Lin Wanning accompanied her eldest sister - in - law to clean the dandelions. She was in charge of cooking, while her eldest sister - in - law stayed to wash the vegetables.
She cut half of the five - jin pork that Zhou Huaian had bought in the morning, and then sliced the potatoes that Zhao Yongsheng had sent the day before.
After blanching the pork, she heated the pan until wisps of clear smoke rose. Then she poured a bit of soybean oil, as this would help the fat in the pork render out better when stir - frying.
Lin Wanning stir - fried the pork over low heat, frying out the moisture until the fat in the pork began to sizzle and ooze out.
With the help of the fat, the streaky pork was quickly fried to a caramel - colored crust. Lin Wanning didn't make caramel for coloring, as sugar was still a luxury in this era.
She simply added soy sauce for color. The soy sauce in this era was truly authentic. Not only did it have a mellow flavor, but the color it gave the meat was also extremely appetizing.
After adding all the seasonings, Lin Wanning scooped up a ladle of cold water and poured it into the pan.
After her eldest sister - in - law finished washing the vegetables, she quickly sat down in front of the stove and started pumping the bellows. After a few rapid pumps, the fire in the stove roared to life. Standing by the stove and cutting potatoes, Lin Wanning soon smelled the fragrant aroma of braised pork.
The pork in this era was raised on grains, without any feed or hormones. So when stewed, the fragrance could be smelled by all the neighbors.
There were several other families living next to the Lin family. They were all sent - down households. Some of them had hidden some money, while others had connections in the local area, so their houses were in good condition.
Only the Lin family's house was drafty everywhere. On normal days, there was not even the smell of rice or noodles, let alone the smell of meat.
Now, with the braised pork cooking, the fragrance spread far and wide. Coupled with the many workers helping to repair the Lin family's house and even installing glass on the windows, the Lin family's house seemed to have undergone a complete transformation in just one morning.
Someone said in confusion, "Could it be that they're going back?"
Song Chunlan rolled her eyes disdainfully. "If they're going back, why are they still repairing the house?"
"I heard that the youngest daughter and the eldest daughter - in - law of their family are here. Maybe they brought some money. Without money, they couldn't have come here, right?"
"I think the Lin family really doesn't know how to manage their life. Look, they've only been here for half a day, and they're spending money like water."
"We don't even know when they'll go back. If they go back to their previous hard life, not only might the daughter run away, but the two daughters - in - law might also leave."
The fat aunt chatting with Song Chunlan spat out the sunflower seed shell in her mouth. "You don't know. Their second daughter - in - law has been having an affair with the village head."
"Yeah, I know. I've run into them so many times." Song Chunlan led a group of people, munching on sunflower seeds and gossiping about Liu Xiaohui.
...
All this was just normal gossiping in the village. If you don't want others to know, don't do it in the first place...
However, the Lin family was unaware of these idle rumors. They were like people in a utopia. They rarely paid attention to others, and they rarely got involved in the village's affairs.
At the dinner table, the village head, with grease running down his mouth, sang high praises for the Lin family.
"People with education are different. No matter what happens in the village, they never join the crowd. They're not like those old aunts in the village. Their mouths are either munching on sunflower seeds or gossiping."
"Your family is good in many ways, but your life is tough. Don't you know that the squeaky wheel gets the grease?"
"Look at Song Chunlan. She goes to the brigade headquarters every now and then to kneel and make a scene. Every time, our brigade gives her something. At least they won't go hungry."
The brigade leader was a genuine farmer and didn't understand the integrity of an intellectual.
For Lin Guoan and Chen Shufen, they would rather starve than do such a thing.
The brigade leader didn't understand the characters of Lin's father and mother, but Lin Wanning did. She knew it wasn't right, but she still took note of it, just in case it might come in handy later.
Everyone was enjoying the meal, and the craftsmen were no exception. They often went out to work, but it was really rare to be treated so warmly.
Many families would be grateful if they didn't serve wild vegetable porridge. The Lin family, on the other hand, made streaky pork, and it was delicious.
It seemed to be more delicious than all the pork they had eaten in their lives. Some workers even asked Lin Wanning how she cooked it after the meal.
Lin Wanning told them the truth, but the workers regretted asking as soon as they did, because they had no pork to cook when they got home.
However, the braised pork had a great effect. The project that was originally supposed to take five days was completed in just two days.
It wasn't until everyone received their payment and started packing up their tools that they suddenly realized why they had worked so fast.
If they had worked for five days at a leisurely pace, they could have not only eaten the oily braised pork but also earned a few more days' worth of money.
But looking at the perfectly repaired house, the workers couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. They had really been led around by Lin Wanning.
In this way, the house was repaired at the lowest cost and ahead of schedule. For Lin Wanning, this was exactly the result she wanted.
Mainly, at the dinner table today, the observant Lin Wanning noticed that her father's hand holding the chopsticks was trembling slightly when he ate the braised pork.
Her mother, Chen Shufen, also chewed a piece of meat for a long time. The once elegant and proud woman had now fallen into such a predicament.
Lin Wanning's heart ached so much that it felt like it was about to shatter.
However, her parents' bodies urgently needed nourishment, and her eldest sister - in - law was pregnant. She would probably give birth in a month or two.
If the nutrition wasn't enough, the baby might be born prematurely. Thinking of this, Lin Wanning felt extremely stressed.
She had to make money, take good care of her parents' health, and let the whole family live a prosperous life.
"Chip... chip..."
The little squirrel in its nest opened its big black eyes wide and stared at Lin Wanning.
Lin Wanning thought it might have a sore foot, so she quickly stepped forward to check its foot. To her surprise, the little squirrel seemed to be very intelligent. It rubbed its little head against Lin Wanning in a flattering manner.
In the past few days, under Chen Shufen's treatment, the little squirrel's injury had visibly improved, and it had become very affectionate.
In her previous life, Lin Wanning had been busy making money and taking care of her family. Although she liked small animals very much, she had never considered raising a pet.
Now, the little squirrel in her hand was so cute and innocent that her heart melted. "When your injury heals, do you want to go home? If you don't want to go home, would you like to stay with me from now on?"
The little squirrel lying in Lin Wanning's palm clearly nodded its head. It even scratched its chubby little face with both of its small paws, looking as if it was shy but also very happy.
Lin Wanning's eyes widened in shock. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"