The next morning after breakfast, Li Menglan took a small wooden basin and washed a basin of river snails; then, with great patience, she worked with her two older brothers to break off the pointed tips of the snails.
"Little sister, can we eat these after a quick stir-fry?" Li Zhihao asked curiously, swallowing hard.
"Not yet, Second Brother. In a bit, we need to first boil these in a pot with bones and monk fruit. Then we'll add chili peppers and other spices and stir-fry everything together until flavorful." Li Menglan gestured for her second brother to pick up the snails and follow her to the kitchen.
In truth, many people didn't stew snails with bones the way Li Menglan did; usually they simply tossed them straight into the wok to be stir-fried until flavorful.
The boatmen's method was as follows: first, heat oil and sauté Sichuan peppercorns, pickled ginger, pickled chili peppers, pickled radish, wild mountain peppers, and garlic until fragrant. Then add Pixian doubanjiang, turning the color a bright red.
Next, add the snails. After stir-frying for a few minutes, pour in white liquor. Continue stir-frying, then add enough water to submerge the snails. Cover and simmer until the broth is nearly absorbed, then finally toss in garlic sprouts, and it's ready to serve.
The reason Li Menglan chose to stew them with bones first was, one, to make the snail meat more savory and delicious; and two? To accommodate the elderly members of the household whose teeth weren't as strong, so they wouldn't have to exert themselves too much while eating.
Just as Li Menglan finished stewing the snails, the clatter of a horse carriage sounded in the courtyard. "Lan'er." Zhao Qingyun's clear voice rang out next.
"Lan girl, what delicious thing are you making now? This old man could smell the aroma from far away." The loud, booming voice that followed closely behind Zhao Qingyun—who else could it belong to but Old Master Zhao, who suffered from a severe case of gourmet obsession?
"Second Brother, you can make the fire in the stove a little smaller now. I'll go greet Grandpa Zhao and the others first, and take out the spices while I'm at it." Li Menglan instructed her second brother.
"Go ahead, little sister. I'll watch the fire." Although Li Zhihao hadn't yet tasted the snails, just smelling the fragrance already made his mouth water. He was deeply convinced—the snails his little sister spoke of would definitely be delicious.
"Brother Zhao, Grandpa Zhao, why did you two come so early today?" Li Menglan walked out of the kitchen and greeted Zhao Qingyun and Old Master Zhao with a smile.
Today, Zhao Qingyun was dressed in white as usual, giving off a sickly impression. Unfortunately....after seeing yesterday's Zhao Qingyun, Li Menglan no longer dared to underestimate the young man before her. Even though he currently wore a gentle smile on his face, Li Menglan still nodded at him very politely.
"Lan girl, what you're making in the kitchen is that snail thing you once mentioned, right? A very fragrant smell." Old Master Zhao took a deep sniff.
Li Menglan smiled slightly. "Mmhmm....Grandpa Zhao, please have a seat first. Wait just a little longer....after I finish stir-frying the snails, I'll bring them over for you to taste."
"Brother Zhao, where are the spices I asked you to buy yesterday? Give them to me! I need them for stir-frying the snails." Li Menglan stretched out her hand toward Zhao Qingyun.
"Wait a moment." Zhao Qingyun leaned into the carriage and took out the spices Li Menglan had requested yesterday. "Lan'er, Brother Zhao brought you a gift. I'll give it to you after you're finished."
"Alright! Then Brother Zhao, you and Grandpa Zhao sit down first. I'm going back to the kitchen." Concerned about the snails on the stove, Li Menglan didn't stand on ceremony with Zhao Qingyun and quickly walked inside.
To ensure the flavor of the spicy river snails, Li Menglan had already prepared chopped chili peppers and chili sauce. The scallions and garlic were also washed and set aside.
After fishing the snails out of the pot, Li Menglan didn't discard the rich broth. Instead, she filled a clay jar with it. Today at noon, she planned for the whole family to eat noodles. Mm....that was because while stewing the snails, she had recalled a very famous delicacy from later generations in Liuzhou—Luosifen, river snail rice noodles.
Naturally, true Luosifen was impossible to make right now, but having snail noodles to taste wasn't bad either. Hehe....it could also satisfy her craving.
After heating the wok, Li Menglan poured in some oil. As the cooking smoke rose with a sizzling sound, the fragrant, numbing aroma soon wafted from the kitchen, making one's mouth water.
"Qingyun, where on earth does this girl get so many clever ideas? And she can actually make such delicious things?" Old Master Zhao, sitting under the eaves, took a fierce sniff and smacked his lips in admiration.
After speaking, Old Master Zhao glared at Zhao Qingyun with a look of bitter disappointment. "Qingyun! Your grandfather is such a gourmet. How is it you don't have even half of Lan girl's skill? You...."
Uh....Zhao Qingyun rubbed his nose innocently. Very well....this was probably what the old saying meant....when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer. Ever since his family's old man resigned from office, he had veered sideways onto the path of a true foodie.
Hehe....impressive. Before, he was invincible across the world in battle; now, was he invincible across the world in eating? In a spot where Old Master Zhao couldn't see, Zhao Qingyun rolled his eyes helplessly toward the sky.
After adding salt to the wok, Li Menglan tasted the flavor. "Second Brother, pull some firewood out of the stove. A low simmer now should be enough."
"Little sister, the smell of these snails is strangely tantalizing. Even hearing about it makes Second Brother swallow his saliva." Li Zhihao could be considered quite the oddity in the Li family.
Before, the family hadn't had the means, so Li Dazhu never realized his second son would turn out to be a foodie. Now that the family's circumstances had improved, and Li Menglan often concocted all sorts of strange and novel foods, Li Zhihao had gradually revealed his true nature as well....hehe....the true nature of a foodie.
"Second Brother, don't be impatient either. When noon comes, we'll make noodles. Those noodles made with snail broth...." Li Menglan smiled until her eyes curved into crescents. "Second Brother, that's what you'd call truly delicious."
As the siblings chatted, the broth had nearly reduced. Li Menglan smiled slightly. "Second Brother, go to the backyard and call Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, and our maternal grandparents back to wash their hands and taste these spicy river snails!"
When it came to food, Li Zhihao was more enthusiastic than anyone. Before Li Menglan's words had even finished, he had already run off without a trace.
Hehe....this second brother of hers. Li Menglan shook her head with amusement, carefully took out a clean large clay basin, and transferred the snails from the wok into it. Of course....there were also the small toothpicks that Li Menglan had already asked her little maternal uncle to whittle beforehand. Only then did she unhurriedly carry the basin out using a cloth.
Zhao Qingyun was stunned as he watched Li Menglan walk out of the kitchen. Uh....the little girl before his eyes was no longer the child he had seen that day. For the first time in these past few days, Zhao Qingyun carefully scrutinized Li Menglan.
Her palm-sized face carried a healthy flush, with bright eyes, curved eyebrows, and a straight nose; and that rosy little mouth....though not extremely beautiful, she was sweet and adorable.
She was still wearing that same white dress with blue flowers, only now there was a triangular headscarf of the same pattern on her head. This was something Li Menglan had specially made to keep her hair from getting stained with cooking fumes.
A typical peasant girl stood there prettily before Zhao Qingyun. His heart....uncontrollably skipped several beats.
When Zhao Qingyun's eyes landed on the steaming hot spicy snails in her hands....his brows furrowed involuntarily. "Lan'er, these are scalding hot. Don't you know to wait for them to cool before bringing them out? At the very least, you could have called out to Brother Zhao to help you."
Zhao Qingyun reached out and took the clay basin from Li Menglan's hands, frowning as he lectured her while asking, "Lan'er, where should I put this?"
Li Menglan hadn't yet recovered from Zhao Qingyun's nagging. Upon hearing his question, she reflexively pointed at a table placed outside. "Here....Brother Zhao, just put it on that table."
Li Menglan felt....today's Zhao Qingyun was a bit strange, as if he wasn't quite the same as usual; yet she couldn't put her finger on exactly what was strange.