Chapter 29: Do You Collect Fish Livers?

Chu Xuan knew she had to keep up her thick-skinned act to the end—otherwise, someone might really get hurt. So she gently wheedled, “Grandma Gao, starting tomorrow afternoon I’ll be buying a lot of skinned fish. From now on, you’ll need to help me at home with gutting and skinning them. Besides, you don’t know where the big farmers’ market is in the city, but Uncle Mingchen does! He can take Auntie with him to the city for a stroll, and they can keep me company.”

Gao Meijuan thought it over and realized it made sense. For the sake of helping Xiao Xuan’s grilled fish snack business get off the ground, it wouldn’t hurt if her eldest son missed a day at sea.

“Alright, I’ll tell him when he gets back.”

Only then did Chu Xuan leave, finally at ease.

When she got home, her little brother had already finished cleaning the skinned fish, tossing the heads, skins, and innards into the trash—only the fillets and bones were left.

Chu Xuan glanced at the fish livers, looking a bit regretful. “Fish livers can be used to extract fish oil. It’s fine to throw them out today, but tomorrow I’ll go to the county pharmaceutical factory and ask if they buy them.”

Chu Feng looked at her with admiration. “Sis, you’re amazing! You even know fish livers can be used to make fish oil.”

Ever since the family split up, his sister kept surprising him.

Chu Xuan wasn’t about to tell him that this was something Mu Chenze had told her in her past life.

To encourage her brother to study hard, she lied with a straight face. “That’s because I secretly read a lot of books.”

Chu Feng muttered under his breath, “How come I never knew?”

Chu Xuan tapped him lightly on the head. “If other people knew, would it still be called ‘secretly’ reading? Anyway, didn’t you want to know how to make grilled fish slices? Watch me!”

She put on an apron and sleeves made from old clothes and started marinating the skinned fish.

She’d already prepared sugar, Sichuan peppercorns, cooking wine…

Tonight, she’d only make the sweet and salty flavor.

As for the fish bones, she’d roast them together for now. Once the business took off, she’d make boneless grilled fish slices separately.

Actually, roasted fish bones were delicious and a good source of calcium.

These days, Chu Feng had become much more diligent under Chu Xuan’s guidance—he was always looking for things to do.

Before Chu Xuan could say anything, he’d already gone to the mud-brick shed to fetch firewood.

Tonight, the two of them would each sleep in their new bedrooms. The mud-brick shed would be used for storing firewood and odds and ends from now on.

The new bedrooms weren’t damp, since they’d heated the kang (heated bed) a few days earlier to dry them out.

Now that the weather was hot, they didn’t need the kang. As long as they blocked off the kang’s passage before lighting a fire in the kitchen, the bedroom temperature wouldn’t be affected.

The kitchen was now twice as big as before, built with brick and cement floors, and had two large windows. Once opened, the ventilation was excellent.

Chu Feng felt that cooking in such a kitchen was a real pleasure.

He lit the fire and boiled water.

Once the water was boiling, Chu Xuan carried a bucket of water back to her room to bathe—the fish still needed to marinate a while longer.

About ten minutes later, Chu Xuan finished her bath and changed into clean clothes.

She dumped the bathwater into the courtyard. As it hit the cement ground, it made a soft sizzling sound.

It sounded so pleasant.

The cement floor dried in no time.

Chu Feng also came out of his room to pour out his water.

Brother and sister exchanged a smile—it felt great to live in a spacious house and not worry about dirtying the floor when bathing.

The wardrobe and other furniture would arrive in a couple of days, but neither of them was in a hurry.

After pouring out the water, Chu Feng went to the kitchen to check the fire in the oven.

The fire was burning strong.

After ten o’clock that night, the siblings arranged the fish neatly on steel trays. By adjusting the oven’s vents, they got the temperature just right before sliding the trays in.

Chu Xuan was in charge of watching the oven—she had experience from her previous life.

Forty-five minutes later, fragrant, golden grilled fish slices came out of the oven.

Not a single piece was burnt, and they all looked fantastic.

Once they’d cooled a bit, Chu Xuan broke off a piece and handed it to her brother.

“Try it.”

Chu Feng took it reverently, nibbling a small bite first. The taste of fresh fish, sweetness, and saltiness filled his mouth. Then he took a big bite. “Delicious!”

Chu Xuan bit into a fish bone—crispy and tasty.

Success!

These fish slices tasted many times better than anything else on the market. If only they had a noodle press to flatten the fish, the texture would be even softer and more tender.

Once they’d saved up a bit more, they’d buy a noodle press.

Then they could roast fish fillets and bones separately and sell them at different prices.

She’d promised Mu Chenze to bring him some grilled fish slices tomorrow.

Chu Xuan divided the fish slices into two equal portions.

Half would go to Mu Chenze. The other half she split again—one share for Grandma Gao’s family, and one for themselves.

Chu Xuan patted their share. “Xiao Feng, eat as much as you want! Tomorrow I’ll be buying a ton of skinned fish, so we won’t be short.”

Chu Feng ate the grilled fish slices with a look of pure satisfaction—something he’d never even dared to dream of before.

That night, Chu Feng ate until he was stuffed, then read a book to pass the time and help digest.

Chu Xuan only ate a few pieces.

After checking that the bucket of blood cockles was still alive, she brushed her teeth and went to bed.

There was still a lot to do tomorrow.

Lying on the bamboo mat, she closed her eyes, but didn’t fall asleep right away.

She was thinking.

She knew Qin Xuehong’s case wasn’t so simple, and always believed Feng Ti was just a scapegoat.

In her previous life, Feng Ti had lived just fine—he never confessed, nor did he commit suicide.

This time, because of her, some people’s fates had changed.

The real culprit was still hiding somewhere.

Qin Xuehong was still alive—would the real killer try to harm her again?

But given Qin Xuehong’s current state, it probably wasn’t worth the risk for the culprit.

Why did Feng Ti take the fall? Feng Chunhua definitely knew something.

How could she get Feng Chunhua to talk?

And did Feng Ti really steal Feng Chunhua’s money?

With all these questions swirling in her mind, Chu Xuan drifted off to sleep…

The next morning at 6:30, Chu Xuan got up, washed, and made a pot of scallop and egg noodle soup for breakfast. She happily blew on it and ate two big bowls, then called her brother to get up, telling him there was food left in the kitchen.

Once her brother came out to the yard, she got ready to head out.

Just as she opened the gate, Liu Zhaodi happened to walk by, carrying two big willow baskets.

Liu Zhaodi had dark circles under her eyes—it was obvious she’d stayed up all night weaving.

Chu Xuan quickly took eighty cents out of her pocket and went up to her. “Zhaodi, thank you! Here’s the money for the baskets.”

With the deposit from yesterday, it was enough.

Liu Zhaodi managed a tired smile. “No need to thank me. I’m just glad you’re willing to buy my baskets!”

She hesitated, as if wanting to say something, but in the end said nothing, just waved and turned to leave.

Chu Xuan didn’t notice her expression, too busy putting the baskets in the yard before heading out.

Chu Feng watched his sister leave, and only after she was out of sight did he close and bolt the door.

Chu Xuan took a horse cart to town, then caught the bus to the county hospital to see an old Chinese medicine doctor.

Actually, she could have taken a boat straight from the village to the county, which would have been cheaper, but she had a psychological aversion to boats.

The old doctor’s diagnosis was heavy internal dampness, weak spleen and stomach, deficiency of both qi and blood, and obesity.

She needed to take herbal medicine and exercise moderately.

Same as what she’d been told in her previous life.

Chu Xuan paid for the prescription and picked up the medicine.

In those days, you had to decoct Chinese medicine yourself.

She needed a clay or ceramic pot for that.

There were vendors selling them right outside the hospital.

Chu Xuan bought seven doses of medicine, a pot, and, on a whim, six bananas, then headed for the county pharmaceutical factory.

At the factory gate, she offered a banana to the gatekeeper.

“Uncle, does your factory buy fish livers?”

The gatekeeper took the banana, not eating it but planning to take it home for his grandson. “No, we don’t.”

Chu Xuan looked disappointed and was about to leave, but the gatekeeper glanced at the banana in his hand—after all, he’d accepted her gift—“Wait a moment.”"