Chapter Five Braised Pork

Li Yan stood confidently in front of the kitchen door, holding a spatula, with a beaming smile on her face.

When Zhang's daughter-in-law, Madam He, saw this, she was stunned for a moment before she finally reacted.

"You...you're all better?" It's more than just better; look at that rosy complexion, your blood and energy are abundant.

Upon closer inspection, something seemed amiss.

She had seen Li enter the house that day, looking disheveled and timid, head bowed. How unlike her now, with her eyes sparkling with a smile, boldly looking directly at her without the slightest fear.

Although it's still the same face, it looks much better to me than when I first saw it.

"Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. With my mother-in-law taking such good care of me, bringing me soup and asking about my medicine, I'm fully recovered."

Unlike the city, where families live close together, the countryside is sparsely populated, and not every household is close to another.

Although the Zhang and Xue families are neighbors, they are actually quite far apart.

Therefore, Madam He was unaware that Li Yan was able to chop wood and fetch water yesterday afternoon, assuming that she was still in bed and unable to get up.

"Since it's all better now, I... I'll be leaving." Mrs. He was clearly a little embarrassed.

Although she gossiped about her behind her back, Li Yan didn't take it to heart. She knew that although this person was a bit talkative and meddlesome, she wasn't necessarily a bad person.

It wouldn't be good if we, as neighbors, developed a grudge. It's not a big deal, so Li Yan decided not to bother with her.

So, he took the initiative to be hospitable and asked her to stay: "Sister-in-law, it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. We cooked some meat at home today. I don't know how good my cooking is. I heard that you work in a big restaurant in town, so you must be knowledgeable. I would like to trouble you to try it and give me your opinion."

He Shi was not tight-lipped, and Li Yan obtained a lot of information from her during the three days she was bedridden.

Knowing that she helped out at the town's largest eatery, only helping out for the evening meal each day, and receiving one meal a day and one tael of silver a month, He Shi was very proud of this and mentioned it many times in casual conversation, so Li Yan remembered it.

Although she currently had some silver, Li Yan didn't know how long it would last. She couldn't just wait until she ran out of money before trying to earn more, could she?

Moreover, having a lot of savings gives Li Yan peace of mind, and she really enjoys the feeling of gradually filling her wallet through hard work.

When she has money, she wants to buy a big house in the city.

Now that she has money, she wants to taste all the delicacies in the world and travel across countless mountains and rivers.

Although I inexplicably traveled to this place, I can't let reality defeat me; I still have to have ideals and ambitions.

This Mrs. He has quite a bit of face and likes to be fawned over. When Li Yan mentioned her job at the restaurant in town, she immediately smiled and said, "If the guests can't finish their food, we can take some home according to the rules. When I get the meat, I'll share some with you."

As soon as Mrs. He entered the door, she smelled the aroma of meat, and the smell almost made her drool.

Now, with the host's warm invitation to stay, Ms. He began to waver.

Li Yan noticed that she was wavering, so she gave her an out: "I won't let you stay for free, sister-in-law. I need your help with something later."

"What's wrong?"

"Sister-in-law, eat first."

Li Yan made roast pork for lunch, filling a large bowl. The other person had a large bowl of white rice.

When the food was served on the old square table in the main room, everyone, including Aunt Xue, stared intently at the meat.

Let alone the Xue family, even the wealthiest families in the village couldn't afford to eat such a big bowl of meat in one meal.

Moreover, this bowl of meat, in terms of both color and aroma, is no worse than what a chef in a restaurant would make.

Madam He swallowed hard and asked Li Yan, "Did you make this?"

Seeing that everyone was just staring blankly without touching their chopsticks, Li Yan took her own chopsticks and put three pieces into each person's bowl.

"What I make is far inferior to what the chefs in restaurants make. Please don't laugh at me, sister-in-law."

“No!” Mrs. He immediately retorted, “It looks delicious and smells wonderful. As for the taste… let me try it.” Mrs. He was the first to pick up her chopsticks, taking a bite of the meat.

The meat was cooked until very tender; with just a light bite, the juices melted in your mouth.

Instantly, my mouth was filled with a sweet fragrance.

"This is so delicious!" The meat is perfectly marbled with fat and lean meat, melting in your mouth. The lean meat isn't dry, and the fat isn't greasy.

It has a great texture and tastes excellent. It's not salty, but has a slightly sweet flavor; it's absolutely delicious.

Originally, she only intended to take a bite and savor it, but after eating the meat, He immediately put the rest of the piece into her mouth.

The pieces of meat were large, and the juices were dribbling down the corners of her mouth. Mrs. He quickly covered her mouth with her hand, afraid that the juices would spill and go to waste.

"You all eat too." With He Shi's affirmation, Li Yan felt somewhat more at ease.

At least, if she were to sell these roasted pork pieces, someone would buy them.

After that, the entire main room was quiet. Apart from the sounds of eating, nothing else could be heard.

Everyone was still too embarrassed to eat too much, so in the end, Li Yan divided the food into their bowls piece by piece.

A large bowl of meat was easily finished by three adults and two children.

After finishing her meal, Mrs. He burped and then remembered to ask, "Who did you learn this cooking from? How many years did you learn it? The master chefs in our restaurant have been cooking for over twenty years, and to be honest, none of them can cook as well as you."

Li Yan made up a story: "I learned it from my grandma."

Suddenly, Madam He remembered that she had said she needed a favor before the meal. Since she felt obligated to help, Madam He asked, "What did you mean by asking me for a favor?"

Li Yan then revealed her thoughts: "You know our family's situation. Now that Erlang is gone, the military pay he used to send back every month has definitely stopped. We were also robbed recently, and they stole Erlang's funeral expenses and all the money my mother has saved over the years. My mother is old and can't work hard anymore, so since I married into this family, I naturally have to shoulder the responsibility of supporting the family."

"Today I went to my parents' house to ask for some rice, flour, and meat, but I can't go back to my parents' house to beg for money every day. So I was thinking, if my sister-in-law is willing, could you help recommend me to the restaurant owner and see if I can sell my roast pork there? Of course, since I'm taking up someone else's prime location, I'll definitely have to pay some commission."

"This matter..." Mrs. He was truly troubled.

Although she talked a lot, mentioning to everyone that she had found a job at the town's eatery, she was actually just a handyman. She had no say in anything, not even with the owner or the manager.

"I...this...this...I..."

Seeing her so troubled, Li Yan probably figured out the reason.

"I won't make things difficult for you, sister-in-law," Li Yan said. "If you're willing, just help introduce me to the restaurant owner. I'll handle the rest myself."

"That's fine." Mrs. He breathed a sigh of relief.

The problem is that she might insist on telling the story to the employer herself, and then she'll have already made up for it but won't be able to spit it out.

If it's just a matter of introducing someone to the shopkeeper and making a connection, it's not difficult to handle.

“I’m going to town this evening, you can come with me.”

"Thank you very much, sister-in-law."

After making this verbal agreement, Ms. He went home first.

Just like last night, Xu Ge'er helped Yue Jie'er wash the dishes.

Although Aunt Xue loved her grandchildren dearly, she didn't spoil them. She would proactively ask them to do small chores like washing dishes.

With her daughter-in-law being assertive and willing to help support the family, Aunt Xue suddenly felt a sense of purpose and instantly felt the burden on her shoulders lighten considerably.

"Yan Niang, are you really planning to cooperate with the restaurants in town?" Suddenly her daughter-in-law's personality had changed drastically, and she was even taking the initiative to support the family. Aunt Xue was afraid she was dreaming.

"What does Mother think of my cooking skills?"

"Absolutely good." Aunt Xue gave an affirmative answer without hesitation.

Li Yan was overjoyed, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "At least I have a skill, and I know where to put my effort, so I won't starve."

Aunt Xue sighed.

Yesterday I thought she was a jinx, and I was afraid she would harm Xu'er and Yue'er in the family. Today, I feel that my family is a burden, and she is a good girl who shouldn't be dragged into the quagmire by the Xue family.

[Ding~ Congratulations, host, your target's favorability has increased by 10]

Li Yan stared at the blurred screen in front of her, which only she could see, and smiled happily as she looked at the 40 favorability points that had accumulated on the screen.

Whether it's accumulating points or making money, she's full of energy as long as she's moving forward step by step.

However, her beauty score was only a pitiful 5.

After touching her face, Li Yan immediately slipped away to the vegetable garden in the yard.

The cucumbers in the vegetable garden were growing perfectly, so she picked one and took it to the kitchen to slice it thinly.

She washed her face thoroughly in the kitchen, then went back to her bedroom, applied thin slices of cucumber to her face, and began to take her beauty and skincare nap.

Working on the stove leaves you with a lot of cooking fumes, and since there are no range hoods these days, it can easily damage your skin.

Therefore, she can only pay attention to it at all times and try her best to protect her skin.

If one's natural endowments are already not favorable, and one doesn't pay attention to their appearance later on, their image will only get worse and worse.

This body is still young; there are many days ahead of it.

If she really can't go back, Li Yan doesn't want to live with this body for the rest of her life.

First, take care to protect your skin. Then, when you have time, practice yoga or Baduanjin (a form of traditional Chinese exercise) every day to shape your body.

However, it might be difficult, as the original owner's flesh was very hard and tight; if you squeezed it, you could feel the large bone structure.

Li Yan decided not to think too much and just quickly cleared her mind and went to sleep while she was tired.

.

In the evening, Madam He came over again. When she arrived, Li Yan was in the kitchen and had just finished cooking a bowl of meat.

After waking up from her afternoon nap, Li Yan thought about it and decided to prepare the meat at home and bring it with her.

Whether it's okay or not, the shopkeeper can give an answer directly after tasting the meat, which will save both of us a lot of time.

Li Yan put the cooked meat in a small bowl and covered the bowl with a piece of gauze.

The village is not far from the town; it takes about twenty minutes to walk there one way if you walk fast.

The restaurant where Mr. He stayed was called "Yuanbaolou". Although the name contained the word "lou" (building), it only had one floor.

Although the restaurant is not large, it is considered the most prestigious in Qingshan Town.

Normally, if a family has some wealth, they will hold a banquet at this Yuanbaolou.

Along the way, Madam He explained the details of Yuanbao Tower to Li Yan.

When they arrived at the door, Madam He only told Li Yan to wait outside while she went in to ask the shopkeeper. If the shopkeeper agreed, she would come out and call her again.

But He Shi was gone for more than ten minutes. Li Yan stood outside the door for a long time and no one came out to look for her, so she went inside by herself.

A note from the author:

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See you tomorrow!

Red envelopes are dropping!