In 1959, what's wrong with me pedaling a tricycle?

Pigsy carrying his wife on his back was a thankless and arduous task.

Wang Xingguo pedaled his bicycle to pull his wife along, and he did it with remarkable steadiness.

Li Xiuping was angry that this rascal had been so restless outside, and she didn't want to talk to him anymore.

While pedaling, Wang Xingguo quietly reported that he had gone to Gaobeidian, which was why he hadn't come to find her. He then coaxed her a lot, which finally calmed her down.

This future daughter-in-law is easy to please. Although she gets angry easily, Wang Xingguo has a knack for dealing with her and can always easily appease her.

After escorting Li Xiuping back to the hospital gate, Wang Xingguo smiled and said to her, "I won't go in. I'll pick you up from get off work tomorrow."

Li Xiuping nodded: "Okay, be careful on the road, don't ride too fast, see you tomorrow night."

Wang Xingguo waved, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he watched Li Xiuping go back. Only after turning back twice and Li Xiuping disappeared from sight did he ride his bicycle home.

The harvest these past two days has been exceptionally good; the fishpond has gained at least 1,500 to 1,600 jin of eels.

This thing eats small fish, shrimp, snails, small loaches, and so on...

Although there are these things in the space, it is definitely not enough for so many eels to hunt.

The only solution is to feed them with fish!

It's actually very simple. Just cut various cheap fish like bitterling, minnows, whitebait, and gudgeon into small pieces, and then the eel can be eaten.

They can't eat fish that are too big, and there aren't enough of the small ones. These small fish are perfect for feeding because they don't fetch a high price.

Small, miscellaneous fish are particularly unpopular these days because people don't have enough oil to fry them.

However, with no shortage of oil and seasonings in the future, fried small fish will be more popular than regular big fish.

All I can say is that times have changed!

Examples include crayfish from Northeast China, hairy crabs from the Jiangnan region, crayfish from the two lakes (Hubei and Hunan), large yellow croakers from the coast, and knife fish from the Yangtze River...

These things are worthless now, and there are so many of them that they're practically worthless, only a few cents a pound these days.

Now these things are chopped up and used to feed chickens and ducks, and even as pig feed.

But in later generations, these things became more and more valuable!

Conversely, fatty pork, which is now the most popular pork among people across the country, will not only be worthless in later generations, but many people will even stop eating it altogether...

Wang Xingguo brought home nearly two pounds of eels. Even when braised with a little lard and yellow soybean paste, these eels are a very delicious dish.

But when Wang Xingguo returned home, Wang Xingning ran out to fetch a bucket of water. As soon as he saw the eels in the bucket, he screamed as if he had been electrocuted and jumped away.

Wang Xingning crossed his arms, trembling all over, and exclaimed in terror, "Second Brother, have you gone mad? How could you bring back so many snakes?"

Wang Xingguo quickly explained, "Third sister, this isn't a snake, it's an eel. I just learned how to cook it, it's delicious. I'll cook it for you to try later."

Wang Xingning exclaimed in shock, "What?! You can't eat snakes? Second Brother, are you crazy...?"

Wang Xingbang didn't work overtime today, so he was already at home. He and Wang Xingmin ran out together, and when they saw the eels, they both got goosebumps...

After much persuasion, the group finally gave up on getting Wang Xingguo to throw away the eels, but they still didn't believe they were edible.

This is the status of eels in the hearts of people in Beijing. This thing has always been treated like a snake. Even though they know it can be used in medicine, no one believes it can be eaten...

Wang Xingguo began to kill the eels. He first slaughtered and cut the eels into sections, then sprinkled a lot of coarse salt into them and rubbed them repeatedly to remove the slime.

Salt was cheap at the time and readily available, costing only 13 cents per pound, and people could buy as much as they wanted. Although Wang Xingning didn't think eels were edible, he didn't feel bad about wasting the coarse salt.

Wang Xingguo rinsed the eel segments clean, then blanched them, constantly skimming off the foam. Only these two steps could remove some of the earthy smell.

Ginger and scallions are planted in flower pots in front of the house. These things are not expensive this season, and almost every household will plant some in flower pots to make it convenient for seasoning their own cooking.

I peeled some garlic cloves, but instead of chopping them, I just smashed them.

After draining the water from the pot, Wang Xingguo waited for the water to boil dry before adding half a spoonful of lard. He then spread the lard with a spatula, ensuring the entire bottom of the pot was coated.

Then, add the prepared scallions, ginger, and garlic directly, stir-fry until fragrant, then add yellow soybean paste and a little water to dilute it, stir-fry until the sauce is fragrant, and then add the eel pieces. Stir-fry until the skin tightens and the eel's oil is rendered out, then sprinkle in a few drops of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and stir-fry for a few more moments, then add water to cover the eel pieces, cover and simmer.

Simmer for half an hour, and the broth will be reduced to the desired consistency. Stir-fry until the broth thickens further, then serve.

The rich aroma of soy sauce wafted over, along with the fragrance of scallions and garlic, making the three siblings who had been watching him tinker with it for a while swallow hard.

For a moment, I was torn between two conflicting thoughts: Is this thing really inedible?

But it smells so good...

After Wang Xingguo finished his work, he took the large plate of braised eel, which weighed nearly two kilograms, back into the house.

He smiled and said to his family, "Don't worry, I ate here in the countryside. It's very salty and delicious, and goes especially well with rice. You can eat as much as you like."

Wang Xingbang couldn't bear to discourage his second younger brother, after all, this younger brother didn't seem to have much talent for cooking...

So he gritted his teeth, picked up a piece of eel meat with his chopsticks, and put it in his mouth. After chewing it, his eyes lit up, and he immediately mumbled to Wang Xingning and Wang Xingmin, who looked worried, "Delicious... Third Sister, you should try some too... This stuff tastes pretty good..."

Hearing Wang Xingbang say this, the two breathed a sigh of relief. Their older brother wouldn't lie to them!

So the two of them picked up a piece with their chopsticks, suppressed their discomfort, and ate it.

Although it takes a lot of effort to make and it still has a slightly earthy taste, it's really good with rice.

Wang Xingguo himself was very satisfied with the taste. Although it had a slightly earthy taste, the flavor of the soybean paste was enough to cover it up. Besides, it was still a piece of meat, and it tasted really good.

Wang Xingbang said happily, "Second brother, your cooking skills are pretty good. I didn't expect you to learn such a dish. I've never heard of anyone eating this before. When you eat it, just don't think of it as a worm. It tastes better and better as you eat it."

Wang Xingguo laughed and explained, "Brother, we Beijingers are just so fussy. We say we can't eat worms, but Southerners have so many ways of eating them! It's just that the worms we have here are mostly earthworms, which don't have much meat and are poisonous. Otherwise, Southerners working in Beijing would have been collecting earthworms to eat long ago. And you don't know, eels are actually sold as dishes in many high-end restaurants in the South, it's just that we Beijingers don't know what's good for us."

After eating a few pieces of eel meat, Wang Xingning was no longer afraid; instead, he developed a great appetite.

She nodded repeatedly, saying, "That makes sense. This stuff tastes so good, how can you not eat it? Last time, a classmate told me that the meat of the big-eyed thief was especially delicious, which made me feel nauseous at the time, but now that I think about it, it's all meat!"

"Big-eyed thief" is actually a rat, whether it's a mouse or a field mouse, they call it "big-eyed thief" or "bean stalk".