Chapter Thirteen: Braised Pork Belly and Spicy Chicken

After returning home, Shu Xia found a tin box and placed the remaining thirty-six coins inside.
“In the future, there will be more money in here,” she said happily. “Then, our family of three—no, our family of six—will all be able to live a good life!”
“Remember to keep this tin box safe and hidden,” Hong Da said with a frown. “Just now, the way Lin Shengrong and Lai Ruyu looked made me uneasy. I don’t trust their intentions.”
“You’re right, absolutely right,” Shu Xia hugged the tin box tightly to her chest, gritting her teeth. “Relatives in this family always have mischief brewing in their hearts! If they find out we’re making money, they’ll surely find ways to take it from us.”

After hiding the tin box, they lay down on the kang to rest. Lin Sangqian returned to her own room and opened the system space.
To her astonishment, her points had increased to thirty.
On the large screen, it displayed: “Gave five coins to the little beggar, plus twenty-five points.”
So giving money to the little beggar actually earned her so many points!
With her points suddenly increased to thirty, Lin Sangqian was thrilled. She let her gaze wander through the warehouse.
In fact, aside from various ingredients, the warehouse also stored all kinds of modern kitchen appliances: rice cookers, ovens, microwaves, and so on.
But these appliances were all extremely expensive—just a rice cooker cost five hundred points.
Besides, if these things appeared in this era, they would undoubtedly arouse suspicion, so Lin Sangqian didn’t consider them seriously.
In the end, she exchanged for another pound of rice, a pound of flour, and, with a bit of reluctance, a pound of pork and a whole chicken.
After the exchange, only nine points remained.
Having earned her first pot of gold today, she decided to make something delicious tonight to reward her parents and herself.
Moreover, she could use some of these ingredients to make food to sell in town the next day.
Closing the system space, a wave of fatigue washed over her. Lin Sangqian quickly lay down, stretched lazily, and sighed contentedly.
Tonight, she’d make braised pork and spicy chicken—she still had chili peppers among the seasonings she’d traded for earlier.
After resting all afternoon, she felt her strength return.
The sky was already darkening when she got up and headed to the kitchen to cook.

Hong Da was already exercising in the yard. Seeing Lin Sangqian carrying so many things, he hurried over to help and accompanied her to the kitchen.
“Your mother is still sleeping,” Hong Da said with a smile. “She’s been truly exhausted these past few days. In fact, she didn’t sleep at all last night—she got up secretly to light a candle and embroider handkerchiefs.”
Lin Sangqian was stunned.
No wonder Shu Xia had managed to embroider so quickly! Even though she was skilled and the designs were small, finishing in just a day and a half seemed impossible.
So she hadn’t slept all night, working by candlelight on the embroidery...
“Mom is really something,” Lin Sangqian’s nose tingled. “She should just embroider during the day—why work through the night? It’s so bad for her health. Dad, you have to keep an eye on her from now on and not let her do this anymore.”
“Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t let her stay up late again. Now that the handkerchiefs are sold, she can feel more at ease.”
Since Shu Xia was still sleeping, Hong Da volunteered to help Lin Sangqian with the cooking.
However, when it came to kitchen work, he was entirely out of his depth—not only did he fail to help, he managed to cause even more trouble.
In the end, Lin Sangqian had to chase him out of the kitchen in exasperation. Hong Da stood in the yard, rubbing his nose innocently.

Now that she had her strength back, Lin Sangqian could finally manage the chicken.
She chopped the chicken breast and thighs into bite-sized pieces, put them in a bowl, and added scallions, ginger, cooking wine, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and cornstarch. She mixed everything thoroughly, making sure the chicken was evenly coated with the starch, and set it aside to marinate for a while.
Next, she blanched the chilies in hot water, then heated oil in the pan and fried the chicken pieces until golden and crisp on both sides.
She removed the chicken, stir-fried the chilies with Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, then added the chicken back in, tossing everything together with a bit more salt and pepper and a sprinkle of scallion.
The spicy chicken was served in a large bowl, its aroma filling the air. Lin Sangqian couldn’t help but swallow hungrily. She covered the dish to keep it warm, then hurried on to make the braised pork.

She had chosen pork belly for the dish, cutting it into chunks and frying it in hot oil with slices of ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise until fragrant.
Out in the yard, the smell made Hong Da’s mouth water uncontrollably.
He knew there would be a feast tonight.

Lin Sangqian added the pork to the pan, stir-fried until both sides were slightly crispy, then tossed in rock sugar and a little water, letting it simmer for a while.
She also steamed rice and five mantous, all of which were nearly ready.

After a while, the braised pork was almost done. Lifting the lid, Lin Sangqian added a touch of pepper and scallion, then served it up.
The braised pork was rosy and glistening, so tempting she could hardly resist sneaking a bite herself.
At that moment, Shu Xia woke up, stretched in the courtyard, and called out cheerfully, “I can smell the food from here! What delicious things has our little Sangqian made?”
“It’s all ready! Come in and help carry the dishes!” Lin Sangqian called from the kitchen.
Hong Da and Shu Xia hurried in, and when they saw the braised pork and spicy chicken, they nearly jumped with excitement and quickly carried the dishes inside.
Lin Sangqian brought in the rice and mantou as well.

None of the three noticed that at the front gate, two people were lurking, craning their necks to spy.
“Did you see that just now?” Lai Ruyu whispered.
“Even if I hadn’t, just smelling it is enough—that’s meat!” Li Fulan inhaled deeply. “And it’s braised pork!”
She swallowed hard, full of resentment.
Her family hardly had braised pork even once a year, and now even the third family could afford it?
“How dare they eat braised pork behind our backs!” Lai Ruyu was so angry she almost jumped. “I’m going in to take a look right now!”
“What are you doing?” Li Fulan hurriedly grabbed her. “Are you crazy?”
“They have no right to eat braised pork! If anyone should be eating it, it’s us!”
Jealousy nearly drove Lai Ruyu mad. Just days ago, her daughter had been craving meat, and she’d only dared to buy a tiny piece to stir-fry with cabbage—barely enough to taste.
“If you try going in now, don’t forget Lin Laosan isn’t afraid to hit people!”
Lai Ruyu shivered with fear, but still felt indignant. “So what do you suggest? Are we supposed to just stand by and watch them eat meat while all we have tonight are stewed potatoes?”
Li Fulan thought for a moment, then a sly smile curved her lips. “Don’t worry, let’s go back and find Mother. Once she’s here, we’ll see how Lin Laosan deals with this!”