The poor little girl who traveled through the book, her father was lazy, her mother was stingy, and

"Dad, we are unfamiliar with this place, so you'd better not think of collecting firewood."

Lin Xiaoman came out to fetch water and happened to hear what Lin Dajiang said.

The mountains outside the county town may be different from Shanglin Village.

The mountain behind Shanglin Village is ownerless, and villagers from generation to generation have been hunting and chopping wood on the mountain.

But it’s hard to say about the area around Jialin County.

Picking up firewood on the owner's mountain is stealing and you will be caught.

Lin Xiaoman continued to persuade, "Those mountains may be owned by someone. If we are caught, it will be troublesome. A bundle of firewood costs two cents. If we save it, it can last for a day."

Lin Zhuang asked: "Does the mountain still have an owner?"

Lin Dajiang nodded, "Some mountains do have owners. Master Gu owns several mountains in Lin'an City. But Master Gu is kind-hearted. As long as they don't start a war and cut down trees, he will allow the surrounding villagers to collect firewood and dig vegetables."

"Will we go to jail if we get caught?" Lin Zhuang asked.

Lin Dajiang said: "I won't go to jail, but I will be sent to the police station, and I will be beaten with a stick and have to pay some money."

Lin Zhuang was shocked. How could one be beaten casually by the government? It was said that after ten blows, one would lose half his life.

"Forget it, Brother Dajiang. The Jingzhe and Yaoguang exams are coming up soon, so let's not make things complicated. Xiaoman said two cents a bundle, so let's eat less and use the money to buy firewood."

"Dad, I just saw that many tables in the shop behind are still usable, but the legs are loose. Don't you and Zhuang Shu know a little carpentry? Why don't you repair these tables and chairs in the next two days? Maybe we can use them in the future."

Lin Xiaoman went to check it out and found that the tables and chairs were still usable, but the pots and pans were all empty. He wanted to open a shop in the future, so he would need to buy all those things.

Originally, she wanted to see if there were any unused charcoal stoves and pots inside. If there were, she planned to make a pot of rice.

Unfortunately, the original tenants took away everything they could.

"Dad, the other pot is broken too. We only have one pot, so it's hard to cook. Let's just make pancakes tonight." Lin Xiaoman lamented, "Otherwise, it would be better to eat braised pork with rice."

Lin Dajiang thought of the rich broth of braised pork accompanied by rice, and instantly felt nostalgic.

Unfortunately it’s too late to go to the market now, so I can’t eat it today.

Lin Dajiang said, "Xiao Man, I will go to the blacksmith shop tomorrow to see if the pot inside can be repaired. I will also take the broken pot with me."

"Dad, we still need to buy some bowls and chopsticks. We didn't buy enough last time."

"Row."

Lin Guyu and Lin Lidong, who were weeding by the courtyard wall, smelled the fragrance and ran into the kitchen.

Lin Guyu took a deep breath and said, "Sister, you made braised pork."

"Yes, there are many people here today, so I made a big pot. Sister also made some pork bone soup, and I'll give the meat to you and Lidong later."

The smell was so delicious that Guyu and Lidong stayed in the kitchen and refused to go out.

The weather at the end of March was neither too cold nor too hot. It was warm sitting in the kitchen. The two little kids sat down and refused to leave.

Lin Xiaoman asked Guyu to watch the fire while she started to knead the dough.

In the evening, I make sour bean and diced meat pancakes and a pot of spicy hotpot.

Because there were so many people, Lin Xiaoman kneaded two balls of dough, put them in a basin and covered them with gauze.

She started to mince the meat again and washed the pickled beans and cut them into small pieces.

I also cut some chopped green onions and minced garlic and set aside. Once the pork ribs are stewed, you can make the pancakes.

After the pancakes are baked, fry a big pot of spicy hotpot.

The spicy and fragrant hot pot is served with refreshing sour bean pancakes to relieve the spiciness. Then you can take a bite of the soft and delicious braised pork and drink a sip of the pork bone soup with rich meat flavor. The taste is also excellent.

Half an hour later, the bone was almost healed.

The pork shanks were served out, filling a large bowl.

Lin Xiaoman didn't even wash the pot. He scooped two spoonfuls of lard, added minced garlic and stir-fried until fragrant, then added the sour beans and stir-fried together.

Sour beans absorb oil, and they are delicious only when they have absorbed enough oil. Otherwise, they will be too salty and taste bland.

After the sour beans were fried, Lin Xiaoman began to prepare the pancakes.

Take a small ball of the dough, flatten it with a rolling pin, add the fried sour beans, a large spoonful of minced meat, and a handful of chopped green onions, and make it into a thin pancake.

Heat the pan, brush a layer of lard on it, and spread the pancake on it.

Lin Xiaoman asked Guyu to watch the fire, making sure it didn't get too strong and didn't get extinguished.

While the first pancake was cooked, she started making more pancakes.

Turn the pancake over in the pan and continue frying.

When Lin Jingzhe brought Xie Ci'an, Gu Changsheng and others over, Lin Xiaoman's pancakes were almost finished.

There were four or five other men following behind Gu Changsheng's servant Ping'an.

Each person was brought in with a bowl of food.

Gu Changsheng explained with a smile, "I didn't know my foster father was coming today. I originally asked the cook to prepare some food, so I just moved in and ate together."

Lin Dajiang hurriedly moved the round table to the main room, wiped it with a rag, and asked them to put the dishes down. "Xiaoman made more than ten pancakes. I'm afraid we can't finish all the dishes."

Gu Changsheng shook his head, "It's okay, everyone, eat as much as you can."

After the dough was baked, Lin Xiaoman saw that there were too many dishes, so she cooked half of the dishes for the spicy hotpot, and the rest could be eaten tomorrow.

Spicy hotpot is a lazy person's delicacy. It is actually just a pot of hodgepodge, but with the addition of well-mixed sauces and chili peppers, it is especially appetizing to eat occasionally.

Lin Xiaoman blanched the potatoes and beans in advance.

The crispy pork and meatballs are already cooked, but the pickled radish can be eaten raw.

Heat the pan and put a few spoonfuls of lard in. When the lard starts to steam, add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add chili and other spices that have been prepared in advance. The spicy aroma will already come out before the food is even put in.

After the dishes are put into the pot, stir-fry continuously to allow the sauce to fully coat the dishes. Soon, the spicy hotpot will be ready.

Several teenagers helped to bring out the pork ribs, braised pork, etc., and the round table was full in an instant.

Lin Xiaoman made more than a dozen large pancakes, more than enough for one per person.

Lin Yaowen and Lin Yaoguang were dumbfounded.

Not to mention the two of them, even Lin Zhuang, who was older than them, stared with his eyes wide open.

The New Year’s Eve dinner at home wasn’t this sumptuous!