Chapter 78: Cured Pork Trotters
By the time they got home, the sun had not yet set.
Just as they had put down their baskets, Old Madam Jiang came over and said, “You went up the mountain, and Doctor Xue and his wife came to the door with large and small bags! I told them you were up the mountain gathering herbs and wouldn’t be back for half a day or a day. They sat for a while and then left.”
“Did they say anything?” Lin Shuang asked.
“They said that you helped them a lot yesterday,” the old woman’s eyes were filled with inquiry. “What did you help them with?”
Only then did Lin Shuang smile and explain, “A little thief wanted to poison the well at the apothecary, and Huaizhen caught him on the spot.”
Hearing this, Old Madam Jiang’s face changed drastically. “Which black-hearted and rotten-lunged animal would dare to poison a clinic! Such a heartless thing, they deserve to be struck by lightning—”
Lin Shuang sighed. “Doctor Xue is kind-hearted and sells medicine to the common people at a low price. He has blocked others’ path to wealth, which is why he has attracted resentment.”
“Is it that black-hearted gang from the Qin family? The one who got you taken away by the yamen last time, called the Benevolence something Hall?” Old Madam Jiang said through gritted teeth.
“We don’t know yet. It’s already been reported to the authorities. We’ll have to wait for the yamen to investigate,” Lin Shuang said, afraid that she would be too angry, and quickly comforted her.
But Old Madam Jiang was still not appeased and cursed, from “having no descendants” to “ancestral graves emitting black smoke,” each sentence more vicious than the last.
Her personality had always been like this. Lin Shuang was helpless and gave Jiang Huaizhen a look, signaling her to comfort the old woman. She herself turned and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
She had promised this person on the mountain today that she would make a good meal to reward her. It was hot, and they couldn’t keep fresh meat at home, so there was only cured meat left. Fortunately, she had picked some mushrooms on the mountain, which was just right for stewing the cured pork trotter.
The cured pork trotter was covered in a layer of grease and had to be burned over a fire before it could be washed.
She had to use a loofah to scrub it clean, chop it into small pieces, and blanch it in water before she could put it in the pot to stew.
It was now autumn, and the weather was very dry. It was a good time to eat radishes.
Lin Shuang led Ping’er to the vegetable garden to pick two large white radishes, which she chopped and set aside. She also washed some rice and put it in the pot.
After Jiang Huaizhen had comforted the old woman, she was busy feeding the horse and the rabbits. The old woman found the rabbit hutch smelly, so she had to clean it whenever she had time, so she wouldn’t have to listen to the old lady nag. She also soaked the dirty clothes she had changed out of yesterday and would go to the river to wash them after dinner.
Just as the fragrance of the cured pork trotter began to waft out, Old Madam Jiang remembered something and hurried into the kitchen. “The Xue family also sent two catties of beef this morning. I hung it under the eaves and forgot to tell you. It’s hot. If we don’t eat it, it will go bad.”
Hearing this, Lin Shuang went to take a look. It was indeed a good piece of meat with both fat and lean. She quickly took it down.
While the cured pork trotter was still simmering on the stove, she went to the main hall to take a look.
The gifts that Doctor Xue and his wife had sent this time were quite valuable: a bolt of Songjiang cotton cloth and a bolt of plain silk, about thirty catties of high-grade white flour, two catties of beef, and a packet of Qimen black tea.
There was a pair of silver bracelets for the old lady, and a few packets of pastries.
It seemed that they had really taken the matter of Qin Sheng yesterday to heart.
Jiang Huaizhen followed, her gaze stopping on the pair of silver bracelets.
“They’re a perfect fit for Grandma,” Lin Shuang smiled. “I was just thinking of having a pair made for her a while back, but someone beat me to it.”
Old Madam Jiang took the bracelets with a happy expression and looked at them again and again, unable to put them down.
Seeing this, Ping’er also took them to play with.
Seeing them so happy, Lin Shuang’s eyes also couldn’t help but curve into a smile. She thought to herself that she would also have a longevity lock or something made for Ping’er later.
Seeing the tea next to her, she picked it up and sniffed it. She said to Jiang Huaizhen, “This tea is very expensive outside, but I’m not used to drinking it. If you like it, you can take it to brew.”
The old woman didn’t like to drink tea and usually just drank plain water.
Jiang Huaizhen remembered that the tea that Lu Qing had given to the official in charge of the Punishment Department seemed to be this kind. She shook her head. “I’m not used to drinking it either. The luo han guo tea you dried is very good. Let’s save this for gifts.”
Lin Shuang had no objection. She put the tea aside and felt the two bolts of cloth. “Mrs. Xue must have chosen these. The cotton cloth is top quality, and the silk is plain. It won’t be too eye-catching for people like us to wear.”
Old Madam Jiang rarely showed a look of approval. “She’s the mistress of a large household. She doesn’t make mistakes.”
Just as she finished speaking, she saw Jiang Huaizhen take the pastries next to her and was about to put them in her mouth. She glared at her. “We’re having cured pork trotters and beef tonight. If you eat the pastries, and there’s meat left over, it will go bad by tomorrow.”
Jiang Huaizhen swallowed and slowly put down the pastries.
And Ping’er, who had already secretly taken a piece of pastry, hid behind her, only her little head showing.
Seeing this, Lin Shuang didn’t expose her and smiled as she turned and went back to the kitchen.
Jiang Huaizhen followed.
“You have good knife skills. Can you help me cut the meat?” Lin Shuang said.
Jiang Huaizhen nodded and went to wash her hands.
“You have to cut against the grain, as thin as possible. Otherwise, it will be hard to chew,” Lin Shuang said, adding some firewood to the stove.
The meat she had bought was the tenderloin, the most tender part.
The red meat and white fat looked very appetizing.
Jiang Huaizhen listened to her instructions, her knife rising and falling on the cutting board. The slices were indeed as thin as paper.
“So amazing,” Lin Shuang said, glancing at the door. Seeing no one, she moved closer and gave her a light peck on the cheek.
Jiang Huaizhen’s ears burned, and she said nothing, lowering her head to continue cutting the meat.
Lin Shuang had succeeded in her sneak attack, and her eyes were filled with a smile. “I didn’t know we had beef just now, so I forgot to pick some celery. I’ll go to the vegetable garden again.”
The celery in the vegetable garden was growing very vigorously. Lin Shuang picked the most tender handful and threw the old leaves to the rabbits in the cage. The two little gray rabbits stood up on their hind legs, their three-lobed mouths moving quickly.
“Why do you only want the stalks?” Jiang Huaizhen had just finished cutting the meat and saw her come in with the bare celery stalks.
“The stalks are crispy. The leaves are for the rabbits,” Lin Shuang washed the vegetables and handed them over. “Here, cut them.”
Jiang Huaizhen took them, and with a “thud” on the cutting board, they were cut in the blink of an eye. The sections were of uniform length and were arranged on a plate.
The cured pork trotter had been stewing for a long time. Lin Shuang poked it with a pair of chopsticks, and seeing that it could be pierced through, she threw in the shiitake mushrooms and white radish and continued to stew them.
The rice was also cooked by now, and the aroma of rice mixed with the cured meat made one’s stomach rumble.
“Are you hungry?” Lin Shuang turned to ask.
Jiang Huaizhen, who had finished her work, was standing behind her and honestly nodded. “Hungry.”
Lin Shuang glanced at her stomach. “Yes, I heard it. It’s like a drum roll.”
Jiang Huaizhen didn’t say anything, her expression as serene as a lady’s, but her eyes were fixed on her.
Lin Shuang stopped teasing and turned to take the rice pot off the stove, freeing up the stove to start stir-frying.
The iron pot was placed on the stove, and the bottom of the pot soon began to smoke.
She scooped a spoonful of lard into the pot, and as the oil melted, she slid the beef slices into the pot. With a “sizzle,” the edges curled up, and the fragrance went straight to her nose.
After a few quick stir-fries, she took it out and set it aside.
She then reheated the oil in the pot to stir-fry the celery.
Just as she turned to get the celery, the person who had been standing next to her had already handed it to her.
Lin Shuang’s hand was empty. She gave her a mock-reproachful look, took the basket, and poured the vegetable stalks into the pot.
After a round of stir-frying, she added the stir-fried beef from just now, sprinkled some fine salt, and it was ready to be taken out of the pot.
“Go and call Grandma and Ping’er for dinner.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Huaizhen carried the dishes out, called out, and then came back to move the rice pot.
Lin Shuang was ladling the cured pork trotters into a ceramic basin. In the amber-colored soup, the radishes had absorbed the meaty fragrance, and the rich cured meat aroma made one’s stomach rumble with craving.
Hearing that it was time for dinner, Ping’er slipped into the kitchen to help get the chopsticks. This was the only thing she could help with, and she was always happy to do it.
When Jiang Huaizhen was getting the bowls, she also specially left the chopsticks for her to show off.
The old woman was already sitting at the table.
The cattail fan in her hand was fanning intermittently, her eyes glancing toward the kitchen, just waiting for dinner.
Jiang Huaizhen served everyone rice, and seeing that Lin Shuang had come out, she sat down next to her.
“We have to finish the beef tonight. If we can’t finish the cured pork trotters, we can boil them again before we go to bed and leave them for breakfast tomorrow. Eat more beef,” Lin Shuang said, giving Ping’er a large chopstickful.
After Ping’er had come to the Jiang family, although she had lived a life without worries about food and clothing, the family was used to being poor, so they didn’t have fish and meat at every meal. Usually, when Lin Shuang and the others went to the city, they would buy some meat on the way back. If they didn’t go to the city, they would mostly eat some eggs or vegetables. Now, seeing the meat, she was very happy.
Jiang Huaizhen loved this beef, and her chopsticks never stopped.
The old woman, while chewing on the cured pork trotters, said with a heartache, “Sigh, I’m telling you, which family eats two catties of beef at a meal?”
She wished she could turn back time to the winter, when this one meal of beef could be divided into two or three days.
Although the beef was better, the trotters were stewed so soft and tender that they would sink in with a poke of the chopsticks. One bite, and the gelatinous texture was sticky and delicious.
The white radish, cut into rolling pieces, was stewed to perfection. The outer layer was soft, while the inside still retained a hint of crispness, and the juice would burst out when you bit into it.
Old Madam Jiang’s teeth were not good, and compared to the beef, she loved this more.
After a couple of bites, she couldn’t help but praise, “When it comes to cooking, it has to be Shuang’er.”
Ping’er quickly nodded. “Aunt Shuang’s cooking is the most fragrant.”
“If you like it, eat more,” Lin Shuang smiled. “When winter comes, and we stew a pot, that will be a real treat.”
The meal was delicious.
Not a single piece of beef was left, but half a pot of the pork trotters was left. She took it back to the stove, boiled it again without lifting the lid, and it could be kept until tomorrow.
The two of them worked together to clean up.
After washing the dishes, they took a bucket to the stream to wash the clothes. One of them would pound, and the other would rub, and then they would rinse them together. They chatted and laughed as they finished their work.
By the time they had hung up the clothes, it was already dark.
After giving Ping’er a bath, they took a bath one after the other.
Jiang Huaizhen washed first and, after returning to her room, she combed her hair as usual.
She usually didn’t pay much attention to her appearance, but she especially cherished her beautiful hair. Even when she was an executioner, she couldn’t bear to cut her hair short and would rather tie it up in a bun.
After Lin Shuang entered the room, she thought of the little girl who had come to visit this morning and closed the door with her backhand.
The “click” of the latch falling was particularly clear, and Jiang Huaizhen’s hand, which was holding the comb, couldn’t help but stiffen for a moment.
Lin Shuang didn’t miss this detail. The corners of her lips curled up almost imperceptibly, and she said as she untied her hair ribbon, “We’re not going up the mountain tomorrow. We’re going to Doctor Xue’s house.”
“Should we bring anything?” Jiang Huaizhen asked.
“Their family doesn’t lack anything. It’s not necessary to buy anything precious, and cheap things are not of much use to them,” Lin Shuang thought for a moment. “Forget it. We don’t have to bring anything.”
Jiang Huaizhen naturally listened to her.
Seeing that they had discussed it, Lin Shuang went to bed.
Seeing this, Jiang Huaizhen put down her comb, stood up, and walked to the bed. She lifted the mosquito net and also lay down.
Lin Shuang was lying on her side on the inside.
This time, she didn’t plan to take the initiative.
Ever since they had confessed their feelings to each other, she had almost always been the one to initiate the kisses. It was true that she was more mature in her heart, but they were both girls, and she still had some reserve.
Fortunately, Jiang Huaizhen was not so wooden. She hugged her from behind.
Lin Shuang was content to be held in her arms. She leaned back and rubbed her head against her cheek.
Jiang Huaizhen lifted her upper body slightly and touched her lips with hers.
She wanted to go deeper, but Lin Shuang turned her head to avoid her, so she couldn’t kiss her.
So her gaze fell on the earlobe that was so close.
How could Lin Shuang have expected that the person behind her would attack that spot? She reached out and pinched the back of her hand.
“Don’t…” her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
The usually gentle Jiang Huaizhen had no intention of letting go at this moment.
Lin Shuang couldn’t help but pinch her.
“Jiang Huaizhen…”
Jiang Huaizhen did not answer her murmur but continued to cause trouble at the base of her ear. Her cold fragrance grew stronger, and her breath brushed against her ear, stimulating Lin Shuang so much that she was dizzy.
She twisted and turned.
She unconsciously rubbed against Jiang Huaizhen behind her, so soft it made her whole body hot.
Swollen.
If only Jiang Huaizhen could bite her…
But Jiang Huaizhen only knew how to eat her ear, and her two hands were properly holding her hands.
She couldn’t stand it and pulled that hand.
“Jiang Huaizhen… it’s a little swollen… not very comfortable…”
The person behind her, being pulled by her hand, suddenly stiffened.
Lin Shuang closed her eyes and heard her own rapid breathing.
“Jiang Huaizhen…”
The process of exploration was undoubtedly happy. It was one thing not to know before, but now that they knew that this could also be very happy, the two of them were like they had opened the door to a new world and were enjoying it.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Shuang grabbed her hand.
“…Does it hurt?” Jiang Huaizhen’s damp breath was wrapped around her ear.
Lin Shuang suppressed her still-pounding heart and said with a hint of reproach, “A little… you squeezed a little too hard…”
The fingertips were thorny, and they scratched her skin, making it both itchy and painful…
Hearing her say this, Jiang Huaizhen’s breath hitched. But hearing her say that it hurt, she still stopped.
She turned her body over, felt that her neck was covered in sweat, picked up the cattail fan on the side, held her in her arms with one hand, and fanned her with the other. “I’ll fan you. Go to sleep.”
Lin Shuang had been rubbed by her, and her heart’s fire had dissipated. At this moment, she was in a good mood, and also a little sweet. She hummed in agreement.
She looked up, found those soft lips, and gave them a light touch.
Only then did she find a comfortable position in her arms, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
