It took Ye Yaodong a long time to pluck all the chicken feathers and clean the chicken.
"Okay, I've prepared the chicken. Who among you will cook it? Xiao Xiao? Fatty?"
Without even raising his head, Xiao Xiao said, "Let Fatty go. Fatty is better at cooking than I am. I'm on a roll right now. I'll clean up after we finish eating!"
"Alright! Dongzi, you take over!"
Ye Yaodong shook his head, "I don't want to play, it's boring, but playing cards is fine!"
"How are we going to fight with six people? Or go fishing for crabs?" Guang suggested.
"It's boring. It's all based on luck. There's no skill involved. You guys play, and I'll just watch."
"Huh? Have you changed your personality? You don't want to play Pai Gow or crab fishing anymore?"
"Someone has to work, otherwise what will we eat? You guys have fun, I'll go help Fatty."
"Did you take the wrong medicine today? How could you be so diligent?"
Everyone was saying something, even being diligent was questioned. Ye Yaodong said unhappily, "I'm in a good mood today, can I have a change of heart?"
"Then go quickly! Call us when you're ready!"
The fat man was already in the house chopping up a chicken with a knife. Seeing him coming in, he said, "Luckily Ah Zheng brought a chicken. Otherwise, a snake of just over a pound wouldn't be enough to eat. It wouldn't even be enough to fill our stomachs! I went home and got two ribs. I thought I'd stew them with the snake so they can be mixed together."
"Let's cook the other things first and then stew the dragon and phoenix soup. Cook more soup and give Ah Zheng an extra bowl of meat to take back."
"no problem."
A big rooster weighing five or six pounds, a snake weighing more than one pound, and two ribs, all make a big pot full of food.
As soon as the fragrance wafted out, everyone else couldn't sit still anymore. After playing a round, they threw away the cards in their hands and all gathered around the stove.
"Is it okay?"
"smell good!"
"I haven't eaten snake for a long time. I miss it!"
"Can I eat now? I'm starving. I only eat porridge three times a day and pee twice."
Ye Yaodong brought over a soup bowl and said, "Wait a minute, scoop a bowl for Zheng first and let him take it back to his parents to eat while it's hot."
"Oh, yes, yes, scoop a bowl for Zheng first."
Ah Zheng was a little embarrassed, "A small bowl is enough, there are so many of us!"
"It's a big pot, enough for us to eat. There are other dishes, so I made more soup. The essence is all in the soup."
After Ah Zheng had scooped out the food, everyone filled a bowl and sat at the table to eat.
They didn't put any tonic in the dragon and phoenix soup, just stewed it with ginger and rice wine. After each person finished a bowl, they started to eat the seafood on the table.
Ah Guang fiddled with the clams on the plate, picked one up and said, "Were the clams and sand clams dug today? Did Dongzi dig them today? No wonder Xiaoxiao went to look for you this morning. You weren't at home. This one is so fat, even though it's so small."
"I've been digging all morning. It's so hot. The tide will recede even more tomorrow. Do you want to go? It's fun to go fishing in the sea once in a while."
Ah Guang agreed immediately, "Okay, I'm free anyway."
"I'm too full. I don't want to go to the beach to sunbathe in such a hot day. No way!" The fat man refused immediately. His family had enough food and drink, so he would not go to the beach to sunbathe.
"I can't go. My wife asked me to go back to her parents' home with her tomorrow. Her mother is not feeling well." said Haozi, who has always had little presence.
Chen Wei was quite excited. "I'll go. I haven't been to the beach for a while. There's a high tide these two days. I'll bring a hook and see if there's anything to pick up."
"Of course there are. I was picking oysters and snails by the rocks today, and I was lucky enough to pick up two blue crabs weighing 50 to 60 taels. The tide will recede further tomorrow, so we'll go take a look once the tide goes out."
"Okay, I also found a blue crab, which is worth one or two dollars, a day's wages for a worker. I'm lucky."
A Zheng and Xiao Xiao also agreed to go to the beach together tomorrow.
The time they spend with each other is longer than the time they spend with their wives at home, and they often like to do things together.
"How much is this shrimp per pound today? It's small but quite plump, and even has red paste!" Ye Yaodong asked A Guang while biting it.
"35 cents."
"ah!?"
He thought about it and it seemed that this was the price in that era!
In September last year, no, in September 2021, these small shrimps of 5-7 cm were purchased at the dock for only 3 yuan, and the big ones for only 30 yuan, but the market did not offer this price. There is a big gap between the purchase price and the selling price.
Come to think of it, this price is reasonable.
"It's 35 cents if you pick it, and 30 cents if you don't pick it. I picked all the red cream ones."
Others also picked one and broke off the shrimp neck, and they all had red paste!
"You have a pretty good eyesight!"
Ah Guang didn't take it seriously. "What's the big deal? I wanted to pick a few more, but Ah Cai at the dock changed his mind after seeing how accurate my selection was. He won't let me pick any more. I can only sell them. Otherwise, he won't sell them! If he doesn't want to sell them, then he won't sell them. I think these are enough."
"They are all appetizers, but it's a pity there is no wine!" The fat man peeled the shells regretfully.
"I didn't drink enough yesterday, and my wife scolded me when I got home. She pinched my hands and left two blue spots on them. She almost didn't let me go to bed."
"If your wife won't let you go to bed, you can find a mistress and sleep with her, and see where she cries!"
"Tsk~ You have a mistress. You almost couldn't get a wife. You hang out with you guys all day. Your reputation is ruined. Fortunately, I already have a wife and children."
Ah Zheng deliberately said in a weird tone: "Fuck, no wonder Ah Guang and I still can't get married, it turns out it's all your fault, damn it, quickly compensate us with two wives!"
Ah Guang also said in agreement: "Yes, the night is long, you guys are sleeping soundly while holding your wives, but Ah Zheng and I are alone and can't sleep~"
"Then you two can just hug each other. Anyway, once the light is on and the quilt is pulled over your head, it won't make much difference in the dark..."
"Ah, there's a huge difference!"
Ah Zheng shamelessly stuck out his butt and patted it, saying, "What are you comparing? I'm bigger from the front and back, no doubt about it!"
"Be careful, my sister is here!" Seeing his two sisters embarrassedly going back to their room with their bowls, A Guang quickly spoke up to stop them from going too far!
"Eat, eat, eat. Stop talking nonsense and save it for your wife when you get home!"
"Dongzi, I heard that your father caught a net of cucumber fish yesterday and sold them for more than a thousand yuan. He became rich. Are you going to go out to sea with your father next?" Chen Wei asked curiously.
"Do I look like someone who can go to sea?"
“No!”
"You look like a kept gigolo!" the fat man laughed.
"Hmm... soft rice is indeed delicious and fragrant!"