Chapter 24 - Welp, that was awkward. (1)
Tong Xuelu scanned around the court. “This is my home. Where else will I go? My adoptive parents missed me so much and gave me so many things. Look, I could barely carry them all with two hands!”
She stayed in the city for two reasons yesterday. The first of them being pretending to be ill so she could have Tong Zhenzhen sent to the farm and the second to let others in the compound knew that the four of them were not poor orphans. Anyone who wanted to fully them better think it through first.
Aunty Cai interacted with her without missing a bit. “Oh, your adoptive parents are so nice to you. That makes sense. They had raised you for over 10 years; you are practically their own daughter.”
Tong Xuelu smiled and nodded and brought her stuff inside the house.
Tong Xuelu gave Tong Mianmian some dried apple pieces and dried hawthorn chips and had her go play with Zhudan next door. She rested for a little bit and washed her hands to start preparing for dinner.
The Tong family had given her one jin of pork belly and some potatoes. She planned to make a dish of braised pork with potatoes and sour and spicy potato stir fry.
She cleaned the pork belly with alacrity and added them into a pot of cold water to be cooked for a minute in boiling water before placing them in cold water until they were thoroughly chilled.
She then sliced up the pork belly into squares with their skin on and, considering that Tong Mianmian was small, made the pieces smaller than normal.
She had bought some spices such as peppercorn and anise from the CSMC on their way back.
After the wok had been heated up, she added in oil, spices, green onion, ginger, garlic and stir fried them over low heat.
She added the pork belly pieces when it was aromatic and stir fried them until the pork belly pieces had changed color. Pushing them aside, she added in rock sugar.
Rock sugar was easy to burn so they must be stirred constantly. When the sugar became colorful, she added in soy sauce and brought the pork belly that she had shoved aside earlier back and started to coat them with the sugar.
When all of the pork belly had been coated evenly, she poured them into a clay pot, added in three bowls of water, bring it to a boil over high heat before she covered them up and let them shimmered in medium heat.
Pork belly was best shimmered in low heat but that would take an hour. She didn’t have enough time for that.
After a little while, the aroma of meat started coming from the pot.
The thick aroma spread in the entire courtyard and everybody started to gulp.
The adults were able to contain themselves but the children had already ran over and squatted outside of the Tong’s door, sniffling at the aroma.
Some even young ones were rolling on the ground wailing. “I want meat! I want meat!”
Alright, so children might not know better but, problem was, as were some of the parents of these unruly kids.
The wife of Old Lin walked over, bared her mouthful of yellow teeth, and said, “Girl, you make so much yummy food every day. Your adoptive parents must be very rich?”
Tong Xuelu smiled but said nothing: Even if they are, that has nothing to do with you.
Looking at the smiling Tong Xuelu, Old Lin’s wife went a step further and said to her, “Girl, your meat smells so good. Look, the child is crying from the smell. Why don’t you give me a small bowlful of them when you are done?”
Aunty Cai, next door to Tong Xuelu, was worried as soon as she heard that. She, however, hadn’t had a chance to say anything before Tong Xuelu nodded with a smile and said, “Sure.”
Old Lin’s wife smacked her thigh and chuckled. “That’s right, girl. Us neighbors should always help each other out.”
Tong Xuelu smiled and nodded. “You are right, Aunty.”
Old Lin’s wife was smiling from ear to ear. “Aiya, this meat smells. I am sure it’s almost done. Let me go and bring my bowl over.”
“Wait, Aunty.” Tong Xuelu stopped her. “If Aunty is heading back, you should bring with you 10 jin of rich on your way back.”
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