Old Lady Miao came out first, holding the largest dish plate in the house. It was made by Old Man Jiang from a tree trunk when he had nothing to do. It was almost as big as a wash basin. Because it was too big, it had never been used since it was finished. Today, it finally had a place to use it. Old Lady Miao held the two sides of the plate firmly with both hands, being careful not to spill the meat juice.
The first dish was the signature dish of Qingshan Village - pheasant stewed with wild rabbit. Although the name sounds like a hodgepodge, the taste is absolutely first-rate. The thick and bright sauce and the fragrant meat. The pheasants and wild rabbits are both wild in the mountains. They usually jump around in the mountains, and the meat is firm and tender.
There were only two kerosene lamps lit in the main room, so visibility was a little low. Even so, everyone was drooling over the bowl of stewed meat in Old Lady Miao's hand.
Gu Dongmei, who came out right after Old Lady Miao, was also carrying a dish of pheasant stewed with rabbit, but the portion was a little smaller. This dish was placed on the ladies' table.
It was just a pot of pheasant stewed with rabbit, which obviously could not show off Grandma Miao's cooking skills. After this pot of food, several people brought out stir-fried rabbit meat, spicy stir-fried chicken offal, and sauerkraut rabbit meat from the kitchen one after another. Fearing that all meat would be too greasy, Grandma Miao also fried a bowl of cabbage with shredded meat. However, everyone's eyes were attracted by the plates of steaming meat dishes at this time, and the cabbage with only a little shredded meat did not attract anyone's attention at all.
"Okay, the kitchen is still stewing chicken with wild mushrooms. After everyone finishes their meal, we can have a bowl of hot pheasant soup, and the meal will be complete."
Old Mrs. Miao looked at everyone's expressions, put down the last dish, and said with a proud look on her face.
"Wait, wait, why is it over? Wild boar meat, why don't I see any wild boar meat?" After hearing what the old woman said, Old Man Jiang reluctantly looked away from the plates of meat dishes and said with some dissatisfaction.
God knows how long he has been waiting for the wild boar meat cooked by his old wife. Jiang Cheng's Adam's apple moved. Although the pheasant and rabbit tasted good, he just couldn't forget the taste of the wild boar meat made by his wife.
After hearing what her husband said, Old Lady Miao glared at him and said, "Did I hide the wild boar meat? But this wild boar meat is really inedible today."
This native wild boar is different from the wild boars that are farmed in later generations. The meat has an extremely strong mutton smell, and people who don't like it will think that the meat is a bit smelly. If the wild boars killed in the mountains are bled in time, the smell can be lighter, but bleeding wild boars in the mountains is too dangerous. Mo Dashuan and his men killed the wild boars and dragged them back directly. The pig blood was sealed in the meat, and the smell was even stronger. People who don't know treat wild boar meat as ordinary pork, so the taste is naturally ordinary.
Old Mrs. Miao can cook wild boar meat so well that people want to swallow their tongues. Naturally, she has her own way of cooking it.
"If you want to get rid of the stench of wild boar meat, you have to soak it in rice washing water for a few hours. Luckily, the wild boar Dashuan gave us was a female. If it was a male, the smell would be even stronger. I just don't know whether the cut meat was from a male or a female."
Old Lady Miao explained to everyone, "The wild boar meat is different from the fat pigs we raise. There is basically no fat on it. Once you peel off the skin, you will find lean meat that is tough and firm. I will stew the pork on the stove in the middle of the night, and you will have tender and crispy wild boar meat to eat tomorrow night."
The team is going to prepare a pig-killing dish tomorrow at noon. The pork at home can be stewed for a longer time to ensure that the skin is crispy and the bones are tender.
Jiang Yi stayed aside and listened to his grandmother talking about cooking. He suddenly felt curious. He remembered that his grandmother's family was also an ordinary poor peasant family. How could there be so many cooking methods? Logically, ordinary people would not have access to so many ingredients and there would be no chance for her to develop such sophisticated cooking skills.
"When are we going to eat? I'm hungry." Jiang Aidang leaned close to his brother's ear and asked quietly. He seemed to have been educated by Jiang Aiguo behind his back. He was very honest these days and never tried to snatch things from Sini and the others like he did on the first day.
"Eat, eat, eat. I'll serve you some rice right away. Thanks to the wild boar, we can splurge tonight and eat white rice without sweet potatoes. Pure white steamed rice."
Old Mrs. Miao had a smile on her face. The baskets of wild boar meat made her very happy. She was also generous for once and steamed a whole pot of rice to ensure that everyone had enough to eat.
Old man Jiang was a little unhappy that he couldn't eat the wild boar meat he had been craving for. The others, looking at the plates of delicious meat dishes, couldn't wait any longer, and after Gu Dongmei and Dani had served their meals, they started to eat.
Everyone's first goal was to get the biggest and fattest piece of meat. Jiang Yiliu picked up a piece of stewed pheasant. The fat and tender chicken was tightly wrapped in thick sauce, and it glowed with a crystal-like and attractive luster under the kerosene lamp. The chicken and hare seemed to have been stir-fried over high heat before being stewed together. When you bite into it, you can immediately feel the crispy skin, followed by the tenderness inside, and the delicious sauce bursts in your mouth.
Jiang Yilu swallowed the pheasant meat in his mouth and unconsciously quickened his pace in picking up dishes.
Among so many dishes, Jiang Yilu's favorite was the sauerkraut rabbit meat which sounded a bit strange. In the past, Jiang Yilu had only eaten sauerkraut fish and never knew that rabbit meat could be stewed with sauerkraut.
The sauerkraut used by Grandma Miao was homemade, sour and delicious. The rabbit meat absorbed the sour and spicy soup and became extremely appetizing. After taking a bite of the rabbit meat, it seemed as if the whole taste buds came alive. I just wanted to eat some more and didn’t want to stop for a moment.
During the whole meal, everyone was busy eating and almost no one spoke. It was unprecedentedly quiet. In the end, even the broth was used to mix with the rice. Except for a few slices of cabbage that were neglected, all the food was eaten up. There was a pile of bones in front of each person's table. Everyone covered their stomachs and burped comfortably.
"Brother Jiang, you are so lucky. I am impressed by your sister-in-law's cooking skills. If it were in Ducheng or Haicheng, her cooking skills would not be inferior to those of the chefs in the big restaurants."
Ruan Yuanjiang touched his slightly protruding belly and gave a thumbs up, not hiding his admiration for Miao Sanfeng's craftsmanship. Miao Sanfeng was so happy that she narrowed her eyes.
"This meal is the most satisfying one I've had in all these years." Bai Fangqiu's Chinese medicine was inherited from his ancestors. He was trained to eat small and frequent meals since he was a child. He would never eat more than 80% full at each meal, especially at night, when he would deliberately reduce his food intake. But all of this was ruined tonight.
Of course, this was because she hadn't eaten meat for a long time, but Mrs. Miao's cooking skills were also a big factor.
"My cooking skills can't compare with those of the chefs in the city. Brother Ruan, please don't praise me like that." Old Mrs. Miao said this modestly, but her face was almost smiling like a flower. Seeing everyone showing such support, the slight pain in her heart just now completely disappeared.
"There's chicken stewing in the kitchen. I'll serve everyone a bowl."
Old Mrs. Miao walked towards the kitchen very enthusiastically. When Ruan Yuanjiang and others were about to stop her, Miao Sanfeng had already rushed into the kitchen.
"I accidentally ate too much just now. How can my stomach hold any more?" Ruan Yuanjiang sighed. Not only him, but everyone present had the same expression.
Having said that, the few of them still drank a bowl of pheasant soup in the end. There was no other reason but that the pheasant soup was so fragrant that they would be letting their tempted noses down if they didn't drink it.
That night, Ruan Yuanjiang and several others came with a basket of pork on empty stomachs. When they left, the pork was gone, but their stomachs were bloated to the point of bursting. They supported their waists with their hands and walked towards the livestock shed.
Today, it was rare that Old Lady Miao did not impose a food restriction on Jiang Dani and the others. Dani and Erni were better, knowing how to restrain themselves and not eat anymore when their stomachs were full. The two younger ones' stomachs were bulging, and they wanted to stuff more meat into their stomachs. Jiang Yilu kept an eye on them and joined forces with the eldest and second sisters to stop them.
It was not until the unfinished pot of chicken soup was brought back to the kitchen that the two sisters reluctantly turned their gaze away.
Ruan Ruan was younger than the two sisters, but she was very obedient. She put down her bowl and chopsticks obediently almost as soon as Jiang Yiliu stopped her. Her obedient appearance made Jiang Yiliu dazed, thinking of his niece Meilin, who was also so sensible when she was the same age as her.
Unfortunately, Meilin probably won’t exist in this life.
After dinner, the women in the family were responsible for washing and wiping the table, while the men were responsible for filling the water tank. The children were in the yard, playing to digest their food. When all the work was done, the adults were called to the house of Mr. and Mrs. Jiang, and the children were driven back to their rooms.
Because Ruan Yuanjiang and his companions moved to the cattle shed, the room they used to live in became the room of Jiang Aiguo and Jiang Aidang. Logically, Jiang Yilu should have moved in as well, but he didn't want to live with the two brothers for the time being, so he took advantage of his young age and squeezed in with his sisters.
Jiang Yilu was a little curious about what the adults were talking about, so he sneaked out of the room under the pretext of going to the toilet.
"Dad, Mom, my sentence will probably come out soon. I don't know where I will be sent. In the coming years, I can only rely on you two to love the country and the Party."
Jiang Yilu lay beside the door frame, frowning.
Now, the doors of every household in Qingshan Village are covered with straw curtains or cloth curtains, which cannot block out the sound at all. Jiang Yiluo could hear it clearly while hiding at the door.
"Our grandchildren love the country and the party, so we can always provide them with food to eat." Old man Jiang looked at his son who had lost a lot of weight and sighed.
From ancient times to the present, only fathers cannot defeat their sons. Even if parents are heartbroken by their children, as long as the children are willing to turn back, parents will always forgive them. This is exactly what is happening to Old Man Jiang now.
"Second son, you'd better be a good person in the future and stop thinking about those sneaky things." Old Mrs. Miao said sadly. When she thought about her son being sent to reform, she hated Fan Xiaojuan in her heart.
"You..." Old Lady Miao didn't finish her words. In her opinion, her son was soft-hearted at the beginning. Why did he let Fan Xiaojuan go for nothing? It is said that the woman is now hooking up with an old widower in the city and will soon become a city dweller. How can such a woman be blessed?
Jiang Dachuan shook his head and took out a thick stack of bills from the interlayer of his cotton jacket.
"This is what I saved over the years. That woman doesn't know that I sold a lot of things on the black market. Although cornmeal and sweet potatoes are not rare in our village, they are needed by many families in the city who are short of food. I exchanged this money and various bills with others. I gave some of it to Fan Xiaojuan, and I kept the rest carefully and hid it."
Jiang Dachuan sighed, "If I were to bring up that woman Fan Xiaojuan, who knows if she would go crazy and tell everyone about this. Stealing collective grain would only result in a few years in prison, but reselling grain is a serious crime, and she might even be shot. I can only endure it."
There was a gloomy flash in Jiang Dachuan's eyes. This matter was not over yet. Fan Xiaojuan had hurt him so badly, how could he let her go easily.
"You are courting death. How dare you do such a thing?" Jiang Cheng lowered his voice and glared at his son with disappointment.
Jiang Dachuan smiled bitterly, "Dad, I know I was wrong. Just accept these things. Those who love the country and the party can get a lot of food every year. With these, they will be able to eat for the next few years. It can be regarded as a little thought from me as a father."
"Dachuan, you look down on me as your brother by saying that." Jiang Dahai pushed the bill back. Gu Dongmei, who was sitting next to him, pinched the soft flesh on his waist subtly, causing Jiang Dahai to grimace in pain.
"Eldest wife, what are you doing?" Old Mrs. Miao glared at Gu Dongmei.
"No, nothing." Gu Dongmei shrank her shoulders and dared not make any more moves.
Old Mrs. Miao snorted at Gu Dongmei, and Old Man Jiang's expression was obviously not very good.
"Dad, Mom, just take these things. I don't need them anyway." Jiang Dachuan was not surprised by Gu Dongmei's behavior. If it were him, he would probably have the same reaction as Gu Dongmei. Who would be willing to keep a few freeloaders around? Gu Dongmei already had a son and a daughter, so why would she care about their second wife's children?
Jiang Dachuan originally wanted to hide the money, but he was afraid that Gu Dongmei would mistreat his two sons when he was away. Jiang Dachuan felt a little regretful. If he hadn't done so much, maybe he wouldn't have to worry about it today.
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