Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 259: She Wants to Make Raw Pickled Seafood

"I’ve already transferred to a civilian job. I’m just staying at Uncle Xia’s place, so the unit can’t control me. Besides, oysters are only two cents a pound, and anchovies are four cents, with no ration tickets needed. People in the unit buy these all the time," Qin Kaize said, effectively easing Grandma Lin’s worries.

Su Yijia gave him a covert thumbs up and continued to wash the crabs with more enthusiasm.

Qin Kaize grabbed a clean brush and squatted down beside her, scrubbing diligently.

Su Yijia had realized earlier that the oysters here were actually just small ones. Technically, they were the same species, but smaller ones were usually called oysters. The army’s boats, anchored offshore, often got covered in them. They scraped them off and sold them to the supply and marketing cooperative. After being pried open, the meat inside was at most the size of half an egg. Out of a hundred pounds of oysters, getting thirty pounds of meat was considered good. After cooking, the weight would likely reduce further, perhaps to fifteen pounds. In these times, with big appetites and large households, buying more was definitely necessary.

The anchovies, small as they were, were perfect for frying. Kids loved them as snacks, and frying a large batch could last up to ten days, adding an extra dish to the table. However, oil was a precious commodity these days. Often, several families would pool their oil to fry a big batch at once. Given that they had arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative late, Su Yijia remembered there weren’t many oysters and anchovies left, hence why she asked Gao Huabin to buy them all.

After washing all the crabs and shrimp, Su Yijia set aside a small portion, placing them into two basins. Into each basin, she poured three bottles of Moutai, then wrapped them tightly with oil paper, binding it securely to ensure not a drop of the liquor’s aroma would escape. Only after confirming it was sealed did she set them aside.

Watching this whole process, Grandma Lin’s heart twinged. She stole a glance at Qin Kaize, noticing that her grandson-in-law remained completely unfazed. Clearly, he didn’t see his wife’s actions as wasteful, and only then did Grandma Lin relax.

If the young couple was fine with their lifestyle, as elders, there was no need to interfere.

"What are you making here? Drunken crabs?" Grandpa Lin asked, hands clasped behind his back as he examined the two basins.

"Raw marinated crabs. The high-proof liquor sterilizes them, then they’re soaked in seasonings. It’s delicious, but some people’s stomachs can’t handle it, and they might get an upset stomach after eating it. Plus, it’s not something you should eat often--too much of it, and there’s a risk of parasites," Su Yijia quickly explained the downsides of raw marinated seafood.

Though she claimed it was for tomorrow’s banquet, in reality, it was mostly to satisfy her own cravings. Still, she figured if anyone else gave it a try, they’d surely fall in love with the taste.

But after hearing her explanation, Grandpa Lin couldn’t help but mutter to himself. Who could afford to eat this often? Using that much Moutai to soak the seafood, it must be more expensive than eating pork!

Luckily, Ze was a man who doted on his wife, letting her spend freely. Plus, with the wealth of the Qin family, no amount of money could run them dry.

If she’d married an ordinary man with just a regular salary, he’d probably have blown up long ago. Su Yijia really was fortunate, marrying such a good man. It was the perfect ending after all her hardships.

"Could it have parasites?" Qin Kaize’s tone grew serious.

Su Yijia felt a chill and quickly turned to him, earnestly assuring him, "I promise, eating just a bit won’t cause any issues. Only if you let me eat a big bowl every day for ten years."

"That’s still a risk," Qin Kaize insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument. To him, nothing was more important than his wife’s health.

"I’m a doctor; I wouldn’t risk my own health," For the sake of satisfying her cravings, Su Yijia had no problem spouting blatant lies with a straight face. Qin Kaize wanted to reason with her, but she had already turned away, giving him no chance to speak.

She had scrubbed the crabs and shrimp, poured the liquor, and the seasonings were nearly ready. There was no way she was going to stop now, let alone give up on eating it.

Qin Kaize bent down slightly, his gaze falling on her puffed-up cheeks, swollen with indignation. She looked just like a little frog, and he couldn’t help but find her irresistibly adorable.

Seeing her pout, Qin Kaize found her adorably frog-like and couldn’t stay angry.

"Alright, we’ll do as you say. But this is the only time--we won’t eat it again, okay?" Qin Kaize gently poked her cheek, his gaze softening, as if he were speaking to a child.

"Just this once this year," Su Yijia quickly clarified.

Qin Kaize thought about it for a moment. If the college entrance exams were reinstated, his wife would surely be off to university, spending several years there with no time to even think about raw marinated seafood.

With that in mind, he agreed.

"Sister-in-law, I’ve got the oysters!" Gao Huabin entered the kitchen, carrying a basket nearly as tall as himself. It was filled to the brim with oysters, along with a smaller basket of anchovies. The oysters weighed close to two hundred pounds, while the anchovies were around thirty pounds at most.

Once all the seafood was piled in the kitchen, it instantly became cramped.

"Grandpa, Grandma, why don’t you both go rest in the living room for a bit? We need to prep the ingredients," Su Yijia said, knowing the next steps wouldn’t be convenient with them present. She gently tried to usher them out.

But Grandma and Grandpa Lin, seeing how much work needed to be done, were reluctant to leave. "We’ll stay and help. It’s too much to leave everything to you youngsters."

"The oysters are too bulky right now. Let Kaize sort them out first, and once everything’s cleared, you can help," Su Yijia persuaded.

After taking another look at the mess on the floor, the two elders finally agreed. It was too crowded to move around in the kitchen anyway, so they retreated.

"Make sure to call us once you’re done prepping. Don’t take too long; Weiguo will be back in an hour and a half for lunch," Grandma Lin reminded them, still a bit worried.

"Don’t worry, Grandma. We won’t delay lunch!" Su Yijia assured her.

Once they heard the radio switch on in the living room, Gao Huabin quickly chimed in, "Sister-in-law, I’ll stay and help. Washing all these oysters is going to take forever."

"No need to wash them. Go grab a pair of burlap gloves, a hammer, and a chisel. I’m going to shuck them and extract all the meat," Su Yijia replied, planning to make oyster sauce and an oyster omelet. The anchovies would be turned into fish sauce.

"I’ll handle it," Gao Huabin said, not giving Su Yijia a chance to argue before he darted out of the kitchen.