Chapter 72 Yin Xing Yin Xing
The lean and fat pork belly is put into the pot, making a sizzling sound. Add sugar, light soy sauce and cooking wine, and then add onions, ginger, garlic and star anise and bay leaves. Stew for half an hour, and the sweet aroma of the braised pork will be fragrant.
This was a delicacy prepared by Su Zhao herself. She usually didn't cook by herself, but today was New Year's Eve, so naturally she had to prepare a sumptuous and delicious New Year's Eve dinner. Not only her, but also Aunt Bai and Madam Wei all showed off their specialties.
Su Zhaoshi has a secret to making braised pork, which is not to use an iron pot, but to slowly simmer it in a clay pot. The braised pork made in this way tastes better.
Seeing that it was almost done, Su Zhao took out a piece and said, "Erlang, come and see how it tastes."
Su Fengzhang was not reading today, but instead joined in the kitchen to help.
Hearing this, he leaned over and swallowed it in one gulp, giving it a big thumbs-up. "Sweet and soft, it melts in your mouth. Mom, your braised pork is absolutely amazing. I could eat a whole bowl by myself."
Su Zhao was delighted and said with a smile, "If you can eat it, go ahead. I've made a big clay pot, enough for our family to eat for two or three days. I'll cook more after you finish it."
Su Fengzhang truly thought it tasted good. The pork had a genuine flavor, and his mother's cooking was even better. After finishing the piece of meat in his mouth, he waved and said, "Sanlang, Huihui, come over and try a piece."
Aunt Bai was making buns. She was very skillful and could make cute buns in the shape of bunnies and hedgehogs. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "Look how greedy you are. Go quickly."
Su Zhaoshi did not stop them. She fed each of them a piece before saying, "Don't eat too much. There are so many delicious foods tonight."
After she finished speaking, she poured out a bowl and said, "Erlang, you can send it to your uncle's house later. Your uncle also likes to eat this. It's not a big deal, but it's a token of your appreciation."
There are few people in the family. Although her sister-in-law Zhang is not likable, Su Zhao has always maintained a good relationship between the two families.
Su Fengzhang nodded and suddenly asked, "Mom, do you have more meat dishes today? If you do, give me a separate portion and I'll give it to Changqing to try later."
Su Zhaoshi was surprised when she heard this: "Why, your classmate didn't go home for the New Year?"
Although the county school is busy with classes, it still has a holiday during the Chinese New Year, and most students go home early to celebrate the New Year.
Su Fengzhang said, "There's no one at home anymore. It would be lonely if he went back. It's better for him to stay here and study."
Su Zhao frowned and said, "If I had known this would happen, I should have invited him to come home to celebrate the New Year."
Su Fengzhang shook his head and said, "That's not necessary. He won't come even if I call him."
It’s Chinese New Year, who would go to someone else’s house for New Year’s Eve dinner? Lin Changqing has a very strong sense of self-esteem, and Su Fengzhang didn’t even say a word.
Su Zhao glanced at her son and couldn't help asking, "Feng'er, why do you value Lin Changqing so much?"
Su Fengzhang explained with a smile, "Firstly, we have a lot in common. Brother Changqing's teaching on poetry has benefited me greatly, and the teacher also said that I have made great progress recently. For this reason, I should be nicer to him."
"Secondly, he is extremely talented and will surely achieve great things in the future. So why not treat him better?"
Su Fengzhang always spoke very clearly to his own mother, simply because apart from him, Su Zhao was the only one in charge in the family, and this way, their paths forward were completely aligned.
Su Zhaoshi understood her son's thoughts. She smiled and asked, "Do you think so highly of him?"
Su Fengzhang said without hesitation: "Of course, Brother Changqing has come this far on his own. He is extremely talented and diligent. What's even more rare is that he has a spiritual energy. This alone makes him much better than me."
"As long as he can keep going, he will have a bright future."
In Su Fengzhang's opinion, that kind of spiritual energy is what he lacks the most, and even acquired efforts cannot completely change it.
Su Zhaoshi couldn't bear to hear him belittle her, and she said, "My Feng'er is not bad either. Everyone praises you for being outstanding."
"But if you go out now, won't you be able to make it home for dinner?" Su Zhao also sympathized with Lin Changqing, but she also didn't want her eldest son to go out on New Year's Eve.
Su Fengzhang smiled and said, "How could that be? A round trip by car would take at most half an hour."
"Mom, please help me pack some more food. I'll be back soon after I take it over."
Su Zhaoshi couldn't persuade him, so she said, "Why don't you go and call Arong over to go with you?"
"No need, I can drive the car myself. Why bother calling him over during New Year's Day?"
Su Arong also has relatives and a home in the village, so Su Fengzhang felt that there was really no need to ask him to come and drive.
Su Zhaoshi was worried, but she had no choice. She packed some delicious dishes and put them in a lunch box, and even put a warming stove underneath. "This way the food won't get cold. Go quickly and come back soon."
"Mom, don't worry, I'll be back soon." Su Fengzhang shouted with a smile.
As he walked out of the door carrying the lunch box, Su Lanzhang and Su Huihui followed him like two little tails. Su Lanzhang even called out, "Brother, can I go with you?"
Su Fengzhang flicked his forehead and said with a smile, "It's so cold on the road, I'll be back soon."
After thinking for a moment, he took out two candies from his pocket and secretly stuffed them into his sister-in-law's mouth. He put his index finger on his lips and made a gesture of silence: "Don't tell mother. Okay, go back quickly."
The two children who stole the candy went back happily like mice.
Su Fengzhang had learned the six arts well, so driving was naturally no problem for him. He drove the car steadily, even better than Su Arong. The food box in the car did not move at all.
On New Year's Eve, every household was busy eating the New Year's Eve dinner. Even though it was still early, there were few people on the road. Su Fengzhang was driving quite fast, but he didn't see anyone until he reached the city gate.
The guards at the city gate were also lazy. Two of them were still eating. When they saw him, they looked up and shouted, "Isn't this Mr. Su? Why are you entering the city today?"
Su Fengzhang greeted with a smile: "I'm delivering something to a classmate. I'll be right back."
After his carriage passed by, the two guards at the door started talking with a smile.
One said, "This scholar Su has a really good temper. Every time he sees us, he is always friendly and affable, unlike those scholars."
Another said, "That's true. I heard that Mr. Su always ranks among the top in the monthly and annual exams, but he's not arrogant. He's much better than those others. Hey, they say a full bottle of water makes no sound, but a half-full one does. Isn't that the case?"
"Even for classmates, they still miss the one who didn't go home during the New Year."
"Hey, have you heard about that guy? They say he used to be a servant. His family was extremely poor, his parents died a long time ago, and he relied on the master's family to study. As a result..."
Su Fengzhang did not hear their gossip. He did not take a detour and went all the way to the county school. The county school, which was usually quite lively, was now deserted. After all, most of the students had gone home for the New Year.
There was only an old man watching at the gate, and he was surprised to see him: "Su Xiucai, why are you here at this time? Is there something wrong? Or did you leave something behind?"
"Uncle Liu, happy New Year's Eve." Su Fengzhang first said congratulations, then explained with a smile, "I brought some food to Mr. Lin, and please open the door, Uncle Liu."
Uncle Liu quickly opened the door and said with a smile, "Thank goodness you were thinking of Mr. Lin. The food arrived just in time. You may not know that the county school's cooks have all gone home for the New Year, so Mr. Lin will probably have to eat cold steamed buns."
When talking about Uncle Liu, I feel sad. He has no children and feels miserable, but when I see that Mr. Lin is young and homeless, I feel even more sympathetic.
Su Fengzhang chatted with him for a few words before entering the house. He also left a small jar with braised pork in it. He asked Su Zhaoshi to keep it aside just for Uncle Liu.
Uncle Liu was very happy to receive the can of braised pork. It was not because he was greedy for it, but because he felt that it was a good feeling to have someone thinking of him during the Chinese New Year.
Although he had never lived in the county school, Su Fengzhang went to their house often after getting to know Lin Changqing.
So at this moment he didn't need anyone to lead the way, and walked towards the backyard of the county school as he knew the way.
There is a bamboo forest around the school. Hushan County is suitable for bamboo growth. Even in the cold winter, it still looks lush and green, and does not seem so desolate.
After the bamboo forest is the house where Lin Changqing lives. There are four people living in that house. Except for him, the others should have gone home for the New Year, and the door is closed at this time.
"Knock knock knock!" Su Fengzhang freed his hands and knocked on the door, but no one responded from inside.
Su Fengzhang felt strange. Where could Lin Changqing go during the New Year? If he went out, Uncle Liu would remember him.
He knocked for a while longer and called out, "Changqing, are you in there, Changqing?"
There was still no movement inside. Su Fengzhang reached out and pushed the door, but he didn't expect that the door was only ajar and opened as soon as he pushed it.
"Changqing? I'm Fengzhang, are you there?" If he was going out, he wouldn't leave the door unlocked, right?
Su Fengzhang subconsciously felt that something was wrong. He shouldn't enter the house when the owner was not there, but he still reached out and pushed the door open completely.
"Evergreen!"
The house was in a mess. Lin Changqing was lying on the ground, his life or death unknown, and his head was covered in blood.
Su Fengzhang didn't care about anything else. The food box in his hand fell to the ground. He rushed in and reached out to help the man up, but he didn't know where to start.
He put his trembling fingers under Lin Changqing's nose, but could not feel any sign of life.
"Changqing!" Su Fengzhang touched his neck again and seemed to still feel the beating and temperature.
His mind raced as he quickly took out the spiritual spring water to feed him.
At this moment, a voice came from the door: "Su Xiucai, I'll return this small jar to you...Ahhhhhhhhh, someone is dead!"
After Uncle Liu's scream, all the students in the surrounding rooms who had not returned home for various reasons were called out. The three of them rushed over at the same time and were shocked when they saw the scene inside the house.
One of them rushed over and pushed Su Fengzhang away, shouting, "You, you killed Mr. Lin!"
Su Fengzhang only saw the bowl in his hand being knocked over and the spiritual spring water spilled all over the floor. He hurriedly reached out to save it but was powerless.
The other few people didn't know that their recklessness had cut off Lin Changqing's last chance of life. They also felt Lin Changqing's breath, and their faces turned pale: "He, he is really dead, report to the police!"
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The author has something to say: Second update
Continue tomorrow~~~~
Abuse
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