Chapter 10.2

After removing the protective film from the floor, next came the grouting. Su Ying bought the grout herself, choosing the same store that sold the wood-grain tiles. The color was also recommended by the shop. Following the instructions, she used masking tape to tape the edges, loaded the glue gun, squeezed out the bad glue at the start, then squatted down to do the grouting.

She squeezed a line of grout, pressed it with a tool, ran it along the joint, pushing excess glue to both sides. One grout line was done. After a whole day of hard work, she finally finished all the grouting. The next morning, she woke up sore all over but had to keep going.

Su Ying gently tore off the masking tape. The excess glue came off with it. The finished floor showed no visible gaps and looked much nicer.

A carpenter had already checked the wooden ceiling. When building the house, top-quality wood had been used, so it only needed a fresh coat of wood varnish for protection. The carpenter also rebuilt the windows — the wood color matched the floor closely. The old grid-style windows were replaced with large, highly transparent glass panes, letting sunlight pour in, making the whole room warm and cozy at a glance.

All that was left were the furniture and soft furnishings. After more than half a month of busy work and quick progress, Su Ying decided to take a few days off.

Renovating really was exhausting. Luckily, her parents helped a lot; otherwise, it would have been impossible to finish.

Su Ying slept in until noon. Her parents, knowing she was tired, didn’t disturb her. Instead, the elderly couple went to the big market hand-in-hand. On the stove, sticky bean buns and millet porridge were gently warming, so when she woke, she could eat right away.

She took the warm food from the kitchen, sat on a small stool in the courtyard, and ate. A bowl of hot porridge eased her stomach and relaxed her.

In the afternoon, Su Ying replied to fans on her account, and the time passed quickly.

Her parents returned with large bags and bundles — the once-a-month big market yielded a great haul. Late autumn’s dried mushrooms: shiitake, flower mushrooms, hazel mushrooms — all kinds. Also various dried vegetables: dried potatoes, sweet potatoes, “gongcai” (tribute vegetable), pickled vegetables, Korean kimchi, small gourds, fermented tofu, and many other items covered the whole table.

In the basket on her father’s back was also a large quantity of meat: half a lamb, the back leg of pork, and two big fathead fish. Her mother’s small basket had snacks: sunflower seeds, soft candies, and puffed rice sticks.

Truly a diverse and abundant haul, it was like bringing the entire market home.

Su Ying got up to help tidy up, but her mother stopped her, handing her a handful of sunflower seeds: “Nannan, just relax today, don’t move around.”

Holding the seeds, Su Ying felt like her mother was coaxing a child. She squatted nearby watching her parents work swiftly. The lamb was portioned out: legs here, belly there, packed in bags and placed in the freezer.

Her father picked up one fathead fish, scraped off the scales with the back of his knife, sliced open the belly, and removed the entrails. Her mother took the entrails and picked out edible parts: fish liver, fish intestines, and swim bladder, washing them clean. Her father asked Su Ying, “Nannan, how do you want to eat this fish?”

Su Ying thought for a moment: “How about making sauerkraut fish? I’ve been craving mom’s sauerkraut. Also, some salt and pepper fish bones. And fish offal noodle soup.”

“Alright,” her father agreed cheerfully. He swiftly started cutting the fish, slicing off one fillet from each side, leaving the bones for the salt and pepper dish. With big chops, he cut the fish head and bones into mahjong-sized pieces, putting them into a basin.

The belly area contained a whole row of fish bones; he cut this section out carefully, leaving fish meat without bones. Then he quickly sliced the fillets diagonally, thin and translucent.

The other fish wasn’t killed yet and was kept alive in water — fresh fish tastes best when killed just before cooking.

Meanwhile, her mother was kneading dough. White flour was poured into boiling water to scald it, then eggs were added. After stirring into flakes, she kneaded it with force. Kneading requires strength and technique — when done right, the dough forms quickly. The goal is to get three “lights”: the bowl looks clean, the hands look clean, and the dough surface looks smooth. The finished dough was covered upside-down with a bowl to rest.

Her mother took out some sauerkraut pickled last year, rinsed it in clean water. The sourness was strong and refreshing, perfect for stir-frying with bean sprouts. She cut the sauerkraut into strips and squeezed out excess water.

The fish fillets were washed in clean water, shaken dry, then mixed with starch, pepper, egg white, salt, ginger slices, and scallions, marinated well.

The fish bones were washed and dried, sprinkled with salt, and marinated with ginger and scallions to extract juice, placed aside for seasoning.

After tidying everything, they started heating oil in a pot. When hot, sliced garlic was added. A generous amount of oil was needed since sauerkraut absorbs oil, making it tastier. The sauerkraut was stir-fried to release fragrance, then boiling water was poured in, along with pickled chili peppers and some chili juice. The broth boiled for ten minutes until the sauerkraut’s flavor developed. Then the sauerkraut was removed.

The fish fillets were scattered gently into the broth without stirring. After boiling, a spatula’s back was used to gently push the fillets apart. After a few minutes, when cooked through, the fillets were scooped out. The broth was poured over the fillets, topped with a generous amount of chopped scallions, dried chili pieces, minced garlic, and hot oil poured over to sizzle — the sauerkraut fish was ready.

For the salt and pepper fish bones, the bones were deep-fried. A clean pan was heated to dry, then filled with peanut oil. A batter was made from ready-made crispy flour mixed with water. The bones were dipped in the batter, coating them lightly. When the oil was hot enough that bubbles formed around chopsticks, the bones were fried piece by piece on high heat until golden and crispy. Then they were removed, the oil heated higher, and the bones were fried again to be extra crunchy.

After frying, the fish bones were drained and sprinkled with salt and pepper powder, then tossed to coat — salt and pepper fish bones done.

Lastly, the delicious fish offal noodles. The offal (fish liver, intestines, swim bladder) made the soup base rich and milky white despite no fancy techniques — full of fish oils melted into the broth.

Hand-pulled noodles cooked plainly in water were served in big bowls, poured over with the fish offal soup, sprinkled with coriander.

It truly was a full fish feast.

Su Ying sipped the fish offal soup first. Those who don’t like fishy flavors might find it hard — the fish flavor was strong. The soup was hot and smooth. The fish liver was soft and hard to pick up with chopsticks, so she used a spoon — bursting with oily fragrance in the mouth. The fish intestines were carefully cleaned of excess oil, soft and tender in texture. The swim bladder was full of collagen.

The fish offal noodles were a bit oily. Su Ying took a bite of sauerkraut to cut the grease — very effective. She ate some fish fillet next — tender and fresh. The sauerkraut made the fish even tastier with its slight spiciness and strong sourness. One bite led to another; the sauerkraut itself was delicious too.

There were also salt and pepper fish bones, with plenty of fish meat still attached. This way, even the bones were edible — very fragrant and crispy.

Hehe, every time going to the big market means great food — really very happy.