Yu's mother and Liu's mother had also prepared lunch and dinner, and it was already past three or four o'clock.
Although the move was hasty, there were two large tables for the family, and Liu Yun had prepared plenty of food, while Yu Qian had also bought a lot of pork and wild boar meat. So it was quite a lively affair.
The table was laden with food, both meat and vegetables. Both Liu's mother and Yu's mother were top-notch cooks, and now they had joined forces to create something special.
The men sat at one table, and the women and children sat at another. Both tables were full, and the dishes were plentiful.
A pot of wild boar meat, glistening with oil and jiggling with fat, is accompanied by the hot, spicy aroma of bright red and green chilies that stimulates the taste buds and appetite. The fiery spiciness slides down the throat and into the stomach, comforting the stomach that is lacking in oil and fat.
And then there's the braised bamboo shoots. They look glistening with oil and have a translucent red color. They smell sweet and sour, but the bamboo shoots are actually crisp and have no astringent taste at all. They're also very sweet, making them a favorite among children.
I also braised two geese. To save time, I started stewing them in the morning and stewed them all morning until they were tender and falling off the bone. They weren't as tough as when stir-fried. Knowing that there were children in the family, I didn't add too much chili.
The braising liquid used to braise the goose, along with chili peppers, was used to simmer pork offal for an entire afternoon. Pork offal, including intestines, liver, and lungs, are notoriously difficult to handle and have a strong flavor, but the braising liquid made the flavor even richer and richer, filling the yard with its overpowering aroma all day long.
The pig intestines were already brown, after all, they had been cooked in the braising liquid for so long, so the flavor was naturally very rich. They were chewy and springy, and when combined with the spicy and fragrant flavor of the chili peppers, the taste was very rich. It was an excellent match with wine.
The dipping sauce for the rabbit is exceptional. Finely chop small red chilies, mince garlic, add chopped scallions, salt, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add some fresh broth made from dried shrimp and shiitake mushrooms, then crush mint into juice and add it to the dipping sauce. Dip the rabbit meat in the sauce, and it will be fresh, tender, spicy, and have a refreshing minty aroma.
The fish soup was made with carp. The fish was pan-fried until golden brown on both sides. The milky white fish soup, paired with tofu and mushrooms, was fragrant and delicious. The children couldn't stop eating it.
A bowl of fried pork, one bite of meat, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Because it's fried, it's fatty but not greasy. The different layers of lean and fatty meat blend together in your mouth. The delicious sauce is wrapped in the meat and bursts out when you bite into it, flowing between your lips and teeth.
The bok choy was just ordinary small bok choy, but it was stir-fried until very tender. It was cooked in pork broth, which completely eliminated the bok choy's natural astringency, leaving only its fresh aroma. Moreover, the bok choy stems were very crisp and tender, with juice clinging to them, making it incredibly refreshing.
Eight dishes were served, and more than half were gone as soon as they were put on the table. No one spoke; everyone ate with relish, taking turns with their chopsticks, afraid that if they stopped, there wouldn't be any left. Even though everyone was relatively well-off, these were things that money couldn't always buy. It was a rare opportunity to improve their meals, and everyone was also hungry after working hard all day. Moreover, the cooking skills of Mother Yu and Mother Liu were absolutely superb. Liu Yun told them to use plenty of oil, salt, and seasonings, and with so many ingredients, the taste was simply divine.
When everyone felt they had eaten enough, they seemed to return to civilized society, slowing down their eating pace and having time to chat and drink. However, the portions were generous, and even though everyone had eaten quite a bit, they only ate most of it.
The group drank and chatted until after five o'clock.
Seeing that it was getting dark, Yu's mother and Liu's mother took out the rabbit with dipping sauce that they had prepared earlier. Yu's mother had told the two of them to choose a variety of meats and vegetables and prepare more of each, or to give one to each family and give to the neighbors to try. At the time, Liu Yun thought it was fine to make them all the same. Since there were plenty of rabbits, she made two more. There were six courtyards nearby, so there was enough for one large portion, let alone one small portion for each family.
Seeing that it was almost time, the two of them took the baskets and went to deliver the things. There were a total of six courtyards, numbered 1 to 6. They were in courtyard number 4, so they decided to start from courtyard number 1.
After going around in circles, everyone seemed to be quite easy to get along with, but the specifics were still unknown. At least the gifts that were delivered were returned in kind, and the two of them went back with two full baskets.
"You're back. How are you feeling? Are the people easy to get along with? I hope it won't be like over there again!" Yu's mother was also a little worried. She didn't really know much about their neighbors. She only knew about the tenement because that place was so famous.
"I feel okay so far, but the specifics are still uncertain. However, I see that many large families live in this courtyard. It should be fine since it's just the few of us in my family!" This is also why Liu Yun hadn't bought a house before. Housing is scarce in the city now, and it's common for three generations of more than ten people to live in a small house of several tens or hundreds of square meters. Her family has five people, including three children, and she's afraid of being watched. If someone with malicious intent reports her, it could be troublesome. Although her father is watching, there won't be too much of a problem, but it's still troublesome. The main thing is that she has her own space. If someone is constantly watching her, it would be quite dangerous for her family.
"It's alright. Your dad will have to come over a few more times. Besides, there's a wall built in your yard, and the neighbors are more than 100 meters away, so there won't be any major problems." Mother Yu also knew that this daughter-in-law was willing to spend money, and the family's food, drink, clothing, and other necessities must be of the best quality. It was normal for her to be afraid of being targeted.
Before, we were afraid of being watched because we lived in the compound, so we moved everything to the old house. Now that we have our own space, we'll definitely do it at home.
After the meal, everyone was busy helping out, some washing dishes, some sweeping, and some boiling water.
Previously, because we were cooking in the kitchen, we didn't put all the jars in the house into the cellar, and the coal briquettes were placed under the stairs. Now we'll put the things that should be put into the cellar into the cellar and the things that should be put into the kitchen into the kitchen.
Everyone worked until after six o'clock before heading home. However, Mr. Yu, Mrs. Yu, and Mrs. Liu stayed behind, as all three knew there was still a room full of things to tidy up.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
