Stepmother in charge: Making a fortune through farming and raising her children to fight back

old house.

Master Yan was explaining the imperial examination system of this dynasty to everyone. After listening to him, everyone looked as if they had suddenly understood.

Old Man Qin looked at Awen with a smile and said, "Awen, you must study hard with the teacher and become the top scholar in the future. You are the hope of our Qin family and the entire Qinjia Village."

Ah Wen said shyly, "I've only just started learning the basics, how can I expect to become the top scholar? My eldest cousin is more capable, he must have great potential. I want to learn more from him in the future."

"Ah, right, right." Old Man Qin nodded: "Your cousin is really amazing. If there is anything you don't understand, you should learn more from him."

Yun Zhenzhen smiled and said, "Comparing yourself to Jing'er, the pressure is enormous. You have to know that he's been working part-time since he was young, and it's good enough if he can spend half his time studying every day... Besides, during the first year of the exam, Jing'er couldn't come up with the money, which delayed him for a few years. Otherwise, he could have become a student at a much younger age..."

Ah Wen nodded: "I know. Every day I see my cousin studying hard. I will be like him in the future, study hard, and get a good degree in the future."

He wanted to study hard and then become a high-ranking official to give his mother a better life. Maybe he could even raise his mother's rank and make her the most glorious lady in the area.

After talking for a while, Yun Zhenzhen went to the kitchen to help.

In addition to white rice today, she also plans to steam some pure white flour buns. After all, this place is located in the north, and many people still prefer to eat pasta.

After kneading the dough, she woke up and started preparing to cook. She hadn't eaten the wild boar meat she had received a few days ago, so she simply took it all out, cut the tenderest part into slices, and prepared to make boiled pork slices first.

It just so happened that the potato starch I made some time ago was not used up yet, and the meat slices were made tender and smooth by adding some chili to remove the fishy smell and marinate for a while.

There are many people living in the old house, so we received several pork ribs that day and hung them above the fire pit. We didn't put much salt in them because we wanted to eat them during the New Year.

After Yun Zhenzhen took it down and washed it twice with hot water, there was no extra salt taste. It was just right to chop it into pieces and make braised pork ribs. Sprinkle a handful of chopped green onions when serving. The flavor was so delicious.

I also took out the pork belly at home and made a simple version of pork belly with pickled mustard greens with it.

The fish I brought back from the town haven’t been eaten yet, so I’ve kept it in a bucket. I’m going to cook it today for everyone to eat together.

The remaining two fish are not big, so you can slice the meat and make two sauerkraut fish dishes. Thicken them with potato starch and put them directly into the pot later.

On the other side, Qin Shouren came in carrying a processed chicken: "Here, this chicken has been processed according to your requirements and can be put into the pot directly."

Yun Zhenzhen took it and said, "It's cleaned up nicely. I can use it to offer sacrifices to my ancestors during the New Year's Eve dinner this year. It saves a lot of trouble."

She immediately cleared out a pot, blanched the whole chicken, and then took out two large radishes from the jar at the back. They didn't need to be pickled for a long time, so they could be used to make sour radish chicken soup.

The dishes now all contained meat. Yun Zhenzhen also prepared a cold-mixed egg, a dish of fried peanuts, and several plates of freshly made braised meat.

There was still about a bowl of the pickled mustard greens she had made earlier. Today, when Grandma Qin was washing the jar, she emptied it out and brought it to the table.

After the rice is cooked, put the steamer down, with two layers used to steam buns and one layer used to steam pork with preserved plums.

There were a few sisters-in-law helping here, and Old Lady Qin was also a good cook, so the food was cooked quickly. She scooped out a few bowls of rice and filled a large bowl with some rice wine and brought it out, one cup of wine and one bowl of rice, and then shouted to the door.

"Brother, everything is ready. You can call the elders back to have the New Year's Eve dinner."

"Got it!"

In their place, every year during the Chinese New Year, they would invite the deceased elders in the family to come back for dinner, which is also a way to show their gratitude to their ancestors. After completing this ceremony, they can prepare the meal again.

There were twelve dishes in total on the table, including stewed chicken with sauerkraut, braised spareribs, pork with preserved vegetables, etc. There were also stewed chicken with mushrooms and stir-fried beef with sauerkraut that were made last night, as well as the braised duck heads, duck feet, duck wings and other braised meats that Yun Zhenzhen specially added this year.

At first, when Mrs. Qin and the other elderly people ate these things, they felt that there was not enough meat and it was difficult to eat, so they were not very willing to eat it. But after eating it twice, they became completely addicted.

This thing tastes spicy and numb. Although there are not many bites of meat, you can finish a large plate without realizing it. It is very convenient to use it to chat about family matters and kill time.

So from then on, whenever Yun Zhenzhen made braised meat, she would bring it to the old house for them to try.

Looking at the table full of dishes in front of me, it was extremely rich. Not to mention that the villagers had such a rich variety, even in the city these dishes might not be available.

Yuncan sat among a group of children, so flustered that he didn't know where to put his hands and feet.

In the past, when she celebrated the Chinese New Year at home, she could not sit at the table until her brother had finished eating. She had to wait for her brother to finish eating first.

This was the first time she had followed her employer to her house for the New Year's Eve dinner. Since she came here, the meals she had eaten were much better than at home. It was also because she had communicated more with Yun Zhenzhen that she realized what it felt like to be cared for by others.

There were so many meat dishes in front of her, and even the vegetarian dishes were full of oil, so she didn't dare to pick up her chopsticks.

If I eat too much, will my husband's family dislike me for eating too much? After all, food is very precious these days, and I am just a servant.

Others didn't know she had thought so much. Xiao Nan enthusiastically put food in her bowl and said, "Sister Yuncan, try this braised pork ribs made by my mother. It's delicious."

As she said that, she added two full chopsticks into the bowl.

"And this pickled cabbage chicken soup is delicious too, spicy and appetizing. It's the first time we've had it, so try it." She tore off a chicken leg and put it in Yuncan's bowl: "Eat it quickly, or those little gluttons will eat it all and there won't be any for you."

On the other side, Erdan had already started grunting and stuffing food into his mouth. He had already eaten half of the plate of braised meat alone, and he also took away a chicken leg from the stewed chicken with mushrooms and finished it in just a few bites.

There was also the plate of braised pork ribs. Erdan started to put the ribs into his bowl frantically and continued to eat before he finished. If Xiaonan hadn't been quick in picking up the ribs, Yuncan wouldn't have been able to see even a bone.

Chen sat at the adults' table, looking at her own boy wolfing down his food, and was speechless.

We made so many dishes today, there must be extra for each table. It is impossible for everyone to finish them even if they are full. This damn kid eats so quickly, as if I didn’t give him any food.

What a shame...