When she arrived at the grocery store, there were already two long lines in front of the store.
Pork, chicken, duck, and other popular meats were quickly sold out. When it was her turn to buy, there were only pig offal, pig trotters, and bits and pieces of bird livers, heads, and claws left.
These internal organs and bones didn't have any oil, so people didn't like to eat them, but Zhao Lanxiang didn't mind. These parts were all good things in her eyes, and their value was no less than that of fatty meat. It was just that the people in front of her lacked oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar, so they couldn't bring out their taste.
In the end, Zhao Lanxiang grabbed two catties of lean meat and two catties of pig trotters. She didn't leave out the chicken and duck kidneys, heads, and claws, and other scraps as she put them into her bag with a smile. She quickly spent all the unwarmed meat coupons that she had bought from Master Dao.
The grocery store's salesperson couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance at this generous girl, and looked at her a few more times.
Zhao Lanxiang coughed lightly and explained, "I'm the cafeteria's new buyer, and I'm in charge of buying meat."
Zhao Lanxiang's words dispelled the salesperson's doubts. It had to be known that the people in the city sometimes didn't have as much freedom as the people in the countryside. Each person's monthly share of pork was only half a catty, and Zhao Lanxiang bought an entire year's worth of pork in one go, so it was hard for people not to look at her.
Zhao Lanxiang put the meat in a bamboo basket and quietly left the long line. She gave a look to He Songbai, who was hiding in the alley.
In order to not attract attention, Zhao Lanxiang didn't take a car, but chose to walk back to Hezi Tun. She even specifically chose a remote mountain path.
In this era, there was no such thing as free trade. Other than the farmers who sold their own small shares, the rest of the food and materials were all considered speculators. Speculators were very dangerous, and if they were caught, depending on the severity of the case, they would be sent to reform through labor or go to jail. She didn't want to lose her life just to make money.
Zhao Lanxiang walked ten miles and finally arrived at Hezi Tun before the sun set.
He Songbai's dark and thick brows had not relaxed since he came back from the black market street.
He followed the "audacious" Zhao Zhiqing. Along the way, he watched her carefully walk around the mountain road, and then she grabbed a few handfuls of wild vegetables and covered them tightly in a basket, pretending to be digging for wild vegetables. Only then did his tense face become less ugly.
If she was caught, the He family could not escape being an "accomplice". He Songbai explained his behavior of following Zhao Zhiqing in his heart.
Zhao Lanxiang didn't know the complex mental activities of the man at this time. After returning home, she went into the woodshed and began to busy herself with cooking.
She quickly cleaned the meat and picked out the chicken and duck meat. Then, she sliced some ginger and onions and added some seasoning wine and salt to marinate them. It would take a long time to marinate, and he would have to wait until noon the next day to finish marinating. She found an earthenware pot and put them in place. Then she began to prepare the delicate marinade.
The meat she was going to make was similar to the cold duck neck and duck feet that were popular in the future. It had a unique flavor and was very tempting.
In those days, because she and Sister He liked delicious food, Ling Tianyi sponsored a huge sum of money for a popular food program. Zhao Lanxiang was often invited to be a guest judge. The theme of the program was to go into the folk food and explore the secret recipes of the lost food. She benefited a lot from this program. From the first episode to the last one, she collected a lot of secret recipes.
She had tried all kinds of cuisines and local delicacies that she was interested in and tasted good. She didn't expect that this interest, which she cultivated in her leisure time, would become her skill now.
Zhao Lanxiang shook her head and sighed with emotion about the impermanence of the world.
She boiled more than 30 kinds of spices, such as star anise, sannin, cinnamon, fennel, grass fruit, cloves, amomum, pepper, cardamom, parsley, bay leaves, and other spices into a pot of marinade. She boiled it until it had a color and let it cool, waiting for the duck meat to be marinated tomorrow.
After she finished cooking, the He family's kitchen overflowed with an incredible fragrance. The delicious spices were mixed with the sweet taste of meat.
Although the He family's old house was located in a relatively remote place, no one lived nearby. Zhao Lanxiang deliberately closed the windows when she was cooking. There was also a basin of charcoal that was not completely burned to absorb the smell. After she finished cooking the cold duck meat, she went out to take a breath of fresh air. The woodshed with the windows closed was as hot as a stove. Her black hair was stuck to her face, and it was sticky and uncomfortable.
She pushed the door open and walked out. Then, she saw He Sanya, who was drooling.
Zhao Lanxiang smiled as she took out a piece of caramel candy from her pocket. "Have some."
This was the candy she bought for the child when she went to town. He Sanya loved to eat sweet things, but she had never eaten sweets in her life.
He Sanya's dark and bright eyes seemed to have been blessed. She accepted the candies, but her eyes couldn't help but look at the woodshed. This shabby and old woodshed of the He family had now become the heaven she yearned for in her heart. She smelled the aroma coming from the door, saliva dripping from the tip of her tongue. She swallowed her saliva from time to time.
Zhao Lanxiang looked at her pitiful yet adorable face, and her heart softened.
She said, "There are pork trotters for dinner tonight. Don't worry, I won't forget about you."
As she spoke, she tapped the child's nose, and the corners of her lips curled up. It was the greatest affirmation she had ever received that she was able to please someone with her homemade food.
Although … the child might not have eaten anything good before, and she might not be able to stand even the slightest bit of good smells. But it didn't matter … She would use all that she had learned in her life to let her taste everything and fatten up this weak and pitiful child.
Zhao Lanxiang was still worried about the aroma coming out of the woodshed, so she went back and took out a pile of charcoal that hadn't been completely burned through. She smashed it into small pieces and placed them flat on the ground. Then, she tightly sealed the jar that contained the marinade and bacon.
She waited until the aroma was almost gone before she started to stew the pork trotters. Making the pork trotters with five spices wasn't as troublesome as making the marinade. A few days ago, when she was making the five-spice pork trotters, she didn't find enough spices. This time, she went to the black market and bought a lot of spices to fill in the blanks. Tonight's pork trotters would be even more delicious!
He Songbai went to chop firewood and fetch water after he got home. After he finished all the chores in the house, he finally had the time to think about the "restless" Zhao Zhiqing.
When he smelled the aroma coming out of the woodshed's window and saw He Sanya happily eating the meat, his dark eyes flashed with a trace of darkness and complexity.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind to make this woman behave. On the way back, he was repeatedly tortured. However, when he saw this scene, He Songbai was shaken.
All these years, they had been honest farmers. They didn't dare to break the rules or do bad things. Did God just let them go and let them live a peaceful life?
No. Ever since he could remember, the gossip around him had never stopped for a single day. Rumors and malice had enveloped his life. He was branded as a bad person. He was grateful that the organization didn't completely abandon them and gave them a chance to turn over a new leaf. However, he knew that as long as he was alive, the He family would have to tuck their tails between their legs. They would always carry the mark of shame that couldn't be washed away …
The situation was already as bad as it was. What else could make it worse?
…
At night, Sister He drove the large group of cows into the cowshed. When she washed her hands by the well, she faintly smelled the aroma of meat in the air. She thought that Zhao Zhiqing must have bought pork back for a meal again. Sigh! She definitely couldn't eat her meat tonight. She had already eaten a lot of good things for free. However, she couldn't take out anything that was worth returning the favor! Sister He was extremely ashamed.
However, in the next moment, Sister He was slapped in the face.
When Zhao Lanxiang saw Sister He, she enthusiastically pulled her to the woodshed. The white, fragrant, and soft rice was placed into the bowls. Every bowl of rice was drizzled with a layer of fragrant gravy. The agate colored pig trotters were glistening under the kerosene lamp. Zhao Lanxiang didn't say anything. He picked up a piece of soft pork trotters and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Delicious, right? San Ya ate two bowls of rice with this gravy. "
Sister He only felt a rich and mellow taste spread in her mouth. Her tongue and teeth didn't listen to her and cooperated very well. She couldn't help but involuntarily chew. She also seemed to enjoy a joy that she had never experienced before. The sweet and mellow honey was so delicious that it made her lose her mind. Her hands and feet began to move uncontrollably. She walked to the table, picked up the rice bowl, and happily ate the meat in big mouthfuls.
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