Wandering the world of film and television begins with the golden years

"La la la la~"

Li Xixi hummed a cheerful little tune. 💢😝 6➈𝓼Ħù𝐱.¢𝐨Ⓜ ♝🍪

Li Haoyu, meanwhile, was still deep in thought, pondering which work to choose.

Li Haoyu looked back.

He noticed that Li Xixi kept fiddling with the shoulder strap of the fish basket.

"Weren't all the fish sold out? Why is it still so heavy?"

Li Haoyu spoke directly.

"I used the food coupons you gave me to get some flour. I thought I'd exchange some for food and put it at home first. That way, if you have food at home, you won't panic."

Li Xixi said with a grin.

Li Haoyu peeked into the fish basket and saw that there were quite a few fish inside.

It must be quite heavy.

He wondered why Li Xixi was so obedient, always following behind him. Normally, Li Xixi would have darted ahead of Li Haoyu and made him chase after her.

In particular, the fish basket that Li Haoyu made was actually quite large.

Li Xixi was rather petite, which caused a problem. Every time she took a step, the fish basket would bump against her bottom.

The journey is not smooth now.

Li Xixi had been silently bumped along the way. Although there wasn't much in the fish basket, and the grain redeemed from the ration coupons wasn't heavy at all, it still looked quite arduous.

Li Haoyu really wanted to laugh.

But I also feel a little sorry for him.

He decided that once he got home, he would still modify the fish basket, making it smaller. Otherwise, it would truly become Li Xixi's torture device.

Li Haoyu said directly, "Give it to me, I'll carry it for you. Next time I'll have one custom-made to fit your height. That way it won't be so awkward."

Li Xixi dismissed it, saying, "This is nothing. I've carried straw as tall as myself before. This fish basket is nothing."

She even deliberately nudged the fish basket with her buttocks to indicate that she was very relaxed.

This action is really a bit funny.

But thinking about it carefully, it still makes one feel a little sour.

Li Haoyu may not know about others, but at Li Xixi's age, he was spoiled rotten by his family and spent all his time at home playing games.

Compared to Li Xixi's previous life experiences.

Li Haoyu was incredibly happy.

So he took the fish basket directly from behind Li Xixi.

"Don't talk back anymore. Do whatever I tell you to do. I'm the only man in the house now, so you have to listen to me."

"Okay, I understand."

Li Xixi did not resist this time.

She had tried to resist several times before, but each time she was suppressed by Li Haoyu.

So she knew that resistance was futile.

Li Xixi obediently accepted it.

"Then be careful not to move too much, this is enough for us to eat for several days. «-(¯`v´¯)-« 6➈Ⓢħᵘ𝕩.Ⓒᵒ𝕞 »-(¯`v´¯)-»"

Li Xixi was still a little worried and began to give Li Haoyu some instructions.

Li Haoyu nodded and said, "Alright, even if something happens to me, the food supply won't be affected."

Li Xixi quickly patted Li Haoyu on the back.

"You can't just say things like that. The local earth god is used to it, so don't take it seriously."

She clasped her hands together and placed them on her forehead in a gesture of prayer.

Li Haoyu couldn't help but smile when he saw Li Xixi's actions.

I never expected her to be so superstitious at such a young age.

Li Haoyu suddenly had an idea. "Xixi, let me ask you a question. What kind of books do you like to read?"

Li Xixi tilted her head and said, "What book? I haven't been to school in ages."

Li Haoyu was at a loss for words.

That's true, Li Xixi's family is even struggling to afford food.

Where would there be any spare money to support Li Xixi's schooling?

Li Haoyu said with a hint of guilt, "I'm sorry, I didn't think things through and said the wrong thing. If you're unhappy, you can say something to me."

Li Xixi, however, still smiled and said, "Actually, I'm just not cut out for studying. My eyes just can't stay open when I see math problems. I'd rather slack off with you than go to school."

"So I have nothing to be unhappy about."

"Well……"

Li Haoyu was at a loss for words.

This is not quite what I expected; indeed, you can never impose your ideas on others.

Li Haoyu nodded. "Slacking off is just entertainment. Even if you can't go to school, you still need to learn to study independently."

Li Haoyu said earnestly.

"The consequence of not learning is that you will be at the mercy of others without even realizing it; learning may not change your destiny, but it will definitely make you clearly feel the pain of living."

She couldn't help but say something after hearing this.

"Wouldn't that be even more painful? It would be happier to know nothing at all."

Li Haoyu said, "The true purpose of learning is to apply what you have learned to your real life; that is the ultimate goal of learning."

"True heroism is recognizing the truth of life and still loving it."

Li Haoyu glanced at Li Xixi and found that she still looked confused. "Never mind, this is still a bit far from your current level. You'll understand when you're a little older."

Li Xixi nodded.

However, she immediately darted in front of Li Haoyu again.

Li Xixi waved to Li Haoyu, urging him to catch up quickly.

Li Haoyu didn't know if she had actually listened to him or not.

He smiled helplessly and hurriedly chased after them.

This time I didn't have any luggage. 💗😈 👤♦

The two got home much faster than before.

Li Haoyu also began to keep his promise.

He was going to make the dish "Loach Drilling into Tofu" for Li Xixi.

Li Haoyu said to Li Xixi, "Your task today is to take some flour and exchange it with the village to make some tofu. Leave the rest to me."

Li Xixi said somewhat unwillingly, "How can tofu be as precious as flour? Aren't we losing out?"

Li Haoyu tapped her little head.

"It doesn't matter. Besides, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. You and Grandma have received a lot of help before, so now is not the time to haggle over every little thing."

Li Xixi rubbed her head helplessly. "I know, I was just kidding. And could you please stop hitting my head? It's so embarrassing!"

Li Haoyu said, "Then I'll give you an extra bowl later, okay? You should be satisfied now."

"Okay, I'll go get the tofu now."

Li Xixi skipped away, carrying the flour.

This girl is such a foodie; every time she's happy, it's related to food.

The same principle applies to catching fish, and it also applies to cooking.

I guess he was afraid of being hungry since he was a child.

However, Li Haoyu still had no idea what kind of book to write. He decided to cook first and then calm down and think it over carefully.

Strictly speaking, this is an extremely wasteful dish.

This dish requires a special pot and an adjustable stove; it cannot be cooked over charcoal. The chef must stay close to the loach and adjust the temperature according to its reaction. A slight mistake could ruin the entire dish.

Li Haoyu was too lazy to make it so elaborate, so he decided to just make tofu and loach soup.

It wasn't that Li Haoyu felt it was too cruel, but rather that the circumstances simply didn't allow it.

Because the fire in Li Xixi's house couldn't be controlled, such a large loach would be scalded to death before it even burrowed into the tofu.

Secondly, the tofu that Li Xixi borrowed wasn't tender enough; the loach couldn't burrow in at all. For it to be successful, it had to be freshly made soft tofu.

Too cold or too hot is no good; if it's too hot, the tofu will fall apart.

Soaking it in cold water for too long can cause it to harden, which is indeed difficult to control.

It's better to just make loach soup; it's delicious and tasty.

This method is much simpler, and Li Haoyu finished everything in less than half an hour.

The three of them sat at the dining table.

Li Xixi looked on with satisfaction and anticipation, waiting for the lid to be lifted.

"I'd like to see how a loach manages to burrow into tofu."

As soon as Li Haoyu opened it, Li Xixi immediately peeked out to see that there was only milky white loach soup.

Li Xixi hadn't given up yet, so she poked at it again with the spoon.

She discovered that the loach and tofu were completely separated.

Li Xixi couldn't help but retort, "How could you lie? The loach didn't burrow into the tofu at all!"

Li Haoyu calmly replied, "Of course they burrowed. It's just that these were wild loaches, and they're quite strong. After they burrowed, the tofu was ruined."

"So this is how it turned out. How can you not believe me?"

"Yeah?"

Li Xixi heard Li Haoyu's confident tone.

She hesitated for a moment.

Could it be that I really misunderstood him?

This is exactly how loaches burrow into tofu.

Li Haoyu noticed that Li Xixi hesitated.

He continued, "Yes, just like boiled cabbage is actually cooked in chicken broth. So, isn't it perfectly reasonable for me to act like a loach burrowing into tofu?"

Li Xixi was bewitched by Li Haoyu.

She apologized to Li Haoyu, saying, "That was my fault. I've never heard of this apology before. I misunderstood you, Brother Haoyu."

Li Haoyu waved his hand, "It's not your fault, this dish is indeed quite rare."

"Actually, there's a little story behind this. Would you like to hear it?"

Li Xixi nodded.

She seemed very interested.

Seeing this, Li Haoyu was quite satisfied and began to speak.

"Legend has it that this was invented by a fisherman who often caught loaches while fishing. He would sell the larger loaches first."

"The smaller ones were left uneaten, so I had to take them home and cook them myself. Although loach is delicious, he got a little tired of eating it so often. One time…"

"Fishermen are so hard they get tired of eating loach!"

"Then I want to be a fisherman too, so I can eat meat every day," Li Xixi interrupted Li Haoyu.

Li Haoyu glared at Li Xixi.

She then calmed down again.

Seeing that Li Xixi was no longer saying anything, he continued talking.

"So one time, wanting to try something different, he bought some tofu, scallions, ginger, and other seasonings. But that time the mud was unusually small."

"He simply scooped the fish out of the pot, covered it, and cooked it with ginger, garlic, and tofu." When he lifted the lid after cooking, he found that the small loaches had all burrowed into the tofu, with only their tails sticking out, which was quite unique and interesting.

"This method quickly spread among the local people and became known as 'Loach Drilling into Tofu'."

At this moment, Li Xixi raised her hand.

This left Li Haoyu completely bewildered. He said, "Why did you raise your hand? Just say what you have to say. I'm not lecturing you."

Li Xixi said somewhat aggrievedly, "You just glared at me, and now you're criticizing me for raising my hand."

Li Haoyu touched his chin, and it seemed that it really was true.

He coughed to cover up his embarrassment.

"Alright, just say what your question is."

Li Xixi said very seriously, "Then isn't this dish just a gimmick? Whether the loach burrows in or not, doesn't it taste the same?"

Li Haoyu was momentarily speechless.

He even thought that what Li Xixi said made a lot of sense.

However, Li Haoyu quickly said something.

"What you said actually makes some sense, but that's the importance of packaging. Some dishes are exactly the same, but the prices vary drastically in different places."

"Actually, it's not just food, people are the same. You'll understand when you're a little older, but it's no use talking about it now. Try my food first."

Li Xixi nodded and then poured a bowl.

She was about to drink it directly when Li Haoyu stopped her.

Li Xixi said with a puzzled look.

"What's wrong? Why won't you let me drink?"

Li Haoyu smiled and said, "Although the loach didn't burrow into the tofu, you can try to do it manually. This dish must be eaten with the fish to truly appreciate its essence."

Li Xixi nodded, so that's how it is.

However, she was still somewhat skeptical. Wasn't this just like fish soup? Could it possibly have some magical transformation?

Li Xixi tentatively took a sip.

Her eyes widened instantly.

Li Haoyu said, "See? I wasn't exaggerating. Isn't it completely different from what you usually drink?"

"The key to this dish is freshness."

"The cool and refreshing umami of tofu, the smooth and refreshing umami of loach, it's a pity that taro is missing, otherwise, the silky and lingering umami of taro would make it even more perfect."

Li Xixi said with some doubt, "But we also ate loach yesterday, but the loach that day wasn't as delicious as it is today."

"They're clearly the same loaches, so why is this happening?"

Li Haoyu smiled and said, "These are all little secrets, but I'll tell you anyway. Because I keep it in clean water, only letting it out and not letting it in, for a whole day and night. It's still very delicious even without removing the internal organs."

Li Xixi nodded in sudden realization, "I see."

Li Haoyu was still a little unsatisfied.

"Actually, there's an even more advanced method: feed it egg whites. It usually won't eat egg whites, but it will if it's starved for three days."

As a result, Li Haoyu discovered that after he finished speaking...

Suddenly, there was complete silence.

Li Xixi said, "Is that so extravagant? Feeding loaches with egg whites, what kind of family does that belong to?"

Li Haoyu then realized that he had said the wrong thing.

In this era and during this special period, this is not just extravagance, it's downright wasteful behavior.

Li Haoyu hurriedly explained, "I heard this from someone else; it's only done this way at some high-end banquets."

He felt that after he finished speaking...

The way the two of them were looking at him was strange.