After the baby was washed, a new diaper was placed on top, and the baby was wrapped in a large diaper and a quilt, and then handed over to Zhou Qinglan.

Strangely enough, the baby, who had been crying in frustration, stopped crying as soon as he returned to his mother's arms. He just turned his head and opened his little mouth, looking for milk.

After the baby's third-day celebration ended, everyone came out of the west room and let Zhou Qinglan quietly breastfeed the child.

"Sister-in-law, please sit down. I'll go to the kitchen to get some things ready. We'll have noodles for lunch today."

Instead of a large feast, people eat noodles on the third day after a baby's birth.

There were dried noodles at home that Zhang Shuzhen had prepared in advance; they were simpler and easier to make than hand-pulled noodles.

These days, noodles are a rare treat, something people wouldn't normally eat. Zhang Shuzhen went to great lengths to get them, saving them for her daughter-in-law during her postpartum period.

Cooking noodles is simple, but the topping requires some thought.

Just then, there was some meat that Sheng Xiping had just cleaned at home. Zhang Shuzhen had just instructed the Sheng Yunfang sisters to cut the pork belly into chunks, and she planned to stew it into braised pork to eat with noodles.

"Auntie, just let me know what you need, I'll take care of it. You can sit inside."

Over there, Zhao Juan hurriedly stood up and followed Zhang Shuzhen outside.

This girl was very capable at home, and she was just as capable at the Chen family. She did everything well, both inside and outside the house.

“Yes, Auntie, just tell us what you need, and we’ll do it,” Li Xue and Tang Fengying said, standing up as well.

"Oh, no need, no need. You can all just sit and chat. It'll be done in a bit."

Zhang Shuzhen couldn't bear to let the guests cook, so she quickly waved her hand, indicating that Zhao Juan and the others could stay inside.

In the kitchen, Sheng Yunfang and Sheng Yunfei had already cut a bowl of meat and boiled quite a few eggs, just as their mother had asked.

"You two take the eggs out; we'll need them later."

Zhang Shuzhen instructed her daughter to do the work, while she added some firewood to the bottom of the pot, then cleaned the pot and scooped out the water.

Zhang Shuzhen scooped a small piece of lard from the large oil jar, put it in the pot, and used a spatula to push the white lard around at the bottom of the pot. Before long, the lard melted.

When you hear a sizzling sound in the pot, scoop two spoonfuls of white sugar into the pot.

Logically, rock sugar would be better, but it's hard to buy. The forest farm store only has it occasionally, and I had to save up sugar coupons for a long time to buy this little bit of white sugar.

The fire under the stove had just started and wasn't very strong, so Zhang Shuzhen used the small fire to slowly caramelize the sugar.

Once the sugar in the pot had melted, small bubbles began to appear at the bottom, and the syrup started to turn reddish, Zhang Shuzhen poured the chopped pork pieces into the pot and quickly stir-fried them.

Just then, the fire in the pot blazed up, and you could hear the meat sizzling in the pot as the pieces of meat began to change color.

Stir-fry until each piece of meat is coated with caramelized sugar, then Zhang Shuzhen adds some soy sauce, white wine, and vinegar to the pot.

Wild boar meat isn't like domestic pig meat; it has a strong gamey smell, so it needs more seasoning to taste good.

After adding the seasonings and stir-frying for a few seconds, ladle two ladles of water into the pot, making sure the water covers the meat.

Line the bottom of the pot with some dry firewood, bring the broth to a boil over high heat, then add scallions, garlic slices, and ginger slices.

Everyone makes braised pork differently; most people from Northeast China prefer strong flavors and use a lot of seasoning.

Southerners typically don't add too many random seasonings when stewing braised pork.

"You two keep an eye on the pot. When you can easily poke the meat with a spatula, pour these eggs in."

Zhang Shuzhen made two cuts on the surface of the peeled eggs and then instructed her two daughters.

"I have to go inside and talk to the guests. You two be careful and keep an eye on the pot, just don't let the soup boil dry."

"Okay, Mom," the two girls replied.

Zhang Shuzhen left her two daughters in the kitchen to watch the pots and pans while she went inside to talk to Qin Qiuyan and the others. After a while, she came out to check on them.

The meat stewed in the pot is from a small yellow-haired catfish, which is relatively tender. It takes about an hour for the meat to become soft, tender, and flavorful.

The two girls tried it and felt it worked, so they poured the eggs from the bowl into the pot.

Zhang Shuzhen estimated that it was about time, so she came out to take a look, scooped some soup with a spatula to taste it, and felt that the taste was a little bland, so she added some salt.

When caramelizing sugar, it can become slightly bitter, so you need to add a little more sugar to adjust the flavor so it tastes better.

The meat in the pot, after being stewed, turned reddish-brown, trembling and glistening with oil. The eggs, after stewing in the broth for a while, also developed a reddish-brown outer layer.

The soup simmered slowly over a low flame, the thick broth bubbling continuously, filling the whole house with the aroma of braised pork.

Once the eggs are cooked until flavorful and the broth has reduced to a certain consistency, they are ready to be served.

On the stove was an enamel basin, and Zhang Shuzhen was holding a rice scoop, scooping meat and eggs out of the pot one spoonful at a time.

The meat was stewed to perfection; when it fell into the bowl, it bounced and trembled a couple of times, making it look especially tempting.

The two girls, Sheng Yunfang and Sheng Yunfei, couldn't help but swallow as they looked at the meat in the bowl; it was just too tempting.

Thankfully, Sheng Xitai had taken Chen Feng out to play after breakfast and wasn't home. If he were home, he would definitely be begging for food.

The meat, eggs, and broth were all ladled into a small bowl. Two ladles of water were poured into the pot, and the pot was cleaned.

Next, add more water and dry firewood to the bottom of the pot. Once the water boils, add the noodles.

If there were no outsiders around, Zhang Shuzhen definitely wouldn't even wash the pot, and would just add water to cook the noodles. There would still be a lot of stewed meat broth stuck to the pot, and it would be a waste to wash it off and throw it away.

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