While Mrs. Zhang and her daughters-in-law were standing at the door in a daze, the children had already blocked the kitchen door.

Especially Donkey Egg, after standing closer and smelling the fragrance, he turned his head and looked at Geng eagerly.

Although the cold braised food was not as fragrant as last night, Donkey Egg was like his grandfather, with a greedy mouth and a sharp nose. He didn't care whether the offal was used to feed the chickens and ducks at home.

There were only a few adults, and their expressions were complicated when they saw that the pot was filled with water after the lid was lifted.

Especially Madam Zhang. She and the old man in her family were also poor when they were young. At that time, they were reluctant to feed the chickens and ducks, and they took great pains to prepare them and cook them. She still can't forget the stench.

But the stench in her memory and the current strong fragrance mixed together, making her feel as if she had remembered something wrong.

Geng, grateful for Madam Zhang's kindness in taking care of the Qiao family, filled two of the largest coarse porcelain bowls with half of the food and asked Madam Zhang's daughter-in-law to carry it.

She followed Miao Wan's words and said, "If you want to eat Ga noodles or steamed buns, it will be better to heat them up in the pot. If you want to drink wine, it will taste good if you eat it cold."

Miao Wan couldn't help herself last night and told Geng several times that this thing tasted better with wine. Looking at her greedy look, you can tell that she must have tried it.

The temperature difference between morning, noon and evening in the northwest is huge, and when it gets cold it can chill you to the bone, so almost every household here stores some strong liquor, which is why Geng said that.

Not all of these things in the water are used to feed chickens and ducks.

Madam Zhang really cared about taking care of others. She used to keep the pig hearts, pig tongues and pig livers for sale. They were considered good things and didn't smell very strong, so they ate them on a regular basis.

Unable to resist the urging of her grandchildren, Mrs. Zhang didn't hesitate and thanked Geng before taking the braised goods back.

Miao Wan was woken up by the noise of a pig being slaughtered next door. Slaughtering a pig requires darkness and no blood, so it is always done after daybreak.

Living next to a butcher is better than raising a chicken at home.

By the way, when she got up to clean up, she thought that she could talk to her mother-in-law about raising a few chickens first. At least she wouldn’t have to buy eggs, and she could eat chicken meat even when they don’t lay eggs, and she could drink chicken soup during the confinement period.

But these were not the things at hand. Miao Wan was thinking about the braised food, so after she had finished packing, she hurried to the main room, holding her stomach.

Geng had already prepared breakfast, which consisted of eggs and noodle soup, and braised pork liver and pig intestines for lunch and dinner. The three of them were lacking in nutrition and needed to be well nourished.

Qiao Rui got up earlier than Miao Wan and was already holding a small piece of pork liver, eating it in small bites.

Seeing Miao Wan come in, the little girl didn't seem to be as sleepy as she was at night. Thinking of what she said yesterday, she felt a little embarrassed and looked at her eagerly, "Sister-in-law, I was wrong. From now on, we will eat whatever you say. I will listen to you. It's delicious!"

Miao Wan smiled and pinched her sister-in-law's cheek. "A piece of pig liver bought you off? When you get tired of it, sister-in-law will make you something else delicious."

"Feed it to the baby too! I'll help my sister-in-law!" Qiao Rui's eyes lit up, and she gnawed on the pig liver as quickly as a little hamster and nodded vigorously.

I have never eaten such delicious food in Beijing before, but I finally ate it when I came to the northwest.

This made Qiao Rui feel that being exiled was not such a bad thing after all. The fear she had always felt in her heart was relieved a little, and she twisted her butt around and became as lively as a child.

Geng came in with the noodle soup. Seeing this, her smile deepened. "This morning, your Aunt Zhang and the others came over. I gave them half of the offal."

Miao Wan took the bowl and chopsticks from Geng's hand and said, "It's only natural. The Zhang family has helped us so much, so it's okay for them to ask us to help cook a few more times. The brine can be reused and it will become more fragrant the more it is braising. But we still need to add some spices, as we don't have any at home."

"Okay, half of the offal is a lot, it will probably last for a few days. Tell me if you need anything else. When your aunt Zhang and I go to hand in the embroidery work, we can go to the tile market to have a look." Geng simply agreed.

Offal is not expensive, and the brine can be reused. At worst, the two families can buy spices together. A pig's offal is a whole bucket, and it can be stored for a long time now. It is enough for the three of them to eat for half a month.

Especially when the salty, fragrant and soft pork liver entered his mouth, the fragrance lingered on his teeth and cheeks, and he didn't feel greasy at all. Geng had no time to say anything.

When giving birth to Qiao Rui, Geng suffered from severe bleeding and ate pig liver porridge.

Salt cannot be added during the confinement period, which made her very uncomfortable. She still remembered the fishy smell of pig liver, but now there is no fishy smell at all except for the long-lasting, sweet, salty and chewy taste.

Geng completely forgot that she was the one who felt sorry for the sachet yesterday. While eating, she thought that she could save the money to buy meat to nourish her family, and it was so delicious, it was a great deal!

After breakfast, Geng started to do embroidery. She didn't want to spend the money she had on hand, at least she had to earn money for the spices.

I went to the embroidery shop three days ago to deliver the embroidery work, so I can go there again in two days.

While embroidering the handkerchief, she thought that after the Zhang family finished their work, she would go to find Mrs. Zhang and make an appointment to go to Tile City together.

Unexpectedly, before she could get to Zhang's house, Mrs. Zhang came with her daughter-in-law and two older grandsons, Donkey and Goudan. The two grandsons each carried a bucket and looked at Geng eagerly.

Smelling the foul odor, Geng was a little surprised. "Is this the offal from today's pig slaughter? We didn't even pay for the offal yesterday. Sister Zhang, there's no need to be so polite."

Madam Zhang looked a little embarrassed. "We have a lot of mouths to feed, and they're all good eaters. So... ahem, I wanted to ask if you could make another pot of stew."

The main reason is that Mrs. Zhang didn't expect that her family members could eat so much. No one would eat a lot of fish and meat early in the morning, right?

After returning home, Mrs. Zhang and her mother-in-law didn't say anything, but Donkey Egg and Dog Egg were quick to imitate, and they repeated Geng's words about how to eat hot or cold food to the men in the family.

The Zhang family thought that they could just keep half of it hot and half of it cold, and eat them separately in the morning and evening.

But when they put half of it on the stove to heat it up, the aroma was so overwhelming that the little ones couldn't stand it. So they leaned on the windowsill to eat the undried part while the woman was still in the kitchen.

Zhang the butcher didn't even have time to clean up after slaughtering the pig. He sent Zhang Dazhuang to Wa City to deliver the meat, and he and his two sons and grandchildren cooked the cold half.

When it was time for breakfast, no one in the family ate less.

Except for Erzhuang's wife who usually doesn't eat schizonepeta and coriander and ate less, even Madam Zhang couldn't help but eat too much.

After dinner, Butcher Zhang touched his bloated belly and sighed, "I've been slaughtering pigs all my life, but all the meat I ate before wasted. This is what meat tastes like. I don't even understand the life of chickens and ducks!"

Zhang Sanzhuang also smacked his lips. "This is really a different experience. It's a pity that I have to work all day and can't drink. I can drink at night, but there's nothing to drink with it."

As soon as he said this, including Zhang Dazhuang who didn't get any cold food, the four of them, including the father and his sons, looked at Madam Zhang with expectant eyes.

Mrs. Zhang is the one who is most familiar with the Qiao family.

Madam Zhang was rather puzzled. "Isn't there still half left?"

Two pigs were slaughtered today and sent to the tile market. After all, only a few people in the tile market were willing to buy meat, so it would be fine to send it every two or three days. She wouldn't have to pick up a knife tomorrow, and she didn't mind the men at home drinking some wine to satisfy their cravings.

Zhang Erzhuang's wife laughed secretly, "Mom, there's nothing left. They stole it all while we were in the kitchen."

Madam Zhang: "..." Those guys were just fighting over it like they hadn't eaten in eight lifetimes? Do you have any shame!

There was no other way. Mrs. Zhang could withstand the looks of her husband and son at home, but she couldn't resist the pleading of her grandchildren. Thinking that there were still two buckets of new sewage at home, she simply brought them all to the Qiao family.

Madam Zhang continued to speak to Geng with a sense of embarrassment, "There are a few greedy people at home, and I don't know how to cook, so I shamelessly came here. Can you tell me how to make this braised food? I'll have my son buy the seasonings, and then we can split the braised food in half, okay?"

The Zhang family helped the Qiao family so much, so Geng naturally didn't mind.

But the recipe was not hers. "This recipe was handed down from my daughter-in-law's maternal family. I'm not quite sure what it requires. I'll ask Miao to come over and tell me."

After finishing her meal, Miao Wan went to the east room to study how to extract essential oils.

This is the lowest-cost necessity at present. Pig pancreas soap without fragrance can only be called black pancreas, not fragrant pancreas.

Just as she was thinking about it, Geng came over and called her.

Miao Wan and her mother-in-law arrived at the main hall. Madam Zhang came over and pulled her to sit down. "It's been over four months, so the baby should be moving, right? Our third daughter-in-law got pregnant a month earlier than you, and the one in her belly is really strong. I guess it's another baby."

Miao Wan glanced at Zhang Sanzhuang's wife who was stroking her belly. It looked like half a small watermelon was placed on her belly, while hers was just beginning to rise and fall.

She touched her belly and felt a little envious. "It just started moving yesterday, but there has been no movement today."

"It was like this at first, but after a while, you'll be moving more around." Madam Zhang said with a smile, "If you want to make a pot of braising liquid, just tell me what seasonings you need. I'll have our Erzhuang go to the tile market or a street shop to buy them later."

Xining Town is close to Northern Mongolia. A special tile market has formed at the east end of the town. In addition to the people of the Yue Dynasty, there are also merchants from Northern Mongolia, Western Regions and even the minority Hu people, selling a wide variety of things.

But the tile market is mostly made up of tents and open-air stalls. There is a long and narrow alley near the tile market, which is considered the commercial street of Xining Town. It is called Tiaojie. Almost all restaurants, wine shops and even brothels are there, making it very lively.

Miao Wan's heart moved, but she didn't rush to ask what she needed to buy. She just said to Madam Zhang, "Braised offal is delicious, and pig's feet are also delicious."

Zhang Erzhuang's wife, Yang, frowned. "You mean sacrificial meat? It's so greasy. It's dirtier than offal."

Zaorou is boiled meat. Compared with ordinary stir-fry, only salt and soy sauce are added. It is a bit similar to braised food, but the taste is completely different.

At least the sewage comes from the pig's body. Pig's hooves step on the ground every day, and who knows what they have stepped on.

Miao Wan smiled. "It's not sacrificial meat. It's said to be a method that was passed down from Jiangnan during the previous dynasty. Everything can be braised, like braised pig's head. It's fat and lean, not dry or greasy, and its color is as bright as cinnabar. It's called Hongyun Dangtou in Jiangnan restaurants and is very popular among merchants." Panpan

Zhang Sanzhuang's wife, Sun, seemed to be lost in thought. "Good luck?" If this were sold in a restaurant, it would definitely sell well.

Miao Wan continued, "As for braised pig's trotters, I heard from my grandmother that when braised well, they are fat but not greasy, and the meat is tender and good for the skin of children and women. This dish is also known as 'Golden List Title', which means 'Step by Step to Highness'. So before the imperial examination results are announced, many students rush to grab them."

Yang's eyes also flashed. These were all good signs. They were all cheap and smelled so good when cooked. If they were cooked and sold in the tile market, they could make a lot of money if they promoted themselves well.

Seeing that both daughters-in-law of the Zhang family understood, Miao Wan stopped talking.

Money can make people happy, but the three of them want to make money quietly and see how the Zhang family reacts. If they want to cooperate, they have to look at their character first.

The brine in the pot can be used to boil another bucket of brine. If you don’t use large bones, you need to add half of the spices in the first bucket to the second bucket.

She thought for a moment and said to Madam Zhang, "How about having Mom and Erzhuang go to the tile market later? We need to buy some things at home. The braising recipe is from my maternal grandfather, and I don't dare tell anyone else. I'll let Mom buy the seasonings, and then I'll ask the Zhang brothers to provide firewood and water to make up for it."

Mrs. Zhang also had some ideas in mind. Her family was not short of these three melons and two dates, so she simply made the decision, "Then Auntie will not be polite with you. From now on, your firewood and water will be covered by the Zhang family. We can't use your brine for free. Later, we will give you our offal and pig's feet. We are not short of pork. How about exchanging the same amount of meat for your braised goods?"

Miao Wan's eyes lit up. Just as she wished, the soap and soap raw materials arrived.

The author has something to say:

Ada Amu: The way people in Northwest China call their parents.

Gawazi: A name used for little boys in Northwest China.

Goji berries are not native to the northwest. I just found this information on Baidu. It's just for fun, don't try to verify it.