Looking at the prescription in her hand, Gu An'an couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

This kind of erratic writing is truly enough to drive someone crazy.

However, looking at the few familiar herbs, her limited pharmacological knowledge told her that this was indeed the right thing to do.

But how could Jiang Mingyi have been poisoned?

Who would poison a child?

Moreover, this is a slow-acting poison. According to Dr. Tian, ​​Jiang Mingyi was poisoned at least six years ago.

Six years or even longer.

I can't figure it out.

Gu An'an stopped thinking about the problem and got up to clean up the pile of things on the cutting board.

The habit I developed in the lab is to organize things into categories.

After tidying up, he slowly picked up the entrenching tool and practiced his knife skills on the skinned wolf meat.

The wolf's meat was a bit sour, which Gu An'an didn't like. She originally planned to feed it to the tiger cub, but the little guy had disappeared.

Little Tiger: I really appreciate you thinking of me by giving me such sour meat.

After fiddling around in the kitchen for a while, looking at the slices of meat being sliced ​​off with an entrenching tool, Gu An'an couldn't help but exclaim, "How come my knife skills are so good?"

As she smugly tidied up, intending to throw away the paper-thin wolf meat, she suddenly saw Jiang Mingzhu standing there.

The girl took off her cone-shaped hat, and upon closer inspection, the scratches on her face did indeed appear much lighter.

"Why aren't you asleep?"

Jiang Mingzhu came in to help clean up the kitchen. Seeing the pieces of meat flying everywhere, she grabbed them with her hands and asked, "Was what that doctor said true?"

Being an extremely sensitive person, Gu An'an was not at all surprised to hear this question.

"Silly boy, how could it be true? Poison is deadly. If you had been poisoned so many years ago, would your brother still be alive today?"

Jiang Mingzhu was still somewhat hesitant.

"Isn't it easy to fool a child like this?" Gu An'an said with a smile. "This doctor probably can't figure out why your brother has a headache, but he doesn't want to admit that his medical skills are not good, so he uses poisoning as an excuse to scare people."

Is that so?

"Otherwise, Pearl, do you think your mother is lying to you?"

"No," Jiang Mingzhu denied repeatedly, "I just feel..."

She just felt that the doctor was speaking so seriously, as if her brother was really poisoned, the kind that was difficult to cure.

"Don't overthink it. When we have time later, I'll take your brother to the prefecture. Anzhou is bustling, and the doctors there are much better than those in our little county. I guarantee your brother will be cured and won't have to suffer from this headache anymore. Okay?"

The girl looked at the person who spoke so earnestly and nodded gently, "Okay."

Gu An'an breathed a sigh of relief; this was Jiang Mingzhu, the most talented woman in the capital, known for her sharp wit.

If I could intimidate her, I'd be truly remarkable.

"Come on, help Mom clean up the kitchen. We'll eat something first, then we'll cook a big meal."

Jiang Mingzhu asked curiously, "Are we doing it tonight?"

"Yes, this fermented pork takes a lot of time to make. If we make it tonight, it will be ready by tomorrow morning."

Jiang Mingzhu was a little curious, as this was the first time she had ever heard of such a dish. "My mother's cooking is definitely better than what you get in restaurants."

She didn't enjoy her meal at Taibai Restaurant very much; the dishes looked exquisite, but they weren't as delicious as her mother's cooking.

It's not good at all.

"How come you've learned to flatter Mingxu?"

Before Jiang Mingzhu could speak, Gu An'an laughed, "But what I make is better than what you get in restaurants. Zhu'er has good taste."

"Zhu'er, you go and start the fire first. In a little while, Mother will teach you how to make fermented pork."

The method of making fermented pork is a bit complicated, and Gu An'an also has a personal habit: she likes to add a little bit of wine when making fermented pork.

Adding a little wine when boiling meat in cold water can remove the meaty smell and make the color look better.

Since there was no wine available, Gu An'an tried using osmanthus wine as a substitute.

She did a lot this time, after all, she was going to take them to Taibai Restaurant and Dr. Tian's place later, and she also had to leave lunch for the children.

I managed to cook five perfectly square pieces of pork belly with the skin on.

Take the pork belly out of the pot and place it on a rack to drain the water. Gu An'an patted it a few times with a knife. "First, make some cuts so that the meat can absorb the flavor. But when you make the cuts, you must be careful to cut only halfway, not all the way through."

Jiang Mingzhu nodded, her eyes fixed on Gu An'an, who was making the cuts.

"After cutting this part, we'll make cross cuts, so that it looks like square pieces of meat on the surface."

"This makes it easier for the flavors to penetrate?"

Gu An'an immediately praised, "That's right, Zhu'er, you know what I'm going to do next?"

Jiang Mingzhu thought for a moment, "Then should we also make some cuts next?" Her mother had specifically mentioned earlier that they should only be cut halfway.

“That’s right, Pearl is really smart.”

Jiang Mingzhu felt a little embarrassed. "It's all thanks to Mother's good teaching." She watched as the knife moved like an embroidery needle in Gu An'an's hands, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Gu An'an.

"After making cuts on both the top and bottom, the steamed meat will be tender but not break apart."

Gu An'an bought quite a lot of things today to make braised pork in fermented rice wine, especially blue and white porcelain plates and bowls.

Fortunately, none of them are valuable. Besides, in order to sell this recipe for a good price, we should put more effort into the presentation of the dishes.

Little Jiang Mingzhu turned into a walking encyclopedia of questions, asking, "Why did Mom put in rock sugar?"

"This is called caramel coloring, it makes it look better. The saying goes that it should have good color, aroma and taste, and caramel coloring is one of those colors."

The girl suddenly realized, "Mother, you know so much."

After all, they are people who have been bombarded with information in the internet age, so they know a little about everything.

"You'll understand when you grow up, Pearl."

The red dates around the plate were packed tightly. After Gu An'an finished, she put a blue and white porcelain bowl on top of it. But that wasn't all.

The offal she got from Butcher Jia came in handy; she used the casings as plastic bags. "This is to prevent our meat from getting wet. Getting wet isn't really a big deal, but it makes it easier for the flavor to dissipate and the taste to be slightly worse."

Jiang Mingzhu opened her mouth slightly and nodded repeatedly, "Then, Mother, are we going to steam all this meat together?"

"Um, Pearl, could you do me a favor? I've been busy all day and I'm a little tired. Could you help me fix the knife?"

In the kitchen, lit by a kerosene lamp, the girl's eyes sparkled, yet she was also a little shy. "I'm afraid I won't do it well."

"It's okay, we'll just eat by ourselves. If they complain about your cooking, then take the food away and let them go hungry, understand?"

This is table manners; you should know it whether you're dining at home or visiting someone's home. How can you criticize the chef? Unless you're paying to eat at a restaurant.

Jiang Mingzhu chuckled to herself upon hearing this, "Then I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, Mother, just tell me."

The girl's joy and delight were undisguised, and Gu An'an smiled as well, "Okay, Mother will watch over you from here."