Accidentally-Born-C37

Chapter 37

Zhen Zhen stood by the water, her gaze focused on the water some ten meters away. By now, Zhen Zhen had reached an extraordinary level of control over her consciousness. Even when eating or talking, her awareness, like her eyes, would automatically take in everything within tens of meters—every tree and every blade of grass—into her mind.

At this moment, Zhen Zhen “saw” Li Ming Zhong entangled with a big fish weighing about ten kilos. Usually, Li Ming Zhong was brave enough to charge at wild boars during hunts in the mountains, but facing this large fish in the water, he didn’t know how to catch it. He needed to surface for air now and then, clearly feeling exhausted. Yet, he wasn’t willing to let it go.

Zhen Zhen was particularly excited because she recognized the fish as a rare type of salmon from Beicha—the large Chinook salmon. The river they usually fished in, the Yong Cui River, was the closest to their home. After flowing through Beicha, it would eventually join the Tangwang River and then the Songhua River. Zhen Zhen guessed this salmon had swum back from the sea, but how it ended up in the Yong Cui River was a mystery.

Chinook salmon was a fish species that was born in rivers but spent most of its life in the sea. After four to five years, once it matured, it would swim back to its birthplace to spawn. In autumn, large groups of Chinook salmon could often be seen in rivers like the Heilongjiang, Ussuri, and Tumen, but most of them spawned downstream. It was very rare to see them in the upper reaches. Zhen Zhen wondered if this particular fish had swum too fast or was just ahead of the others—it had already swum upstream to a tributary, which was quite remarkable. Her gaze swept over its swollen belly, and she couldn’t help but swallow.

Zhen Zhen’s memory of the Chinook salmon was from her past life, when she had eaten it with her classmates in a Russian restaurant. She didn’t remember much except that a small dish of Chinook salmon roe cost more than six hundred yuan. At that time, she had felt so heartbroken she almost counted each egg as if eating gold. Now, years later, Zhen Zhen had forgotten the taste of the roe but still remembered the expensive price and the golden, translucent roe.

“Zhen Zhen, what are you looking at?” Grandma Li asked, noticing Zhen Zhen staring at something in the distance with a puzzled expression.

Zhen Zhen focused her thoughts on the Chinook salmon and replied, “Li Ming Zhong found a big fish. I think it’s about ten kilos.”

When Grandma Li heard the fish weighed about ten kilos, her interest was piqued. “What kind of fish is it? A fathead or a carp?”

This was the first time Zhen Zhen had seen a Chinook salmon, so she hesitated before answering, “I don’t recognize it, but it looks unfamiliar.”

Seeing Li Ming Zhong helplessly gaping at the fish, Zhen Zhen flicked her finger, and the Chinook salmon swam towards her involuntarily. Although Li Ming Zhong was a dog, he understood Zhen Zhen better than the members of the Li family. As soon as he saw the fish’s swimming posture, he knew Zhen Zhen had taken action. He frantically paddled behind the fish, eyes fixed on it, afraid it might escape while he wasn’t looking.

The fish swam to the shore, and Zhen Zhen quickly took out a net and submerged it into the water. The Chinook salmon swam into the net, causing the net to dip under the weight. Grandma Li, seeing this, rushed over to help, and the two of them together managed to pull the fish out and toss it into a bucket, squashing the shrimp inside.

Chinook salmon was a carnivorous species. Normally, it would eat fish and shrimp, but now trapped in the bucket, its bulky body curled up, unable to move, let alone eat the shrimp.

Grandma Li squinted her eyes and examined the fish for a long time but still couldn’t recognize it. “I’ve never seen this kind of fish before. Can we eat it?”

“It’s edible, and the meat looks thick,” Zhen Zhen replied, picking up the bucket. Grandma Li didn’t have time to think further and hurriedly joined her in carrying it.

On their way home, they ran into a few familiar people, who casually asked, “Grandma Li went to the river? What did you catch that’s so heavy?”

Grandma Li smiled and replied, “Caught a fish. I’ll have my granddaughter stew it when we get home, good for her health.”

It wasn’t unusual to catch fish from the Yong Cui River, especially in August when fish were plentiful and fatty. So, no one paid much attention and just exchanged a few casual words before going about their business.

When they arrived home, Wang Sufen hadn’t had time to come out to greet them, but Red Braised Chicken had already rushed to the door, standing in front of Zhen Zhen, clucking nonstop.

Grandma Li placed the bucket at the door and rubbed her sore arm, puzzled at the chicken’s strange behavior. “This rooster already crows in the morning; what’s it clucking for now? Has it been scared silly by Meat Bun?”

Zhen Zhen, who had been listening to Red Braised Chicken boasting about how brave and heroic it was, couldn’t help but burst out laughing when she heard Grandma Li. She bent down to pinch the rooster’s comb and then turned to Grandma Li. “Our rooster is incredibly tough. Don’t think Meat Bun chases it every day. In fact, it’s the rooster that teases Meat Bun. Meat Bun has been chasing it for half a year and hasn’t even touched its tail feathers.”

Grandma Li glanced at the rooster with a look of disdain. “Isn’t that right? I even suspect it’s become a spirit. Otherwise, with all its clucking around, I would have stewed it long ago.” Red Braised Chicken shrank its neck, pretending to ignore them, and quickly flew back into the chicken coop.

Zhen Zhen found the rooster’s behavior amusing, but before she could laugh any harder, Wang Sufen came out of the house. As soon as she saw the bucket by the door, she knew it must contain something heavy.

“Mother, you’re back. What did you catch?” Wang Sufen wiped her hands on her apron, leaned over to peek into the bucket, and was startled. “What kind of fish is this? Can we eat it?”

“Zhenzhen said she can eat.” Grandma Li trusted her granddaughter immensely, not just because of her extraordinary abilities but also because she loved food so much. From spring to winter, 365 days a year, she could come up with different dishes every day, without repeating herself for 360 of those days.

Wang Sufen also understood her daughter’s cravings well. As soon as she heard Zhenzhen say she could eat, she immediately felt relieved and hurriedly took out a large basin to catch the fish, throwing them in. Zhenzhen quickly leaned in to check the shrimp she had caught earlier. Two or three pounds of shrimp had been squashed flat, and with a bit of regret, she pouted and said, “I was planning to cook one plate and stir-fry another, but now there’s not enough.”

Wang Sufen sat on a small wooden stool, cleaning the fish, and glanced at Zhenzhen. “Then just cook one plate first. There’s still fish, isn’t there? Isn’t that enough for you to eat?” Zhenzhen smiled and nodded. “What you said makes sense, Mom. After we finish this fish, I’ll go catch more shrimp.” She said, squatting down to pick out the intact shrimp from the bucket, leaving the crushed ones for the two ducks they kept at home.

Wang Sufen cut open the belly of the Chinook salmon and pulled out a large bunch of golden fish roe. She was instantly stunned. “Mom, look at these fish eggs, they’re so big and beautiful!”

Grandma Li was lying on the kang, smoking her pipe and resting her legs. Hearing the surprise in her daughter-in-law’s voice, she quickly got up and came over to see. Just in time, Guihua was coming from the backyard with a meat bun, and upon hearing the commotion, she also came to join the fun.

A string of bright red, crystal-clear fish roe hung from Wang Sufen’s hand, and the size of the eggs was easily four to five times that of ordinary fish eggs.

“My goodness, these fish eggs look about the same size as the eggs in a frog’s belly,” Grandma Li clicked her tongue in amazement and reached out to touch the fish roe, feeling like there was a packet of water hidden inside.

Guihua looked at the fish and then at the roe, hesitating slightly before saying, “This looks like a Chinook salmon. I think those are the fish eggs.”

Grandma Li remembered hearing about this type of fish and, as soon as Guihua mentioned it, she reacted. “It really does seem like a Chinook salmon. But aren’t these usually found near Jiamusi? Why has this one come all the way to our place?” She looked at the fish again and asked Guihua, “How do we eat this? Stew it with tofu?”

Guihua pondered for a moment, rolled up her sleeves, and replied, “It’s delicious when fried. If you’re worried about too much oil, you can steam it. You can also stew it with cabbage and tofu, and even serve it with pancakes.”

“I’m not afraid of wasting oil. Let’s fry it first,” Zhenzhen quickly said. Then, turning to Grandma Li, she acted coquettishly, “Granny, let’s fry it first, then stew it. Anyway, there’s about ten pounds of fish. We have to make at least three or four different dishes.”

“You’re such a glutton,” Grandma Li said affectionately, tapping Zhenzhen on the forehead. However, she turned back and instructed Wang Sufen, “Listen to Zhenzhen, let her eat however she wants.”

Wang Sufen usually could make a decent stew, but when it came to fish and shrimp, she wasn’t as meticulous as Guihua. Guihua, knowing her sister-in-law’s picky eating habits, patted the meat bun’s backside and sent him off to play. She then took a basin of water, washed her hands, and said to Wang Sufen, “You can leave that there, I’ll fry it later.”

Wang Sufen breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, you fry it better. That way, I won’t have to listen to her grumble after I’m done. I’ve never seen a child as greedy as her. These days, as long as she’s full, it’s fine. But she’s always either frying or stir-frying something. I’ve never seen any child that causes so much trouble.”

Zhenzhen laughed slyly, and Grandma Li, hearing this, wasn’t happy. “Other people’s children aren’t as smart as our Zhenzhen.”

“Exactly,” Guihua added. “In the ten miles around here, we haven’t seen a better child than our Zhenzhen. She’s good-looking and smart. Mingbei taught her to recognize words and do arithmetic, and she got it on the first try. She’ll definitely be a college student in the future.”

When it came to college students, Grandma Li couldn’t stop talking. In Beicha, almost every family had children who attended school, but only about half of them could go from elementary school to junior high. Even fewer made it to high school, and the number who went to college was tiny. In the eyes of the locals, finishing high school and getting married to have children was considered the most important life event, far more significant than going to college.

But Grandma Li believed that having a college student in the family was the greatest honor. Mingdong was the first college student in the family, and he studied agriculture. No matter where he was assigned after graduation, he would have a promising future. Mingxi was now studying at the top military university in the country. Grandma Li had heard her eldest son, Li Muwen, mention that many descendants of founding generals were studying there. Thinking that her grandson was classmates with the descendants of those whose names she only heard on the radio made Grandma Li feel incredibly proud.

But even though Grandma Li was proud, she didn’t dare to show off. When Mingxi came home last year during the New Year, the family asked him about school, but he sealed his lips tighter than a clam. He said everything was a military secret, which scared the family so much that no one dared ask any more questions. Only Grandma Li knew more than anyone else about which missile program her grandson was in, but she didn’t know anything else.

Thinking about her remaining grandchildren, none of them seemed to be academic types. It would be good if they finished high school. Grandma Li felt that the next college student in her family would surely be Zhenzhen.

Zhenzhen watched as her two ducks waddled in through the main gate in a line. She quickly tossed the dead shrimp into the duck’s food bowl. Turning around, she saw Grandma Li smiling at her and couldn’t help but ask, “Granny, why are you smiling at me?”

Grandma Li looked excited. “I was just thinking about which university you’ll apply to in the future.”

Zhenzhen gave her a speechless look. “Granny, I haven’t even started elementary school yet.”

Grandma Li was instantly doused with cold water and looked a little disappointed. “I wonder if I’ll live to see you get into university.”

“Of course, of course!” Zhenzhen quickly comforted her, seeing Grandma Li’s disappointed face. “You’re so healthy, Granny, you can live for another twenty or thirty years. By then, not only will you see me get into college, but you’ll also see Meat Bun, Cabbage Bun, Tofu Bun, and Sugar Bun all go to university too.”

Guihua, who was carrying the fish into the house, slipped and almost dropped the fish in the basin. She steadied herself, still shaken, and looked at Zhenzhen with a helpless expression. “Will my son ever have a future that’s not all about buns?”

Zhenzhen blinked and replied, “Steamed buns? Mantou? Leek pockets?”