readytorunbook Chapter 73: The skin is soft and the meat is tender, rich but not greasy.
Chapter 73: The skin is soft and the meat is tender, rich but not greasy.
Shen Xiaotang sat in the kitchen, staring at the pig's trotters in the pot above and watching the fire below, afraid that she might accidentally burn the pot and burn the pig's trotters.
With her face constantly burning from the fire, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Finally, she couldn't help but complain, "This earthen stove is really not as convenient as a gas stove!"
Liu rolled up her sleeves and came in to help. Hearing her daughter talking to herself, she couldn't help but ask.
"Tang'er, what is natural gas?"
Shen Xiaotang: ……
How is she supposed to explain this?
"Mom, I mean this kitchen is a bit small and there's a lot of smoke."
"Oh, is there anything I can help you with? Just tell me and I'll do it."
“I can manage on my own, Mother doesn’t need to help. Xue Ruifeng’s clothes are dirty, and he can’t wear my and Xiaoyu’s clothes. Why don’t you let him wear Mother’s clothes first, and Mother will wash the ones he takes off.”
After washing it clean, he couldn't wear it anymore when I took him home.
Otherwise, what if you encounter a villain on the road and see that he is dressed in rich and noble clothes, and then kidnap him?
In that case, she and her father would also be affected!
Let him wear his mother's tattered clothes and disguise himself.
Liu slapped her forehead and said, "Oh right, how could I forget? He needs to change his clothes and wash them. He's all dirty, and it won't be comfortable for him to sleep in them."
As she spoke, she left the kitchen, took Xue Ruifeng's hand, and walked to the basin. She first helped him wash his face, comb his hair, and found him a patched old dress that she had put on herself, so that he could go back to his room and change.
Shen Xiaotang simmered it over low heat for an hour and a half, adding water twice during that time.
Although the braising liquid wasn't as evenly distributed as when cooked over a natural gas fire, the aroma wafting from the pot still far exceeded my expectations.
She waited until the heat was turned off and the pot had been simmering for a while before opening the lid.
Instantly, the air was filled with a fragrant aroma, a spicy and meaty scent that made one's mouth water.
Xiaoyu and Xue Ruifeng, who had changed his clothes, smelled the meat and ran to the small kitchen together, crowding around the doorway.
"Sister, pig, pig, pig... pig's trotters, are they ready yet?"
Xue Ruifeng was also full of anticipation.
Having come from a wealthy family and having eaten many delicacies, he was nearly starving after being kidnapped and fleeing these past few days. He couldn't be picky and had no choice but to make do with coarse rice porridge and cornbread, wolfing it down to fill his stomach.
The smell of meat is making my mouth water!
He spoke cautiously, asking in a low voice, "May I try some?"
After all, they were just eating and drinking for free and living under someone else's roof.
Moreover, this family seemed genuinely poor. Their small courtyard was smaller than his father's study, and they didn't have a single decent item in the house. Their meals were all vegetarian, even worse than the vegetarian food served at the temple.
These few pig trotters are the only meat dish in their house!
He needs to get permission before he can eat it.
Shen Xiaotang nodded with a smile, "You can try it. Everyone should have a share. It's not like our whole family can gnaw on the bones while you just smell the aroma. There aren't any stingy people in my family."
Upon hearing that he could also try it, Xue Ruifeng's eyes immediately lit up, as if he had seen some rare treasure, and his face was filled with undisguised joy.
Shen Xiaotang couldn't help but sigh. This little guy, having just escaped the wolf's den, was still not vigilant enough. Seeing her and her father roasting sweet potatoes and doing business, he completely trusted them.
They weren't afraid that she and her father would kidnap him like bandits and extort a thousand or eight hundred taels of silver from his father.
They're still young and naive!
Looking into the pot, Shen Xiaotang felt conflicted and hesitant. In the end, she gritted her teeth and scooped out a larger one, putting it into a clean wooden basin, leaving two smaller ones in the pot.
There's nothing I can do; my family is poor, and I don't have much money. Now is not the time to satisfy my cravings and eat my fill.
Once I've made money and have some capital, I can buy more pig trotters, earn even more money, and then I'll have an endless supply of pig trotters to eat.
"Father, Mother, you two should try this too. How does it taste? Can we take some to the restaurant for the manager to try?"
The couple washed their hands and went over after hearing their daughter call them.
Shen Qingchuan broke a pig's trotter into several pieces, giving each of his two daughters and Xue Ruifeng a large piece with more skin and meat, while he and his wife each took a small piece. The pig's trotter was then divided up.
Xiaoyu, being young, was the first to put it in her mouth and couldn't help but start eating.
"Hot, hot, hot...whoosh...so spicy and hot..."
Xue Ruifeng had been going hungry for the past few days and hadn't seen any meat in a long time. When he saw Xiaoyu start eating, he ate even faster.
The two children were slurping their food without any manners whatsoever.
Shen Qingchuan and Liu also smiled and put the pig's trotters into their mouths. After taking a bite, they found that the skin of the pig's trotters was soft and the meat was tender, fatty but not greasy, spicy and fresh, and the aroma burst on their tongues.
OMG!
This...this is so delicious!
The couple had lived for over twenty years, and this was the first time they had ever tasted something so delicious!
At first, Shen Qingchuan didn't believe his daughter could make such delicious food. He just wanted her to give it a try, but his daughter surprised him time and time again.
He has never disappointed me!
"Dad, Mom, how is it? Is it delicious?"
Shen Qingchuan nodded vigorously, "Mmm, delicious, really delicious! This is the best thing I've ever eaten in my life!"
"Mom, this braised pig's trotter is really delicious!"
Shen Xiaotang took a bite; it was fresh, fragrant, spicy, and melted in her mouth—tender, juicy, and not greasy at all!
good to eat!
The stew, made by burning firewood in a large iron pot, tasted far better than what she made in her previous life.
After finishing the pig's trotters, she remembered that she had a sugar cake in her clothes. She took it out and gave it to her younger sister so that she and Xue Ruifeng could share it.
Early the next morning.
Shen Xiaotang put the braised pig's trotters in a small wooden basin, placed them in a bamboo basket, covered them with a cloth, and also added some sweet potatoes and firewood. The father and daughter, one riding in a mule cart and the other driving it, went to town together.
Instead of setting up a stall immediately, they went to Yunlai Restaurant first.
The pig's trotters had been sitting overnight and were already cold, but the skin and meat had become much chewier.
"Dad, we need to borrow their kitchen first to heat up the pig's trotters, otherwise the taste and texture won't be right."
"Alright, Father will talk to Steward Yao in a bit."
The father and daughter entered Yunlai Restaurant together through the back door. The waiters who were busy inside were surprised to see Shen Qingchuan and immediately called out to him.
"Brother Shen, you've finally arrived! Why haven't you brought tofu and eggs in so long?"
"Something came up at home, so I can't work here. I'm here today to see Manager Yao."
When Manager Yao heard that Shen Qingchuan had come to see him, he immediately came out and asked him why he had stopped making tofu. He said that the tofu made by his family was the best in the whole town, but it hadn't been as good since they changed the delivery person.
Shen Qingchuan felt somewhat ashamed. "Manager Yao, I'm really sorry. My father and stepmother and I have separated from the family, and the millstone wasn't given to me, so I can't grind it anymore."
"However, I brought a dish today that I'd like you to try. Let's see if our restaurant would approve of it."
Manager Yao raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
When did Boss Shen learn to cook?
"What dishes are they? Let me try them first. If they're good, we can talk about it. If they're not good, I don't have any special privileges."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingchuan was overjoyed and immediately took out a small wooden basin from the bamboo basket, revealing the spicy pig's trotters inside.