The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

Two solar-powered sensor lights in the yard suddenly turned on when people came out, casting a warm white light that made the fish in the bucket shimmer.

Several people carried their belongings and moved closer to the light near the stove.

Zhao Hu quickly filled two large buckets with clean water.

Grandma Liu first carefully cleaned the stroller for Ya Ya. Since it still smelled fishy, ​​she grabbed some wood ash, mixed it with a little soap, and wiped the stroller box inside and out. Only after it smelled fresh and odorless did she push it under the eaves to dry.

Zhao Hu pulled over a small stool, sat down, and picked up a knife to sharpen it on a whetstone.

He was skilled at butchering fish; as an experienced hunter, he had been killing prey for over a decade, and his knife work was second nature to him.

But this fish...

Fang Tiesheng held the packaging bag, intending to cut it into thin slices, a task that would test his knife skills.

The village chief washed the fish, glanced at the pile of things beside him—chicken, fish, salt, fatty meat, and various sauces and seasoning packets—and stood up.

"There's so much stuff, we don't have enough manpower, and the fish won't keep. I'll go wake everyone up so we can all come and clean it together and eat it all at once."

"Go on, Uncle." Zhao Hu didn't even look up.

Grandma Liu was busy kneading that big lump of fat, and Fang Tiesheng was studying the packaging bag, so neither of them had time to pay attention to him.

The village chief stood up, touched the flashlight in his pocket, and patted the dust off his clothes.

Ya Ya stood at the doorway, clinging to the doorframe. When she saw Grandpa Village Chief about to leave, her eyes lit up.

"Grandpa Village Chief! Where are we going?"

Normally, she would be too sleepy to keep her eyes open by this time, but at this moment, her eyes were bright and sparkling.

The village chief paused, looking at her energetic little face, and replied with a smile, "Grandpa will go to the village and call everyone over so we can clean up together and have a meal together."

Ya Ya's eyes suddenly lit up even more. She wanted to tell Grandpa Village Chief that she wanted everyone to eat together! But she was afraid of disturbing everyone's sleep.

With a tiny step, she immediately moved closer, shouting, "I want to go too! I want to go!"

After a moment's thought, the village chief realized that the ground hadn't been so slippery these past few days, and with a flashlight, it would be safe to lead her around to call for help.

"Okay, let's go together then."

The village chief stretched out his rough but warm hand and gently took Ya Ya's soft little hand in his. The two of them, one big and one small, slowly walked into the night.

The two men deliberately started calling from the farthest part of the village. It was dark at night, so they called out and followed them, with flashlights shining on them.

Upon arriving at the door, the village chief had barely cleared his throat when Ya Ya craned her neck. This was Grandma Wang's house; she recognized it.

"Grandpa Wang, Grandma Wang! Wake up! There's meat to eat! Fish, chicken, it smells delicious! And there's pickled cabbage and fish slices too! Don't sleep in!"

The child's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, and once it was heard, it woke up several neighboring households.

There was a rustling sound inside the house, followed by the sound of dressing and an old man coughing.

I was woken up so late at night that I didn't even have time to hear what they were saying outside.

Grandma Wang, who was a light sleeper, sat up abruptly at the sound of shouting, gripping the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). "What's wrong? Is there some kind of disaster? My hearing isn't very good, don't scare this old woman..."

Grandpa Wang heard a few words: fish... chicken...

"Wang Dazhu! Dazhu's wife! Come out quickly, our little girl is waiting for you two. She brought fish, chicken, and some fatty pork today. The food won't keep for long, so come and lend a hand! We'll eat something hot soon!"

Grandma Wang leaned close to the window crack: "There's...there's food? Am I dreaming?"

She squinted and looked outside, and saw two figures, one big and one small. The one in red was none other than Nannan!

She immediately took small, hurried steps and frantically pushed the old man beside her to his feet: "Old man, get up! Get up! Our little girl brought back something delicious, let's go lend a hand, there's chicken and fish to eat too!"

……

The entire village, old and young, nimble and slow, all wore camouflage work clothes and slippers, following the village chief and Ya Ya in a daze, hurrying towards the brightly lit courtyard.

Xiao Shuanzi and Xiao Douzi were held in their grandfather's arms, their eyes half-open and half-closed, their little heads nodding little by little. But as soon as they heard "eat meat," their little mouths smacked unconsciously.

As a group of people entered the brightly lit and warm courtyard one after another, everyone's sleepiness vanished instantly.

Under the light, neatly arranged, gutted fish and glistening, golden-brown chickens were laid out on the table. On the stone slab, there was a pile of small fish and two large, plump chickens, one black and one white, that had been plucked.

On the chopping board in front of Granny Liu was a small mountain of diced fatty meat, white and glistening, the most precious rendered pork fat.

There was also the aroma of pickled cabbage mixed with the fishy smell in the air.

No one dared to speak; they just stared blankly, as if opening their mouths would suddenly shatter this unbelievable dream.

"What are you all standing there for? Come in and lend a hand!"

Fang Tiesheng, holding up the packet of seasoning, spotted Aunt Lin behind him and looked at her like she was a savior. "Aunt Lin, come quick! Look at this! There are words and pictures on it. I'll read it to you, and you can follow along. This old man doesn't know how to fillet fish, so don't waste this stuff."

"My daughter specifically asked for this, saying that this way of cooking fish has fewer bones and tastes better!"

Aunt Lin seemed to wake from a dream, and readily accepted the packet of pickled cabbage and fish fillet seasoning. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

Everyone realized what was happening and quickly went over to see if there was anything they could do to help.

In an instant, the entire courtyard came alive.

Outside are dark, deep mountains; inside is a vibrant, lively atmosphere.

Aunt Lin deftly sliced ​​the thick fish into thin slices, laying them out one by one on a clean cloth, afraid of breaking them.

That fish is huge and so fat!

That small bowl of cucumbers, huddled together in the pot, were delicate and white, carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance.

Grandma Li and Grandma Fang took the basin, removed the heads and gutted the small fish one by one, washed them clean, and then spread them all out on the wooden board.

Once the surface water has dried, it's ready to be pickled.

These small fish absorb flavor quickly. Marinate them overnight, then hang them out to dry the next morning. After a day or two, they become excellent dried small fish.

On the other side, Grandma Liu had already set up a small pot and was putting the diced pieces of fatty meat into it little by little.

Flames licked the bottom of the pot, and the fatty meat slowly melted.

zizi——

The clear lard seeped out little by little, and the aroma seemed to have grown legs, filling the entire courtyard and entering everyone's nose.

Xiao Shuanzi, who was still half asleep, suddenly widened his eyes and stared intently at the pot as soon as he smelled the aroma of oil.