Courtyard House: Wudang Disciple Sweeps Through the Compound

Chen Wenzi and Chen Wensi cheered in unison, "Great! We can finally eat delicious fish! Thank you, brother!"

The two little ones jumped around excitedly, their faces beaming with anticipation and joy, their eyes fixed on the fish, unwilling to look away even for a moment.

Chen Wenqi carried the fish into the kitchen, first poured out all the remaining ordinary water in the water tank and replaced it with spiritual spring water brought from the Xuanwu Secret Realm. Then he found a large bucket and put the big bluefish, which weighed five or six pounds, into the bucket to keep it alive for the time being.

Then, he casually picked up the carp, which weighed about three or four pounds, and began to process it with practiced ease.

In no time at all, he had cleaned a plump carp thoroughly, removing all the internal organs, scales, and gills, leaving no trace of impurities.

After processing the fish, Chen Wenqi then began making steamed buns with a mixture of wheat and water. He secretly thought that using this spiritual spring water, which contained spiritual energy, to knead the dough would surely result in steamed buns with a mixture of wheat and water that tasted extraordinary, possibly many times sweeter and more delicious than the ones he usually ate.

In that era of extreme scarcity of resources, oil was an especially rare and precious commodity. Therefore, people mostly cooked fish by simmering it into soup or steaming it directly. This method not only saved the limited amount of cooking oil but also preserved the original flavor of the fish to the greatest extent, allowing the unique freshness of the fish meat to be fully released.

Chen Wenqi made several even cuts on the cleaned fish, then laid scallion segments, ginger slices and garlic cloves on the fish, sprinkled a little salt, and poured some soy sauce on it to marinate. After that, he put the fish and the prepared two-in-one steamed buns into a steamer, lit the firewood and started steaming.

Since it was during summer vacation, Chen Wenqi usually ate lunch at the hospital cafeteria, so he stayed at home on weekdays to prepare lunch for his two younger siblings and take care of their daily needs.

In no time, the steamer was filled with a rich and enticing aroma. The mellow wheat fragrance of the steamed buns and the delicious aroma of fish and meat intertwined and blended together, drifting out of the kitchen window and quickly filling the entire courtyard, making people's mouths water just from the smell.

Two little girls, Chen Wenzi and Chen Wensi, were leaning against the kitchen door, greedily inhaling the enticing aroma wafting in the air. Their faces were filled with a blissful expression, and their little noses twitched, making them look exceptionally cute.

They thought their eldest brother was truly amazing. The aroma of the fish was even more enticing than what their mother usually cooked. Just smelling it made their mouths water, and they couldn't wait to eat it right away.

This is clearly due to the magical effects of the spiritual spring water.

Steamed buns and steamed fish made with spring water have a taste and aroma that are far superior to those made with ordinary water.

Worried that his two younger siblings might get impatient, Chen Wenqi took out a few White Rabbit milk candies from his pocket and handed them to Chen Wenzi and Chen Wensi respectively. With a gentle smile, he instructed them, "Each of you get three candies. Don't eat them all at once, or you'll get cavities, and toothaches won't be pleasant."

Chen Wenzi carefully took the milk candy with both hands, clutching it tightly in her palms, and said obediently and sensibly, "Thank you, brother, I will eat it slowly."

Little Sisi hugged the milk candy tightly to her chest and said in her soft, sweet voice, "My brother loves me the most! I'm going to save the candy to eat slowly!"

The two little ones were overjoyed to receive this snack, which was quite rare at the time. They couldn't remember the last time they had tasted something so delicious.

The door to the deaf old lady's house next door creaked open slightly, and an older woman named Wang Guihua walked in carrying a steaming bowl of cornbread.

The deaf old lady subconsciously sniffed and immediately smelled the rich aroma of fish wafting from the Chen family next door.

She frowned, her tone clearly showing dissatisfaction, and said, "Is that silly boy, Sha Zhu, stewing fish? He made such a delicious and fragrant dish, but he didn't even bother to bring me a bowl to try first. He's becoming more and more ill-mannered and unfilial."

An elderly woman named Wang Guihua quickly stepped forward to explain, "Grandma, this fish wasn't made by Sha Zhu. It's from Chen Wenqi next door. He caught two big fish from somewhere today and is steaming them at home right now. That's why the aroma has spread so far."

Upon hearing this, the deaf old lady's face grew even uglier. She said indignantly, "That brat from the Chen family has no respect for elders and children. He thinks he can be so arrogant just because he's young. I'll have to talk to Old Yi about this and make him teach that kid a lesson."

In this courtyard house, the deaf old lady had long been regarded as the undisputed matriarch by the eldest uncle, Yi Zhonghai. Therefore, in her opinion, no matter which family in the courtyard cooked a delicious meal, they should first offer her a portion to try. Otherwise, it would be a great act of disrespect and unfilial piety.

The Chen family used to live a simple and ordinary life, with nothing of note, so the deaf old lady didn't pay much attention to them.

But she never expected that this unremarkable and unknown young man from the Chen family could now cook fish that smelled so good, almost as good as Sha Zhu's cooking skills. This made her feel increasingly jealous and unbalanced.

Wang Guihua, an older woman, sighed inwardly. Although she had long been used to the deaf old lady's bossy and self-righteous behavior, she still felt that there was no reason to believe that this approach was unreasonable.

The Jia family in the Intermediate People's Court is currently in a state of turmoil and has no peace.

This little guy, Banggeng, is only four years old, but he has already mastered the art of tantrums and throwing tantrums with unparalleled skill. He lay down on the ground, kicking his short legs and shouting, "I want to eat fish! I want to eat fish! I won't get up unless you give me fish!"

These were all tricks that Jia Zhangshi had taught her step by step. Because Jia Zhangshi herself was very greedy and wanted to find a respectable excuse to get Qin Huairu to ask other people for meat, she would always encourage Bang Geng to act spoiled and unreasonable.

Ironically, every time he makes such a fuss, he usually manages to gain an advantage and reap benefits. Once he gets a taste of the sweetness, he will immediately resort to the same trick as soon as he smells even the slightest hint of meat, throwing a tantrum endlessly.