Qiao Zilin walked slowly up the slope lined with fruit trees. She noticed several loquat trees halfway up the hill, their fruit glowing a rich, ripe gold. It had been a long time since she’d tasted loquats, and the sight made her mouth water.
“Miss, there’s a perfectly good path, yet you insist on walking through the brush,” Qing Mei called out from behind. “If you run into a snake, don’t come crying to me.”
As if on cue, Qiao Zilin’s voice rang out: “AAAHHHH!”
Down in the paddy fields, Long Zhenting heard her scream and moved like a lightning bolt, soaring up the slope using his qinggong.
“Lin’er! What happened?”
Before his voice even faded, he found a person clinging to him like a koala.
“Husband! A snake! A snake! Waaaaah…” Qiao Zilin was trembling violently, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. She had been terrified of slithering creatures since childhood; if she had known there were snakes here, she wouldn’t have set foot on this slope for all the gold in the world.
Long Zhenting held her close, stroking her back soothingly. “It’s alright, it’s gone. It’s far away now.” He turned a stern gaze toward the maid. “Why did you lead your mistress through the tall grass instead of staying on the main path?”
“Master, it wasn’t me! Miss said she wanted the loquats up there, so…” Qing Mei felt incredibly wronged.
Long Zhenting looked up. Sure enough, there were two loquat trees laden with fruit. He looked down at the woman in his arms, who refused to let go. She was clearly shaken—a far cry from her usual spirited self.
“Lin’er, if you want something, just tell me. I’ll pick them for you. Why risk climbing up here yourself?”
Qiao Zilin sniffled piteously. “I didn’t want to trouble you for every little thing. You already work so hard every day.”
“Give me the basket and head back the way you came,” Long Zhenting commanded Qing Mei. He shifted his grip, one hand supporting Qiao Zilin’s backside as he held her securely, the other taking the basket. With a light tap of his toes, he glided effortlessly to the base of the loquat trees.
He noted the overgrown weeds; once the fields below were finished, he’d have to clear this hillside too. “Lin’er, you can get down now. I’ll pick them for you.”
Qiao Zilin looked up, stunned. They were already there? She didn’t have time to dwell on his speed; the sight of the golden fruit made her hunger return tenfold. She reached out, plucked one, peeled back the skin, and popped it into her mouth.
“Mmm! Husband, it’s delicious! Eighty percent sweet, twenty percent tart.” She peeled another and pressed it against Long Zhenting’s lips.
He wasn’t fond of fruit, but since his wife was feeding him, he opened his mouth. “It is indeed good. Sweet.”
“Haha, see? I didn’t lie!” Qiao Zilin began eating them one after another, her cheeks bulging.
Long Zhenting watched her, amused. With her mouth stuffed full, she looked exactly like a little squirrel. He picked while she ate.
“Hiccup! Why do I feel hungrier the more I eat?” Qiao Zilin asked, patting her stomach.
“The acidity in fruit often stimulates the appetite,” he explained. He tucked the full basket under one arm and scooped her up to head back.
“Husband, you have to take me flying up the mountain sometime!” Qiao Zilin decided she quite liked this “flight mode”—it was much more thrilling than a plane.
Long Zhenting realized they hadn’t actually left the manor grounds since arriving. He really ought to take her out to see the world beyond the walls.
…
After dropping Qiao Zilin off at the courtyard, Long Zhenting returned to the mountain base to continue digging the pond. Meanwhile, Qiao Zilin and Qing Mei began preparing dinner.
The three fish weighed about ten pounds combined, but once deboned, there wouldn’t be quite as much meat. Qiao Zilin decided to prepare all of them.
“Qing Mei, do you know how to kill a fish?”
Qing Mei shook her head. “No, Miss. Back in the capital, we rarely bought fish, and even when we did, the shopkeeper would clean it for us.”
The two of them squatted by the large basin, staring blankly at the swimming fish. After a long silence, Qing Mei picked up a wooden stick. “Miss, maybe I should just try?”
“Right. Whack it on the head first to stun it, then scrape the scales,” Qiao Zilin instructed.
Just as Qing Mei raised the stick, Long Zhenting walked back into the yard. “Master? Why are you back?”
“To kill the fish,” he said simply, heading straight for the well. Fifteen minutes later, the three fish were cleaned and gutted to perfection.
“Husband, you’re the best! Truly amazing!” Qiao Zilin’s flattery flowed like a river.
“And how does my wife plan to thank me?” Long Zhenting asked with a half-smile.
Qiao Zilin felt a sudden chill down her spine at that look, but she answered sincerely, “Whatever Husband wants, as long as I can do it, I will!”
“Woman on top, man on bottom.”
With that parting shot, he turned and walked away.
“Woman on top… what on earth?” It took Qiao Zilin a full minute to process his meaning. Curse that picture book! This man looked so upright during the day, yet his mind was a den of iniquity at night. Truly, a man’s heart is as deep as the ocean floor.
She carried the fish to the kitchen and began slicing them with practiced ease. For Sauerkraut Fish, the slices had to be paper-thin to absorb the flavor. She removed the spine, then the ribs, and finally sliced the fillets at a sharp angle.
“Miss, your knife skills are incredible! I’ve never seen fish cut like this,” Qing Mei chirped, her eyes full of admiration.
“Our Qing Mei is pretty great too! Now, go start the fire. It’s time to cook.”
She rinsed the fish slices several times to remove any slime, then marinated them with ginger, salt, white pepper, egg whites, and starch, finishing with a drizzle of oil to lock in the texture.
“Miss, the wok is smoking!”
“Coming!” She tossed the chopped sauerkraut into the dry wok.
“Miss, you forgot the oil!”
“No oil for the sauerkraut yet. You have to stir-fry the moisture out first to unlock the true flavor,” Qiao Zilin explained as she tossed the greens.
Once the sauerkraut was dry, she set it aside, added oil to the wok, and sautéed ginger, garlic, and spices until fragrant, adding a spoonful of her secret homemade paste.
“It smells so good, Miss!”
She added a large pot of water and brought it to a boil. First, she added the fish heads and bones. Once they were cooked through, she strained them out and laid them in a large serving bowl. Then, she gently slid the marinated fish slices into the boiling broth. Within moments, the meat turned a snow-white.
She quickly ladled the fish and broth over the bones. Finally, she heated a small amount of oil until it smoked, tossed in dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, and poured the sizzling oil over the fish. With a final garnish of fresh scallions, the Sauerkraut Fish was complete.