It was the hottest time of the year, and the meat couldn't be kept. If it wasn't eaten up, it would be thrown away. So Feng Guizhi thought about it and decided to splurge and make some braised pork.
There was a happy event at home, so we had a good meal to celebrate.
Feng Guizhi got to work without delay, washing the five pounds of pork thoroughly before dicing it on the chopping board. This time, the pork was pork belly, with a mix of fat and lean meat, perfect for making braised pork.
Feng Guizhi cut the pork belly into small pieces and put them in a basin, filling up half the basin.
Once the pork is cooked and the pot is on fire, blanch the meat. Remove it from the pot and start sautéing the rock sugar. Once the rock sugar has melted, add the chopped meat and stir-fry. Add the scallions, ginger, garlic, star anise, and dark soy sauce, along with a little water to just cover the meat. Cover the pot and simmer over high heat until the meat is tender and infused with flavor. This is how it tastes.
Braised pork was stewing in a small pot, and Feng Guizhi poured some flour in to make some pancakes.
Feng Guizhi picked out some lean meat from the diced meat and is now preparing to stir-fry winter melon with meat.
The food in the pot was still stewing, and Feng Guizhi went to the vegetable garden outside to pick a few eggplants and some water spinach, preparing to fry some eggplants and stir-fry some water spinach.
When the braised pork is out of the pot, a large bowl of soup is served. The color is particularly bright and the smell is very fragrant.
Chen Xiuxiu, who was adding firewood under the stove, was almost staring with excitement. It was rare to see so much meat, and it was real meat without any other side dishes.
Feng Guizhi covered the braised pork with a plate and placed it on the chopping board, then started cooking. After cooking the last two dishes, she also cooked a pot of egg soup.
However, she didn't cook too much. There was porridge in the big pot. She just beat three eggs and added some vegetables. It was quick to make and was ready in a few minutes.
Tonight, it can be said that we have a real three dishes and one soup meal.
Feng Guizhi served a separate portion for Song Jianye. She took a larger empty bowl and put a lot of braised pork into it. These rewards were all earned by him, so he must eat more.
Then I ate some stir-fried winter melon with meat, stir-fried water spinach and eggplant, and put a piece of pastry on top.
Bowl of egg drop soup.
The bowl was piled full. When Yang Yulan passed it over, she walked very carefully, for fear that she would not knock the bowl over, which would make her heartbroken.
Feng Guizhi continued to serve rice in the kitchen, but after thinking for a moment, she took out an empty bowl, picked out several pieces of braised pork, and put some vegetables in. After filling half the bowl, she found a clean cloth to cover it and called Song Jianshe.
"Old Four."
"Hey." Song Jianshe heard the voice and walked to the kitchen: "What's wrong, mother? Do you want to serve the dishes?"
Feng Guizhi handed over the bowl in her hand: "There are some dishes in it, go and give it to Uncle Zhao."
Even though it was just a bowl of food, it was still a precious commodity in this era. Feng Guizhi remembered that Zhao Rongsheng had treated Song Jianye's leg and had worked hard to come here. Their family had a sumptuous meal today, so it was only right to send some over.
Song Jianshe responded and went out with the bowl in his arms.
"It shouldn't be far, right?" Feng Guizhi didn't know that Zhao Rongsheng lived in the cowshed. Song Jianshe only said that he was from the Yuejin Production Brigade next door.
"It's not far. I'll be back by the time you sit down at the table." Song Jianshe replied as he walked out.
Song Jianshe walked very fast along the way. The bowl in his arms emitted a fragrance from time to time, which aroused his appetite and he couldn't wait to go home to eat meat.
The braised pork made by his mother is absolutely amazing!
The cowshed wasn't far away, and Song Jianshe arrived in a few minutes. But Feng Guizhi didn't know that Zhao Rongsheng and the others were from the cowshed, so he didn't worry too much. But he certainly couldn't go in so openly. If someone saw him, it would be troublesome.
When Song Jianshe was thinking about how to pass the things over, Shen Yibei came out to fetch water and saw him from a distance.
Song Jianshe also saw Shen Yibei. It was a little dark now, but he could still see him vaguely. He looked around, then raised the thing in his hand to Shen Yibei, gestured, put the bowl on the ground, turned around and went back. Anyway, it's okay to wait a few days before taking the bowl.
After a while, when Song Jianshe was no longer in sight, Shen Yibei walked over and picked up the bowl wrapped in the cloth. He felt the warmth and guessed that it might be the food sent by the old Song family.
He returned to the cowshed with the bowl in his arms. Jiang Qiuli was also cooking at the moment. However, she only fried two handfuls of lettuce and cooked some vegetables.
Thin rice porridge.
Seeing Shen Yibei coming in with something in his arms, he asked, “Xiaobei, what are you holding?”
Shen Yibei put the cloth on the table and removed it, revealing a bowl full of food underneath, and the fragrance immediately came out.
"Where did you get this?" Jiang Qiuli was surprised when she saw it. Although she didn't see the meat underneath, she could see the white flour pancakes and stir-fried vegetables on top.
Zhao Rongsheng heard the sound and came over to take a look. When he saw the food in the bowl, he was surprised at first, just like Jiang Qiuli, but then he figured it out and guessed that it was sent by someone from the Song family.
After they came here, the only people they could really say acquaintance to were the people from the Song family.
"Grandpa sent it to the family who treated my leg." Shen Yibei explained to Jiang Qiuli.
"That's really thoughtful of them. They gave us eggs and rice and flour." Jiang Qiuli has seen the fickleness of human nature, and now seeing the people of the old Song family doing this, her heart couldn't help but warm.
The things had already been delivered and could not be sent back. Besides, it was a kind gesture from the other party. They kept it in mind and sat down to start eating.
A plate of stir-fried lettuce, and boiled wild vegetable and egg soup, plus the dishes sent by the Song family, was the most sumptuous meal they had had since being sent to the cowshed.
Jiang Qiuli gave all the white flour cakes and eggplant rakes to Shen Yibei, and she and Zhao Rongsheng took the black flour buns to eat.
However, after removing the pancake from the top, they saw that there was meat at the bottom of the bowl, braised pork.
"This..." Jiang Qiuli was stunned.
Pork is so precious these days that even if you have pork, people just make pork dumplings or stew it in a big pot. No one wants to make a dish with just the meat. So, when I saw this real braised pork, I was really surprised.
"The Song family is such a rare family of down-to-earth people." Zhao Rongsheng couldn't help but sigh.
"Eat." He first picked up a piece for Jiang Qiuli, then picked up a piece for Shen Yibei, and finally picked up a winter melon for himself.
Shen Yibei broke the pancakes and eggplant rakes given by Jiang Qiuli into three portions and gave them to Jiang Qiuli and Zhao Rongsheng. They took them and started eating with chopsticks.
"They are really thoughtful. When you go back for treatment, see if you can bring something useful with you."
Zhao Rongsheng nodded in agreement.
Feng Guizhi gave a lot of braised pork,
Jiang Qiuli didn't refuse and tried a piece. She had eaten braised pork many times in the imperial capital before, but after trying Feng Guizhi's, she couldn't help but praise it, thinking that this braised pork was better than any other time.
The three of them had the most sumptuous and delicious dinner in the cowshed together.
When Song Jianshe rushed back to Old Song's house, the dishes had just been served. There were several plates on the table, and it looked very rich.
A plate of tender green stir-fried water spinach, a plate full of stir-fried winter melon and pork, a large bowl of vegetable and egg soup, and finally, a brightly colored braised pork with a rich, succulent texture. Next to it was a plate of fried eggplant and pancakes.
Especially the braised pork on the plate, not only the children, but also the adults were almost drooling at the sight. Braised pork, during the Chinese New Year, is only eaten with pork dumplings, and no family is so extravagant as to be able to eat braised pork.
The younger ones, except for Bowen who is a few years older and had eaten it once when he was a child, have never eaten it. Now they are all staring at it eagerly, envious.
Looking at the table full of food, the people in the Song family felt only satisfaction.
"Come and sit down to eat." Seeing Song Jianshe coming back, Feng Guizhi also picked up her chopsticks.
Song Jianshe sat down quickly and couldn't wait to eat with his chopsticks. He first picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in Feng Guizhi's bowl, and said with a smile:
"Mother, you've worked hard today. We can have such a meal. First of all, we have to thank Third Brother, and then Mother."
"Yes, we had this meal thanks to the third brother. Now Jianye's leg is almost healed. I am really happy in my heart." Song Aiguo also said after listening.
"Yes, the only reason we can eat these is because of the suffering of the third brother. Fortunately, he is fine, otherwise I would really feel guilty."
"It's all in the past, why bring it up? Let's eat."
The children at the smaller table looked at the braised pork on the plates, picked up the pieces one by one with extreme caution, and then slowly put them into their mouths to taste them.
The braised pork is stewed for a long time, and the meat is stewed until it is tender, with alternating fat and lean parts. It tastes fat but not greasy. The meat is soaked with the flavor of the soup, and the rich flavor spreads in the mouth. In one word - delicious!
"It's delicious, so delicious!" Yuanbao couldn't help but exclaimed after finishing a piece.
“It’s so delicious, the best thing I’ve ever eaten!”
"Yes, braised pork is the best!"
Several little ones are trying hard
They nodded in agreement. The braised pork was so delicious that they wanted to swallow their tongues.
It smells so good.
Baoya hadn't eaten yet, but after hearing what they said, she couldn't help licking her lips, then carefully picked up a piece and took a bite.
The braised pork seemed to melt in my mouth, and its slightly sweet and rich aroma spread throughout my mouth. Baoya chewed it slowly, almost reluctant to swallow it.
After eating a piece of braised pork, Baoya picked up some water spinach and tried the stir-fried winter melon with meat and eggplant. A bite of eggplant with a bite of winter melon and meat was especially delicious with rice.
There was a lot of meat this time, and the plates were full. In addition, Feng Guizhi deliberately cut the pieces smaller, so the younger ones could each have a few pieces.
After finishing her round, Baoya picked up another piece of braised pork and started eating. The delicious taste in her mouth made her linger on it for a long time.
"I've decided that my favorite food from now on isn't hand-rolled chicken noodles anymore. My favorite is braised pork!" Yuan Bao couldn't help but smack his lips and said, "It would be great if I could eat braised pork every day..."
The other children remained silent, but they all had the same idea as Yuanbao. They also wanted to eat braised pork every day, but they all knew that this was impossible.
So, they thought about it again and decided that it would be nice if they could eat it once a year!
Chen Xiuxiu at the adults' table heard Yuanbao say this and remembered the quota for formal workers. She smiled and said, "When your third uncle and third aunt become formal workers, maybe you can really eat braised pork every day."
Yuanbao's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Wow! That's great!"
Yuanbao cheered and almost jumped up with joy. The other children couldn't help but feel happy too, and were looking forward to it in their hearts.
After hearing what Chen Xiuxiu said, Yang Yulan hesitated for a moment: "I, I probably can't do it. I don't know anything. What if I don't pass the exam and waste my place?"
The spot was supposedly for Song Jianye, but Song Jianye's leg would need at least two more months of recovery, and by then it would be almost October, which would definitely be too late to interview for a permanent position. So, they all assumed the spot was for Yang Yulan.
Speaking of this regular worker quota, Chen Xiuxiu and the others had some thoughts in their minds, thinking that it would be good if the quota was given to them, but after all, this quota was a person. Song Jianye broke his leg.
They definitely couldn't just take it for nothing and take advantage of it. So, besides being happy for Yang Yulan, they were also envious.
After all, they are all family. When the third brother's family becomes successful, they will also benefit from it.
Chen Xiuxiu: "Why not? There's still more than a month left. If you have patience and prepare well, you will definitely be able to do it."
"Yeah, let's have Lao Si go to the county town and ask what the situation is. You'll definitely be able to learn it slowly. Didn't the county officials say that we only need an interview?"
Yang Yulan was still a little nervous, worried that she might not do well and waste the position. After all, this regular position was too precious.
Feng Guizhi sat in her seat without saying a word, listening to them talk, not knowing what she was thinking.
After the meal, the whole family was full. After taking some time to digest the food, they happily chatted for a long time before going back to their rooms to sleep.
After going to bed at night, Feng Guizhi couldn't sleep, wondering who should be given the quota for formal employment.
Logically speaking, Song Jianye had earned this spot, so if he couldn't go, it should have been given to Yang Yulan. However, Yang Yulan was gentle and honest, and she was a little worried about asking her to go to the county town alone.
People in the county town are always a little different from those in the countryside.
Feng Guizhi thought about it over and over again, and made a vague decision in her heart.
........
In the afternoon, the kids went to the back mountain together again. They had picked up a lot of cicada shells these days, so they relaxed a little today. They picked up shells while playing, which was much easier.
However, Yuanbao couldn't help but mutter, "When will Brother Yibei come?"
It's been many days since Brother Yibei left. I miss him and the wild dates he picked...
However, after Yuanbao finished speaking, Shen Yibei really came soon. After searching for the past few days, he had found the places where three matsutake mushrooms grew. After he wrote down the locations, he did not look for them again today, but went to find Baoya and the others.
Baoya was the first person to see Shen Yibei, and she smiled sweetly with her eyes curved.
Shen Yibei looked at Baoya's smile, and the coldness on his face weakened a little. Thinking about what he would give her later, the corners of his mouth slowly raised a little arc, and there was a little bit of a faint smile.
“Wow, Brother Yibei is here!” Yuanbao ran over excitedly when he saw Shen Yibei.
Baoya and the others also walked towards Shen Yibei. Shen Yibei looked at them and asked, "I haven't been here these few days.
Did you find a lot of cicada shells?
Yuanbao nodded vigorously: "A lot, a lot."
Song Boyu thought of Shen Yibei’s grandmother’s affairs, and also said: “Brother Yibei, you shouldn’t have looked for it these days, we will give you some later.”
Shen Yibei shook his head: “No, my grandma is well now, and she doesn’t need this anymore.”
"Alright? That's great."
“Yes, yes.”
Being with the younger members of the Song family, Shen Yibei always felt more relaxed. The arc of his mouth widened a little, and then he remembered what he had found, took it out and handed it to Baoya:
"Here's this for you, as a deposit."
Baoya looked at what was in his hand and blinked at him: "Egg?"
"Is this an egg? It's so big."
Shen Yibei shook his head: "This is not an egg, it's a pheasant egg. I saw it on the mountain yesterday."
In Shen Yibei's hand were two pheasant eggs, which were a circle larger than ordinary eggs.
The little ones looked at it curiously: "Pheasant eggs? Can pheasant eggs be eaten?"
“You can eat it.”
Baoya reached out to take it and placed it in her palm. The pheasant egg was almost bigger than her hand. After looking at it for a while, Baoya carefully placed the pheasant egg in the cloth bag and covered it with her small hand to protect it.
But she could only put one in her cloth bag, so the remaining one was given to Song Bowen for safekeeping.
"Do you want to eat more dates? If so, I'll take you to pick some."
"Eat!" Yuanbao immediately jumped out to respond.
Baoya thought of the sweet dates and nodded her head.
“Let’s go then.” The little ones followed Shen Yibei to pick dates again.
This time, a few of them picked a lot of fruits and then went down the mountain happily. However, on the way down the mountain, they met a man——
Chen Fengxia went up the mountain to pick wild vegetables yesterday and ran into a pheasant. She flapped her wings to chase it, but failed to catch it. Instead, she was flapped by the pheasant's wings, leaving several red marks on her face.
But it was a pheasant after all, and she was unwilling to let it run away, so after work today, she ran to the back mountain again, holding a fishing net in her hand, to catch pheasants.
However, before she could go far, she ran into Baoya and the others. Chen Fengxia looked at the fair and tender Baoya among them and frowned.
Baoya has been eating well these days, and has grown flesh on his body and face, especially this
The summer sun was so strong that everyone got tanned, which made Baoya look even whiter.
She was wearing a blue short coat and carrying a small cloth bag embroidered with flowers on her back. She looked like someone from the city.
When Baoya saw Chen Fengxia, her little body trembled immediately. She looked at Chen Fengxia timidly and couldn't help but hide behind Shen Yibei.
She still remembered the last time Chen Fengxia wanted to take her away. Although Feng Guizhi, Yang Yulan and others said that she would be a member of the Song family from now on, she was still a little scared when she saw Chen Fengxia, fearing that Chen Fengxia would take her away.
A trace of pity flashed through Chen Fengxia's mind just now, but when she saw Baoya's frightened look, her face immediately drooped. She took a few steps forward and scolded Baoya:
"You silly girl, what do you mean? Now that you have a bride, you've forgotten me, your old wife, right?"
"I think I raised you for nothing. You're such an ungrateful person. Now that you're living a good life, you're almost pretending not to see me, right? Huh?"
The younger ones in the Song family frowned when they saw Chen Fengxia, especially Tian'en. A trace of fear flashed through his mind, but when he thought that Baoya was his sister now, he straightened his chest and stood in front of Baoya.
Shen Yibei didn't know the relationship between Chen Fengxia and Baoya, but when he saw Baoya's frightened look, he frowned and pulled Baoya behind him, then looked up at Chen Fengxia.
"What a bad luck! I raised you for nothing, you ungrateful little bastard, you debt collector!"
When the children heard Chen Fengxia scolding Baoya like that, they all got angry: "Don't you dare scold my little sister Xiaobao!"
"She is our sister now. She has nothing to do with you."
"That's right, if you scold Little Sister again, I'll be rude to you."
"No...don't scold my little sister...my sister!"
Chen Fengxia looked at the little ones and laughed angrily: "You're welcome, how can you be rude? Come on, show me how to be rude."
"So what if I scolded her today? She's my daughter, so what if I scolded her? What's it to you? The blood flowing in her body is my blood, what does it have to do with you?"
"Anyway, she's our sister now. It has nothing to do with you anymore." Song Bowen said to the children, "Let's go. Grandma is still waiting for us at home."
Chen Fengxia originally wanted to stop them
He wanted to come down, but thinking that he had to look for pheasants today, he gave up and left after cursing a few words.
A few of the younger ones took a detour and went back. After walking for a while, they looked back and saw that Chen Fengxia had not followed them, so they felt relieved. On the way, Shen Yibei frowned and glanced at Baoya next to him.
He opened his mouth to ask his doubts, but looking at Baoya, he couldn't bear to ask, so he went down the mountain.
After the children returned home, they told Feng Guizhi about this. Feng Guizhi's face darkened and she said to them, "Next time she dares to scold you, just scold her back. Don't be afraid, I'll support you. Baoyatou Ya is now a member of our family. We can't let an outsider scold her."
Even though Chen Fengxia was Baoya's biological mother, she couldn't give her the face she deserved because of her character.
When the younger ones heard this, they nodded heavily and promised to do it.
Baoya gradually felt relieved after listening to this. Then she remembered the pheasant eggs in the cloth bag, took them out carefully and handed them to Feng Guizhi.
"Milk, eggs."
Yuanbao remembered when he heard it, and said, "Grandma, look, these are the pheasant eggs that Brother Yibei gave to Sister Xiaobao."
"Pheasant eggs?" Feng Guizhi took a look at them for a few seconds, slowly frowned, and an idea flashed through her mind.
The author has something to say: Damn it! _(:з」∠)_
Let's draw 21 red envelopes in this chapter to celebrate the New Year and the arrival of 2021. I will continue to work hard. Thank you for your support~
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