Shen Ningsi deftly threw spices such as star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, sweet pine, and cumin into the bubbling lard.
There was a sizzling sound, and the rich aroma immediately filled the entire kitchen. Even Gu Xiuwen, who was washing pig's trotters, glanced over.
He had never smelled such a smell before. This was just the stir-fried seasoning. It was extremely attractive even before he saw the diced meat.
Shen Ningsi felt her hands were sore after just a few moves of the spoon. She instructed Gu Xiuwu, "Wu'er, grab a handful of sugar. Yes, just two spoonfuls."
Even Shen Ningsi couldn't help but feel his heart tremble when looking at the white sugar.
"You two have to watch carefully. Make sure the sugar doesn't get burnt. When I tell you to stop, take the pot off the heat immediately."
Stir-frying sugar color is actually very simple, but this time Shen Ningsi was extremely careful. She had searched the market for a long time to find all these ingredients.
"Mom, what kind of exquisite food do we eat? Are all these things useful?"
Gu Xiuwen couldn't help but say, "These seasonings aren't cheap. Even if someone is willing to buy them, I'm afraid there won't be many who can afford them."
Shen Ningsi smiled and shook his head, "You can't just look at it like that. If it weren't a necessity, everyone would be reluctant to spend the money, but this is food. Food is the most important thing for people, and the desire for food has always been what everyone values most."
Nowadays, many people who know how to eat would save a month's salary just to satisfy their appetite.
Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Wen'er, didn't Wu'er build a small stove in the yard a few days ago? Bring this pot to the stove, and we'll cook in the yard."
As Shen Ningsi spoke, he poured a ladle of boiling water into the water, and the exceptionally mellow aroma that had just been there was instantly stimulated. Even Shen Ningsi himself couldn't help but marvel at it.
"I don't believe anyone is attracted by this fragrance."
During this period, Shen Ningsi's family had a pretty good meal in Wanning Village. They couldn't help drooling at the smell of this fragrance. It is conceivable how crazy people who could not fill their stomachs with grass roots and tree bark in those years would be when they smelled this smell.
It just so happened that the weather was good, and a southeast wind blew in Wanning Village today. Lean shoulder bones were thrown into the brine, and then small pieces of pig's trotters were added. The fat and lean parts were mixed, and the rich flavor was blown everywhere by the wind.
Shen Ningsi was injured, and she couldn't help feeling too sore when holding the heavy ladle.
But smelling the smell, Ana Shen still took the spoon despite the objection.
She scooped up a piece of pig's trotter with a spoon and pressed it lightly on the edge of the pot. The bones inside the trotter fell out instantly, and the crystal clear fascia looked soft and elastic.
They cooked in the yard for several hours, clearly just watching the fire, but Yun'er had already gathered around. The half-grown children didn't mind the tedious task; after all, it was the first time they had ever seen so much meat cooked.
Gu Xiuwu stretched his neck to observe Shen Ningsi’s movements, and couldn’t help licking the corner of his lips when he saw this scene.
Gu Xiuwu forced himself to look away, but the next moment, the fragrance penetrated his nose even more strongly.
"Wu'er, come and try it. How does it taste? It looks delicious to me."
Gu Xiuwu was slightly stunned.
Shen Ningsi has been busy with a lot of things recently, but most of them have been handed over to Gu Xiuwen for help.
He thought his mother still held a grudge against the past and preferred his brother. Gu Xiuwu had already acquiesced, and the first bite of meat must belong to Gu Xiuwen.
"What are you doing for me? Let my brother eat first. I'll give him the firewood and meat."
Gu Xiuwen just laughed, "Wu'er, based on age, Yun'er should eat first, and based on seniority, mother should eat first. How can it be my turn? Mother is just worried about you growing up, so she lets you eat first."
Shen Ningsi waved her hand and said, "Don't be polite, we don't need to be so particular at home. Let's pick up our chopsticks!"
When she started cooking the braised meat, Shen Ningsi had already distributed chopsticks to everyone so that they could pick it up and try it whenever they couldn't help it.
But even though the aroma of the braised meat became stronger and stronger, the children were drooling with greed and did not even pick up their chopsticks.
Gu Xiuwen ruffled Yun'er's hair. The little girl was staring at him eagerly. Before Shen Ningsi stood up, Yun'er always listened to him.
"Now you know to listen to your brother?" Gu Xiuwen joked with a smile.
"But brother also listens to mother now." He first pushed the spoon that Shen Ningsi was still holding in his hand into Gu Xiuwu's mouth.
"I'll let you eat this time, but if you don't behave well later, it will be my turn."
Gu Xiuwu's panic instantly vanished. He looked at her with eyes as big as copper bells, "You're already such a grown-up, and you're still trying to win my favor. Are you so stingy that you even want to snatch a piece of meat from me?"
As he spoke, he opened his mouth viciously and his teeth opened and closed vigorously, as if he had mistaken the pig's trotter for Gu Xiuwen's palm.
Looking at his brother and sister-in-law eating meat obediently, Gu Xiuwen silently selected the extremely soft and glutinous braised pork and put it into Shen Ningsi's bowl.
"Mom, you should eat too, don't just focus on us."
These days, not to mention meat, even a steamed bun is a precious thing. Gu Xiuwen used to work in other people's homes. Every day at mealtime, everyone gathered around the table, and the elders in the family would distribute the food to everyone one by one.
These things were all earned by Shen Ningsi himself. Logically, Shen Ningsi didn't need to care about them at all, as long as he could fill his own stomach. At the very least, when Shen Ningsi divided the meat, he should have mentioned his own contribution instead of treating them equally.
The braised meat in his mouth was full of juice. When Gu Xiuwen watched Shen Ningsi cooking, he was still imagining that the mixture of salty and sweet things would definitely not taste good.
It’s just that everything in the house was earned by Shen Ningsi, so he has no right to criticize Shen Ningsi for being wasteful.
Only after actually eating the braised meat did Gu Xiuwen realize that he had once again misjudged his mother. The food in his mouth had a complex layered flavor that he could never imagine.
While they were eating, they could hear the sound of discussion outside. It was obvious that what Shen Ningsi said was right. As long as the fragrance spread, there would definitely be people asking about it, and even more so, there would definitely be people who would spend a lot of money to buy it.
They didn't have a rule of not talking while eating or sleeping, so Gu Xiuwen hesitated for a long time.
"Mom, in fact, you and Dad have only met a few times, and you haven't even completed the wedding ceremony. You can't be considered husband and wife."
Shen Ningsi hadn't eaten so satisfyingly in a long time. Eating meat with big mouthfuls was a standard of living in the past. But in the famine-stricken Great Zhao Dynasty, this was something he couldn't even dream of.
She was stunned when she heard this, and her happy mood disappeared instantly.
Shen Ningsi put down the braised pork with a cold face, "So Gu Hong and I are not considered husband and wife, and you will not call me mother from now on?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com