Chapter 18: Delivering Dried Fish

Dr. Chen left the Jiang residence with a heavy heart after making Xie Wannian recite parts of three medical books and quizzing her on the medicinal parts, preparation methods, flavors, meridian entries, effects, and dosages of various herbs. Jiang Yuan followed him out to see him off, while Xie Wannian locked the courtyard gate and went to finish processing the small remaining batch of herbs.

By the time Jiang Yuan returned after escorting Dr. Chen home, Xie Wannian had already washed her hands and was frying fish pieces in the kitchen. Guessing she was busy, Jiang Yuan didn’t call her to open the door. Taking advantage of the empty surroundings, he ran up and climbed over the courtyard wall.

To avoid startling Xie Wannian, he paused just before entering the kitchen and asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

Xie Wannian was using a skimmer to scoop out the fragrant, crispy fish pieces from the hot oil. Hearing the familiar voice, she instinctively looked up. “I thought I had locked the gate?”

Jiang Yuan nodded. “I climbed over the wall.”

She whistled in surprise. “Good thing no one else has your skills, or I’d have to carry a knife and medicine powder with me every day.”

With a sigh, she smoothly began directing Jiang Yuan. “Don’t waste the fish heads and bones—boil a pot of water and blanch them for me.”

Fortunately, Jiang Yuan had bought plenty of tofu in town that day. After finishing this, she could stew a spicy, numbing fish head and bone tofu soup, adding some coarse flour dumplings. That would settle their dinner.

Jiang Yuan had never seen anyone eat fish heads and bones before, but thinking of Xie Wannian’s other dishes, he eagerly anticipated tonight’s meal.

They worked briskly as daylight waned. After frying the fish, Xie Wannian ladled the leftover hot oil into a large bowl and then put the blanched fish heads and bones into the pot, adding water to simmer gently over low heat.

Together, they washed and sliced cucumbers and white radishes from the garden, placing them into jars to pickle.

Once the pickled vegetables were ready, Xie Wannian kneaded dough to make dumplings, while Jiang Yuan cut tofu into cubes and tore fresh bok choy into sections as instructed.

She dropped the dumplings, tofu, and bok choy into the thick, milky fish broth—now free of fish heads and bones. Rubbing her aching arm, Xie Wannian sat down contentedly to enjoy the sweet and sour apricots Jiang Yuan had helped wash while preparing the vegetables.

Jiang Yuan lit one of the oil lamps, laid out bowls, chopsticks, and wooden spoons, ready to serve as soon as the meal was cooked.

Though the fish broth-based cabbage, tofu, and dumpling soup lacked the strong aroma of the fried fish, Jiang Yuan believed it would still be a dinner capable of delighting the village children.

In fact, some village children had already been driven to tears by the mouthwatering aroma wafting from their home.

Compared to the pungent fragrance of Xie Wannian’s fried fish, their own families’ vegetable-heavy stews with meat were bland. Some kids weren’t even given those bland meat dishes.

The overwhelmed adults in those households could only soothe their unruly children with the excuse, “Fish smells good but tastes too muddy,” while some resorted to scolding to silence their wailing little monsters.

The next morning, Xie Wannian and Jiang Yuan left a little later than usual. Nearby villagers, who had risen early to work in the fields, finished breakfast and were leaving their homes around the same time.

Chen Moqin, the second son of Chen Lizheng, spotted Xie Wannian and Jiang Yuan and smiled warmly. “You two have been eating so well these days, it makes me drool even in my dreams.”

His wife, Deng Xiaoyan, nodded in agreement. “He keeps smacking his lips all through the night—it’s creepy to hear.”

Hearing this from the young couple, their neighbors and even the neighbors’ neighbors laughed and shared the story with Jiang Yuan and Xie Wannian.

Some said their own children had been driven to tears by hunger; others complained their kids insisted the meat cooked by their mothers didn’t taste the same; some admitted they had been eating heartily thanks to the delicious smells drifting from Jiang Yuan’s home.

Jiang Yuan was usually taciturn, speaking only when necessary and always briefly. He was naturally awkward handling the villagers’ lighthearted teasing.

Fortunately, despite the frequent loud cries from the children, no one had ever come looking for trouble at their door. Xie Wannian had already prepared about two pounds of crispy fried small fish for Jiang Yuan.

These small fish were salty, fragrant, and crunchy. Both head and bones could be easily chewed up, making them safe for children to eat.

Jiang Yuan stuffed the two greasepaper packages full of small fish into Chen Moqin’s hands. “You divide them yourselves.”

With that, he slung his basket on his back, took up his bow and machete, and turned to leave with Xie Wannian, who smiled and nodded politely at everyone.

The villagers, half envious and half complaining, were left standing dumbfounded until the two figures became a small silhouette in the distance. Only then did Chen Moqin awkwardly speak up, “No, that’s not what I meant!”

Though he envied Jiang Yuan’s good life and truly drooled at the thought of their food, he hadn’t actually meant to ask Jiang Yuan for anything!

Others quickly chimed in, “We didn’t mean that either!”

“That boy really hasn’t changed a bit.”

“Exactly! We just wanted to chat with him, but he said nothing and went straight to giving us gifts. He’s too straightforward.”

“Let’s bring something to their house tonight as a return.”

“….”

The adults bantered to ease the embarrassment, but the children, already ravenous, stared at Chen Moqin’s greasepaper packages with eyes blazing.

Chen Moqin laughed and handed one package to his wife to hold, then carefully opened the other and waved it teasingly at the children.

“Come on, line up by age—youngest first, oldest last. No troublemakers or bullies will get any.”

The children cheered and swarmed around Chen Moqin.

With a tasty prize dangling before them, even the most unruly kids forced themselves to behave.

Chen Moqin quickly estimated the numbers and distributed the dried fish, giving each child two pieces as they lined up before him.