Chapter 16 Braised Pork

Other neighbors, hearing the commotion coming from Chow Tai Fook's living room, curiously inquired about what was happening to Sister Xue, who was cooking in the hallway.

"What happened? I heard your mother crying loudly."

Sister-in-law Xue pursed her lips and said indistinctly, "My mother is upset because my father favors his second wife."

Aunt Wen said in disbelief, "Is Comrade Lin Yuanshu really that strong? He can't even beat your mother."

Sister-in-law Xue didn't dare to tell anyone that her father wanted a promotion. She could only smile slightly and explain, "My father admires cultured people."

The neighbors looked at each other in disbelief. They hadn't expected Zhou Dafu to be this kind of person. If Zhou Dafu had initially expressed his willingness to protect his youngest daughter-in-law, they would have been willing to marry their daughters into the Zhou family!

The neighbors exclaimed, "We really didn't realize that!"

Then, they looked at Sister-in-law Xue with pity. Sister-in-law Xue was the real unlucky one. She was neither liked by Zhou Dafu nor by Zhou Ma. Even her husband was not warm to her. She had not gotten pregnant in the five years since she was married. In comparison, her sister-in-law was much happier.

Sister-in-law Xue smiled helplessly and then lowered her head. All she wanted was for others to pity her and sympathize with her. The fault didn't lie with her, but with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

When Lin Yuanshu brought the pork belly home, she found that the Zhou family hadn't eaten yet and were all sitting in the living room, busy with something. She sensed something was off and jokingly asked, "Why haven't you eaten yet?"

The eldest brother and sister-in-law Xue could only smile wryly, unsure how to answer the culprit's careless question. Zhou Xiangyang, on the other hand, looked at Lin Yuanshu with excitement, like a puppy waiting for its owner to come home.

Zhou Dafu's gaze fell on the pork belly that Lin Yuanshu was carrying, and he asked, "Where did you get this?"

He remembered that Lin Yuanshu did not have any hostages.

"It was given to me by Director Tang. Her daughter is going to be a sent-down youth in my hometown's production team, and she might stay at my hometown's house, so she asked me to take care of her daughter," Lin Yuanshu replied casually.

Zhou Dafu paced excitedly around the room, thinking, "Take good care of him! If you take care of him back and forth, the relationship will naturally improve!"

Zhou Ma, who was originally feeling sad in her room, perked up again when she heard Lin Yuanshu's voice. She walked out of the room, glanced at Lin Yuanshu, and asked, "Why are you taking care of Director Tang's daughter? The key is that you're giving gifts to get Director Tang to nominate your father as the group leader."

Lin Yuanshu looked at Zhou Ma with a helpless expression and explained, "Mom, you have to take things one step at a time. You can't get fat in one bite. The lowest level way to give gifts is to give them directly. I'll first build a good relationship with Director Tang. Once we have a good relationship, it won't seem so abrupt to bring gifts to ask her for help. Does Dad think everything will be fine after he becomes the team leader? Doesn't he want to continue to be promoted?"

“Your mother stays at home doing housework every day, how would she know about these things! You don’t need to talk to her about Director Tang, just follow your own plan.” Zhou Dafu waved his hand and said loudly.

Zhou Ma: "..."

If you don't want to ask, then don't ask. What's the big deal?

Finally, half of the pork belly that Lin Yuanshu brought back was made into braised pork by Zhou Xiangyang, and the other half was cured with salt to make salted pork. The ordinary dishes at home were cooked by Sister-in-law Xue and Zhou's mother, but as long as there was a main dish with meat, Zhou Xiangyang would be in charge of cooking.

At the dinner table, Zhou Ma gave each of them a piece of braised pork according to the number of people, while she and Zhou Dafu each received two pieces.

Lin Yuanshu couldn't help but frown. He was the one who brought the meat back, but he wasn't the one who ate the most. This kind of rule was not good. Once she accepted it, it would be the same pattern in the future.

She said in a serious tone, "Mom, next time you cut meat, give each person two pieces, no more and no less, treat everyone fairly."

Zhou Ma wanted to burst into a tirade, accusing Lin Yuanshu of being unfilial, but remembering Zhou Dafu's words, she held back and looked at her elder brother and the others, signaling them to speak up for her.

As the beneficiaries, the eldest brother and sister-in-law Xue naturally supported Lin Yuanshu's words. They didn't want to stand up for Zhou Ma, so they could only pretend not to see Zhou Ma's eyes and bury themselves in their food.

Zhou Ma felt isolated and helpless. She took a deep breath and thought that she couldn't scold Lin Yuanshu, but she could scold her own son!

She turned her gaze to Zhou Xiangyang and said rudely, "What are you eating! All you do all day is eat. You can't even control your wife. You can't do anything useful except eat."

Zhou Xiangyang stopped eating and silently lowered his head.

Seeing this, Lin Yuanshu retorted without hesitation: "Mom, I won't allow you to talk to my husband like that. Xiangyang is becoming less and less talkative outside because of the way you treat him. It makes him afraid to chat with others. You deserve a lot of credit for making Xiangyang the way he is today."

Zhou Ma was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but roll her eyes. Lin Yuanshu was talking nonsense again, trying to pin the blame for Xiao Er's quietness on her. It's not like she could control things like rain or a mother's remarriage.

“I spoke to the eldest brother in the same manner, so how come he’s fine, but the second brother got into trouble?” Zhou Ma sneered.

Lin Yuanshu said in a serious tone, "Because my older brother has a strong ability to withstand pressure, unlike Xiangyang, who has a sensitive and fragile heart. Your words will hurt him."

Zhou Xiangyang looked at Lin Yuanshu with bright and passionate eyes. This was the first time someone had protected him in front of his mother. It turned out that his sister-in-law hadn't lied. It was really good to have a wife.

Before Zhou Ma could continue to refute Lin Yuanshu's words, Zhou Dafu gave her a look, and she immediately fell silent.

Sister-in-law Xue thought for a moment, then couldn't help but whisper, "I also have a sensitive and fragile heart."

Zhou Ma glanced at Sister-in-law Xue and gave her a sarcastic smile.

Sister-in-law Xue swallowed nervously. It was so unfair. They were both daughters-in-law, but Lin Yuanshu could say what he wanted to say, while she couldn't.

After the dinner table fell completely silent, Lin Yuanshu could finally savor the braised pork. It must be said that the ancient saying "one should not speak while eating or sleeping" has some truth to it.

The braised pork belly is fatty but not greasy, with a rich, savory sauce flavor. The lean meat is tender and juicy, soaking up the salty, savory, and slightly sweet sauce. It's absolutely delicious! It's a pity that all I have tonight is steamed buns. Braised pork belly and rice would be the perfect match.

As expected of the head chef of the chemical plant canteen, Zhou Xiangyang does have some culinary skills. This braised pork is even better than any braised pork she has ever eaten in her previous life.

The others also enjoyed the meal. Although it had only been a few days since they last ate meat at the wedding banquet, eating meat every day would make them feel happy.

A note from the author:

----------------------