Chapter 4 A Bowl of Fried Sauce Su Zhihan stood on tiptoe and reached out to grab it...

Su Zhihan tiptoed and reached out to grab the pork hanging from the beam. However, she was too short, and even with her hopping and jumping, she couldn't reach it completely. She also heard a soft laugh coming from the side.

Su Zhihan's face flushed red instantly: "Mother!"

Jiang Zhenniang quickly suppressed her smile, walked forward seriously, and helped her daughter take the pork down, handing it to her daughter: "Here, this is the pork our Han'er wanted."

"Hmph." Su Zhihan pouted, ignoring Jiang Zhenniang, and put the pork on the cutting board. Then she took out dried yellow soybean paste, soybean paste and broad bean paste from the corner cabinet.

These three items are among the most common condiments nowadays, priced similarly to coarse salt, with a common household price of one dou (a unit of dry measure) costing twenty or thirty wen (another unit of dry measure).

"Good daughter, your mother was wrong."

"Hmph!" Su Zhihan wasn't that petty; she just found Jiang Zhenniang's apologetic manner amusing and, after being teased for a while, her smile returned.

She took a spoonful of water to wash her hands and said to Jiang Zhenniang, "Mother, go and pick some scallions."

After moving into the servants' quarters, Su Zhihan and Jiang Zhenniang noticed the open space in the yard, so they filled several bamboo baskets with soil and started planting easy-to-grow vegetables and fruits.

Although most of the melons and fruits are still seedlings, the scallions, mint, scallions, and catnip are already well-grown and can be harvested in small quantities.

Jiang Zhenniang readily agreed and turned to leave.

When she returned with a handful of scallions, Su Zhihan had already chopped the pork and was pouring three kinds of sauces into a bowl to start mixing the sauce.

After stirring the sauce evenly, she poured in a little Shaoxing wine. Su Zhihan didn't use chopsticks or a spoon, but gently stirred the sauce with her hands, feeling its consistency.

As the sauce dissolved, Su Zhihan then poured in a little soy sauce, and the sauce was ready.

"Mother, go and chop those scallions into minced meat." Su Zhihan turned around and instructed Jiang Zhenniang. Then she heated up the pot, took down a ceramic jar containing scallion oil from the shelf, and poured the scallion oil into the pot.

The scallion oil is a beautiful golden color. Su Zhihan selected scallions, green onions, shallots, and coriander, and fried them until they were golden brown and crispy before making this jar. Whenever she cooks or makes pancakes, she adds a spoonful, and it smells incredibly delicious.

As the temperature rises, the overpowering aroma of scallion oil gradually wafts out, making Jiang Zhenniang involuntarily think of the scallion oil pancake she ate that morning. Mmm, it smells amazing.

Jiang Zhenniang secretly swallowed, quickly finished chopping the scallions, and pushed them to her daughter's side.

Su Zhihan didn't rush to add the scallions. First, she poured all the pork chunks into the oil. Then, she gently stirred the plump pieces of pork with a spatula, watching as the pork gradually put on a golden coat in the scallion oil and its shape gradually shrank.

As the aroma of meat wafted out, the scallion oil crackled and popped continuously. The rich fragrance seeped out through the cracks in the window, prompting neighbors to peek out and ask, "Where's that smell coming from?"

"Grandma, I want to eat fragrant pork!"

"Whose wife is so lazy, only starting to cook at this hour?" A murmur of discussion arose in the servants' courtyard, then quickly returned to silence.

Inside the house, Su Zhihan kept stirring the oil in the pan until all the moisture from the pork was rendered out before pouring in the prepared sauce.

The moment the spices met the scallion oil, golden foam rose in the pot, and the aroma of soy sauce and scallions burst forth, instantly filling the entire room with an irresistible fragrance that entered Jiang Zhenniang's nostrils.

She picked up the wooden chopsticks, leaned against the table, and stared intently at her daughter's movements, while simultaneously picking up a piece of fatty pork and putting it into her mouth.

The savory aroma of pork used to always captivate her, but now it had no effect whatsoever; instead, it only intensified her appetite.

Similar to Jiang Zhenniang's situation was the Wang family, who lived next door. Although Su Zhihan's house had a separate courtyard, it was only separated from her neighbors by a wall.

Ever since the aroma started wafting over, Wang Pozi's grandson lost interest in the roast goose and vegetables on the table.

He sniffed the enticing aroma and clamored for something else to eat: "I can smell it! I want to eat fragrant meat! I want to eat fragrant meat!"

"This roast goose is from Xue's family behind the house. It's your favorite. Come on, shall we have a bite?"

"No, no!" Granny Wang's grandson twisted his body, dodging left and right, and his waving little hand just happened to knock the rice spoon down.

In an instant, the whole roast goose and the leftover rice spoon fell to the ground with a 'thud,' and the spoon instantly shattered in two.

Wang's wife raised her eyebrows sharply: "Wang Dabao!"

Granny Wang looked at the spoon and roast goose that had fallen to the ground, feeling heartbroken. She picked up the roast goose, blew off the ash, and put it back on the plate.

"grandmother--"

"Oh, Grandma's here." Granny Wang couldn't bear to scold her grandson, blaming her daughter-in-law for not teaching the child well: "Why are you yelling like that? What if you scare my grandson?"

"Mom, the spoon is broken..."

"It's just a broken spoon, look at you being so petty!" Granny Wang glared at her daughter-in-law, then turned to her grandson with a kind smile: "Don't cry, Da Bao, don't cry. Grandma will ask your mother to go and see what delicious food it is. I'll give it to you tomorrow, okay?"

The daughter-in-law was unwilling but had no choice, so she angrily lifted the curtain and went out. A moment later, she came back from the outer room, looking somewhat surprised: "How strange, it seems that the Jiang family next door is cooking."

"Really? What good food could that poor wretch possibly make?" Granny Wang glanced at her daughter-in-law, her heart filled with suspicion. "Don't tell me you're just making this up without even going out to see for yourself, trying to fool this old woman."

"How could I dare to talk nonsense?"

"Let me take a look." Granny Wang sat up, slipping on her embroidered shoes as she walked out, muttering to herself, "How can someone who has never even seen a crispy walnut make anything?"

Granny Wang lifted the curtain and stepped outside, only to find that the strange fragrance was much stronger than inside, rushing into her nose. She couldn't help but swallow, sniffing the source, and soon found it—it really was Jiang Zhen's family home!

Upon seeing this, Wang Dabao, who had followed her out, immediately burst into laughter through his tears: "Grandma looks like a puppy!"

"Da Bao, what nonsense are you talking about!"

"Really! Grandma looks exactly like a puppy!" The little child even imitated Granny Wang, stretching his neck forward and twitching his nose. Wang's wife, who was facing this scene, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Before she could even cover her mouth, an embroidered shoe landed on her head. Granny Wang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot: "What are you laughing at! You dare to do that?! Get inside now!"

Wang's wife, holding her son's hand, slunk into the house, leaving only Wang's mother still peering into the Jiang family's house, hoping to catch a glimpse of what Jiang Zhenniang and the others were up to.

The door was locked, and apart from the increasingly strong smell, she saw nothing.

Over there, Su Zhihan grabbed the chopped scallions from Jiang Zhenniang and threw them all into the pot: "Mother, there aren't enough chopped scallions, go and get some more."

"Oh dear... I only have so much land." Jiang Zhenniang complained subconsciously. The scallion seedlings grew quickly, but there was only so much land, and before they could grow much, her daughter had pulled them all up.

She complained, but her movements were swift; she hurried out to pick up some scallions, then looked up and saw a furtive figure: "Hey! Who is it?! Who's hiding by the door peeking around?"

Granny Wang was surprised that Madam Jiang would suddenly appear and happen to see her. She quickly smiled and said, "Madam Jiang, it's me."

Jiang Zhenniang looked closely and breathed a sigh of relief: "Wang Mama? What are you doing here?"

Wang Pozi was too embarrassed to say that she had come to see what Jiang Zhenniang was cooking, but her gaze fell on the scallions in Jiang Zhenniang's hand, and she casually said, "I was cooking at home and we ran out of scallions, so I thought I'd borrow some from you..."

"Huh?" Jiang Zhenniang was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously handed over two sticks: "I'm using them for cooking in my room, so I can't give you much."

Just a bunch of scallions, and they're being stingy.

Granny Wang thought disdainfully, but smiled and accepted the two scallions: "It's alright, it's alright, two are enough... By the way, what delicious food are you making? It smells so good."

"Just make two scallion pancakes."

"...Scallion pancakes?" Before Granny Wang could ask any more questions, she saw Jiang Zhenniang turn around and go into the house, locking her front door tightly.

She had her doubts, but she still wanted to put on a simple and unpretentious act when she got back to her own house. Granny Wang casually tossed two scallions onto the stove and said to her grandson and daughter-in-law, "It's nothing special, just scallion pancakes."

"Scallion pancakes?" Mrs. Wang asked, puzzled.

"Borrow two scallions?" Su Zhihan took the chopped scallions, frowned, and repeated, "Mother, you said Granny Wang asked us to borrow two scallions?"

That old woman, Wang, looked down on my family the most. When the mother and daughter first moved into the empty house, she was the first to come over and talk to them, and even led them to the neighbors behind the house to buy some everyday items.

At first, Jiang Zhenniang thought Wang Pozi was a very nice person and specially bought pastries to thank her. Later, she found out that Wang Pozi was a gossip and immediately spread the word about her family's poor living conditions.

In the days that followed, the mother and daughter encountered Granny Wang every few days. Her routine was always the same: she would first inquire about the lives of Jiang Zhenniang or several other women in the servants' quarters who were struggling financially, then offer a few words of sympathy for them. Immediately afterward, she would shift the conversation to boasting about her own family, whether it was about her grandson's intelligence, her son's favor with his husband, her wife's affection, or the abundance of food, drink, and other necessities she owned…

Someone like her, trying to borrow scallions from her own family?!

While Su Zhihan was puzzled, Jiang Zhenniang also realized what was going on: "Oh right? This old woman Wang always boasts that she's the head steward, so why would she come to me to borrow scallions? She's probably attracted by the smell and wants to sneak a peek!"

Su Zhihan poured some of the chopped scallions into the pot, and after stirring them evenly, she poured in the rest of the chopped scallions.

The aroma of scallions wafted in waves, almost overpowering the smell of meat. Old Mrs. Wang, smelling the scallions, became even more certain and said to her daughter-in-law and grandson, "See? I told you those poor folks couldn't possibly have anything good. They probably just made a scallion pancake with fried pork."

Wang's wife was still skeptical, but seeing that her son Wang Dabao had lost interest and was eating obediently, she didn't bother with him anymore. She happily held the rice bowl and spoon and fed her son spoonful by spoonful.

Over there, Su Zhihan had finally finished making the fried sauce. She ladled out a bowl of it and set it aside. After it cooled slightly, Jiang Zhenniang put both bowls of food into a bamboo basket: "Han'er, are you going by yourself? Or will your mother go with you?"

Su Zhihan said, "I can go by myself."

Jiang Zhenniang didn't say much, but told her to carry it carefully, lit a lantern for her, and then watched her leave: "Be careful on the road, come back after you deliver the things, don't wander around outside."

"I know, Mother." Su Zhihan obediently replied and reached out to take the bamboo basket. She carried the lantern out the door and turned her head to see Wang Pozi's house. She saw a row of baskets under the window, filled with fine scallions and garlic.