Mu Lianrong fetched water for Xiao Shanhai and his two sons to wash their faces. Just then, Xiao Yunying's sweet and sour pork came out of the pot. Xiao Yunbai sniffed and said, "Little sister, what are you making? It smells so good."
"Sweet and sour pork, it's so delicious and tastes even better."
After washing his face, Xiao Yunsong wiped the water off his face and said, "You're going back to your own home. Your older brother won't be able to eat your cooking anymore."
Zhang tapped the stove with the handle of a wooden spatula: "What, you don't like my cooking?"
"No, how could my wife's cooking be bad?"
Xiao Yunying cut off the tough ends of the soaked and cleaned tea tree mushrooms, shook her head with a smile, and thought to herself, "My brother's survival instinct is really strong."
As her younger sister, she should lend a hand.
"Brother, your sister-in-law has learned a lot of cooking from me lately. If you make her angry, she might really refuse to cook for you."
"Honey, I really didn't mean to say your cooking is bad. In my heart, you're the best cook."
It's my taste buds that make the food my little sister makes that tastes the best.
However, Xiao Yunsong wasn't foolish enough to say that aloud.
Zhang snorted and turned to the frying pan, ignoring him.
Xiao Yunying heated oil in a small wok, added tea tree mushrooms, and dried them over low heat until the moisture evaporated. She then removed them and set them aside.
"Sister-in-law, I'll give you some seasonings in a bit. Take them home and use them as you like. Come back to me when you're done."
Xiao Yunbo said, "Okay."
Mu Lianrong chased her second son out of the kitchen, saying, "No need. How much silver would that cost? Our family never used to eat these seasonings, and we've never eaten less rice."
Xiao Yunying pretended not to hear her mother's words and continued to say to Zhang Shi, "I won't give you anything that doesn't keep well. I'll give you some soy sauce, white vinegar, aged vinegar, chicken, fine salt, and the like that can be stored for a long time and are commonly used. Don't listen to your mother, it won't cost much money."
"This...isn't that a bad idea?"
Although she wanted it, she was a daughter-in-law, so how could she disobey her mother-in-law and keep coming to her sister-in-law's house to ask for things?
If word gets out, people will gossip about us.
"There's nothing wrong with it. The dishes you make aren't just for you to eat. Your parents, brothers, nephews, and nieces will all eat them too."
I bought a lot, so the shopkeeper gave me a discount. These things don't keep for long, and if I and the kids can't finish them, they'll spoil.
The coarse salt sold outside contains impurities and tastes bitter. The soy sauce is the same; besides being salty, it's also dark in color. It's okay for adding color to stewed meat, but it makes stir-fried dishes look dull and lack vibrancy—not tasty at all.
Xiao Yunying couldn't explain the difference between soy sauce and premium soy sauce, so she could only refer to them both as soy sauce.
Mu Lianrong muttered to herself, "All they know is how to be greedy," and carried two plates of potstickers out.
Zhang knew that her mother-in-law's lack of further objection meant she had tacitly agreed: "Then, sister-in-law, you won't be polite."
"There's no need for formalities among family. My parents have plenty of empty wine jars at home. We'll have my older brother come over and fill them up, so we can have more at once and avoid having to make multiple trips."
Having convinced her mother, Xiao Yunying was in a good mood.
Heat the pan without oil, add the pork belly slices to the pan, and stir-fry over low heat to render the fat from the pork belly and make it fragrant.
Tea tree mushrooms don't absorb oil, and they don't like greasy food; the oil from frying the pork belly is enough.
After sautéing until fragrant, add fermented broad bean paste and fermented black bean chili sauce and sauté together until fragrant. Then add an appropriate amount of garlic and small red chilies, turn up the heat and sauté together until fragrant.
Stir-fry the tea tree mushrooms until just cooked, then season with salt, chicken bouillon, and oyster sauce. Stir-fry evenly and serve.
"Second sister-in-law, let Mom and Dad eat. There's also a braised pork knuckle dish, and everything will be ready."
Wang responded and took the tea tree mushrooms out, while Xiao Yunying went to the sink to wash the small wok.
Zhang said, "This little pot is really convenient for you to use, and it's easy to clean."
“My family is small, so a small wok is enough for cooking a few dishes on weekdays. It saves firewood and water. My parents’ family is large, so a small wok is not enough for cooking.”
Zhang nodded: "You're right."
Take out the steamed pork hock, season and thicken the original broth, pour it back in, and clean the stove. Then, wait for Zhang to put the last batch of potstickers on a plate and take it out together.
At the dinner table, the family tasted the tea tree mushrooms. Xiao Shanhai asked, "Daughter, what kind of mushroom is this? It tastes good."
"These are tea tree mushrooms. They were sent to me in a cloth bag. I don't know who sent them. I saw them in a book left by the dog... Luo Sheng, so I cooked them to eat."
Xiao Yunying can now find reasons for ingredients quickly and accurately without needing to think too much.
I sighed inwardly. Lying is getting better and better; I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.
Xiao Yunbo said, "These are the mushrooms from around here? I've never seen them before."
Because of different regions and environments, they don't have wild tea tree mushrooms here, but Xiao Yunying can't say that:
"Tea tree mushrooms are rare, even more precious than snow fungus in our area. I guess someone didn't recognize them, picked some, tasted them, and brought them over."
The cloth bags were all piled together, and now that the bags have been combined, it's impossible to tell who sent them.
"Then let's sell it."
"Second brother, I told you this is rare here. You've been running into the mountains with Dad all year round, so this must be the first time you've seen it. Not many people would recognize it if you took it out, so it won't fetch a good price. Don't let them think you're a swindler. Ordinary mushrooms only cost a few dollars. If you sell them, you'll lose money. We might as well eat them ourselves."
Mu Lianrong said, "Your little sister is smarter than you. She doesn't need your advice. You just eat your food and stop giving me bad advice."
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