Chapter 7: It's All Because of Poverty

When the father and son entered the house, they smelled an increasingly strong fragrance, but they still couldn't believe that it came from their home.

In the kitchen, Lin Xia was doing the last step: collecting the soup! The dish was ready, so she picked up a large enamel basin to hold the braised pork.

Lin Xia skillfully made another dish of stir-fried pork and vegetables.

As soon as the braised pork was placed on the table, Lin's mother and Wang Yanmei kept their eyes on it. Looking at the tempting color, they could not believe that it was made by Lin Xia, but it was made right under their noses.

Outside the kitchen, the closer the Lin father and son got to the kitchen, the stronger the aroma became. They were curious and expectant, and wanted to see what was going on in the house.

The green vegetables were put into the pan and stir-fried with a sizzling sound. After a few stirs, an alluring aroma went straight into the noses of the father and son. Father Lin looked at his daughter busying herself in front of the stove and couldn't believe it.

Lin Jianguo, who was behind, was shocked when he saw that it was Lin Xia who was cooking. The shocked look on his face showed that he and Lin's father were indeed father and son.

Lin Xia directly took the fried vegetables out of the pan and put them on a plate, pouring the sauce at the bottom of the pan over the vegetables.

Hu Zi, who had been waiting impatiently, saw his aunt putting the dishes on the plate and couldn't help asking, "Is it ready? I want to eat meat."

As soon as he entered the room, he saw the braised pork on the plate. His short legs went straight to the meat, but he was too tall to reach the stove. He jumped up and down excitedly, and his saliva flowed to his chin as he opened his mouth to speak.

When Lin Xia saw the chubby little guy, she was attracted by his baby voice. She picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth.

When Hu Zi saw the meat being fed, he opened his mouth wide like a hungry bird, and when the meat entered his mouth, his eyes narrowed with satisfaction.

When Wang Yanmei saw her sister-in-law's actions and her son's happy look, her heart moved slightly. This is why, although she was dissatisfied with her sister-in-law, she still wanted her to marry someone better.

The people nearby watched the little tiger eating with his head shaking and swallowing madly, but they were too embarrassed to imitate the child, and their eyes could not help but stare at the delicious braised pork.

"It's so delicious!" Hu Zi swallowed the meat in his mouth and praised happily.

Lin Xia finished the last dish and said, "The meal is ready, you can eat now."

Everyone came back to their senses and started carrying the dishes out of the kitchen.

When the food was served, everyone couldn't wait to sit down, looking at the braised pork with burning eyes, ready to start eating.

The whole place was silent, and no one picked up their chopsticks for a moment. They couldn't believe the bowl of meat in front of them. Was it Chinese New Year today? Even the meat during Chinese New Year in previous years had never been so delicious!

Lin Xia had walked so much and was busy preparing lunch, so when she sat down and smelled the delicious food, she felt very hungry.

Seeing that no one was eating, Lin Xia took the initiative to ask Lin's father and mother to start eating first, "Mom and Dad, stop watching. Eat quickly."

She didn't feel any burden when calling them "Mom and Dad". Since she inherited the body of the original owner, Mr. and Mrs. Lin naturally became her responsibility.

After waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Lin to finish picking up the dishes, Lin Xia also picked up a piece for her little nephew who had been waiting with his bowl in hand, while calling on her brother and sister-in-law to try it quickly.

Wu Fangfang couldn't hold it in any longer, but she didn't dare to speak, for fear that as soon as she opened her mouth, her saliva would flow out, which would be embarrassing.

She watched her parents-in-law start eating, then she picked up her chopsticks and went straight to the center. As soon as the braised pork took a bite, Wu Fangfang couldn't help but widen her eyes. She had never eaten such delicious meat, the fatty parts melted in her mouth, and the lean parts were not dry at all.

Lin Xia picked up a piece of trembling braised pork, which had distinct fat and lean parts and a rosy red color. It was crispy and soft in the mouth, and the meat melted in the mouth without even using her teeth.

She nodded with satisfaction. Well, this tastes better than what she had made before. She didn’t know if it was because the pork at that time was not raised on feed, but the pork of later generations not only had no meaty taste, but was also unpalatable.

She thinks braised pork is best made with pork belly, which has alternating fat and lean meat and a richer taste.

There was too little meat, so Lin Xia only ate two pieces and stopped. She would eat as much as she could when she made money in the future.

She turned around and picked up the vegetables. She only used lard and salt to stir-fry them. The dish tasted refreshing and delicious, with a hint of sweetness.

The vegetables at that time were all grown by farmers with great effort in the soil. Unlike later generations, when greenhouse vegetables were gradually replaced by soilless cultivation, the vegetables also lost their original flavor, and MSG and chicken essence needed to be added when cooking to increase the flavor.

This meal was the most satisfying one Lin Xia had ever had since she came here. Even though it was just two simple dishes and mixed grain rice, at least it was no longer coarse grain steamed buns that irritated her throat.

Everyone in the Lin family had long been conquered by the taste of the braised pork. When they ate a piece of meat, it was like Zhu Bajie eating the ginseng fruit, the flavor disappeared in their mouths before they could even taste it.

Their hands uncontrollably picked up the second piece of meat, and only after chewing slowly did they appreciate the deliciousness of the braised pork. Everyone's faces were filled with intoxication and enjoyment as they ate, and their hands uncontrollably picked up piece after piece.

“Wow, wow, wow~”

Suddenly, there was crying.

Everyone was eating so much that they could not even lift their heads. They looked in the direction of the sound and found that it came from Hu Zi, who was crying loudly, with saliva and tears all over his face.

"What's wrong?" Lin's mother asked anxiously.

Hu Zi was crying loudly with drooling eyes, and he complained: "Rou Rou is gone."

Hu Zi looked at the plate with tears in his eyes.

After hearing this, everyone looked at the plate again, and sure enough, there was only soup and potatoes left in the bowl. They all blushed and felt embarrassed.

When Lin Xia heard this, it was as if she was remembering her childhood, when she could not eat meat all year round because she was too poor and also because her grandparents had to use the money from farming to pay her tuition.

Until her grandparents passed away, she worked and studied to survive, but still could not afford meat. In the first two years of her work when she had a little money, she could only buy meat and cook it herself because it was too expensive outside.

It was not until later, when I worked hard in my youth, that I gained financial independence and could eat all kinds of expensive meals whenever I wanted. But I didn't expect that once I came here, I couldn't afford meat again.

Wu Fangfang's face flushed as she took the last piece of meat. She looked at the meat in her hand that she hadn't bitten yet, and put it into Hu Zi's bowl embarrassedly, saying comfortingly, "Don't cry, don't cry. Auntie, this piece is for you."

Hu Zi saw the tears in the bowl. The meat was so delicious that he really wanted to eat it.

When Wang Yanmei saw this scene, her heart ached. She thought that if she didn't plan for her son, he wouldn't even be able to eat meat.

Hu Zi saw the meat in the bowl, carefully picked up his small spoon, handed the meat to his aunt's mouth and said, "Thank you, aunt, you have a bite first."

Wu Fangfang couldn't help but melt her heart when she saw Xiao Huzi's sensible appearance. Her sister-in-law had educated the child very well, and she also hoped that the child would be as sensible in the future. "Auntie won't eat anymore, you should eat quickly."

Lin Xia looked at the family in front of her and couldn't help but think of the original owner. Even though they all had their own thoughts, they were not bad people at all.

She shouldn't risk her life for a man.

Lin Xia got up and went to the kitchen to get a soup spoon. She scooped out the soup and potatoes and gave herself a spoonful. The thick and sticky soup mixed with the multi-grain rice did not look very good, but when she put the soft and sticky potatoes and rice into her mouth, she had a rich taste. Every grain of rice was soaked in the soup. It was really fragrant and went well with the rice.

When everyone saw this operation, they all tried it. Lin Jianguo waited until everyone had mixed the rice before he picked up his bowl and poured the rice directly into the basin.

Hehe! He has made up his mind, he wants to lick the basin clean!

Everyone ate the rice contentedly with smiles on their faces. Even though there was no meat to eat, they still thought that the rice with the soup was delicious.

Mother Lin was very happy to see this joyful and happy scene.

It was not until everyone put down their bowls with bulging stomachs that Father Lin asked in surprise, "Xiao Xia, when did you cook so deliciously? I never thought it was so delicious before."

"That's right! Where did you learn this? I've never eaten meat that tastes so good." Lin Jianguo couldn't help but ask. This trick revealed by his little sister made him look at her with new eyes.