"Aunt, it's me, Zeng Qi."
Zeng Qi's family lives in Hutong No. 1 at the back. Although it is separated from Hutong No. 2 by an alley, the distance between them is actually the distance between the front and the back of the house. If you speak loudly in the yard, people in front and behind can hear you.
Zeng Qi worked at the Women's Federation. She was warm and fair, and had a good relationship with everyone. Feng Juan also had a good relationship with Zeng Qi. Upon hearing Zeng Qi's voice, Feng Juan quickly opened the door and said with a smile, "Zeng Qi, long time no see. What brings you here today?"
"What other wind could it be? Of course it's the fragrant wind in your yard." Zeng Qi said with a smile.
Feng Juan laughed and invited her into the kitchen: "You've come just in time. I just braised the pig's head. I'll give you a piece. Come and try it."
"Auntie, no, don't bother, I'm not here to ask for food." Zeng Qi's face turned red and he quickly stopped her.
It's not easy for every household in this area to get some meat, so how could she have the nerve to come to someone's house and eat a piece of meat?
He quickly explained his purpose: "I just want to ask you for a bowl of the braising liquid you use for braised meat."
She felt a little embarrassed and explained, "The smell of your braised meat is so good that it almost made my two little boys dizzy even through two walls. I just got off work and haven't even entered the house yet, but the two little boys at home pulled my arms and made a fuss about eating braised meat. They said that the aroma of your braised pork head meat has aroused their greed and they are itching to eat it. I was so obsessed with it that I had no choice but to come to your house and ask for a bowl of your braising liquid so that I can braise some pork head for them as well."
Zeng Qi took out two eggs from the pocket of his cotton-padded jacket and handed them to Feng Juan: "Auntie, I'll trade them with you."
Feng Juan waved her hand and said, "It's just a bowl of brine. I'll just give it to you. It's not worth much. You can take the eggs away."
"No, that won't work. Your stewed broth is so fragrant. You must have put a lot of spices in it. I can't take yours." Zeng Qi insisted on giving it to Feng Juan, so she had to accept her eggs.
She took out the enamel teacup at home to fill the brine for Zeng Qi. The brine was still very hot. If she put it directly in a porcelain bowl, Zeng Qi probably wouldn't be able to carry it home and his fingers would be burned by the scalding edge of the bowl. However, the enamel teacup had a handle, and metal was more heat-insulating than ceramics, so it was easier to carry.
Feng Juan scooped a large teacup of braising liquid for her and reminded her, "This amount of braising liquid isn't much. When you braise the meat, you'll need to add some boiling water. The taste will be lighter if you add water. You can add some salt and soy sauce as appropriate. If you're not sure about the amount, you can scoop out some broth with a spoon to taste it. It should be slightly saltier than the vegetables you usually eat."
"Okay, I understand." Zeng Qi nodded seriously and asked humbly: "Besides salt and soy sauce, do I need to add anything else?"
"You can also add some wine, which can remove the fishy smell."
Zeng Qi agreed: "Okay. I happen to have some wine at home, so I'll add the tofu and try it."
Zeng Qi's family lived in the back alley, and the children in the family were all tempted by the smell of meat wafting from Qin Zheng's house. Sun Lan's family lived next door to Qin Zheng's house, separated by a wall, and the aroma kept coming into their noses.
Sun Lan's son, Chen Qiang, had long been unable to bear the fragrance and was throwing tantrums around the house, clamoring for food. Sun Lan, finding him disgraceful, had already spanked him, but it was no use.
Chen Qiang leaned on the wall and looked at Qin Zheng's house with eager eyes.
Under normal circumstances, Sun Lan would have been shameless enough to take things from home and go to Feng Juan to exchange for some meat for him to taste. But today, she had just had a little unpleasantness with Feng Juan, and now she turned around and took things to her to exchange for meat?
Isn't this bowing to her?
Sun Lan couldn't bring herself to do that.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
