Gu An'an was cutting meat there.

As a biology student, she skinned countless mice and rabbits in her early years.

Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, the laboratory rabbits would be dismembered and grilled for food. Gu An'an couldn't say much about other biology students, but those from the lab were all incredibly skilled at cooking.

Cutting this perfectly marbled piece of meat into uniformly sized pieces couldn't be simpler.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Mingzhu come in, and Gu An'an instructed her to start a fire.

Water had already been added to the pot. Gu An'an stood by the stove, skimming off any blood foam as she put the meat in the pot. Once the water boiled, she slowly scooped the meat out.

After blanching the meat, rinse it with clean water and place it on the pot rack to drain. When Gu An'an turned around after finishing her work, she found that Jiang Mingzhu had already washed the pot.

They have a good eye for things.

Gu An'an put the fatty meat into the pot, and the hot pot quickly produced oil with a fragrant aroma. Not only Jiang Mingzhu, who was tending the fire in front of the stove, but also the other three siblings of the Jiang family in the main room could smell it.

Jiang Mingxu rubbed his round belly. "It smells so good. I'm hungry again."

Bao'er was also busy stuffing osmanthus cake into her mouth, saying she was hungry, "Big brother, do we want to eat meat?"

Jiang Mingyi hesitated slightly at the question. Looking into his little sister's clear eyes, he rubbed Bao'er's head and said, "Yes, I can. No matter what, I will make sure Bao'er gets to eat meat."

The little girl was delighted to hear this and held the half-piece of osmanthus cake in her hand to Jiang Mingyi's mouth, saying, "Big brother, eat osmanthus cake."

The aroma of the meat was so enticing that it carried far and wide in the chilly early winter air, causing even the village dogs to bark.

Saying that the fragrance could travel for miles is a bit of an exaggeration, but a woman in a nearby farmhouse who was on her way to the kitchen to cook dinner suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"You can smell it too, right? Who's stewing meat here? How did they make it? It smells so good!"

The woman hesitated for a moment, "It does smell very good. I heard that Jiang Laosan's family bought a lot of meat in the county."

"Jiang Laosan's family? She wouldn't have that kind of money."

Everyone in Jiangjia Village knows that Jiang Laosan made a large sum of money outside and gave it to his mother, and also sent back several children one after another.

Later, when the children grew up, Old Mrs. Jiang didn't want to raise them anymore, so her two daughters-in-law persuaded her to find a wife for Jiang Laosan.

The new bride was kicked out of the house by Old Mrs. Jiang as soon as she entered the family, and she started her own household to raise her four children.

However, Jiang Laosan's wife was no pushover either. When she ran out of money, she would cause trouble. Once she got money from Jiang Laotai, she lived a carefree life, treating her children like a stepmother.

If this had happened before, Old Li would have believed that it was Jiang Laosan's family going to Jiang Laotai's place to ask for money again.

But Grandma Jiang was humiliated by her youngest daughter-in-law today, so how could she possibly give her money?

Old Li was absolutely certain, "That's impossible."

The aroma of the meat, like tiny insects, wafted straight into his nostrils, making Old Li feel a ticklish sensation in his heart. He nudged his wife, "Go and take a look."

Aunt Li couldn't do anything with him. "What are you going to see? Is she going to give me a bowl of meat?"

As a mother, she had always looked down on Gu An'an's abusive behavior towards children.

It's obvious without even thinking that this meat won't end up in many children's mouths, so why would she go to see it? Going there will only make her angry.

Old Li and Aunt Li didn't go to join in the fun, but they weren't the only ones in Jiangjia Village; there were plenty of people who went to see what was going on.

Gu An'an was quite familiar with this person; wasn't he Jiang Lao Er's son?

Earlier, Jiang Lao Er's family suffered a loss at Gu An'an's hands. Not only did they get slapped by Jiang Lao Tai for no reason, but half of their face was also almost ruined.

She couldn't swallow this insult.

In the late afternoon, Jiang Lao Er's family was sewing shoe soles when they heard that Gu An'an had gone to the county town and bought some snacks for those little rascals.

Some people with sharp noses even said that Gu An'an bought meat.

How is that possible?

Doesn't she know what kind of person Gu An'an is?

"Mom, Third Aunt is stewing meat, it smells so good, I want to eat meat."

Jiang Xiaofei rushed in like a gust of wind, and the rather sturdy little fat boy almost knocked his mother over.

Jiang Lao Er's eyelids twitched. "How is that possible?" When she and Lao Shou Da's wife went to Gu An'an's house, they even went to check the kitchen.

There wasn't a single grain of rice in the jar, so where would we get the money to buy meat to stew?

Jiang Cuicui walked in. "Mom, I just went over to check, and the smell of meat is coming from Third Aunt's house."

It smells so good.

Jiang Cuicui wasn't as impatient as her younger brother, but the thought of the fragrant stewed meat made her mouth water.

Jiang Lao Er's eyes darted around; she couldn't figure out where Gu An'an got the money to buy meat, but it didn't matter.

"Take that old garment to your third aunt's house." She had packed it up this morning, intending to cut it into strips to make shoe soles, but it ended up being a good deal for Gu An'an. "Take your younger brother with you."

If Gu An'an went to deliver something at this time, would she have the nerve not to invite the child to stay for a meal?

Trading a tattered garment for a bowl of meat is a good deal.

Hearing this, Jiang Cuicui happily grabbed the clothes and led Jiang Xiaofei to her third aunt's house. She had to eat a lot, as this was her favorite piece of clothing.

Jiang Mingzhu really got a good deal.

After Gu An'an caramelized the sugar and reduced the sauce, a smug look appeared on her face as she watched the sauce gradually decrease.

The famous Dongpo pork was originally just boiled pork in plain water with some salt and spices, and it didn't have any color, aroma and taste.

Unlike Gu An'an's braised pork, the broth had turned agate-colored, and the meat chunks were golden and very tempting.

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