Chapter 21

When Cao Weiguo passed by the Jia family, Banggeng was playing with Xiaodang, and Grandma Jia was sitting at the door sewing shoe soles.

"Fish!"

"So many fish!"

Banggeng's eyes lit up when he saw the carp in the bucket: "Cao Weiguo, give me a fish."

Cao Weiguo said with a cold face: "You don't even call me Uncle and you want to eat fish? Go play on the side."

Jia Zhangshi said shamelessly: "Cao Weiguo, we are all neighbors. The child wants to eat a bite of fish, so just give him one."

Cao Weiguo said: "I have uses for all of these; I don't have any extras."

Jia Zhangshi's face darkened, and she cursed viciously in her heart:

"My family is so poor, and he has more fish than he can eat in his bucket, yet he won't help my family. You're truly wicked; you deserve to be an orphan."

Looking at Jia Zhangshi with disgust, Cao Weiguo went home with a cold face.

Banggeng jumped and shouted with greed: "I want to eat fish, I want to eat fish."

Jia Zhangshi said angrily: "Eat, eat, eat—you only know how to eat. If you want to eat fish, go ask your useless mother. There isn't a single good person in this whole courtyard, and none of them will have a good end."

Listening to Jia Zhangshi's curses, he was already used to it.

Mean, selfish, unreasonable, and a mouth smellier and more poisonous than a cesspit...

But she's an old woman; what can you do to her?

If you touch her, you'll probably be blackmailed into bankruptcy.

Can you rush in and beat her up?

Is the cornmeal bun in jail fragrant?

Or do you think the bed board at home is too hard?

Better to avoid trouble than to invite it!

Evil people have their own evil people to deal with them!

Back home, Cao Weiguo poured the fish into a laundry basin—five black-brown carp, the smallest of which was over twenty centimeters long.

Picking the largest carp, Cao Weiguo took it to the sink to remove the internal organs, gills, and fish line, and washed away the blood.

Taking the cleaned fish into the kitchen, he made a few diagonal cuts on the fish belly with a knife, rubbed it with a little salt, and poured in a little cooking wine to marinate for 10 minutes.

He cut the green onion and dried chili into shreds, sliced the ginger, and minced the garlic for later use.

He dried the water off the fish, patted on a little cornstarch, and put it into the oil pan to fry.

When both sides were slightly yellow, he took it out, left some oil in the pan, and added sugar, Sichuan peppercorns, green onion, ginger, garlic, dried chili, cooking wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, water, and the fried fish.

He cooked it on high heat for 5 minutes until the sauce was reduced, and the braised carp on the plate emitted a rich aroma.

The aroma quickly spread through the window to the entire courtyard, making people swallow their saliva.

"This is too fragrant!"

"This guy Cao Weiguo is too infuriating!"

"Making fish smell so good—is he trying to make people die of craving?"

Yi Haizhong, who was reading the newspaper, was too tempted to care about national affairs: "Old woman, let's get a fish to eat too."

Looking at the steamed fish in the pot, Yi Fugui swallowed his saliva.

Yi Dama sighed: "The fish Cao Weiguo makes is too fragrant. If Yu Haitang marries him, she'll have a treat in store."

Banggeng smelled the aroma of the braised carp and immediately cried and made a scene out of greed.

"Grandma! I want to eat fish! I want to eat fish!"

Jia Zhangshi cursed viciously: "Fish have bones. That heartless Cao Weiguo will be choked to death by a fish bone. We won't eat fish."

Xu Damao, who was stir-frying vegetables in the back yard, smelled the aroma and his eyes lit up with greed.

"Ezi, whose house is making fish? It's so fragrant!"

Lou Xiaoe ran out and then ran back: "It's at Cao Weiguo's house."

Xu Damao said impatiently: "Ezi, you finish stir-frying the vegetables; I'm going to invite Cao Weiguo over."

Lou Xiaoe shook her head: "How would I know how to stir-fry vegetables?"

Xu Damao was so angry he wanted to throw the spatula: "You wasteful woman, whose wife is like you—can't even cook a meal!"

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Brother Xu, Sister Xiaoe!"

Lou Xiaoe was just about to lose her temper when she heard someone knocking on the door.

Xu Damao responded quickly: "Weiguo, we're just stir-frying vegetables; hurry and come in."

Lou Xiaoe went to open the door enthusiastically, and her eyes lit up when she saw the braised carp Cao Weiguo was carrying: "I could smell your braised fish from across the room."

Cao Weiguo handed the fish to Lou Xiaoe: "I was lucky and caught some fish; it's just right for an extra dish to go with the wine."

Lou Xiaoe placed the fish on the table, and Xu Damao also came out with the dishes:

"I'm so embarrassed. I invited you to a meal, and yet I let you spend money."

Cao Weiguo said: "Fish caught in Houhai, didn't spend a cent. Everyone just have a good time."

Xu Damao enthusiastically invited Cao Weiguo to sit down, and Lou Xiaoe took a bottle of Fen liquor from the cupboard.

Looking at the five dishes on the table: shredded potatoes with meat, braised pork, radish stewed with meat, pork stewed with vermicelli, and deep-fried peanuts.

This table of food was worth a lot in this period; it definitely wouldn't cost less than three or four days' wages.

"Brother Xu, Sister Xiaoe, why make so many dishes? This is too sumptuous."

Xu Damao said generously: "I'm celebrating for a brother I grew up with; can I let things slide? Besides, you know, your brother here is a projectionist; what's a little oil and water like this!"

Lou Xiaoe rolled her eyes at Xu Damao and said enthusiastically: "Weiguo, sit down quickly. Treat this place like your own home; don't be a stranger."

Cao Weiguo said with emotion: "Only Sister Xiaoe and Brother Xu in this courtyard are good to me. Today I must toast you a few more cups."

The smile on Xu Damao's face grew wider, and he picked up the wine bottle to fill Cao Weiguo's cup.

With the enthusiastic hospitality of Xu Damao and Lou Xiaoe, Cao Weiguo also ate happily.

As they drank, Xu Damao started talking about Shazhu.

His words were full of resentment and disdain, inciting Cao Weiguo to fix Shazhu together.

It could be said that Xu Damao and Shazhu were a pair of enemies; the two had never gotten along.

But because Shazhu could fight, Xu Damao was always the one who suffered.

Shazhu was known as the God of War of the Sihe Academy, and his strikes were heavy and vicious; Xu Damao had suffered enough.

Cao Weiguo clinked glasses with Xu Damao and said with a flushed face: "Shazhu is unreasonable and obsessed; I don't even want to bother with him."

Thinking of Shazhu's actions, Cao Weiguo also felt very unhappy.

Calling him a villain every chance he got!

And tripping him up in the kitchen!

If it weren't for the fear of going to jail, Cao Weiguo would definitely beat Shazhu up to vent his anger.

Xu Damao said happily: "Shazhu is a bastard. From now on, our brothers will be of one heart and make Shazhu obedient."

The enemy of an enemy is a friend!

Finding Cao Weiguo as an ally, Xu Damao was happy in his heart, secretly thinking that this meal and wine were not wasted.

Xu Damao said drunkenly: "And that so-called Yi Zhonghai, acting righteous while colluding with Shazhu, unable to distinguish right from wrong. Let's work together to kick that hypocritical Yi Zhonghai off his pedestal, and then we brothers can be the uncles too."

Cao Weiguo had neither good feelings nor malice toward Yi Zhonghai.

After all, he had always avoided contact with people in the courtyard, and Yi Zhonghai had never bothered with him, a transparent person.

However, those who eat others' food have short mouths; drinking Xu Damao's wine, Cao Weiguo wouldn't say anything to spoil the mood.

Cao Weiguo raised his wine glass in response: "I support Brother Xu!"

Xu Damao was full of joy: "Good brother, brother will toast you another cup."

Lou Xiaoe didn't care about the affairs in the courtyard and was eating the braised fish with relish.

After she was full, she went to the kitchen to do housework, shaking her head speechlessly as she listened to the two men's drunken talk.

This drinking session lasted from noon until the afternoon, and Xu Damao was so drunk he slumped on the table.

Lou Xiaoe felt stifled, and Cao Weiguo got up drunkenly to say goodbye.

"Weiguo, don't be in a hurry to leave. I've brewed some hangover soup for you."

Lou Xiaoe walked over to persuade him to stay, but she didn't notice her footing and was tripped by Xu Damao's leg, lunging forward.

"Ah!"

Lou Xiaoe was terrified, and immediately after, she was caught in Cao Weiguo's arms.

Cao Weiguo was holding her, and her face was pressed against Cao Weiguo's chest. ===== CHAPTER 23 =====