Yun Jiao watched from the side as Liu Lang’s movements became more adept, and she confidently walked away to cut the meat.
Just then, Mrs. Chen also came in and, seeing Liu Lang handling the eels, exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, I didn’t realize my son had this skill."
Liu Lang became even happier and worked more energetically.
As Yun Jiao chopped the meat, Mrs. Chen waited for Liu Lang to finish killing the eels before asking Yun Jiao and proceeded to gut the bream.
Once the rice was cooked, Yun Jiao prepared fish ball soup with the bream, while Mrs. Chen cut the eel into sections and placed it in the pan to stir-fry the slime off.
The sticky slime on the eel needs to be stir-fried off, otherwise it won’t look or taste good.
After stir-frying the slime dry, Mrs. Chen scooped it out into a bowl and cleaned the pan thoroughly.
Yun Jiao suddenly said, "Mom, hold on a bit, I’ll go get some ingredients first."
She ran out quickly, and not far down the road, she saw some perilla growing on the roadside. She pulled a bunch and ran back.
She washed the perilla clean and placed it on a plate, then grabbed another plate with sliced meat and placed it on the stove.
Mrs. Chen looked at the perilla, "You’re using this to stir-fry the eel? Isn’t this a wild herb? Is it edible?"
Yun Jiao nodded, "Yes, it’s edible. Add it last, it makes the dish fragrant."
She pointed at the meat slices again, "Stir-fry the meat together with the eel."
Mrs. Chen exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my, does this bowl of eel really need meat to be fried with it?" ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
Yun Jiao shook her head, "Actually, it’s best stewed with bacon and some chili. That flavor is unbeatable."
"It’s a pity that it’s not the season for bacon now."
Mrs. Chen sighed, thinking that Doctor Gu’s family wasn’t particularly wealthy. She wondered why Yun Jiao was so particular about eating eels.
She had more of an appetite than the young ladies she served before.
But she thought that since Yun Jiao bought the meat with her own silver, she didn’t say anything.
She put some fatty meat into the pan to render the oil. At this time, pigs fed purely natural foods, making the meat truly fragrant, and with the fat being rendered, the aroma filled the air instantly.
Yun Jiao’s culinary skills weren’t considered great.
In her previous life, though she had fun reading recipes, she never cooked. In this life, after her father disappeared, she learned a bit from the family maid, but her skills were mediocre.
Mrs. Chen’s cooking wasn’t much better. As a former maid, she didn’t need to cook, and after marrying into the Jiang Family, she mostly ate simple greens without much opportunity to develop her skills.
However, as long as one is generous with the oil and uses the right amount of salt, the food generally wouldn’t taste bad.
Watching Mrs. Chen nearly finish stir-frying the eel, Yun Jiao added all the perilla leaves to the pan and gave it a few quick stirs before taking it off the heat.
The fish ball soup was also ready, and seeing there was some oil remaining in the pan after stir-frying the eel, Mrs. Chen, unwilling to waste it, quickly threw in a handful of spinach to stir-fry.
The kitchen was converted from a southern wing room, with only one door separating it from Jiang Youzhi’s room. With the door open, there was no need to exit; the dishes could be passed through.
At this time, the main living room was also having a meal. Qi Lang looked at the radishes and cabbage on the table, and pouted, "In Liu Lang’s house, they’re eating meat again today; I can even smell the meat aroma."
Mr. Jiang said nothing, while Mrs. Zhou, with a stern face, said, "If you want meat, tell your mother to buy it for you, and stop whining here!"
Qi Lang, feeling wronged, pouted and suddenly shouted, "We used to not eat meat to save silver for Third Brother’s education."
"But now Third Brother isn’t part of our family anymore, so why can’t we eat meat?"
Mrs. Zhou erupted, "Eat if you like, if not, then leave!"
Qi Lang threw down his chopsticks and ran out, "I’m not eating anymore! I’m tired of eating greens every day, and I don’t want to eat them anymore."
Liu Family put down her chopsticks and chased after him, "Qi Lang, come back here this instant or you’ll go hungry when the food’s all gone."