Late-Night Culinary Torture

In the blink of an eye, it was Saturday, the factory's last workday of the year.

The next time they went back to work would be the eighth day of the first lunar month next year.

As soon as Lin Zhen entered the courtyard after work, Third Master smiled and asked, "Lin Zhen, are you busy tomorrow?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"I wanted to borrow one of your bicycles tomorrow. Don't you have two? Lend me one, and Jie Fang and I can each ride one to the lakeside to fish."

He had gotten a taste for fishing last week. His eldest son, Yan Jiecheng, had taken his wife back to her parents' home, so he had dragged his second son, Yan Jiefang, along to the lake.

Lin Zhen shook his head with a smile. "Not this time, Third Master. I'm planning to go fishing tomorrow too. Lou Xiao'e and I will each take a bicycle."

"Oh, is that so? Then I can't borrow your fishing rods or shrimp traps either?"

"Hahaha, I help in emergencies, not with poverty. You've already finished handling Yan Jiecheng's wedding, and there's nothing urgent now, so of course I need them for myself."

After breakfast the next day, Lin Zhen brought his wife and children to a lake on the outskirts.

Third Master had arrived early. He was still at the spot where he had caught fish last time and had already caught five or six crucian carp.

With the New Year approaching, most people were busy preparing holiday goods after their workplaces closed for break. Hardly anyone came to the lake to smash holes in the ice and fish.

Looking around, apart from Lin Zhen's family, only Third Master was there.

In fact, pollution was low in this era, and wherever there was water in the wild, there were fish.

But there were almost no people who truly had the time to go fishing in the wild.

People in the countryside were busy earning work points for the production team. Even children were assigned tasks.

Want to go catch fish in the river? Only if you had earned enough work points.

But those who earned enough work points were exhausted after work and had no energy left to catch fish.

City workers had one day off each week, and most of them spent it lining up at the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things.

Even if they had a little free time, visiting friends and relatives would take up the whole day.

Work schedules were tight, so those with time to relax by fishing in the wild were few and far between.

"You're late! I've already caught five or six!" Yan Bugui said smugly when he saw Lin Zhen arrive.

"Hehe, Third Master, getting here early doesn't mean you'll leave early. I'll fill my basket in no time!"

Lin Zhen could quickly calculate where the schools of fish were based on the current and terrain.

It was eleven in the morning, and the ice on the river was no longer as thick as it had been some time ago.

The fish wintering over had all gathered near the sunlit water.

Lin Zhen pried open a patch of ice with a wooden stick and tossed in a shrimp trap filled with chicken bones.

He then found a sunny inlet, pried open the ice by the shore, and scattered millet soaked in yellow rice wine to bait the area.

The millet had been soaking for several days and was highly effective. Before long, the fish beneath the water became active.

"Wife, get ready to collect the fish." Lin Zhen lifted his rod, pulling out a crucian carp weighing more than eight taels.

For Lin Zhen, whose physical arts had already reached the maximum level, fishing did not require conventional bait at all. He only needed to bait the area and draw the fish over.

His eyes were sharp enough to see through several feet of water.

His hands were powerful and steady. When he flicked his fishing rod, it was like wielding a long whip, and the hook could easily snag fish once it entered the water.

Third Master Yan Bugui used bait to catch fish, while Lin Zhen used his hook to snag fish underwater.

This was not a skill ordinary people could master. Without sharp eyesight and tremendous strength, there was no point even thinking about it.

Yan Bugui said in surprise, "Huh? You catch one as soon as you cast? Looks like baiting the spot really is necessary!"

Lin Zhen had no time to chat with him. While the bait was still effective, he cast fish onto the shore one after another.

Lou Xiao'e was kept busy picking up fish on shore, while their four sons happily ran around nearby.

Five minutes later, Lin Zhen reeled in his rod.

He changed locations, pried open the ice near the water, and scattered more millet soaked in yellow rice wine.

Once the fish had gathered around, he continued using the hook to snag them directly.

Very few of the fish he caught were hooked through the mouth. They were either snagged by the belly or the tail.

An hour later.

Lin Zhen had caught more than twenty jin of fish, nearly all crucian carp larger than his palm.

The shrimp trap had also yielded more than a jin of river shrimp.

"Not bad. Wild fishing really is more worthwhile. Third Master, we've caught enough, so we won't keep you company. We're heading back first, hahaha."

Yan Bugui pursed his lips enviously. "You weren't keeping me company anyway. You came here and did nothing but fish."

"It's enough once you've caught enough. It's not good to stay by the lake too long. We'll chat after we get back."

Yan Bugui looked at the sky. It was already past noon, and it really was not suitable to remain by the lake for too long.

He hurriedly reeled in his rod and went home as well.

After the family of six got home, the four boys ran off to play, Lou Xiao'e began preparing lunch, and Lin Zhen cleaned the fish and shrimp.

Lou Xiao'e steamed the more than one jin of river shrimp for lunch.

All the crucian carp were made into vinegar-braised fermented fish.

This kind of fermented fish was tedious to make, but it was tangy, fragrant, tender, and fresh, with an endless aftertaste.

Lin Zhen had eaten it several times before crossing over. After coming to this world and maxing out his cooking skills, his understanding of vinegar-braised fermented fish had deepened considerably.

He gutted and gilled the fish without scaling them, then cleaned them and laid them one by one on a bamboo drying rack to dry in the sun.

They needed to dry for at least three days of clear weather, until two-thirds of the crucian carp's moisture had evaporated, before he could proceed to the next step.

While Lin Zhen was cleaning the fish, Silly Zhu returned from outside.

Seeing this, he smiled and said, "You're not scaling them. Are you making fermented fish? Want me to teach you?"

Lin Zhen smiled. "Get lost. You lost to me and still dare talk about competing? I'm making vinegar-braised fermented fish."

Silly Zhu said disdainfully, "Vinegar-braised fermented fish? The kind you simmer overnight? It'll sour you to death. That's hard to control. Listen to me and make sweet-and-sour soft fermented fish for the kids instead. That's more than twenty jin, isn't it? It'd be a pity if you ruined it."

"Hahaha, no need for you to worry about it. I'll let you have a taste in a few days when it's done."

"Fine! If you really pull it off in one try, I'll come learn from you."

"Learning in secret won't do. If you want to learn, kowtow properly and take me as your master!"

"Give me a break. Stop bragging. Talk after you've made it!"

Spring came early that year, arriving on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Several days of clear weather followed, and the warm sun quickly raised the temperature. In three days, the crucian carp had dried properly.

On the evening of the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Lin Zhen brushed the dried crucian carp with a layer of honey.

He then laid a layer of prepared spices, scallions, ginger, and other seasonings across the bottom of the pot.

Then he arranged a layer of fish one by one, with their heads facing inward.

He spread another layer of scallions and ginger, then arranged more fish.

After arranging all the fish, he mixed one jin of vinegar, three taels of soy sauce, and a little salt with cold water, then poured it into the pot until the fish were submerged.

After bringing it to a boil over high heat, he switched to a faint, low flame and simmered it slowly.

He simmered it from eight in the evening until one in the morning, then put out the fire and let it sit covered overnight.

While Lin Zhen happily made his vinegar-braised fermented fish.

Everyone in the courtyard was nearly driven mad by him.

The fragrance of the fish had long since spread throughout the courtyard, more enticing than the aromas wafting from a deli.

The crucian carp, with two-thirds of their moisture already dried out, thoroughly absorbed the sauce.

And Lin Zhen had adjusted the sauce to a golden ratio.

Combined with his masterful control of the heat, it allowed the crucian carp and various spices to meld perfectly together.

The penetrating aroma of vinegar pushed the fusion of the fish and sauce to an entirely new peak.

The entire courtyard was filled with intoxicating freshness, fragrance, tanginess, and mellow richness.

What Lin Zhen was doing undoubtedly counted as late-night culinary torture.