Chapter 54 - Chapter 54: Pork Belly

Chapter 54: Pork Belly

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Xiaoxiao handed these daily chores to her brothers, and she boiled the pork belly. She then scooped it out of the cold water and cut it into thick pieces. She placed the oil in the pot and stir-fried it with cinnamon aniseed and fragrant leaves to create a fragrance. Then, she poured the pork belly in.

The moment the skin of the pork belly came into contact with the high temperature, sizzling sounds could be heard incessantly. Not to mention the brothers who had recently developed a good appetite, even Ning Fengnian slowly moved out. He moved a stool to the courtyard closest to the kitchen and helped Madam Song feed the chickens.

The chicks had grown up a lot, and the fur on their stomachs had changed. It felt like they had gone from chicks to chickens. However, they had been eating a lot recently and had almost exhausted the grains at home as Xiaoxiao wished.

Ning Erlang looked at these lively chicks and wondered if braised chicken or pork was better. Then, he smelled a sweet fragrance.

Xiaoxiao poured honey and soy sauce into the pot to stir-fry the pork belly with sugar. The white meat was evenly coated with amber. Xiaoxiao sprinkled ginger slices knotted onions into the pot, and scooped out the foam. She placed it on the fire to stew, and she went to do something else.

With everyone helping each other, it was not tiring to work. Xiaoxiao felt that she and her brothers had gained weight these days and had become much healthier and prettier. Indeed, people still had to eat well.

Madam Song and Ning Fengnian’s hearts ached for the money. “Why did you suddenly buy such expensive meat? Why don’t you leave half in the basket and eat it tomorrow?”

Ning Erlang thought, “Will it stay until tomorrow if the people from the old residence suddenly come?”

Ning Dalang replied, “Sister said she borrowed the cart next door for many days. We should thank them properly.”

When they returned just now, they saw that their neighbor had returned from the mountains. Hunting was also a hard job. It might take a few days once they enter the mountains. Whether they could hunt anything good depended on heaven’s will. That young master with delicate skin and tender flesh must have suffered.

Madam Song, who valued upbringing, immediately changed sides. “Yeah, we have to be more sincere. If it weren’t for that cart, our business wouldn’t have been able to proceed. Give more to the neighbor later.”

Ever since the last time they ate noodles, the young master next door refused to come to eat again. He said there were many people, and it was ridiculous to always go to the Ning residence to eat. They did not accept gifts. Moreover, there was nothing at home that could be used as gifts.

Ning Erlang felt that the young master next door must have been living quite a hard life these past few days. After eating his sister’s food, dry rations and hard bread were no different from falling from the sky to hell. That was not something a human should suffer. He felt that after not seeing him for a few days, the young master had lost much weight.

While they were chatting, the braised pork had already started to absorb the sauce. Xiaoxiao asked her brother to change the heat and continued to stir-fry as she dried it to avoid sticking to the pot. At the same time, she also made every piece of braised pork evenly wrapped in a thick sauce.

The cooked braised pork was put into a clean white porcelain bowl. The pork belly swayed with every portion, tempting Xiaoxiao to open her mouth and bite a piece. She bit the meat skin that had absorbed the sauce and was still a little chewy. After passing through the fat but not greasy, she immediately encountered lean meat that melted in her mouth. It was fat and thin, not greasy, and her mouth was filled with the fragrance of meat and fresh sweetness.

Xiaoxiao nodded in satisfaction. She took her chopsticks and fed one piece to each of her brothers. After getting a like and a good review, she handed her second brother the portion she had saved for the next door.

Ning Erlang was familiar with this job. After leaving the courtyard, he remembered to close the door and even brought the handcart he had borrowed from the neighbor..