Chapter 5 Steamed Egg with Preserved Mustard Greens and Pork Belly
For dinner, we ate vegetable dumplings that had been made before noon. When Grandma Guo made these vegetable dumplings, she even added a few drops of soybean oil, so even without meat, they smelled very fragrant.
Guo Xiaohua had already eaten one at noon, but she still looked very hungry when she saw the vegetable buns.
Today's dishes are similar to yesterday's: tofu and boiled green vegetables.
Each person picked up a bowl and was about to start eating when Guo Baiwen thought of the five eggs he had brought back yesterday. He had eaten one yesterday and one this morning, so he should have three now.
"Grandma, we have a hen that can lay eggs now. Why don't we just cook a dish with the remaining three eggs and have everyone eat it together?"
Grandma Guo originally wanted to offer some advice, saying that even if she had money, she should live frugally.
But when she saw Guo Xiaohua looking at her expectantly, her face so thin that it looked almost unrecognizable except for her eyes, she swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Grandma got up cheerfully, ready to fry the eggs, but Guo Baiwen pressed her back down, saying, "Grandma, you can rest. It's just frying eggs, I can do it."
After pressing the two people down, Guo Baiwen turned around and wandered into the kitchen. There wasn't much left in the kitchen: a jar of pickled radishes and dried plums, a bunch of leftover greens and scallions, and three eggs.
The stove in the kitchen was still an earthen stove. Although I had never used one before, I was obviously very skilled at starting a fire with relatively soft and dry tree bark. I stuffed the lit fire into the stove hole, and when the fire was almost lit, I stuffed in the chopped firewood.
Once the fire in the stove was burning, he washed his hands, thinking of giving the three malnourished people an extra meal. Simply frying eggs wouldn't qualify as an extra meal, so he remembered the 500g of pork stored in the warehouse and took it out.
The pork belly given to him by the sign-in system was of good quality. He carefully removed the fatty part with the skin. The pan was already hot. He cut the removed fatty part into strips and put it into the pan. He slowly fried it over low heat, and watched as the originally snow-white fatty part melted into a light yellow liquid in the pan, sizzling. At this time, he began to cut the piece of meat that had changed from five-layered to three-layered, which weighed about half a pound.
The kitchen doors and windows were clearly not very airtight. As the rich aroma of oil wafted from the pot, Guo Baiwen could hear Guo Xiaohua outside the door exclaim, "It smells so good!"
Even though she hadn't eaten meat in a long time, she could still distinguish the smell of eggs and meat. So when Guo Baiwen finished slicing the meat, she saw Guo Xiaohua open the door and come over, her mouth practically watering. "I think I smell meat!"
The nose was indeed sharp. Guo Baiwen didn't explain, but simply picked up a piece of browned fried pork fat with his chopsticks and handed it to her: "Try it."
"It really is meat! When did you buy it, brother?"
Guo Xiaohua's eyes lit up when she saw the chopsticks!
She took the fried pork cracklings and carefully put them into her mouth, making a "crunch crunch" sound.
The meat scraps, now fried until all the moisture was gone, were slightly crunchy, and the large amount of oil popped in her mouth, making Guo Xiaohua's stomach chuckle with satisfaction, and she had long forgotten about her earlier question.
"The pork cracklings are so delicious."
Guo Baiwen had already ladled out a bowl of lard, which was rendered from the piece of fat from earlier. Floating on the surface were a dozen or so cracklings that had turned a golden brown. He scooped them out with the bowl and chopped them into small pieces, turning them into minced meat.
It tastes great when sprinkled with some white sugar.
But there was no white sugar at home, and with Xiaohua here, he couldn't take out the brown sugar stored in the warehouse. So he could only make do with what was available, sprinkling a little salt on it, and handing the bowl to Xiaohua, saying, "Be careful, it's hot. Remember to share some with Grandma too."
"Yes, brother!"
With pork cracklings to eat, even the older brother became a prince.
Guo Baiwen found it amusing, but he didn't show it on his face. He waved his hand, telling the person to leave the kitchen and not to forget to close the door behind them.
The lard has been rendered, but we won't need that much for today's cooking. I left two spoonfuls in the pot, and put the rest into a jar in the kitchen. Now that we have pork, lard, and eggs, let's make steamed pork belly with preserved mustard greens and eggs.
Although his skills couldn't compare to those of a master chef, he had set up a stall outside a school for a few years when he was poor in his previous life. Even though he hadn't eaten meat for a few days, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva when he thought of the taste of steamed eggs with preserved mustard greens and pork belly.
The jar of dried plums and pickled radishes were placed together. As soon as he opened the sealed earthenware jar, he smelled the rich aroma of dried plums.
Wash the soaked and softened preserved mustard greens thoroughly and squeeze out the excess water. Heat lard in a pan, add ginger slices and sauté until fragrant. Then add the thinly sliced pork and fry until the pork releases its oil. The hot oil sizzles and the pork slices on both sides become crispy and fragrant, filling the air with an irresistible aroma. Once the pork slices are golden brown and crispy, glistening with an enticing sheen, add a small spoonful of soy sauce and stir-fry. Then add the preserved mustard greens and stir-fry together. Satisfyingly, the preserved mustard greens absorb the oil from the pork slices and lard, gradually turning a dark, glossy black.
While it's steaming, beat the eggs with warm water and salt to make an egg mixture. First, spread the stir-fried preserved mustard greens and sliced meat at the bottom of a steaming bowl, then pour in the beaten egg mixture, and steam for about ten minutes.
He used the largest bowl in his house to steam the eggs, but because the beaten egg liquid was not strained, the surface of the steamed eggs had some air bubbles and small holes. Although it didn't look very smooth, it smelled especially fragrant.
He sprinkled some chopped green onions on top and served it.
"Want to try some?"
Grandma Guo and Xiaohua just tasted some freshly cooked pork cracklings. Pork cracklings are indeed tastier than soybean oil, but soybean oil is already too expensive for them. In the past, they could only enjoy pork cracklings like this once or twice a year, usually during the Lunar New Year.
Seeing Guo Baiwen finally bring out his bowl, she handed him the pork cracklings that she had previously separated from his bowl, saying, "Wenzai, hurry up, these pork cracklings should be eaten while they're hot, they won't taste as good when they're cold."
As the two bowls were being passed around, she noticed the steamed egg that Guo Baiwen had brought out. It looked no different from the ones she usually made, but it smelled especially delicious.
He had already prepared his spoon, and now he had one for each person. "Quick, this steamed egg custard is delicious too." After saying that, he couldn't help but take a spoon first, scooping a few spoonfuls of egg custard into the hollow of the vegetable bun. As soon as it entered his mouth, the smoothness of the egg custard, the oiliness of the pork belly, and the saltiness of the preserved mustard greens made the vegetable bun even more delicious.
Without him needing to persuade her further, Guo Xiaohua's eyes lit up as she ate, ignoring the fact that it was too hot to eat, taking one bite after another.
Grandma Guo rarely gets to eat such delicious steamed eggs. Her teeth aren't very good, and she usually has to chew her food for a while before swallowing. Now, even though the plate is empty, she's still holding her spoon, licking her lips with a hint of lingering satisfaction.
"Wenzai's steamed egg is really delicious. I never thought that dried plum vegetables and meat could be eaten together in steamed egg."
"If Grandma likes it, I'll make it for you again next time."
"No need, no need. This is made with lard and eggs, all precious things. It's already a luxury to be able to taste something like this once in a while." Grandma Guo licked her spoon, but couldn't resist after all. "Why don't you make this again for everyone to eat during the New Year, Wenzai?"
Guo Baiwen felt a little sad upon hearing this, but still smiled and agreed, "Okay, then I'll definitely make a really big one, and we can each have a bowl and just mix it with rice."
"Wow!!! Pork lard and egg custard can be mixed directly with rice!" Guo Xiaohua patted her stomach, which was unusually full today, and her eyes sparkled as she heard this. "Brother, you're the best!"
That night, the Guo family dreamed of the aroma of steamed eggs with preserved mustard greens and pork belly.
Early in the morning, Guo Baiwen curled up in the quilt that his grandmother had washed and changed for him, and began to think about what he could do to support his family.
Should we continue to honestly farm like Old Man Guo?
He wasn't exactly clueless about farming, but he was definitely lazy and inactive. Leaving aside whether he could properly tend the fields and pay his annual taxes to support his family, relying entirely on the weather for farming at this time was far too passive.
So—go for the imperial examination?
But in his previous life, he wasn't a good student. His grades fluctuated around the bottom ten in his class. He barely managed to get into a non-prestigious university and never received a scholarship.
He can't write calligraphy yet. He can draw straight lines, but if you want to write a style or character, he, a self-taught calligrapher, can't compare to those who have studied and practiced diligently since childhood.
Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.
If the first two paths are not suitable, then only industry and commerce remain.
As for crafts, Grandma Guo had wanted to send him to learn some artisan skills, regardless of what he could learn, but she hadn't been able to find a master willing to take him on. As for business, doing business, big or small, always requires capital and connections; he remembered seeing those shops in the county yesterday.
The county town here is only so big, and it has all the shops you need, but there doesn't seem to be any business he can do.
Should we go back to what we did before and set up a small stall first?
But putting aside what can be sold at a stall, his views on commerce at this time were not as lenient as they had been in his previous life.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't think of a better option. Guo Baiwen couldn't help but sigh. Considering that he had only been here for three days, he figured it would be better to wait a few more days and see.
A new day, a new check-in.
He sat up from the covers, reached out and grabbed handfuls of air in all directions, chanting incantations to all the gods and Buddhas whose names he knew, before pressing the "Confirm Today's Check-in" button.
Extra soft three-ply flushable toilet paper, 12 rolls per pack
[Toothpaste and toothbrush family set, 4 items per set]
One pack of six sugar-free canned cola
The contents extracted were neither particularly good nor bad.
Aside from the items I took out the past two days and the ones I just drew today, I still have five kilograms of rice, a box of cold medicine, and an empty glass soy sauce bottle waiting to be washed and appreciated in value in the system warehouse.
With a few items, plus the two taels of silver he had stored inside, seven out of ten compartments were occupied.
If he signs in one more day tomorrow, the shelves in this warehouse will be full, and he'll have to find a chance to take out everything he can.
Upon removing the newly pulled-out toothbrush and toothpaste set, I discovered that the toothbrush handle was made of bamboo, which saved me some trouble explaining.
He still had to squeeze the toothpaste into the small box. After working on it for a while, looking at the empty toothbrush case, Guo Baiwen decided to throw it into the kitchen stove and burn it with the firewood when he went to boil water later.
However, after receiving the toilet paper, Guo Baiwen belatedly realized a serious problem. It had been three days since he transmigrated here, and he still hadn't managed to use the toilet.
A note from the author:
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