sinovels Chapter 1676 Brothers are fighting against each other
Chapter 1676 Brothers are fighting against each other
Chapter 1676 Brothers are fighting against each other
At this moment, not only Zhao Jun, but even Wang Meilan realized that what Wang Qiang was holding must be the "secret manual" passed down from the former Dasheng Wula Yamen, which recorded the delicacies of the mountains and the location of Lao'anzi.
Unlike the excited mother and son, Zhao Youcai frowned.
"This isn't..." Zhao Youcai started to say something, but then he heard Wang Qiang excitedly call out to Wang Meilan, "Sister, can you tell if this is the book?"
Yesterday, when Wang Qiang and Zhang Yuanmin returned from Xuri Forest Farm, Wang Meilan pulled them aside and left them alone.
Wang Qiang thought Wang Meilan was going to say something to him, but to his surprise, his sister came up and tried to tear down his house.
But after hearing Wang Meilan's reasons, Wang Qiang felt that if they could really find the book, demolishing the house wouldn't be out of the question.
But Wang Meilan said that Wang Qiang had to discuss such a big matter with Zhao Ling.
When Wang Qiang told Zhao Ling about it after he got home last night, she was stunned.
Looking around at the home she had lived in for so many years, Zhao Ling was truly reluctant to leave. But if it were true, then the house would have to be demolished.
Suddenly, Zhao Ling remembered that she had seen an old book at home before.
When Zhao Ling mentioned this, Wang Qiang also remembered that there was indeed an old book in his family many years ago.
Then, the couple searched high and low at home. They searched for half the night, but still couldn't find the book.
Zhao Ling suggested they go to sleep first, but Wang Qiang disagreed. Wang Qiang said the book was very important; if they could find all the old villages in the mountain area according to the book's description, their descendants for generations would be set for life.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ling stopped making arrangements for sleep and the couple lit lanterns and went to the storeroom from inside the house.
They searched until dawn, turning the house upside down, but still couldn't find the book.
After a whole night of tossing and turning, Wang Qiang couldn't stay awake any longer. But Zhao Ling was already intoxicated; she wouldn't let him rest.
Zhao Ling said she remembered that there was definitely such a book at home. Zhao Ling also remembered that she had flipped through the book, and the words in the book were all in traditional Chinese characters, which she could not understand.
But the book also contained illustrations drawn with a brush, some of which depicted animals. Although Zhao Ling couldn't read the characters, she recognized the tigers and black bears drawn in the book.
Upon hearing Zhao Ling's words, Wang Qiang seemed to remember something. He raised his hand to signal Zhao Ling to be quiet and not disturb his recollection.
After sitting there thinking for a long time, Wang Qiang remembered.
That was five years ago, when Zhao Ling was pregnant with Wang Xue.
One day, because Wang Qiang was playing cards and never came home, Zhao Ling got angry and decided to go back to her parents' home.
But Wang Tian was still young then, and Zhao Ling had to carry him when she wanted to leave.
Just as Zhao Ling was struggling with her decision, she saw Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu pass by her door.
At that time, Zhao Ling was young and stubborn, and on top of that, she was pregnant and anxious. Of course, the main reason was also because Wang Qiang was so infuriating.
Zhao Ling stopped Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu, and then told them that she was going back to her parents' home. She asked Li Baoyu to watch Wang Tian for a while, and asked Zhao Jun to go to the convenience store to call Wang Qiang back.
Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu were already sixteen or seventeen years old at the time, but the two boys were incompetent and agreed to the job without even trying to persuade Zhao Ling.
When Zhao Jun ran to the convenience store and told Wang Qiang about it, Wang Qiang was almost furious.
When Wang Qiang followed Zhao Jun home from the small shop, Zhao Ling had already left. Fortunately, Wang Tian didn't cry or make a fuss; he just slept on the kang (a heated brick bed). Meanwhile, Li Baoyu was lying on the kang, engrossed in reading a book.
Wang Qiang wanted to chase after Zhao Ling, so he asked Zhao Jun to carry Wang Tian to find Wang Meilan.
Before Zhao Jun and Li Baoyu left, Li Baoyu told Wang Qiang that he wanted to borrow the book to read for a few days.
Without a second thought, Wang Qiang gave the book to Li Baoyu. The book had been sitting at home for who knows how many years; he usually just used it to prop up the legs of the kang table. Why would he need to borrow it?
Thinking of all this, Wang Qiang put on his coat and ran to the Li family's house. When he arrived, the five members of the Li family were eating in the east room.
When Wang Qiang came to their door, Li Dayong and his wife were completely dumbfounded.
But Li Baoyu was not confused. He led Wang Qiang to the west room and took a pine box off the kang cabinet.
Upon opening the pine box, one finds it filled with old books.
Li Baoyu rummaged through the box and found a book near the bottom.
Although Wang Qiang was illiterate, he recognized the book at a glance, as it had been in his family for many years.
This is the book!
Wang Qiang snatched the book away and ran out, leaving the Li family even more bewildered.
Seeing his bewildered parents, Li Baoyu said with a smile, "My uncle is probably just craving something."
……
"Sister, sister..." Wang Qiang ran over, panting, and shoved the book into Wang Meilan's hands.
At this moment, Zhao Jun came over, while the others were completely confused.
The people in the room were either relatives or confidants. Wang Meilan didn't hide anything; she took the book and opened it to read.
Upon seeing this, Wang Meilan immediately frowned.
"What's this?" Wang Meilan asked. Zhao Jun, who was peeking out from the side, asked, "Mom, what's written on the top?"
When Wang Meilan was a child, Wang Dabazhang hired a private tutor for her.
It can be said that Wang Meilan is the person in the entire Yong'an Forest Area who knows traditional Chinese characters the best.
Wang Meilan frowned just now not because she couldn't understand what was written in the book, but on the contrary, because she understood it, which is why she reacted that way.
When Zhao Jun asked her a question, Wang Meilan didn't answer. Instead, she quickly flipped through the book.
“That book has nothing to do with mountain running.” Just then, Zhao Youcai suddenly spoke up, saying, “Isn’t it a cookbook?”
Hearing Zhao Youcai say this, Wang Meilan looked at the frog-like face and the snow plum flying dragon recorded on the left and right pages of the book in front of her and was speechless.
"A recipe?" Wang Meilan didn't react much, but Wang Qiang was not having it.
The couple stayed up all night trying to find a cookbook, which Wang Qiang couldn't accept.
Upon hearing that the book was a cookbook, Zhao Chun, carrying Xiao Zhoudao, came over.
She didn't recognize the words in the book either, and only asked Wang Meilan, "Mom, what kind of vegetable is this?"
“This is the Frog's Scales Face,” Wang Meilan said to Zhao Chun, pointing to the left and right sides of the book. “This is the Snow Plum Flying Dragon.”
"Is this really a cookbook?" Hearing Wang Meilan's question, Wang Qiang snatched the book away, flipped through a couple of pages, and asked Wang Meilan, "Sister, what's this? Is it also a recipe?"
“This is…” Wang Meilan pointed to the left, identified it, and then said, “It’s boiled ginseng and hashima oil, and that’s rock sugar snow frog.”
"Mom," Zhao Chun asked Wang Meilan, "what's that frog-scale face? Is it made into a green rice cake?"
"Qingguaizi" is a common name for frogs in some parts of Northeast China.
"Let me see?" Wang Meilan said, reaching out to flip through the book in Wang Qiang's hand.
Just then, Zhao Youcai suddenly said, "The frog's scales are made from the nose of a wild goat."
As soon as Zhao Youcai said this, everyone's eyes turned to him.
At this moment, Zhao Youcai said, "The nose of the An Dahan."
As soon as Zhao Youcai finished speaking, Ma Ling asked curiously, "Dad, it looks like a pig shoving its snout?"
The pig's snout is the best part of the pig's head meat; it's not fatty or dry, and has an excellent texture.
“It tastes much better than that,” Zhao Youcai said. “The nose of the Andahan has a layer of… cartilage-like membrane, which tastes even better than beef tendon.”
"Dad, what should we call the frog?" Ma Ling forgot the two characters "麟面" (Linmian).
“Frog, I guess…” Zhao Youcai was really patient with Ma Ling. He gently tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks and said, “You cut off both ends of the chili peppers, cut the boiled 'An Dahan's nose into pieces and stuff it in, then deep-fry it. Don’t fry it for too long, just fry it in hot oil for a quick dip and then take it out. Fry it a few times, and you’ll see the chili peppers on the outside stretch their skin, with pits and grooves.”
Now, prepare a sauce, thicken it with cornstarch, and pour it over the top. The slippery parts of the chili pepper won't hold the sauce, but the sauce will pool in the center, forming streaks like the stripes on a frog's body.
"Ah..." After hearing Zhao Youcai's description, Ma Ling could picture it in her mind.
Zhao Youcai continued, "Put them on a plate with the smaller ends of the chilies facing inwards and the larger ends facing outwards, and it looks like a plate of green chilies."
"Is it good, Dad?" Zhao Hong asked. Zhao Youcai replied, "In the past, there were eight delicacies in the Manchu Han Imperial Feast. Elk nose ranked first, and even bear paws and other delicacies couldn't compare to it."
When it comes to cooking, Zhao Youcai talks non-stop.
Hearing Zhao Youcai describe the frog-scale noodles, Ma Ling chimed in, "It sounds delicious."
"What do you mean by delicious? This is delicious." Zhao Youcai said, "My dear daughter, just wait, Dad will make it for you."
"Dad, where are we getting any Ankhes around here?" Before Ma Ling could speak, Zhao Jun quickly chimed in, saying to Zhao Youcai, "Why don't we get a big guy like that and put him on the deer-nose?"
There are no Andahan in Zhao Jun's area; those creatures are mainly found in the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains and the Altai Mountains in Xinjiang.
Zhao Jun's response wasn't meant to refute Zhao Youcai; on the contrary, it was Zhao Youcai's way of saving face.
"That piece of junk." It seemed that Zhao Youcai was not going to accept Zhao Jun's good intentions. Hearing this, Zhao Jun hurriedly said, "Dad, even if you go to the Greater Khingan Mountains, you can't touch that An Dahan. You can't fight that thing."
Zhao Jun was afraid that Zhao Youcai would use cooking for Ma Ling as a pretext to go hunting for the Anshan Khan in the Greater Khingan Mountains. Those creatures have been protected since the 1970s; it wasn't just a random act.
“Who’s going to that place?” Zhao Youcai waved his hand at Zhao Jun, signaling him not to get involved, then pointed to the book in Wang Qiang’s hand and said, “There are a lot of good recipes in that book. I’ll pick out the ones with ingredients and make them for my old daughter one by one.”
After saying this, Zhao Youcai pointed to the refrigerator in the corner and said to Ma Ling, "I remember we still have some prawns at home. Dad will make you a Tai Chi bear paw dish tonight."
"Huh?" Not only was Ma Ling stunned, but even Zhao Jun was dumbfounded. He had known Zhao Youcai for two lifetimes and had never heard of Zhao Youcai knowing anything about Tai Chi Bear Paw.
“Wait until they bring the bear back.” Zhao Youcai added, then said to Ma Ling, “This book was passed down in your great-grandmother’s family. Many of the dishes in it were eaten by the emperor in the past.”
After saying this, Zhao Youcai paused slightly, then said to Ma Ling with a proud tone, "Dad can do it all!"
“That’s what everyone at the forest farm says!” Upon hearing this, Ma Ling praised Zhao Youcai, saying, “No one at the forest farm can cook as well as my dad.”
"Right, hahaha..." Zhao Youcai was happy, but Wang Qiang was furious.
Having not slept all night, Wang Qiang suppressed his anger in front of his nephew's wife and son-in-law, and called out to Zhao Youcai, "Brother-in-law, you found out again, huh?"
"Huh?" Zhao Youcai was taken aback, then heard Wang Qiang say, "My uncle and I searched the house all night!"
"How was I supposed to know you'd been looking for this all night?" Zhao Youcai glared at him with his small eyes and said matter-of-factly, "Who told you to look for a recipe?"
"I..." Wang Qiang was speechless. He threw the book to Wang Meilan, glared at Zhao Youcai, and said to Wang Meilan, "I'm leaving, sister."
"Qiangzi, have some food before you go," Wang Meilan said, and Zhao Jun pulled Wang Qiang down to sit.
Wang Qiang had barely touched the stool when he heard several more dog barks from outside.
"Is it his uncle who came to see me?" Wang Qiang asked. Wang Meilan stood up and said, "If he's here, let him eat here."
A short while later, the door was pulled open, and the five members of the Li family filed in.
"Dayong, Xiaomei," Wang Meilan called out hurriedly, "Have you eaten yet?"
"I've finished eating, sister-in-law," Li Dayong said. "I came after I finished eating."
Wang Meilan looked at Li Dayong, then at Jin Xiaomei, and asked with some surprise, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
It was only seven o'clock, and this family had already finished eating and arrived, so Wang Meilan wondered what business they had.
"It's nothing, sister-in-law." Li Dayong pulled over a four-legged stool and sat down to the side, saying, "I just missed you guys."
"Huh?" Wang Meilan was taken aback, then heard Jin Xiaomei say, "Sister-in-law, you've really given us a hard time leaving."
“Yeah, right.” Li Dayong pointed at Jin Xiaomei and said, “His mother didn’t sleep all night, and this girl kept wiping away tears.”
Li Dayong's words made everyone laugh. Jin Xiaomei gently patted Li Dayong, and then said to Wang Meilan, "Sister-in-law, ever since I married into this family, our two families have lived in the east and west courtyards. Now that you've left, oh my, my heart feels so empty."
Hearing Jin Xiaomei say this, Li Dayong, Li Baoyu, and Li Xiaoqiao all nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Zhao Jun, Zhao Youcai, Wang Meilan, and Zhao Chun also fell silent. After more than twenty years as neighbors, with such a close relationship, they were now separated.
"Dad, Mom." Just as the atmosphere was getting a bit heavy, Li Ruhai suddenly spoke.
When everyone looked over, they saw Li Ruhai pointing to the west and saying to Li Dayong and Jin Xiaomei, "Why don't we move too? Let's move to that courtyard."
“You’re talking nonsense,” Jin Xiaomei retorted to Li Ruhai without hesitation, “That’s the house for your brother’s wedding.”
"Why don't we give that old house to my brother?" Li Ruhai suggested. "My brother still has about a month to live. We can use that time to clean up and tidy up the house. Wouldn't that be the same thing?"
"I won't do it!" Li Baoyu shouted as soon as Li Ruhai finished speaking, "You're moving out, and you're just going to throw me over there?"
“That’s our family’s ancestral home, brother!” Li Ruhai said earnestly to Li Baoyu, “You’re the eldest son, so it will be passed down to you!”
"Go to hell..." Li Baoyu almost blurted out, but luckily he reacted in time.
"I don't live over there!" Li Baoyu said. "I want to stay with my brother!"
After expressing his stance, Li Baoyu said to Li Dayong and Jin Xiaomei, "Dad, Mom, why don't you two take Xiaoqiao and come live with me?"
At this point, Li Baoyu waved his hand towards the door and said, "Let him live over there by himself!"
"Huh?" Li Baoyu exploded instantly. Li Ruhai jumped up from the bench, glaring at Li Baoyu and saying, "Brother, can't you tolerate your younger brother at all?"
"I'm afraid that if I have children in the future, you'll spoil them." As soon as Li Baoyu said this, Zhao Chun, who was holding Zhou Dao and watching the commotion, froze on the surface of her smile, and her grip on the child tightened even more.
(End of this chapter)