Hearing his words, Chen Qiaoer immediately nodded, "Qiaoer understands. Qiaoer will wait here."
After waiting for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the reeds finally moved, once, twice, several times in succession. Chen Xiaobei was secretly delighted.
He jumped into the river with a splash, and in a few strokes, he reached the umbrella net and lifted it up halfway.
Half of the umbrella net was in the water, and half was exposed. Chen Xiaobei could clearly see a large fish inside, more than half a foot long. He no longer cared about the smaller fish.
He didn't dare to lift such a big fish out of the water all at once. He dragged it in the water until he was close to the shore. Only then did he suddenly exert force and throw the umbrella net onto the bank. He then lunged forward and pinned the big fish down firmly.
The big fish, out of the water, would struggle desperately due to its strong will to survive. If it were allowed to flop around, the umbrella would surely be torn apart by it, so it had to be held down with all his might.
After struggling for a long time, the big fish was finally left with only a breath of life. Only its gills were still moving, and it had no strength left to struggle.
Chen Xiaobei then carefully reached in, grabbed the fish, and also scooped up a few small fish. He broke off a branch from a nearby tree and threaded the fish onto it.
The experiment was successful. He held the fish in one hand and the umbrella net in the other, and called to Chen Qiaoer to go home.
As soon as Chen Qiaoer returned home, she happily ran into the house and pulled Cui Hongyu's hand, dragging her outside.
"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, look quickly, brother caught a big fish."
Cui Hongyu walked out and was a little surprised to see the scene before her. Chen Xiaobei held up the big fish and waved it at her.
"Didn't I say it? We'll have fish tonight."
Seeing such a large fish, Cui Hongyu's heart was filled with surprise. This one fish was enough for the three of them.
No, it would be more suitable to sell it. Thinking this, she shook her head, "Since it's still early, I'll take it to the county town to sell. I can get a coin or two."
Chen Xiaobei felt a strange pang in his heart.
He instantly understood what Cui Hongyu's gaze meant when she watched him making the fishing net earlier. She was pitying him for being wasteful.
"Hongyu, I heard people in the county say that new brides should eat fish, symbolizing abundance every year. Tomorrow morning, I'll catch more fish and take them to the county to sell."
After hearing Chen Xiaobei's explanation, Cui Hongyu still felt a little happy. Although she knew he was mostly making excuses, she was very happy about his "excuses."
"In that case, everything will be as my husband says. I'll go and clean the fish."
Chen Xiaobei quickly stopped her, "No, no. I heard that girls shouldn't touch cold water when they have their periods."
This made Cui Hongyu's face turn red. She gave Chen Xiaobei a reproachful look.
"You're talking nonsense. Who would tell you that?"
Chen Xiaobei chuckled and leaned close to her ear, whispering, "You look so beautiful when you blush."
His words made Cui Hongyu's face even redder. Flustered, she stood up, "I'll go embroider."
Qiaoer looked bewildered. She watched Cui Hongyu, who had left in embarrassment, and asked confusedly, "Brother, brother, why is sister-in-law blushing?"
Chen Xiaobei was also stunned by her question. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is thirsty. Go and pour her a bowl of water."
Although Chen Qiaoer didn't understand why someone would blush from being thirsty, she obediently ran into the house to get water for Cui Hongyu.
Chen Xiaobei skillfully scaled the fish, gutted it, removed the internal organs, rubbed it with salt, and then set it aside to marinate for a while.
Then he smeared some lard in a wok, put the fish in, and fried both sides until golden brown. Only then did he add water and begin to stew it, letting it bubble.
As the saying goes, "thousands of stews for tofu, thousands of stews for fish." The more you stew the fish, the more flavorful it becomes.
Inside the house, Cui Hongyu was embroidering while answering Chen Qiaoer's myriad of questions. The two of them chatted and laughed, making the room lively. Suddenly, Chen Qiaoer sniffed the air.
"What's that smell? It's so fragrant."
Cui Hongyu naturally knew it was the smell of Chen Xiaobei stewing fish.
She was still a little surprised that Chen Xiaobei had such exquisite cooking skills to make the fish taste so delicious. Soudan Novel Network
Smelling the aroma, Chen Xiaobei was also secretly analyzing why the fish smelled so good. Besides the freshness of the live fish, it was mostly related to him frying it with lard.
Chen Qiaoer impatiently crawled out of the room and squeezed next to Chen Xiaobei, constantly asking when they could eat.
Chen Xiaobei smiled and flicked her nose, "Wait. We'll eat when your sister-in-law is done."
Chen Qiaoer then hopped back into the house and soon dragged Cui Hongyu out.
Indeed, she was a clever little thing. Chen Xiaobei's affection for Chen Qiaoer grew.
After serving the fish, Chen Xiaobei first picked a piece of fish and put it into Cui Hongyu's bowl. Then he gave a piece to Chen Qiaoer, and he himself took the fish head.
Seeing this, although Cui Hongyu didn't say anything, she was deeply moved.
In the past, her father had been very strict at home. Every time they ate fish, her father would always eat the best parts first, and by the time it got to her, only the fish head and tail were often left.
Now, Chen Xiaobei voluntarily took the fish head, which made her feel an indescribable warmth.
That night, when they went to sleep, Chen Qiaoer still clung to Cui Hongyu, wanting to sleep with her. Cui Hongyu looked at Chen Xiaobei helplessly.
Chen Xiaobei also seemed helpless, "Then you sleep there with Qiaoer. I'll sleep here."
After playing all day, Chen Qiaoer was also tired and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Cui Hongyu quietly got up and moved closer to the oil lamp, intending to embroider again, but was called back by Chen Xiaobei, "Hongyu, come here. I have something to tell you."
Cui Hongyu naturally assumed Chen Xiaobei wanted to do "that." Her face turned red, and she whispered, "Perhaps we should find an opportunity to move Qiaoer's bed to the inner room. It wouldn't be good if she was startled awake."
Seeing her blush, Chen Xiaobei knew Cui Hongyu had misunderstood. He shook his head, "I'm not talking about that. Come here, I want to tell you something serious."
Cui Hongyu could only sit down by the bed.
"Hongyu, I'll have to get up before dawn tomorrow to catch fish. Qiaoer is in your care. I've pickled some wild eggs in the kitchen jar, and there's also some rice. You two can make some rice porridge and eat the wild eggs."
Hearing Chen Xiaobei's detailed arrangements for Cui Hongyu, she was very surprised, "Husband, and you?"
"I won't be back for meals. As soon as I catch a couple of fish, I have to rush to the county. The weather is so hot, and if it sits too long, the fish will spoil."
Cui Hongyu's heart warmed inexplicably. This man was working so hard for their family.