Chapter 34: Grandma, I Want More Tomorrow

Chapter 34: Grandma, I Want to Eat This Again Tomorrow

Jiang Yingxue had just thought to herself about not tripping when Liu Taiqing, walking ahead, stumbled and almost fell over.

Somehow, he managed to kick a stone that was hidden and protruding from the edge.

"Come stand over here," Jiang Yingxue told him to come stand by her, then went to reposition the stone. This wasn't an ordinary stone; it was part of an illusion array. Without Jiang Yingxue leading the way, they wouldn't be able to navigate this path. After all, the pond contained authentic spiritual spring water and was teeming with perch. She was worried about theft, so she had set up the array to hide the pond from ordinary view and keep people from approaching.

By the time Jiang Yingxue brought the four of them back home, her grandparents had arrived as well. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the guests, they sold them three more bunches of vegetables. The guests left, fully satisfied.

Evening.

The Wang household was brightly lit, with lights on in the living room, kitchen, and dining room. His son was home for the weekend. Wang Juguang, his wife, and his son were busy in the kitchen, while his daughter-in-law and grandson were settling into their room. Wang Juguang's son was named Wang Xicheng. Both Wang Xicheng and his wife, Shu Yu, were 35 years old. They had a son, Wang Yanhua, who was 10 years old and went to primary school in the city.

Wang Juguang said, "Zhengqiong, the water in the fish bag is useful. Don't spill it."

Wu Zhengqiong opened the bag, took out the large perch inside, and handed it to Wang Juguang. She asked, "What do you need this water for?"

Wang Juguang carefully took the bag and said, "I brought a Qiong Peach Tree back from Yingxue's place. Yingxue said this water can be used to water the tree. We shouldn't waste it."

When she heard Jiang Yingxue had said that, Wu Zhengqiong immediately understood. Ever since being won over by the delicious Xuehe Rice Balls, Wu Zhengqiong felt that Jiang Yingxue was right about everything. If Jiang Yingxue said it was useful, then this water must be useful. "Listen to Yingxue. Go water the tree quickly."

Wang Juguang took the bag of water to the balcony. That afternoon, while he, Liu Junping, and Xue Kaisheng were picking vegetables in the yard, they saw the Qiong Peach Trees in the soil, laden with fruit. Noticing their wide-eyed amazement, Jiang Yingxue gave each of them a tree. Since Liu Junping and Liu Taiqing were from the same family, they shared one, while Wang Juguang and Xue Kaisheng each received one.

The trees they took home were all full of fruit, but the fruits were still green and had some time before ripening. As long as they cultivated them carefully and paid attention to nourishing the soil, these fruits would soon mature and could bear Qiong Peaches for a long time.

The Qiong Peach Trees growing at Jiang Yingxue's home, benefiting from the spirit-gathering array in the yard and regular watering with well water, went from flower to fruit in just a week. However, these trees taken from the Jiang property would take three months from flowering to fruiting.

Ever since he got home, Wang Xicheng had heard his parents mention the name "Yingxue" many times. He asked, "Mom, who is Yingxue?"

Wu Zhengqiong was preparing the fish. She looked up at her son and explained, "Yingxue is your dad's student. She sells rice balls at the school now, and the rice balls she sells are incredibly delicious. I dare say they're the best rice balls in J City."

Seeing the doubt in her son's eyes about "the best rice balls in J City," she waved the perch in her hand in front of him and said, "See, this fish is from Yingxue's place. You'll know at dinner whether I'm exaggerating or not."

"This fish doesn't look particularly special," Wang Xicheng remarked. In his eyes, this perch was just bigger and plumper than others, with no other differences. "Well then, I'll wait and see."

Wu Zhengqiong glanced at her son with a smile in her eyes, thinking that while the perch might look ordinary, its taste and texture were anything but.

Once the water boiled, Wu Zhengqiong placed the prepared perch in the steamer for 15 minutes.

When the time was up, she lifted the lid, and a rich, enticing aroma wafted out.

Wang Xicheng took a deep breath and exclaimed, "It smells amazing!"

Wu Zhengqiong laughed, "It's just the beginning. It'll smell even better later."

She heated oil in a wok, sautéed scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then added a small box of sauce and stir-fried it until cooked. She then poured the hot sauce over the perch. The sauce she added was one she had saved from buying rice balls. She usually didn't like dipping her rice balls in sauce, so she saved the sauce packets for cooking.

The aroma in the kitchen became even more intense than before.

"Xicheng, take the fish out first," Wu Zhengqiong said, noticing her son's sneaky look. She added, "You're a grown man now. Don't you dare sneak a bite."

Wang Xicheng chuckled, "Mom, I won't sneak a bite." Suppressing the strong urge to taste it first, he carried it to the dining table and covered the steamed perch with a food cover to keep out insects and trap the aroma inside.

In the kitchen, Wu Zhengqiong quickly cleaned the wok and then stir-fried shrimp and vegetables.

Half an hour later, dinner was served.

Their meal today included steamed perch, stir-fried fresh shrimp, stir-fried water spinach, cucumber with beef, and a soup with meatballs and greens.

There was plenty of food, more than enough for the family of five.

The moment Wang Xicheng lifted the cover, the aroma immediately filled every corner of the dining room. Everyone present couldn't help but swallow.

This food smelled incredible!

Wu Zhengqiong went back to the kitchen and brought out five bowls for the soup, each containing four fish balls.

"Let's eat!"

Wang Xicheng quickly picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The moment the fish touched his tongue, his eyes lit up. It was tender, smooth, fresh, and fragrant, with an indescribable sense of delightful flavor.

Was this texture and taste real? He glanced at the perch in disbelief, then looked at the reactions of others at the table.

Sure enough, his wife and son had the same reaction, their faces showing astonishment at the delicious food. Only his parents remained calm.

Wang Juguang looked up at them, a mix of happiness and pride in his expression. "Fish raised in mountain spring water tastes better than city fish, right? This fish was raised by my student, Yingxue. I have to say, Yingxue is really something. She makes excellent rice balls and raises great fish and shrimp. Try the shrimp quickly; it's no less delicious than the fish."

After saying that, Wang Juguang picked up two servings of shrimp for his grandson.

Wang Xicheng had eaten fish raised in mountain spring water before, but none could compare to the one on the table. He took a sip of soup to calm his surprise, only to be amazed again by its deliciousness. The fish was amazing, and even the soup was incredibly flavorful.

Coming back after half a month, the home-cooked meal felt like it was from a five-star hotel.

Perhaps it was Wang Xicheng's imagination, but he felt even the vegetables tasted better than those he'd had in fancy restaurants.

Faced with such delicious dishes, even Wang Yanhua, who usually didn't enjoy eating much, ate with great relish today, finishing an extra bowl of rice and all his soup.

He wiped the corner of his mouth with a tissue, lifted his little face, his eyes sparkling. "Grandpa, Grandma, today's food was especially delicious. I loved it!"

"You liked it? Should Grandma make it for you again tomorrow?" Seeing her grandson enjoy the meal so much filled Wu Zhengqiong's heart with joy.

"Yes! Tomorrow I want to eat fish and shrimp again! And this vegetable too!" Puffing out his full, round belly, Wang Yanhua's face was full of happiness and anticipation.