CH 7

“Wife, it smells so good.”

Aunt Wang quickly processed the duck, putting the organs together and cutting the duck into pieces.

“These intestines don’t taste good, with a strong fishy smell, but they are considered a meat dish after all. Stir-fry them with some onions and ginger for another meal,” Mrs. Wang said as she cut. “The duck neck is not very useful. There is not much meat and it’s not very tasty, but I’ll still save it for you. You can decide whether or not to make it. Mixing it with rice can make a meal.”

It’s not easy to eat meat these days. Although chickens, ducks, and geese can be raised at home, not every rural family can eat meat every day. Eating some meat is better than just eating vegetable leaves. Thinking of Cheng Yun’s situation, Aunt Wang didn’t dare to throw away the things for him.

Cheng Yun watched Aunt Wang’s every step carefully, thinking that everything on the duck was good. He also wanted to make the duck neck. He had bought a lot of spices in town in the morning, but he hadn’t made it before and wasn’t sure how it would turn out, so he didn’t say anything and just let Aunt Wang save it for him.

Soon, Aunt Wang finished processing the whole duck and taught Cheng Yun how to cook it. Cheng Yun had been thinking about his Five-Cup Duck the whole time, but he also remembered everything Aunt Wang had said and kept it in mind.

After finishing the work of slaughtering the duck, Aunt Wang didn’t stay and bother them any longer. She mentioned to Wang Liang to follow Yang Hongjin to learn woodworking and left with him.

However, when Cheng Yun sorted out the things and took out the spices he had bought in the morning, Aunt Wang came in with a bowl in her hand. “Take these first. They are some rice bran and rice crumbs mixed with some vegetable leaves and soybean meal. They are all leftovers with a bad appearance. It’s best to feed them to the chickens and ducks. When you have time, you can go to the river to catch some small fish and mix them with small stones. The ducks love them.”

Cheng Yun paused for a moment and dumbly took the bowl Aunt Wang handed him, holding the heavy bowl in his hands and feeling heavy in his heart.

He felt his nose starting to tingle and sniffed. He smiled at Aunt Wang and said, “Thank you, Auntie.” He cleared his throat and continued, “When the duck is ready later, I’ll bring you a bowl to taste. And as for Hongjin, I’ll ask him as soon as he comes back. As long as he can help, we will never refuse.”

Aunt Wang smiled and agreed to his later words but didn’t agree to the former. She said they could just keep it for themselves to eat.

After seeing off Aunt Wang, Cheng Yun still felt a bit dazed. He looked at the bowl of feed in his hand, and his heart couldn’t calm down for a long time.

Not to mention this era, even in the past, he rarely encountered someone who cared about him so much without any blood relationship.

Cheng Yun’s family was not harmonious since he was young. His parents divorced when he was very young, and later they each started a new family. They treated him like a football, kicking him back and forth. After he entered junior high school, he stayed in the school dormitory when he could and stayed at home for a few days during holidays. The thing he did the most was to take the money his parents gave him to the internet cafe and stay there for a whole day. No one cared where he went.

After coming to this world, he also thought about what his parents would think if they found out he was gone. But this idea only flashed through his mind for a moment, and he immediately laughed it off.

The past is gone, and now he has a new life, a new family, and everything is still good. There is no need to dwell on the past.

Because it is hard to come by, it is especially cherished.

Cheng Yun shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He focused his mind back on the Five-Cup Duck.

As the name suggests, the Five-Cup Duck is made from five cups of seasoning: one cup of cooking wine, one cup of white vinegar, one cup of soy sauce, one cup of white sugar, and one cup of saltwater. Cheng Yun once made a joke, thinking that the five cups were five different seasonings. He didn’t know the real recipe until he was teased by his college roommate from the South.

When he got married, there was still some rice wine left in the house. Although the taste was a bit different, there wasn’t much money in his pocket, so he could only make do with it.

He added some firewood to the stove, poured two bowls of water and a cup of rice wine into the pot, and then put the washed and cut duck into the pot and covered it for a moment.

During the wait, he cleaned and cut the duck offal and neck, removed the membrane from the neck skin, and put them in a slightly larger bowl and soaked them together with the duck’s offal in water.

He washed the scallions, ginger, garlic, and small chili peppers that he had bought from the town and cut them into small pieces. He sliced the ginger, cut the scallions and chili peppers into small sections, and cut the garlic into halves, and put them aside. He also took out the spices he bought from the town, grabbed a bit of each and put them aside.

When the blood from the duck meat began to overflow and white foam floated on the water, Cheng Yun scooped up the duck meat and rinsed it with clean water, drained it, and set it aside.

He poured out the water in the pot, added oil, and sautéed the ginger, scallions, and garlic. The small kitchen was immediately filled with a fragrant smell. Cheng Yun licked his lips and poured the drained duck meat into the pot. The heated pot instantly made a sizzling sound.

Cheng Yun grabbed the wok and quickly stir-fried the ingredients. After frying the oil, he added a cup of rice wine, a cup of white vinegar, a cup of soy sauce, a cup of white sugar, and a cup of salt water in order. He stir-fried a few more times and waited for the high heat to boil before covering the wok.

He squatted down and picked a few pieces of firewood, wanting to reduce the heat of the fire. He imitated Yang Hongjin’s previous movements and used tongs to move the ash to extinguish part of the fire. However, the fire not only did not become smaller but also became stronger, causing Cheng Yun to cough.

“At this time, it was almost time for Yang Hongjin to return home. Sure enough, as soon as he raised his head, he saw that idiot squatting at the kitchen door, following his gaze curiously.

Cheng Yun coughed a few times and waved his hand for Yang Hongjin to come over and help him reduce the fire. Yang Hongjin obediently moved in and took over Cheng Yun’s work. He simply moved it twice, and before Cheng Yun could figure out anything, the fire was suddenly reduced by half.

“Okay, it’s okay. Don’t make the fire too small.” Cheng Yun quickly stopped him, let Yang Hongjin put down the things, and took him to the backyard to wash his hands and face together.

“It smells so good,” Yang Hongjin said as he walked and looked in the direction of the kitchen. Although the pot was covered, the kitchen was full of fragrance that couldn’t be hidden. Few people in the village would use so many ingredients to cook, and for someone like Yang Hongjin who seldom had a chance to eat good food, he almost couldn’t move his feet and just wanted to turn around and go back to the kitchen to smell more.

“A wife is not fragrant, but a duck is fragrant,” Cheng Yun joked with him.

Yang Hongjin nodded and obediently followed, “The duck is fragrant.”

Cheng Yun was pleased and amused by his honest reaction. After working hard all afternoon, even if the taste was not good, just having someone’s endorsement made him feel half-successful.

Cheng Yun helped Yang Hongjin wipe his hands and face and talked to him as if he was talking to himself. In this unfamiliar world, the only person he could rely on was this idiot, and he didn’t have to worry about him hearing his innermost thoughts and finding them strange.

“…I don’t know if I can go back, but even if I can’t, it doesn’t matter. After all, if I go back, my parents will just treat me like a ball and kick me around. It’s better to live here freely and happily without worrying about their mood.” Cheng Yun sighed, “Your stepmother isn’t a good person either. I think only your second brother is okay, I haven’t had much contact with the others and don’t know them well.”

“Second brother!” Yang Hongjin grabbed a familiar word and happily repeated it.

Cheng Yun smiled helplessly. “Yes, your second brother.” He continued, “Things are okay in the Cheng family, but we’re poor and have a lot to worry about. But we can’t blame them for that.”

He thought of Aunt Wang who had been so kind to them. Although she had a good heart, the main reason she helped them was because their family had enough to eat and some money in their pockets, which allowed them to have the leisure to help others.

Cheng Yun sighed again. He couldn’t feel secure if he didn’t have money in his pocket. Seeing Yang Hongjin looking at him with a puzzled expression, he shook his head and pinched his hand, laughing and saying, “Don’t worry. Now that we’re married, you’re my family. As long as I’m here, I’ll do my best to run this household well.”

He raised his hand and touched Yang Hongjin’s head with a focused look. “I’ll do my best to help you with your brain,” he said with a smile. “You’ll get better and better.”

Author’s note:

Many years later…

Cheng Yun: I can’t do anything about your brain.

Yang Hongjin: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ