Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 97
by Little PandaJiro Fish Soup with Shredded Bamboo Shoots and Bamboo Tube Rice
Liu Yinxi followed her gaze, her eyes curving into warm crescents. “Wow, Teacher Nan, we can expand our recipe repertoire once more!”
Beneath a few stalks of tender bamboo by the stream, a few fresh bamboo shoots peeked out timidly. Their outer sheaths were dusted with soil, well-hidden under the cover of the surrounding grass; one would easily miss them without a careful look.
Liu Yinxi parted the grass and sheaths, taking out a section of bamboo sheet to dig up the bamboo shoots.
Nan Huaixu leaned down to examine the tiny shoots. “What kind of bamboo is this? Are the shoots edible?”
The newly sprouted shoots were very soft and tender. With very little effort, she easily dug one out and popped it into a plastic bag. “I’m not sure which species this is either, but basically all bamboo shoots are edible. It’s just a matter of flavor and texture. Varieties like moso or sweet bamboo are delicious and are the most common edible kinds, but wild ones can be hit-or-miss. If they have too much fiber, they’ll be too tough to chew.”
Nan Huaixu nodded in understanding. “Let’s test our luck then and see how these shoots turn out.”
Liu Yinxi held up a slender shoot for her to see. “They’re so thin, and practically bursting with moisture if you pinch them. As long as they’re easy to chew, they’re bound to taste good.”
“Mhm. Do we need to do anything to keep them fresh? They’re so tender—won’t they dry out by the time we head back tonight?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll have lunch right here,” Liu Yinxi said with a laugh, pulling an aluminum mess tin from her backpack. “I brought our cookware.”
Nan Huaixu mysteriously retrieved a small bottle from her backpack. “What a coincidence. I brought salt.”
Liu Yinxi burst out laughing. Her hand slipped, sending the half-dug bamboo shoot falling into the dirt. She raised her arm to rub her forehead, which was tickled by a stray strand of hair. “Teacher Nan, you didn’t bring enough water, yet you actually saved space to bring salt!”
Nan Huaixu cleared her throat. “Ahem. We can always fetch river water and boil it to drink. But since we’re staying out so long today, what if we wanted to have a picnic? We can’t do without salt.”
Liu Yinxi gave her a thumbs-up. “Pure foresight! Our Teacher Nan is always exceptionally reliable. Having you here makes me feel so safe.”
Nan Huaixu’s lips curved. She picked up a sturdy wooden stick to help dig up the tender shoots. “You’re praising me to high heaven. If we’re eating this, what else are we having?”
“Hmm…” Liu Yinxi paused, looking around. “Let’s head down to the riverbank in a bit and see if we can forage anything good.”
That morning, they had steamed some rice, stuffed it with a little grilled fish, rolled it into spheres the size of ping-pong balls, and wrapped them in pandan leaves to serve as trail rations. They had only made a few—two for each of them—which was clearly not enough for lunch.
She checked the time on her bracelet; it was already 11:30 AM. They decided to have lunch first, then gather a basket of bamboo strips to take back to their shelter.
Following the stream out of the bamboo forest, they passed the millennium-old banyan tree. Nan Huaixu paused, pressing her hands together in a devout prayer for blessings before the giant banyan.
Liu Yinxi waited quietly for her to finish before they walked together toward the river shoal below the stepped waterfall.
“The churning water under the waterfall is rich in oxygen, which kicks up nutrients from the bottom,” Liu Yinxi explained as she studied the river’s flow. She selected a shallow spot where the surface rippled continuously. “Fish and shrimp love to gather in places like that. Let’s shave two wooden spears and try to spear some fish here.”
Nan Huaixu looked back toward the bamboo forest and asked, “Would it work to cut down two thin bamboo stalks and sharpen the tips?”
“That works too,” Liu Yinxi replied.
“I’ll go look for them,” Nan Huaixu said.
Liu Yinxi began gathering heavy stones from the riverbank. “Alright, I’ll build a little maze in the shallows while I wait for you.”
The so-called maze involved arranging stones in the shallow water to create barriers, herding the fish into a dead end to make spearing or netting them much easier.
Near the ancient banyan tree, the current ran gently, meaning the stones wouldn’t easily wash away. Liu Yinxi removed her hiking shoes and socks, rolled up her pant legs, and waded into a narrow stretch of the river. She hauled the rocks into the water, arranging them into a funnel shape that was wide at the mouth and tapered tightly inward.
She was halfway through setting up the stone barriers when Nan Huaixu returned carrying several bamboo poles. Seeing her stacking stones in the river like toy blocks, she laughed and said, “What fun thing are you playing without me?”
Liu Yinxi straightened up and waved. “Teacher Nan, want to join?”
“What is this for? Do we just arrange the stones in order?”
“Pretty much. Come over and I’ll show you. Put your shoes and socks on that big boulder on the bank; mine are there too.”
Nan Huaixu set her footwear aside. Leaning on her trekking pole, she stepped carefully into the running water. Her toes had barely touched the river water when she suddenly pulled back. “It’s freezing!”
Liu Yinxi turned to look at her while cradling a heavy rock. “It’s refreshing! The weather is so hot; you’ll get used to it in no time.”
Nan Huaixu lowered her feet back in, inch by inch, until the water reached her calves. Just as Liu Yinxi had said, her skin quickly adapted to the cool temperature.
“There aren’t any leeches in here, are there?” Nan Huaixu asked, pausing after taking a couple of steps.
“Probably not. This is flowing water, and the waterfall ahead has a very swift current. But just in case, we’ll check thoroughly when we get back on land. I haven’t been bitten so far.”
“Alright. I brought insect repellent.”
Liu Yinxi waded closer to Nan Huaixu and extended a hand. The water here was already above their knees, and Nan Huaixu felt the heavy drag of the current with every step. She immediately clasped Liu Yinxi’s hand and moved to her side.
“Teacher Nan, look at how the stone barrier is angled. The opening is wide facing the downward flow of the water, and then it gradually narrows.”
“I see. It’s the same principle as a fish trap.”
“Exactly. Now we arrange them like this…”
An extra pair of hands brought extra strength, and their efficiency was greatly improved. They quickly finished setting up the stone array, then waited patiently for two hours. Afterward, they herded the fish and shrimp that had swum into the trap toward the end of the maze, where sharp bamboo spears lay in wait for the little fish. The fishes’ final destination would be a steaming hot mess tin over the campfire.
According to survival protocol, when catching prey, they would keep the larger catches and release the ones that were too small.
Liu Yinxi kept two river fish measuring twenty to thirty centimeters. Carrying them skewered on her bamboo spear, she waded back ashore and sat on a waterside stone to scrape off their scales.
Nan Huaixu built a stone stove and started a fire. She watched as Liu Yinxi finished cleaning the first fish, stuffing the entrails she removed into a plastic bottle before starting on the second.
“I don’t think I’ve seen this kind of fish before,” Nan Huaixu remarked. She had eaten plenty of fish during the competition; though she could not identify the species, she had grown familiar with their general appearances.
She began to grow interested in the ecological environment here. “Is it because the river system here is different from the one near our shelter? Does this area not belong to the Toa River basin?”
“It does, but different catching methods and river sections yield different species,” Liu Yinxi said, lifting the tail of the as-yet-uncleaned fish. “We’re in luck. This is a Jiro fish, the River King of Jinzhou Island.”
“The King?” Nan Huaixu leaned closer to inspect the yellowish-green fish. It bore a striking resemblance to a carp, likely belonging to the cyprinid family. “Can something this small really rule the rivers of Jinzhou? I would think the true river kings of Jinzhou would be the Siamese crocodiles or the giant catfish.”
Liu Yinxi set the Jiro fish down and began scraping its scales. “In terms of ferocity or sheer size, you’re absolutely right. But the Jiro fish’s title of River King was bestowed by the gourmands of Jinzhou Island. That’s because it is, hands down, the most delicious river fish in Jinzhou. Its meat is incredibly sweet, as smooth and tender as hibiscus egg custard, and carries a delicate, unique aroma. They say it loves to eat the windmill fruit that falls into the water, which infuses its flesh with a subtle fruity flavor.”
Nan Huaixu’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Then it certainly deserves the title. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a fish that eats fruit.”
Liu Yinxi found Nan Huaixu incredibly adorable, her eyes shining at the mention of good food, and could not help but chuckle. “Hahaha! I can’t help but say this, Teacher Nan, but you’re just like a stray cat I used to feed. Your eyes go completely round the second you hear the rustling of a food bag.”
“You used to feed a cat?”
“Yeah, a long time ago. It was a stray in my neighborhood. But so many years have passed; it has probably flown to the cat star by now, living a life free of hunger.”
Nan Huaixu’s expression softened. “Yes,” she murmured.
Liu Yinxi thoroughly rinsed the two gutted fish, then placed them on the heated flat rock slab. She had first slicked the slab with palm oil to heat it up, and now she seared both sides of the fish.
“Teacher Nan, could you please wash the bamboo shoots, slice them into shreds, and blanch them beforehand?”
“Sure thing.”
Dividing the labor, and taking advantage of the gap while the skin of the searing fish was setting, Liu Yinxi chopped a thick section of bamboo, stuffed the small rice balls inside, and added a splash of bamboo juice1. She sealed the opening of the bamboo tube with pandan leaves and grass vines, then placed the bamboo tube on the wooden rack to steam.
Once the second pot of water had boiled, Liu Yinxi slid the lightly crisped fish into the boiling water, added the blanched bamboo shoot shreds, and let them bubble and blub. After simmering for a few minutes, a rich, savory aroma wafted through the air.
Liu Yinxi took a deep breath of the moist, fragrant steam rising from the fish soup, her face full of anticipation. “And for the final step: adding a pinch of sea salt for flavor.”
Nan Huaixu produced the small bottle of salt. “Salt is here!”
“You do the honors, Teacher Nan,” Liu Yinxi said. “Just a touch of saltiness is enough to bring out the flavor of the broth.”
Nan Huaixu unscrewed the cap and gave the bottle a gentle shake. The sea salt quickly dissolved into the broth, and Liu Yinxi stirred it thoroughly with a pair of freshly shaved bamboo chopsticks.
When simmering soup, Liu Yinxi liked to leave the pot uncovered first to allow any gamey or off-flavors to evaporate before covering it to let the rich flavors meld.
She covered the mess tin with a clean leaf, raised the tin slightly higher above the flames, and left it to simmer slowly over low heat.
Estimating that the timing was just right, she peeled back the leaf and cracked open the bamboo tube. The Jiro fish soup with shredded bamboo shoots and meatball bamboo tube rice were ready, bursting with a fresh, savory fragrance.
Liu Yinxi shaved two wide bamboo sheets to serve as small bowls and handed one to Nan Huaixu. “Time to eat, let’s eat!”
She reached her chopsticks into the mess tin, gently taking out the Jiro fish’s crescent meat2 and plump fish lips, placing them in Nan Huaixu’s bamboo sheet bowl. “Teacher Nan, the essence of the Jiro fish lies in its lips. The lips of this fish are very thick, making them a gourmand’s favorite.”
Nan Huaixu stared at the fish lips and crescent meat inside her bamboo sheet bowl, her gaze turning slightly blank.
It had been a very long time since she last recalled the memories of their family dinners when she was a child.
The Nan family was rarely together; they couldn’t even gather enough people for a full table on New Year’s Eve. During the mere two or three reunions they did have, the plate of fish at the center of the New Year’s feast was always claimed first by her mama, who liked to eat the fish brains.
The second chopstick-swipe came from her mami, who would place the crescent meat in A Ling’s bowl, saying with a smile, “A Ling, the essence of this fish is the crescent meat. You eat it.”
Ever since then, Nan Huaixu never reached for the crescent meat when eating fish.
She would just leave it.
“Teacher Nan?” Liu Yinxi asked, placing some shredded bamboo shoots into her bowl. “Is there something wrong with the fish?”
Nan Huaixu snapped out of her reverie, a faint watery sheen rippling in her sparkling eyes.
She lowered her head, picking up the fish lip to eat, then picked up the crescent meat and ate it as well. She looked up and gave Liu Yinxi a radiant smile. “No. The fish is just too delicious.”
She now had someone who would pick out the crescent meat for her, too.
This person had even said she would treat her well for a lifetime.
She hoped that next New Year’s Eve, she would still be able to eat such a crescent.
Footnotes
- zhúzhī: bamboo juice, a clear, slightly sweet liquid harvested from the joints of young bamboo, known in traditional Chinese medicine for its cooling and thirst-quenching properties.
- yuèyá ròu: the highly prized, crescent-shaped tender meat located behind a fish's cheek, considered by Chinese gourmands to be a supreme delicacy.
0 Comments