Volume One, Chapter 12: Exceptional Culinary Skills

Gao Yuan returned home and first brought the fish inside. In such cold weather, he wasn’t worried about it spoiling quickly. Still, it needed to be eaten soon, as even in freezing temperatures, fish couldn’t be stored for long.

He went to the water basin and fetched a bucket of cold water, pouring it into a larger container. After some thought, he felt this wasn’t secure enough—once the stove lid was opened, the room’s temperature would rise, causing the fish to spoil, making the morning’s effort pointless.

So he carried the bucket to the kitchen, found a wooden board to cover it, and placed two bricks on top to weigh it down. These days, there were many stray cats and dogs, especially cats that roamed the alleys at night. This bucket of fish wouldn’t last a moment against their mischief.

After securing the bricks firmly, Gao Yuan clapped his hands, opened the door, and went into the kitchen. He cooked some plain noodles in simple broth, then transferred them to a coarse ceramic bowl, adding a splash of soy sauce and vinegar before mixing it all together—a modest lunch.

He didn’t return to the southern room but dragged a small stool over, sat down, and slurped the noodles hungrily. After finishing, he washed the bowl at the sink, put it back in the cupboard, closed the kitchen door, and finally went back to his room.

With a full stomach, drowsiness came easy. With nothing pressing, Gao Yuan shed his clothes, leaving only his thermal underwear, and crawled under the quilt. Soon enough, he drifted off.

When he woke, dusk had fallen. Stretching lazily, he jumped from bed, put on his cotton-padded clothes and shoes... but quickly pulled his feet back. After standing on the ice all morning, his cotton shoes felt damp inside.

He found a pair of hard plastic slippers under the bed, slipped them on, and placed the damp cotton shoes by the stove to dry. The smell that wafted out was pungent, reminiscent of salted fish, almost overwhelming.

He dared not open the windows. The southern room faced backward and was naturally damp and chilly—typical of servants’ quarters in feudal times. Opening a window would let in a cold draft, making the room unbearable.

Gao Yuan grew increasingly dissatisfied with his living conditions, thinking he had to urge his father to return to the academy and claim their apartment. Weren’t they supposed to report back before the New Year? If they could secure the apartment before then, the whole family could celebrate the New Year in a proper building.

Suppressing the acrid smell, Gao Yuan stepped outside briskly, leaving the door slightly ajar to let in some fresh air and clear the stale indoor atmosphere.

He removed the bricks and lifted the wooden board, finding the water in the bucket frozen solid, encasing the fish in ice. Fetching an axe from the kitchen, he carefully chipped the ice around the bucket’s rim and pulled out the day’s lone catch—a sizable carp.

Next, he grabbed some scissors and ran to the sink to turn on the tap, only to find the faucet frozen solid. Resigned, he placed the carp in the basin, returned inside for a thermos, and poured hot water slowly over the iron pipe connecting to the tap to thaw it.

As cool water steamed out, Gao Yuan stopped, sealed the thermos, and set it aside before beginning to prepare the fish.

He scraped off the scales, gutted the fish, removed the innards and gills, then rinsed it clean. To his delight, the carp’s belly contained a large mass of roe—a precious, highly nutritious ingredient perfect for nourishing his father in the fish stew.

With a pleased smile, Gao Yuan thought to himself. As the sun set behind the hills, the courtyard that had been quiet all day came alive again.

Other residents were busy preparing their dinners in makeshift kitchens, the mingling scents of cooking and clattering pots and pans creating a harmonious symphony.

From the west room, Li Fengzhi emerged carrying a basin, lifting the door curtain as she saw Gao Yuan cleaning the fish—the carp weighed a hefty four or five pounds.

Her eyes lit up instantly.

“Oh, Xiao Yuan, that’s quite a fish. Did you buy it?” she asked, approaching quickly, staring intently at the carp.

“Fengzhi sister-in-law, where would I buy fresh fish in this weather? I caught it myself. Lucky to get such a big one,” Gao Yuan replied.

In this courtyard, the only neighbors Gao Yuan genuinely liked were Li Fengzhi and her husband.

Li Fengzhi’s husband, Wang Liwei, was a retired soldier who, after leaving the army, was assigned a job at the district housing management bureau. Wang was a man of integrity with the bearing of a soldier.

What was more precious was that Wang and Gao Yuan’s father could talk comfortably together. They shared a love for chess and often met to play during their free time.

Li Fengzhi worked at a plastic factory under the local street office, young but already the deputy workshop director. Her main job was producing plastic sandals.

The couple was well-liked, kept to themselves, and followed a steady routine of work and home. Gao Yuan recalled that when his father reclaimed this courtyard in their past life, the first to agree to move out were Li Fengzhi and Wang Liwei.

Wang approached his superiors, explained his family’s difficulties, and was soon allocated a new apartment.

This deepened Gao Yuan’s fondness for him. In contrast, the families in the north and east rooms stubbornly refused to leave despite his father’s pleas, causing much frustration.

“Well, in this cold, fresh fish isn’t sold in grocery stores. If there is, it’s frozen. Good salted fish goes for 38 cents, salted fish for 50 cents. Your carp would fetch 70 or 80 cents a pound at the store,” Li Fengzhi said, visibly swallowing hard.

In times of scarcity, ordinary folks rarely had the luxury of eating fresh meat freely.

Understanding her thoughts, Gao Yuan, seeing her hesitation, broke the ice first: “Has Liwei come home yet?”

“Not yet. Should be back in half an hour,” she answered.

“Then let’s eat together tonight. This fish is fat; my father and I can’t finish it alone. I’ll stew it and have Liwei join us for a drink,” Gao Yuan said.

Li Fengzhi dumped the basin water, rubbed her hands, and said, “No, no, you caught that fish braving the cold and snow. We can’t just come over and take advantage like that.”

Gao Yuan waved her off, “We’re neighbors; no need to be formal. Just this once, skip making dinner and come eat in the south room.”

Seeing his sincerity, Li Fengzhi smiled shyly and nodded. Then she added, “Wait a moment, I’ll get you a sauerkraut. Cut it into thin strips and add it to the stew. It’ll taste better.”

She hurried to the kitchen and soon returned with a head of sauerkraut.

Sauerkraut fish was no easy dish, but Gao Yuan knew how to make it.

Grinning, he took the sauerkraut and said, “Alright then, wait for your meal. I’m heading to the kitchen.”

Li Fengzhi laughed and said, “I’ll bring you two extra dishes.”

Among good neighbors, visiting meant never arriving empty-handed. Everyone was simple and happy to share any good food with close friends.

Gao Yuan smiled in agreement, carrying the sauerkraut in one hand and the carp in the other back to the kitchen to begin cooking.

He placed the fish on the chopping block, slicing the flesh diagonally off the bones, then chopped the bones into pieces for later.

He cracked an egg, separating the white into a large bowl, then added a capful of 63-degree Erguotou liquor before tossing in the fish slices. Mixing well, he marinated them to remove the fishy smell.

Next, he washed the sauerkraut, squeezed out excess water, and cut it into strips.

After slicing ginger, scallions, and garlic, he heated oil—rapeseed oil—in a wok. When it was hot, he added the ginger, scallions, and garlic to release their aroma.

Then he tossed in the sauerkraut, stir-frying for two to three minutes to bring out its flavor and the wok’s smoky essence. He poured in boiling water, added the fish bones, swim bladder, and roe.

After simmering for over ten minutes, the broth was richly flavored. Gao Yuan then carefully slid the fish slices along the edge of the pot, letting them set briefly before gently stirring to separate them.

When the fish changed color, he seasoned the stew with salt, MSG, sugar, and pepper.

As mentioned before, despite scarce resources, households could still buy basic seasonings—albeit in limited amounts.

Gao Yuan ladled the fish stew into a large bowl and carried it into the south room, just as his father arrived.

“Oh, it smells wonderful! Xiao Yuan, did you make this?” Gao Yuemin sniffed the air as he entered, approaching the steaming bowl of sauerkraut fish.

Gao Yuan smiled, bringing over chopsticks. “Yes, I did. Today was lucky; I caught quite a few big fish, but this carp was the only one. Sister-in-law Fengzhi gave me some sauerkraut, so I made this stew for you to try.”

“Smells great! I thought you were bragging about your cooking skills, but you really can cook. Who taught you?” Gao Yuemin asked, curious.

Gao Yuan had prepared an explanation. “You know after high school, I was idle and wandered around with Zhang Dalong. His father wasn’t pleased and found us some work. Uncle Zhang is a chef at the steel rolling mill’s canteen. I helped him in the kitchen and learned a few tricks, especially for cooking fish.”

The steel mill was a good place, not only because of Uncle Zhang but also because of people like Shazhu and the flamboyant Qin Huairu.

“Having skills never hurts. With a trade, you won’t worry about food in the future,” Gao Yuan’s father accepted the story readily. “Go call Liwei and Fengzhi over. Let them come eat.”

“Don’t move, Xiao Yuan. Fengzhi and I came uninvited,” Wang Liwei came in, pulling aside the curtain.

Li Fengzhi followed, carrying two dishes: scallion-fried eggs and a cold marinated cabbage heart—both perfect for drinking.

“Uncle, today we’re lucky to enjoy fresh fish thanks to Xiao Yuan,” Wang Liwei said, pulling out a cigarette and offering one to Gao Yuemin with a broad smile.

Gao Yuemin accepted, and Wang lit it for him. Taking a drag, Gao Yuemin’s lips curled into a smile. “This kid’s lucky to catch a carp in such cold weather. Liwei, don’t say you’re not taking credit. You’ve brought us plenty of meat and vegetables from time to time.”

“Sit, both of you. I’ll fetch some wine. Let’s have a drink, father and son.”