Chapter 51 : The tempting fried fish, slapping Yang Yufeng

As it was getting dark, Lu Fangfang, carrying a hoe and holding a small basin of assorted fish, walked toward the staff quarters with Wang Shufen.  

As soon as she entered the family compound, she ran into a long-faced sister-in-law.  

“Comrade Lu, why are you catching so many small fish?”  

Haomei looked at the processed fish in her basin, feeling a little puzzled.  

There were so many people in the family compound, yet not many would go to the river to catch fish to eat.  

The main reason was that the fish were too small, with little meat and full of bones. With limited seasonings at home, the fish smelled too fishy when cooked, so over time, fewer and fewer people bothered catching them.  

Even when they did catch some, it was usually just to feed the chickens and ducks at home.  

“I want to fry some small fish as a snack,” Lu Fangfang replied.  

“Frying? Oh, that would waste a lot of oil.”  

Haomei had the same reaction as Wang Shufen earlier.  

Using up precious oil just to fry some small fish hardly seemed worth it.  

But then, remembering the gossip from the other sisters-in-law, she suddenly understood.  

With a jealous tone, Haomei said, “These little fish are only good when fried. Comrade Lu’s family is the only one in our compound with the means to do that. You must be rich, you’re not afraid of wasting oil.”  

“No, no, sister-in-law, my family is not wealthy. Every family in the staff compound is better off than ours,” Lu Fangfang quickly denied, nearly breaking into a cold sweat.  

She had no intention of showing off her wealth.  

In this era, flaunting wealth was dangerous.  

After some hurried words to brush off the conversation, she and Sister Shufen quickly left.  

Only after she got home did Lu Fangfang finally relax.  

“Sigh, even eating has to be stressful. Small fish are nothing special, but somehow they’ve turned into a big deal.”  

Muttering to herself, Lu Fangfang sprinkled a handful of salt over the small fish to marinate them.  

There were still some leftover spices from what her sister-in-law had given her in the morning. She chopped some ginger and chili, sprinkled them over the fish, and mixed everything together.  

Letting the fish marinate, she sat at the chopping board and started making steamed corn bread.  

The sweet potato flour she had prepared at noon had now begun to ferment.  

After kneading it well, she tore off small portions and shaped them into steamed buns.  

A while later, when she felt the fish was well-marinated, Lu Fangfang picked up her iron pot and placed it on the coal stove.  

Opening the oil can, she scooped out a small spoonful of butter and dropped it into the pan.  

“Mm…”  

As soon as the butter melted, a rich aroma filled the air.  

“Forget frying fish, just cooking with butter smells delicious enough,” she murmured.  

Sniffing the air, she carefully picked up the marinated fish and placed them into the pot.  

“Sizzle—”  

Swallowing her saliva, she continued placing fish into the pan, one by one.  

By the time the pan was full, there was still nearly half a basin of fish left. It looked like she would need to fry another batch.  

The coal stove’s fire wasn’t too strong, making it perfect for slow-frying the fish.  

Letting them cook over low heat, Lu Fangfang returned to kneading the steamed bread.  

—

Next door, Yang Yufen and her children were eating cabbage cooked in beef bone soup when a sudden aroma drifted over.  

Yang Yufen took a deep sniff and immediately felt that her beef bone soup no longer smelled as good.  

“Girl, do you smell that?”  

“Fish,” her daughter replied, looking up briefly before lowering her head and continuing to eat in big bites.  

“Fish?”  

Yang Yufen was puzzled and immediately walked into the yard.  

Sniffing the air again, she quickly realized that the delicious smell was coming from Lu Fangfang’s house.  

“What tasty food is this little girl secretly eating?”  

Feeling a bit envious, Yang Yufen turned around and called out, “Big girl, bring a chair out.”  

Her eldest daughter immediately brought out a chair.  

As if she already knew what her mother was planning, the girl didn’t go back to her meal. Instead, she stood aside, watching eagerly.  

Yang Yufen ignored her daughter.  

She climbed onto the chair, grabbed the edge of the wall, and stretched her head over.  

It was dark in the yard, so she couldn’t see much.  

Turning her head toward the house, she heard the sizzling sound again, and the fragrance in the air became even stronger.

The door to Lu Fangfang’s house was not closed. She squinted her eyes, took a closer look, and saw that the pot was full of golden little fish.  

“Oh, no wonder it smells so good. Turns out she’s frying fish.”  

Yang Yufen wrinkled her nose, intoxicated by the aroma of fried fish. Her body went weak, and she almost fell over.  

“Sister Fangfang? Sister Fangfang?”  

Inside the room, Lu Fangfang was still kneading a steamed bun when she was startled by the sudden voice.  

“Sister Fangfang? It’s me, your sister-in-law Yufen.”  

Lu Fangfang: “…”  

‘Pah.’  

Throwing down the steamed bun in her hand, she walked out angrily.  

Looking up at the smiling face peeking over the wall, she immediately snapped, “Yang Yufen, why are you climbing the wall so late at night instead of sleeping?”  

Lu Fangfang was furious.  

She had always thought her house was in a good location no one to the east, only one neighbor to the west. She never expected to encounter such a weirdo like Yang Yufeng.  

Yang Yufen didn’t respond.  

Instead, she peeked into the room and asked knowingly, “Sister Fangfang, what delicious food are you making? It smells amazing.”  

“None of your business.”  

Lu Fangfang rolled her eyes in disgust.  

She had left the door open because she disliked the smoke from frying fish filling the room, but she hadn’t expected the aroma to lure Yang Yufen over.  

“Hey, sister, we’re neighbors, don’t be like that. The fish you’re frying looks really good.”  

Yang Yufen swallowed her saliva, her mind racing for ideas.  

“My eldest daughter is a little foodie. She smelled the fried fish from your house and begged me to come ask for some. You see, the child is crying for food. How about giving her a little?”  

“Ha! I think you’re the real foodie here.”  

Lu Fangfang was so angry that she laughed. “There are plenty of little fish in the river. If you want to eat, go catch some yourself.”  

The fish in the pot was almost done, and Lu Fangfang didn’t want to waste time arguing.  

She turned back, reached for the spatula, and sneered at Yang Yufen, still perched on the wall.  

Then she swung it at her.  

‘Pah!’  

“Oh my god!”  

The spatula didn’t hit Yang Yufen, but it scared her enough.  

Her hands slipped, and she fell down with a thud, landing on her butt.  

“Ouch, ouch!”  

Yang Yufen rubbed her backside, feeling like it was about to break.  

Beside her, her eldest daughter looked disappointed, then turned around and went back inside to continue eating cabbage.  

“Yang Yufen, I’m telling you, if you dare to climb over my wall again, I’ll report you to the team leader!”  

“And in a couple of days, I’ll put broken glass on top of the wall. If you dare to climb up again, you’ll cut your hands.”  

Yang Yufen quickly scrambled to her feet, still rubbing her sore backside. She shouted back:  

“If you don’t want to share, then don’t! Do you really have to go that far? Reporting to the leader? Fine, I’ll report to the leader too! You hit me with a spatula, let’s see who gets punished!”  

On the other side, Lu Fangfang rolled her eyes, too lazy to deal with this troublemaker anymore.  

She quickly went back inside.  

The little fish in the pan were perfectly fried. Lu Fangfang took the pot off the heat, used chopsticks to flip the fish, and let the residual heat crisp them up even more.  

Staring at the golden little fish, she swallowed her saliva and picked one up.  

Then, as if remembering something, she deliberately walked to the door.  

‘Whoosh…’  

She blew gently on the fish before opening her mouth and taking a bite.  

‘Crunch.’  

“Hmm…”  

The fish was fried to a perfect crisp. Even the bones melted in her mouth.  

With just one bite, her whole body trembled.  

“This is amazing! I’ve never had anything so delicious before!”  

Next door, Yang Yufen was about to head back inside when she heard those words. Instantly, her mouth watered.  

The worst part? The irresistible smell of fried fish kept drifting into her nose.  

She swallowed hard, her craving growing stronger.  

‘Pah!’ 

“It’s just some tiny fish. Hmph! I’ll catch some myself tomorrow!”