded, though it was uncertain if he truly absorbed the advice.

Not allowed to dig snake holes, prohibited from hunting wild boars, unable to touch the deer for now, and having to flee from bears and tigers... What was the point of entering this wretched mountain?

Carrying a basin of water for washing feet, Wei Dahu went to the courtyard to dispose of it. Gazing at the darkened mountain in the night, he muttered to himself that if he ever truly encountered a bear, he would not run.