The next day, around six o'clock, Xuemei rode her bicycle to the supply and marketing cooperative. She was afraid she'd be late and end up at the back of the line, leaving her with no meat left. Normally, at this time of year, because the autumn harvest was underway and no one else in the family was free, Xuemei would go up the mountain to collect a basket of pig grass before going to work.
After Xuemei bought half a pound of meat, she went to the purchasing station to exchange it for vegetables. She only got 40 cents in total for ten pounds of tomatoes and cucumbers, and twenty pounds of peppers, eggplants, and beans.
"Xuemei, are you going to the purchasing station to exchange vegetables again?" Zhang Aiping asked when she saw Xuemei coming to work with a basket on her back.
"Yes, Sister Zhang, I had some free time yesterday and sorted out the vegetables we grew at home." The Liu family's private plot mostly grows grains and cotton. Beans, eggplant, and peppers are mostly planted along the wall. Liu's parents have planted virtually every available area of the family's land outside their private plot, and if they can't grow grain, they grow vegetables.
Xuemei put down the backpack, took out a few pounds of vegetables from it, handed them to Zhang Aiping, and said, "Sister Zhang, these are the vegetables I brought specially for you. They are still tender. You can take them home and keep them for two days without any problem."
"Xuemei, thank you so much. Since you started working, our family has been enjoying your delicious food." Zhang Aiping said gratefully.
"Sister Zhang, what are you talking about? You usually take care of me so much. If you hadn't reminded me last time, I would have almost made a mistake. These vegetables are not worth much in the countryside. If you don't have them, just tell me. I'll bring them to you from home."
"Okay, I won't be polite with you. Some good stuff arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative yesterday, and I'm saving it for you. Come here quickly." After saying this, Zhang Aiping waved to Xuemei.
"Sister Zhang, what is that?" Xuemei asked curiously.
"We only received ten bags of malted milk yesterday. I left one bag on purpose, just in case you needed it. It's called one bag, but there are actually two bags inside: one of 200 grams and one of 300 grams. Xuemei, take a look and see how much you need."
"Sister Zhang, thank you so much. I haven't had malted milk for several years. Sister Zhang, I want them all." Xuemei said happily.
"You want all of it? It's not cheap. Five taels of sugar tickets and ten yuan in total."
"Sister Zhang, I don't want all of them. The educated youth from our village asked me to help bring them. They also want other things."
"People from big cities are really rich. They bought so much food last time and they've eaten it all now." Zhang Aiping sighed.
"Sister Zhang, they haven't done much farm work before, and now they're here just as the autumn harvest begins. They're really overwhelmed, right? They can only ask me to help bring back some food to replenish their energy."
"That's right. These city boys and girls have never done such heavy work before. Not to mention them, even I used to lose five or six pounds every time I harvested in autumn. But these city girls are all so pretty. Especially the three female educated youth in your village, each one more beautiful than the other."
Zhang Aiping looked around to see if there were any people around, then leaned over to Xuemei's ear and whispered, "Especially the most beautiful educated youth in your village. He Ping was completely captivated by her last time. He tried to strike up a conversation with her several times, but she ignored him. I'm telling you, don't choose a playboy like He Ping as your partner."
"Sister Zhang, I'm still young and not in a hurry to find a partner. Even if I want to find a partner, I won't look for him. I usually try to avoid him and don't talk to him."
"It's good that you know. Although He Ping has a good background, he is definitely not a good match. You should look for someone who is steady and reliable."
"Okay, Sister Zhang, thank you, I understand."
…
After arriving home around six, Xuemei fed the chickens, collected and put away the eggs, and then began to prepare the braised pork. The pork Xuemei bought today was quite good, with a good balance of fat and lean meat, with fat accounting for about 30%.
Xuemei cooked the pig food for tomorrow, heated up the small iron pot, and cleaned the hair on the pig skin in the pot. She then washed the pot, put three eggs in it and cooked them, and also cooked the sweet potato porridge in the iron pot.
Next, Xuemei cleaned the pork. The pork sold these days is all farm-raised, so it doesn't have a fishy smell. She didn't need to blanch it. After washing, she cut the pork into fifteen roughly sized pieces, along with a small piece of fat. She then went inside to get some cinnamon, bay leaves, and star anise, washed them, and soaked them in warm water. She also chopped some scallions, garlic, two dried red chilies, and one green chili pepper, setting them aside. If Xuemei's family were to share, she could use a lot more chilies.
The preparations were almost done, and the eggs in the small iron pot were cooked. Xuemei scooped the eggs out with a colander, scooped a spoonful of cold water and put them in a wooden basin to cool.
Xuemei waits for the wok to dry out, then adds the small piece of fat meat she's saved to deep-fry. Once it's cooked through, she adds a few crystal sugars and stir-fries until the sugar melts and bubbles form. She then adds the pork belly and pours some soy sauce over it, stir-frying until the meat is fully colored. She then adds sliced ginger, chopped scallions, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves, along with the soaking water, dried red chilies, and a pinch of salt, stirring evenly. Bring the heat to a boil, then add water to cover the meat. Xuemei usually adds a little more water so there's more broth to pour over the rice.
While the braised pork was boiling, Xuemei peeled the eggs she had just cooked and added them to the meat. Once the pork was boiling, she poured it into the casserole. She moved the porridge to the small iron pot, placed the casserole on top of the porridge, and then pulled the matchstick outward a few inches, allowing the braised pork to simmer over low heat.
When Liu's father and mother came back, the braised pork was almost ready. Xuemei took out the eggs from it, cut them on the chopping board, and poured some soup on it. This was the main dish for Xuemei's family tonight.
Then Xuemei sprinkled the chopped green peppers and chopped green onions into the casserole, covered the pot, and continued to warm it on the stove.
"Sister, this egg is so delicious, a thousand times better than the usual ones." Ruirui said after eating a piece of egg.
"Of course it's delicious. Your sister stewed it with the educated youth's braised pork and also added rock sugar." Liu's mother replied.
"Mom, do we still have to hand over both of our pigs this year?" Qingya asked.
"I don't know. Ask your father. The situation was bad in the past two years, and we didn't dare not hand over all the pigs at home."
As soon as Liu's mother finished speaking, Xuemei and her four siblings all looked at Liu's father.
Father Liu put down his bowl and chopsticks and said, "We don't know yet. Let's wait and see the situation at the end of the year. If possible, we can hand in a pig for the task, keep one at home, kill it, and sell half to the supply and marketing cooperative."
"Dad, Mom, no matter whether we hand over all the pigs this year or not, we have to make braised pork at home after the meat is distributed in the village. We haven't eaten braised pork for a long time." Qingya said in a firm tone.
"Okay, we'll do it when the time comes." Liu's mother agreed happily.
When Qingya and her two younger brothers were cleaning up the dishes, Han Zhiqing and the other five arrived.
"Xuemei, we specially waited for Wu Lian to finish her meal and take a shower before coming here. For this braised pork today, the five of us steamed sweet potato rice. We have brought the rice here." He Wenting said.
"Okay, the braised pork is warming on the stove. Not many people come to my house now, so why don't you guys eat in my kitchen? Qingya, you and your two younger brothers go to the room and read a book first, and then wash the dishes after these educated youth brothers and sisters finish eating." Xuemei replied.
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