Chapter 28: Digging a Fish Pond

Chapter 28: Digging the Fish Pond

Lin Xiaopu, on the other hand, was thrilled, exclaiming "wow wow wow" non-stop.

After a moment, Zhou Ye finally uttered, "Let's dig the fish pond first."

Zhou Ye picked up the shovel and immediately set to work. Before long, he had dug a large shallow pit along the area marked by the ash.

Lin Shu watched with a smile. This was his efficiency on an empty stomach. If Zhou Ye were well-fed, such a large pond might indeed be dug in less than three days.

"Brother A Ye, there's still plenty of hair wash. I'll go ask Mother if she wants to wash her hair. I'll bring you some snacks later to replenish your energy."

Zhou Ye grunted, not even raising his head.

Only after Lin Shu led Lin Xiaopu away did he glance up.

Xiao Pu was hopping around like a little rabbit, while the flower-like girl also walked so lightly she seemed about to skip, her semi-wet long hair loosely gathered and swaying with her movements.

Zhou Ye's gaze flickered slightly before he lowered his head and continued working diligently.

When Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu returned, He Guixiang was in the room, happily counting money.

A Ye, that child, had handed the money to her as soon as he returned, just like before, not keeping a single copper for himself.

Half a wild boar, plus pork ribs, bones, and various innards, along with the pheasant and hare, had sold for ten strings of coins!

A full ten strings!

A Ye said the restaurant steward was generous, as wealthy people enjoyed these rare wild game. A pound of wild boar meat fetched ten more copper coins than regular pork, selling for fifty coins per pound! The pheasant and hare were also in high demand—the pheasant sold for eighty coins, and the hare for one hundred and fifty coins!

This was the first time He Guixiang had seen so much money. Her hands had trembled when she first received it.

But after the initial euphoria and excitement, He Guixiang gradually calmed down, and her thoughts deepened.

Before, she had thought of A Ye as a future son-in-law, so the money would be used by the whole family anyway, and there was no need to divide it so clearly. But if A Shu had no such intention, she naturally couldn't force the two together against A Shu's wishes. If she wanted A Shu to marry without being wronged in the future, she would need to prepare a generous dowry. And A Ye had long been regarded by her and Father Lin as like a son. In the future, A Ye would also need to marry, and they would have to save money for his wedding.

Thinking this way, ten strings of coins didn't seem like so much after all.

Save, keep saving!

Outside, Lin Shu suddenly called out to her. He Guixiang hurriedly put the ten strings of coins back into her wooden box, hiding it at the very bottom. She covered it with thick bedding, locked the box, shoved it into the corner against the wall under the bed, and concealed it with various odds and ends.

"A Shu, what are you calling me for?" He Guixiang asked as she walked out.

"There's still plenty of hair wash left. Do you want to wash your hair, Mother?" Lin Shu asked.

He Guixiang replied, "I'm not washing. I still need to clean the intestines later."

The large and small intestines needed to be cleaned again; otherwise, they would have an offensive odor when cooked. Aside from the portions given to the two village women who helped, there was still plenty left in the basin.

He Guixiang got to work immediately. Instead of using ash from the stove, she took some straw, burned it to ashes, and poured the straw ash into the basin. She then turned the large and small intestines inside out and scrubbed them back and forth with the ash.

"This method was taught to me by an elder in the village. Rubbing them back and forth like this a few times, the ash will remove the slime from the intestines, and the smell won't be as pungent."

Lin Xiaopu pinched her nose and exclaimed, "Mother, it still stinks."

He Guixiang laughed at her, "If you think it stinks, don't eat any at dinner tonight."

Lin Xiaopu quickly said, "I want to eat it! I want to eat it! Mother, are we cooking the wild boar meat we kept for dinner tonight?"

"Yes, I'll make pork bone soup and slippery meat for you today!" The weather was too warm to keep it for long, so they would eat some today and the rest tomorrow.

Lin Xiaopu jumped for joy again, even happier than during the New Year.

After finishing the pig intestines, He Guixiang started boiling water to stew the pork bones. She had some dried bamboo shoot strips at home and tossed a handful into the pot.

"Xiao Pu, keep an eye on the fire for me. I'm going outside to pick some wild onions and wild garlic."

Hearing this, Lin Xiaopu immediately brought out a long bench from the main room and sat by the stove, watching like a little food-loving cat.

"Mother, pick more. I need some for the Guanyin Tofu too."

"Alright." He Guixiang smiled and agreed, knowing she wanted to make Guanyin Tofu for A Ye.

Lin Shu noticed that the grass jelly plant pulp in the wooden basin had almost solidified. She cut out a small piece and put it on a plate, then cut the rest into cubes directly in the basin. She tossed it with some salt and placed a large wooden ladle by the side of the basin for serving later.

Actually, she preferred sweet flavors, but unfortunately, sugar was expensive in these times, and ordinary people couldn't afford it. She had specifically asked her mother: in the Da Yan Dynasty, sugar cost twenty coins for just one tael, and rock sugar was even more expensive, selling for fifty coins per tael. That was enough to buy many pounds of grain.

For common folks, if their children really craved sugar, they would buy the cheapest malt candy at the market—a small piece for two coins. The sugar cake her father brought back last time, costing five coins per piece, was already considered expensive.

But dishes like red-braised pork, pork with preserved mustard greens, and steamed pork with rice flour that Lin Shu wanted to eat all required sugar.

When He Guixiang returned with the wild onions, Lin Shu chopped them into fine pieces and mixed them with other seasonings.

Lin Shu tried to lift the basin but couldn't, so she called Lin Xiaopu to help her carry it.

"Wow, such a big basin of Guanyin Tofu! Brother A Ye is going to be thrilled!"

Lin Shu used the wooden ladle to scoop two pieces and fed them to Lin Xiaopu, who giggled while eating. "Don't tell Brother A Ye I got to taste it first."

The two sisters carried the large basin of Guanyin Tofu to the small vegetable patch behind the house. Before they even reached the spot, Zhou Ye, who was still digging, looked up and immediately dropped his shovel to come help.

Zhou Ye effortlessly lifted the large wooden basin, then looked at its contents with curiosity.

Inside the basin were chunks, jade-green in color, with a texture like tofu but even smoother and more tender.

"Brother A Ye, I made this snack for you. This Guanyin Tofu is smooth and refreshing, and helps clear heat and relieve summer heat. Try it quickly!"

"You made this?" Zhou Ye was slightly surprised. Would a daughter from a well-off family know how to cook?

Lin Xiaopu covered her mouth and giggled, then said proudly, "Brother A Ye, my sister knows how to do many things!"

Lin Shu raised her delicate eyebrows. "I said I'd feed you well in the future. Did you think I was joking?"

Zhou Ye had only eaten a few pancakes made by He Guixiang on the road for breakfast. After selling the wild boar meat, he had bought a few hearty steamed buns in town to fill his stomach, but they had already been digested. His stomach was empty and had even rumbled a few times earlier.

Without hesitation, he hooked the basin with one arm and used his other hand to take the big wooden ladle for scooping soup. He scooped a full ladle of the jade-green, translucent substance and shoveled it into his mouth.

After one bite, his eyes seemed to light up slightly, and he immediately took another large spoonful. Without saying a word, he finished the entire large basin of Guanyin Tofu in no time.

Lin Xiaopu giggled secretly.

Lin Shu deliberately asked him, "Brother A Ye, was it good?"

This man of few words just ate without offering any praise.

Zhou Ye nodded. "Very tender and refreshing. It has a different texture from regular tofu." After saying this, he put down the empty basin, picked up the shovel from the ground, and continued working.

Lin Shu found him kind of simple—he finished eating and immediately went back to work, even more diligently than before, looking quite earnest.

"Making food for you isn’t about treating you like a workhorse. Rest if you’re tired—there’s no rush."

Zhou Ye glanced back at her, "Not tired. Just ate my fill, so I’ve got plenty of strength."

Since childhood, he had never felt tired—only hungry. That big bowl of food might not have filled him up completely, but the feeling of having something in his stomach was comforting, even more satisfying than two big bowls of Ping Er’s thick porridge.

Having received kindness, he naturally had to repay it. If he could feel this comfortable every day, he wouldn’t just dig a fishpond—he’d do anything this miss asked.