A Young Woman's Heart

In fact, this level of renovation should allow someone to afford a range hood.

Large range hoods were probably not very common during home renovations.

The switches here are mostly buttons, unlike the ones in Mo Xueyao's house, where the switches are mostly pull cords.

"What's the first thing to do?" Mo Xueyao asked helplessly. Since they were already inside, she could only help.

"West Lake Vinegar Fish," Li Wanyan replied, tossing the already cleaned grass carp into the pool. "Watch from afar as you clean the fish."

"Yes, yes, yes..." Mo Xueyao stood dejectedly to the side and watched.

Li Wanyan opened the fish's belly and washed it repeatedly with clean water, not even sparing the fish head.

"Did you understand?"

"Oh, it's so simple, I'm sure I'll understand it."

"Then keep washing the fish, wash it several times until the water becomes clear." Li Wanyan said, picking up a piece of ginger, washing it, and then chopping it on the cutting board.

"Okay—" Mo Xueyao drawled out, reluctantly starting to wash the fish.

Nora bought a rather large grass carp, or rather, she bought a lot of things in general, making one wonder if she could even finish it all...

Even with a refrigerator, food can't be kept for very long in the summer.

"I'm all clean now!"

"Okay, put the fish in the basket to drain, and then bring me the soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, sugar, and starch."

"Nora said she didn't have any starch at home, let me see if she bought any." Mo Xueyao squatted down and started rummaging through the plastic bag.

Just as Mo Xueyao brought over all the seasonings, Li Wanyan was putting the grass carp onto the cutting board.

Should we cut it off?

"No need, just make a few cuts on the front and back so the flavor can penetrate better," Li Wanyan instructed Mo Xueyao earnestly. "It's actually very simple, just follow the steps."

"It's not difficult at the moment..."

After making a few cuts, she split the grass carp in half, one side being the front and the other the back.

Then she rinsed away the blood from the fish head and made another cut on the half without the spine.

This time it was drawn horizontally.

At this point, Mo Xueyao began to feel complicated.

However, this is only the preparatory work.

Next, Li Wanyan put scallion and ginger slices and water into the pot. After the water boiled, she took out the scallion and ginger slices and put the two halves of the fish into the pot.

"Remember to use chopsticks to pierce under the fins, then cook for another three minutes."

"Why would you do that?" Mo Xueyao asked, puzzled.

"It's to ensure the fish stays whole," she explained simply. "Then you skim off the foam, and pour in cold water twice, just like when you're cooking dumplings."

"Huh? Do you need to add cold water when boiling dumplings?" Mo Xueyao asked in surprise.

"Aren't you going to let it go?"

"I feel like whether I cook dumplings or my dad cooks dumplings, they just boil them until they're cooked and that's it..."

"It's less likely to burn if you put it in cold water," Li Wanyan said, taking the broth out with her chopsticks and then pouring out most of it, leaving only a little.

Seeing Li Wanyan pour in the rice wine and soy sauce, Mo Xueyao breathed a sigh of relief: "Is this all right?"

"It's early." Li Wanyan glanced at her, lifting her eyelids slightly.

The grass carp was then taken out, and sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce that had dripped from the fish were added to the broth in the pot.

Once the broth was brought to a boil again, Li Wanyan added starch until the broth was reduced and became like a dipping sauce.

"Is that better now?"

"You can't rush cooking." Li Wanyan chuckled. "It's almost done now. Just pour the sauce over the fish and sprinkle some minced ginger on top."

"Wait, is this fish really cooked?"

"After cooking, I dry-fried it with soy sauce for a while, so it's cooked through."

"Let me try it..." Mo Xueyao licked her lips, feeling a craving tempting her. She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of glossy black fish, and put it in her mouth. "Mmm mmm!"

"Is it tasty."

"Delicious!" Mo Xueyao gave a thumbs up. "I feel like I could eat three bowls of rice with this fish!"

The thick sauce on the fish tastes a bit like sweet and sour pork. The fish itself has a crispy skin and a tender interior, while the sourness from the aged vinegar is perfect for summer, bringing a refreshing feeling.

"Don't rush, there are still a few dishes to go." Li Wanyan pulled Mo Xueyao over. "Wash all these shrimp clean, and then peel them."

"Do you want it boiled?"

"Need not."

"No way, they're going to skin us alive? That's too cruel!"

"It tastes even better this way, the crabs are all steamed alive."

"Uh... but this feels different! And even though I like eating them, I just can't bring myself to do it, they're all moving..."

"How did you get through those sixteen years of being a boy?" Li Wanyan asked with a hint of teasing. "Are you even afraid of this?"

"Yes...it can move!"

"Then boil them first and then peel them," Li Wanyan said calmly, her smile fading, before moving on to prepare the other ingredients.

"That's alright..."

……

Chapter Three: Don't Just Drink!

Dishes were brought out and placed on a low table.

A two-meter-long straw mat was laid on the ground, and the three of them sat down on it.

"Actually, I'm not used to the summers here. It's so hot. It's only a little better when the air conditioning is on," Nora said, opening a bottle of chilled vodka and chugging it down.

"After all, Nora is Russian, so the summers there shouldn't be too hot."

“Summer there is probably similar to spring here,” Nora exclaimed with a sigh of relief. “Wow, what a sumptuous lunch!”

"And it tastes great too, after all, it was made by our 'chef' this time!" Mo Xueyao said jokingly.

Upon hearing this, Li Wanyan subtly rolled her eyes upwards.

Are these all local specialties?

"Hmm, they should all be Hangzhou specialties, or rather, local specialties." Mo Xueyao wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and eagerly filled her bowl with rice. "But actually, we don't eat these kinds of dishes much ourselves."

"why?"

"It's probably because it's quite complicated to make." Mo Xueyao scratched her cheek. She had just watched the whole process, and even though she was only helping out, it already felt complicated enough.

It's not just the process that's complicated, but also the handling of various ingredients and the final cleaning up of the kitchen...

It would take at least two hours to do all of this. If Mo Xueyao were to cook, she would rather eat cold tofu salad than spend so much time washing vegetables, cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning the kitchen.

Nora also served herself a large bowl of rice, but her main dish was more like vodka.

Mo Xueyao thought that even when she ate or drank beverages, she wouldn't drink a whole bottle...

"Eat up." Li Wanyan was the last to serve her rice, and as soon as she said that, Mo Xueyao couldn't wait to start eating.

Nora, on the other hand, looked at the chopsticks with a troubled expression.

"Oh, Nora, you don't know how to use it, do you?"

"Never used it."

"You have to use it like this." Mo Xueyao demonstrated how to hold chopsticks, but Nora tried to imitate it as if she were holding two pens.

"No, no, it should be held like this, not pinched like this."

"so?"

"Hey—nora, why don't you use the spoon first..."

"it is good."

Nora has chopsticks at home, but she's only bought them and hasn't used them much. Usually, when she brings home takeout from outside, she eats with a spoon and fork.

"Speaking of which, Nora, if you don't know how to use chopsticks, why did you buy them?"

“I was thinking that it would come in handy if you guys came, and you could teach me how to use it,” Nora said in English with a rolled “r”, and vigorously rubbed Mo Xueyao’s head.

To be honest, Nora really wasn't polite at all. Most people would never let a guest who's visiting their home for the first time cook.

However, Mo Xueyao liked this aspect of Nora: she was straightforward and unpretentious, making her more comfortable to be around.

—If only she didn't drink so much.

There were four dishes on the low table: West Lake Vinegar Fish, Longjing Shrimp, Song Sao Fish Soup, and Dongpo Pork.

Dongpo pork and West Lake fish in vinegar sauce are both foods with relatively complicated preparation processes—this is true for Mo Xueyao.

But Song Sao's fish soup wasn't much easier to make either, since it actually contained fish. That means the two of them had processed two fish together at noon today...

Longjing Shrimp is a dish that looks quite refreshing. The shrimp are white and tender, and the tea leaves are emerald green. The colors are elegant and can be seen as a reflection of the rich scholarly atmosphere of Hangzhou.

Mo Xueyao picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, then couldn't help but squint her eyes.

The shrimp has a sweet and refreshing taste, and it's not greasy at all.

"Wanyan, why don't you cook all the meals from now on..." Mo Xueyao said with delight, "They're even better than Lou Wai Lou's!"

"That would mean eating very late."

“That’s true, after all, Mom prepares everything in advance, so we can eat almost as soon as we get home.” Mo Xueyao scratched her cheek.

Nora, sitting opposite her, raised a whole bottle of vodka, forked a piece of shrimp, and stuffed it into her mouth: "Xiaoyao, what were you saying just now? I don't understand Chinese."