Back to the 1980s: Transmigrated as the Bigshot's Pampered Wife-Chapter 42: Sichuan Boiled Fish

Su Shuochi knew what the Gu Family was thinking. In the past, he had also felt useless because of his disability, believing he couldn’t help his family. He had used cold indifference as a mask.

"Grandpa, Mom, Eldest Brother, you should prioritize your health. Work comes second. When you’re healthy, you can do anything."

Hearing his grandson-in-law say this, Grandpa Gu felt his own perspective had been a bit narrow. "Haha... We’ll be more mindful of our limits from now on."

In fact, his thumb and index finger were already sore from shelling peanuts, but he wasn’t well enough to go out for a walk yet.

"Grandpa, you and Eldest Brother can sit in the courtyard and read. Mom, you can enjoy the scenery. Jiaojiao’s home is your home," Su Shuochi said with such sincere earnestness that the three members of the Gu Family were convinced.

"Then I’m going to get started on lunch. Mom, would you like to help with the fire in the kitchen?"

Gu Jiaojiao hadn’t yet learned how to tend the fire, so she asked her mom to help.

The Su family rarely used their coal stove for honeycomb briquettes. It was only after she arrived that they started using it again.

But with so many people now, the coal stove was only big enough for boiling water to scald the chicken or for simmering soup. For stir-frying and cooking rice, they still had to use the wood-burning stove.

"Yes, of course," Mrs. Gu said immediately.

It was almost lunchtime, and Su Qinchun hadn’t returned yet. She didn’t feel it was her place to go into the Su family’s kitchen alone.

Gu Jiaojiao generously scooped out more than ten cups of rice, making Mrs. Gu’s heart leap into her throat. "Jiaojiao, that’s enough, that’s enough..."

"Second Brother, Qinchun, and I are all growing. We need to eat our fill. Don’t worry, Mom, we have plenty of rice."

Mrs. Gu helped with the fire while Su Shuochi was by the well, killing and cleaning the chicken and fish. Grandpa Gu and Eldest Brother Gu helped prepare the vegetables.

After washing the pot and starting the rice, Gu Jiaojiao began to chop vegetables and slice the fish. She was craving Poached Fish in Chili Oil.

There wasn’t enough time to make chicken soup, so she’d save that for the evening. For lunch, Gu Jiaojiao decided to make Stir-fried Chicken with Wood Ear Mushrooms.

She had just finished the Stir-fried Chicken with Wood Ear Mushrooms and was in the middle of making Twice-cooked Pork when she heard Su Qinchun’s bustling arrival.

"Sister-in-law! What delicious food are you making now? I could smell it all the way from the courtyard gate. The neighbor’s kids are all crying for a bite of meat!"

"Today for lunch, we’re having Poached Fish in Chili Oil, Stir-fried Chicken with Wood Ear Mushrooms, Twice-cooked Pork with Green Peppers, Eggplant with Green Beans, and Stir-fried Tender Squash with Lean Pork. You’re back, Qinchun. Have Mom and Dad returned yet?"

"This is their busiest time. They won’t be back until after everyone else has gone back to work."

Su Qinchun came home for lunch during her midday break. None of the schools in the residential compound had a cafeteria.

Although the compound was large, the school was centrally located, so it took everyone about the same amount of time to get home.

There were restaurants on the street opposite the school. Wealthier kids who couldn’t be bothered to walk would eat there, but most students went home for lunch. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Adults who worked in the nearby factories and work units also went home for lunch, though they could, of course, eat at the restaurants too.

Starting in 1980, some rural areas had begun implementing the household-responsibility system, and the cities were even further along in their reforms.

As a result, vendors were allowed to set up stalls selling stir-fried snacks at the factory gates. Young people who weren’t married or were dating often chose to eat out.

"You should eat first so you can get back to class. By the time I’ve finished cooking everything, the others should be home."

As she spoke, Gu Jiaojiao dished some food into a small bowl for Su Qinchun to eat.

Since she was short on time, Su Qinchun didn’t refuse and started eating right there in the kitchen, showering her sister-in-law with compliments as she ate.

"Sister-in-law, this stir-fried chicken is amazing! No wonder those kids were drooling.

"It used to be me standing in our courtyard, smelling the delicious meat cooking in other people’s homes. Hehe, now I can finally hold my head high!"

"Then why don’t you take your bowl and eat in the courtyard? The smell will travel even farther," Gu Jiaojiao said with a laugh.

"No way! If that shrew from next door sees me, she’ll hit me. She glares at me whenever she sees me now!"

Su Qinchun was only a year younger than Gu Jiaojiao. She was seventeen this year and a first-year in high school.

She was no longer dressed in her old red and yellow outfits. With her delicate features, she was actually quite pretty.

It was just that, like most people from the countryside, her skin was quite tanned, which hid her delicate features.

Furthermore, with her older brother injured and needing medicine, the Su family had no money to spare for her to dress up.

But things were different now. Gu Jiaojiao had plenty of skin-whitening and hair-care products in her ’space,’ and on top of that, the Su family was eating meat every day.

As a result, plenty of her classmates were jealous of Su Qinchun, especially her neighbor, Zhou Ling. The ’shrew’ she’d mentioned was Zhou Ling’s mother.

"Our Qinchun is pretty strong, too. You think that shrew next door could win in a fight against you?" Gu Jiaojiao teased with a laugh.

"She can’t beat me in a fight, but her daughter is so annoying. She’s always at school spreading rumors about my family.

"And get this, sister-in-law, her older sister, Zhou Mei, wanted to marry my brother before all this."

Mrs. Gu looked at her daughter with concern. "Then we should stay far away from the Zhou family."

"It’s not like she succeeded, right? What’s there to be afraid of? Your brother has a clear head now. No one can lure him away."

’Gu Jiaojiao was completely confident that Su Shuochi wouldn’t be unfaithful to her now. He hadn’t even fully recovered yet. As for the future... well, who could say for sure?’

She wasn’t one to worry needlessly. She calmly continued cooking, washing a wok and heating it until it was searing hot.

She added oil, flash-frying the ginger, garlic, and scallions to release their aroma before adding the fish slices. Gu Jiaojiao quickly cooked and removed the fish, placing it in a large bowl, then tossed bean sprouts into the wok to stir-fry.

Meanwhile, she used a small pot on the coal stove to boil water and blanch some lettuce. Once cooked, she removed it and placed it in a stainless steel basin.

She had previously taken two large stainless steel basins from her ’space.’ Whenever she produced something nice, the Su Family just assumed she and her husband had bought it at the Overseas Chinese Store.

She layered the bean sprouts and blanched lettuce on the bottom of the basin, poured the broth over them, and then piled the fish slices on top.

Next came the most important step. She poured oil into the wok, adding Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies, frying them until fragrant. Then, she poured the sizzling, aromatic oil over the fish slices.

With a dramatic SIZZLE, the spicy, numbing aroma of the peppers exploded into the air. Gu Jiaojiao’s own mouth started to water.

Su Qinchun cried out, "I’m already full! If I’d known you were making fish this fragrant, I would’ve saved some room!"

Gu Jiaojiao rolled her eyes at her but served her a small bowl anyway. "Fish is easy to digest. You can have a little more."

Mrs. Gu audibly swallowed. Gu Jiaojiao ladled a full rice bowl for her mother to try.

"Jiaojiao, a single slice would have been enough for a taste!" Mrs. Gu said, trying to contain her own drool.

"Hehe, I misjudged the amount of water I needed. The basin wasn’t big enough to hold it all."

Mrs. Gu looked helplessly at her mischievous daughter as countless sweet, happy feelings bubbled up inside her.

’She used to have warm moments like this with Gu Xinglian, too, but Gu Xinglian was never as lively and adorable as her Jiaojiao.’

"Sister-in-law, what are you cooking? I could smell it from outside your courtyard!"

Dong Qihua’s booming voice rang out from the living room.

"My sister-in-law’s Poached Fish is delicious!" Having finished eating, Su Qinchun put down her bowl and went to set up the table and chairs.

Mr. Su and the others returned from packing up their stall. "Jiaojiao, that fish you made smells incredible! I’ve had fish before, but it never smelled this good."

Second Brother Gu, having already washed his hands at the well, came inside to help carry the dishes. He didn’t forget to snatch a piece of chicken with his fingers and pop it into his mouth.

Seeing her second son make himself so at home, Mrs. Gu smiled knowingly. "He has always been mischievous."

"I think it’s great that my Second Brother is like this."

After finishing their own lunch, Dong Qihua and his father stopped by to see his aunt before heading to work.