I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 12. Persuading Mom
Having shared a bond through water fights, the children from the same village were quite enthusiastic.

Upon learning that Xu Qingfan wanted to catch some crayfish to feed his cat, several of the older children came over to help, diving into the water and scooping up several at a time.

Within minutes, the empty bucket that Xu Qingfan brought was filled with crayfish.

He returned home laden with his load, panting and trudging along as he carried the buckets sideways.

"I couldn't find you even when it was time to eat. Why did you bring this thing back?" Xu's mother was about to go out to find Xu Qingfan to come home for dinner when she saw Xu Qingfan struggling to carry a large bucket of crayfish.

"This is delicious! I want my mother-in-law to make it for me."

"Delicious my foot! It looks filthy, full of bacteria. I'll smash it up and feed it to the ducks later!" Xu's mother reached out and took the bucket her son was carrying, placing it disgustedly at the door.

"Mother-in-law, I want to eat crayfish!" Knowing he couldn't persuade Xu's mother, he could only take a roundabout approach and deal with the person who could deal with Xu's mother.

"Go wash your hands first. Grandma stir-fried your favorite river shrimp. Why are your clothes all wet? Go change your clothes." Grandma came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of fragrant stir-fried river shrimp with chives.

"No need to change it, it's so hot, it'll dry in a bit," Grandpa said from the side.

After washing his hands, Xu Qingfan couldn't wait to sit down at the dining table.

The dinner was equally lavish, featuring soy sauce chicken, stir-fried river shrimp, stir-fried Shanghai bok choy, and the crucian carp soup he had been longing for.

The soup was milky white, with a handful of bright red goji berries floating on top as a garnish.

Thanks to Xu Qingfan, the tabby cat kept at home got all the chopped fish meat that was stir-fried and ended up in its bowl.

The television was playing some kind of anti-Japanese war drama, and the family sat closely around a small dining table.

Grandpa sat at the head of the table, unscrewed the plastic bottle cap, and poured some bulk liquor into his glass.

The pungent aroma of alcohol and the fragrance of food constitute all of Xu Qingfan's childhood memories in the countryside.

Unlike more than a decade later, when people come and go in a hurry, it's hard to imagine the family sitting together for a meal at a leisurely pace like we do now.

Even during holidays, they check their phones more than a dozen times while eating a meal, and are always very busy.

Not to mention that his grandfather was diagnosed with cancer when he was in junior high school, and he didn't make it through the year before passing away.

He wanted to do everything in his power to salvage these wonderful people and things, which was far more meaningful than earning ten million or a hundred million.

Of course, getting these back requires money, which is another matter.

"Brother, how's the harvest this year?"

"That's enough, enough to eat and drink."

"The exterior wall of the kitchen needs repair; it's protruding quite a bit."

"."

Dinner ended amidst casual conversation.

After they finished washing the dishes, Xu's mother went out to chat with her childhood playmates, while her grandmother sat at the doorway continuing to pick phoenix-eye fruits.

Uncle and Grandpa were going into the mountains to catch mudskippers, and Xu's father joined in the fun, leaving Xu Qingfan alone in the house.

[Great opportunity!]
While his mother was out, he took the crayfish that were placed by the door into the bathroom and carefully scrubbed them one by one with the brush that his grandmother usually used to wash clothes.

With a twist and pull at the tail, he removed a complete shrimp vein.

After washing for nearly half an hour, Xu Qingfan finally finished cleaning a bucket of crayfish.

The earthen stove was always burning firewood because people needed to boil water for bathing.

Xu Qingfan moved a red-hot dry branch under the cooking pot, added some firewood, and stuffed in a handful of sugarcane leaves to help it burn. The fire quickly grew bigger.

He peeked out the door and saw his grandmother still sitting there.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, he promptly poured oil into the pot after preparing the ingredients.

They use peanut oil at home, and Xu Qingfan was afraid of getting beaten up, so he didn't dare to pour too much. He fried the crayfish in three batches.

Remove the fried crayfish from the oil and wait for the water in the oil to evaporate. Then add minced ginger, minced garlic, dried chili peppers, and hot pot base, stir-fry until fragrant, and then pour in the crayfish.

Add appropriate amounts of salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and thirteen-spice powder to the seasoning. There's no beer, but that's not a big problem. I'll just steal a little bit of my grandfather's bulk liquor to make a token gesture.

"Fanfan, what are you doing!" The pungent smell of chili peppers finally caught Grandma's attention. She went into the kitchen and saw Xu Qingfan standing on a red plastic stool, cooking the dishes with great skill.

"Grandma, I'm making crayfish for you, it's so delicious!" Xu Qingfan said with an innocent expression. "Danger! Get down!" Grandma snatched the spatula from his hand and lifted him down with one hand.

She looked into the pot and saw that it was cooked quite well, a bright red color that looked very appetizing.

"Grandma, add water now, just enough to cover the crayfish."

Following Xu Qingfan's instructions, Grandma scooped up a ladle of water and poured it into the pot.

"My goodness, when did you learn to cook?" Grandma's face was full of pride.

"I learned it from watching TV. I heard the host say that crayfish is delicious, so I wanted to make it for my mother-in-law to try!"

"My grandson is so filial!" The kitchen was filled with the joy of grandmother and grandson being together.

Before the crayfish were even cooked, Xu Ma had already returned.

"Mom, what are you cooking? The whole house smells of chili peppers, you can smell it from outside!"

"Hey you, come and see the crayfish my grandson made!" Grandma said to Xu's mother with a hint of annoyance.

[Your grandson isn't my son yet.] Xu's mother thought to herself.

"Mom! Why are you going along with his nonsense? Is this even edible?"

"Yes, you can eat it. I've actually seen it on TV. It's called crayfish, and lots of people eat it in the US. Mom, you just don't know anything about this!"

"You brat, even if I'm ignorant, I'm still your mother!"

Xu Qingfan didn't know where crayfish originated, but these days, goods exported from the beautiful country across the ocean are labeled as high-end and fashionable, so he didn't mind riding the wave of popularity.

Under his guidance, Grandma reduced the sauce over high heat, and a large plate of fragrant crayfish was quickly served.

"Grandma, here you go." Xu Qingfan thoughtfully peeled a crayfish and handed it to his grandmother.

"Fanfan is such a good boy."

Watching from the side, Xu's mother felt envious: "What's so good about it?" She imitated her, peeled a crayfish, and put it in her mouth, "What's so good about this?"

The second one was just so-so, not even as good as the snails I stir-fried!

The third one, the fourth one.
The three of them enjoyed their meal immensely. Halfway through, their maternal grandfather, maternal uncle, and Xu's father, who had just returned from catching mudskippers, joined in the fray.

A large plate of crayfish was devoured by the six people in less than five minutes.

"I didn't expect this thing to be so delicious." My usually taciturn uncle said something unusual.

"That's right, our Xiao Fan is really knowledgeable!" Grandma boasted as she told everyone about Xu Qingfan's crayfish cooking.

"Unlike some people, who can't even get into high school."

Xu's mother:
"If you like it, go catch more from the river tomorrow and bring it back to the city," Grandpa said.

"This stuff isn't sold in the city, we need to catch some to take back," Xu's father said, smacking his lips as he savored the taste.

Xu Qingfan: ? ? ?

Why do you all only think about eating, business opportunities, and making money?
"Mom, do you think crayfish or stir-fried snails taste better?"

"They're about the same." Actually, Xu's mother thought the crayfish tasted better, but she couldn't lose face in front of her son.

"Sis, you could try selling crayfish!" Uncle suddenly suggested.

Xu Qingfan: !!!

"Ah, does anyone buy this? Nobody else has ever seen it before." Mrs. Xu hesitated a bit.

"Mom, why don't you just let them try it for free? Crayfish are so delicious, people will definitely buy them!"

"Yes, sis, you can let them try it on before they buy it."

"Xiao Fan is so smart!"

My grandmother was the only one who hadn't read any online novels; otherwise, she would have confidently declared, "I, Sun Qingfan, have the bearing of an emperor!"

"Just give it a try."

(End of this chapter)