After school in the evening, Ji Xia took Zhang Lan to a slaughterhouse on the outskirts of the city.
When Zhang Hong was hospitalized, she asked Liu Hongju to make a connection with Liu Hongju's cousin at the slaughterhouse. She could place orders there whenever she needed meat without needing ration coupons, and the price would increase by one cent.
Ji Xia only receives three jin of meat coupons each month, which is far from enough, so she can only buy expensive meat.
The slaughterhouse only raised the price by one cent, which is already much cheaper than the black market.
Under her guidance, Zhang Lan nervously delivered a pack of cigarettes to Master Liu at the slaughterhouse and brought back a pig's trotter and two large bones.
On the way, Ji Xia smiled and instructed, "I've already told them that we need one pig's trotter every five days. However, we still need meat every day. If you want ribs, big bones, or lean meat, or pork belly, tell them how much you want a day in advance."
Zhang Lan nodded, her face full of gratitude as she smiled and said, "I understand, Sister Xia, thank you."
"No need to thank me, you're taking care of my sister-in-law."
Zhang Lan bit her lower lip and whispered, "Thank you anyway. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the chance to stay in the city."
Ji Xia smiled faintly: "Work hard, take good care of your sister and nephew, your good fortune is yet to come!"
"Yes, I know."
When the two returned to the Ji family home, the air was filled with a sweet and sour aroma that was very appetizing. It was the pig's feet stewed with old ginger and sweet vinegar that Ji Xia had taught Zhang Lan that afternoon.
The pig's trotters were still in their hands. Old ginger had been simmering in sweet vinegar for several hours until it was soft and tender, completely eliminating the spiciness of ginger and making it as sweet as chestnuts. If the pig's trotters were added and simmered together for an hour, it would become soft, sweet and sour, and melt in your mouth.
Cooking meat with sweet vinegar makes it tender quickly and not greasy. Pig's feet with ginger and sweet vinegar is perfect for postpartum women to nourish their bodies and restore their vitality.
Back in the courtyard, Ji's mother was squatting on the small stove, scooping up a small piece of old ginger with a spoon and tasting it. Turning around and seeing the two of them, she couldn't help but laugh and say, "This ginger is indeed delicious when prepared this way, but it's a bit sour."
"Mom, we haven't put the pig's feet in yet. Once they've been stewed, the fat will make it less sour. And if my sister-in-law thinks it's too sour, she can add some sugar."
Zhang Hong, wearing a hat and carrying her child, walked around the living room. Upon hearing this, she turned around and smiled gently: "I don't find it sour at all; it seems quite appetizing."
"It's good that it's appetizing. Stewed pig's feet won't be greasy. Sister-in-law, eat more so you can recover faster."
Zhang Hong smiled gently, holding the child with a tender expression. Her skin was radiant, a stark contrast to the sharp-tongued, shrill woman she had been in her previous life.
The group chatted and laughed as they quickly prepared dinner.
Dinner included braised pork trotters with ginger, corn and lotus root soup with pork bones, stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork, stir-fried corn, steamed pumpkin, and bok choy in broth.
Zhang Hong was in postpartum confinement and did not eat with them.
Zhang Lan delivered the postpartum meal to the pregnant woman's room and was about to bring the baby to share the meal with everyone.
Mother Ji smiled and said, "Xiao Lan, the baby is lying in the stroller, you don't need to watch over him. Come and have your meal with us."
Zhang Lan smiled shyly but did not refuse, and sat down next to Ji Xia.
Just as the group was about to have their meal, a bicycle bell rang outside the door.
Ji Xia's face lit up with joy: "It might be Chen Jing. I'll go open the door."
She ran out quickly, opening the door with a delighted expression: "Ah Jing, you really know how to pick your time—"
As soon as she finished speaking, her smile froze, and she quickly giggled and said, "Dad, you're here? Dinner is just ready, you've arrived just in time."
Secretary Ji stared intently at his daughter's smiling face for a long while, his eyes dark: "Who were you calling just now?"
"Father, I thought it was A-Jing who came back from the brigade, I didn't know it was you who came."
Ji Xia quickly comforted him, helping him put the bicycle away, fetching water for him, wringing out a towel, and taking very good care of him.
Secretary Ji remained stern, and his mother spat in dissatisfaction, "That's enough. Ah Xia is busy with chores every day, why are you giving me that look? Don't you want to eat?"
Secretary Ji snorted coldly, washed his face and hands with well water to wash away the summer heat, and then breathed a sigh of relief before returning to the living room to sit down.
Looking at the five dishes and one soup on the table, he glanced at everyone suspiciously: "Such a sumptuous meal, is there something good happening today?"
The lavish lunch at noon left him traumatized, so he came back again in the evening?
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged bewildered glances. After a moment, Ji Xia smiled and said, "Dad, my sister-in-law is in her postpartum period, so she needs to eat some stewed meat to help her recover. Today, Mom and my brother are having a meal together in the city, so I'm just adding a stir-fried shredded pork dish to my meal."
The shredded meat was cut from a pig's trotter, less than three ounces of meat, with a few green peppers added. As for the vegetables, people these days have good appetites. If there are five or six people eating, what's wrong with having a couple more vegetable dishes?
Ji's mother said with dissatisfaction, "What's going on? My daughter spent money to make something delicious, and she got it wrong? She came in with a black face as soon as she arrived."
After looking at it again and again, Secretary Ji finally realized that he had misunderstood and that Chen Jing had not done anything for them.
He felt relieved, but still stubbornly insisted, "I'm preparing postpartum meals for your sister-in-law. You can eat them too. How much money do you need for enough food?"
"Dad, the bone broth only has two big bones, it's not worth much. As for the pig's feet with ginger, this pot is all old ginger, just have a taste. The pig's feet are all for my sister-in-law."
A pig's trotter weighed four or five pounds, and she chopped it into a large basin. She then scooped out four or five pieces, intending for everyone to have a piece to taste.
As for the stewed sweet ginger, Zhang Lan, Ji's mother, or she were all in a bit of a deficit. Ji Zhijun was exhausted from working, so what was wrong with eating some ginger? Anyway, ginger wasn't expensive, so they stewed five or six catties of old ginger in the afternoon. They didn't eat it, and Zhang Hong couldn't eat that much either.
Zhang Hong then came out with empty bowls and plates, and said gently with a smile, "Dad, actually we stewed too many pig's trotters. It's good that we all eat them together, so they don't spoil."
Secretary Ji waved his hand at his daughter-in-law: "It's alright. I was worried that you wouldn't have enough to eat during your postpartum period. As long as you have enough, that's fine."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hong smiled and said it was alright, then took the baby into the room to breastfeed.
Ji Xia then diligently served soup and dishes to her parents, asking, "Dad, you don't seem to be in a good mood. Did something happen in the brigade?"
"It's nothing, it's just that you spend money so extravagantly, can your salary support it?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Xia couldn't help but chuckle: "Don't worry, Dad. I'm not a naive person. I made a little money recently, but it was because my sister-in-law was in confinement after childbirth that I made extra meat."
Leaving aside the small workshop, she took leave, but her salary was still paid as usual. She gave up her commission, but she gave Liu Hongju a selling price of two cents. In reality, she only priced Zhang Lan and Zhang Hong's handmade items at five cents, so she still made a profit.
With a profit of 15 cents per piece, Zhang Lan is skillful and quick; if she makes 20 or 30 pieces quickly, she can earn back her daily food expenses.
Upon hearing this, Secretary Ji felt relieved. After eating half a meal, he casually asked, "Are you confident about your college entrance exam? This afternoon, the Chen family told me they want you and Chen Jing to hold your wedding as soon as possible. What do you think?"
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