Is the beginning of a catastrophe? The little farm cook is raising a family with a full warehouse.

Shen Shulan's mother, Du Qiyuan, was an ordinary concubine in the Shen Mansion. She only received some attention after she became pregnant.

She knew very well that only by giving birth to a son could she improve her status in the mansion, but unfortunately, fate did not go as she wished and she gave birth to a daughter.

Du Qiu's mother's family came from a tribe on the frontier. Many people in the tribe practiced witchcraft, and one of the techniques was able to temporarily confuse people's minds and change their ideas imperceptibly.

The success rate of this technique is extremely low, so Du Qiu is risking her life. She doesn't want her daughter to become a toy for others to amuse themselves, just like herself.

Fortunately, God was merciful to her this time and she really succeeded.

In order to ensure that everything goes smoothly, Du Qiu also bribed the people who had close contact with the scene at the time, and combined with the witchcraft he performed, he successfully concealed Shen Shulan's true gender.

Shen Aoqiong was very happy to have another son, so he promoted Du Qiu's position and made her a young lady in the mansion.

Because he hated the intrigues in the harem, Shen Aoqiong had always kept the courtyards separate. Except for banquets that needed to be attended together, everyone actually lived their own lives behind closed doors.

The eldest lady lived in the main courtyard, the younger lady who gave birth to a son could live alone in the separate courtyard, and as for the concubines who only gave birth to daughters or no children, they could only live in one courtyard with several others.

Class differentiation exists everywhere. If you want to live a more comfortable life, you can only work hard to climb up.

This undoubtedly provided Du Qiu with a lot of convenience. After her status was promoted, she was able to live in a separate courtyard and avoid a lot of attention.

From then on, Du Qiu raised Shen Shulan as a real boy. Except for the lack of fat on his lower body, all other parts of his body were disguised to look exactly like a man.

Although her appearance is a little more beautiful, it is not surprising that her son Xiao and his mother Du Qiu are both outstanding in appearance.

As a result, Shen Shulan got the opportunity to go to school with her brothers and learn riding and archery together. She no longer had to be trapped in the inner house like her other sisters, staring at the square sky all day long.

But as she grew older, Shen Shulan herself realized that something was wrong, and Du Qiu then explained the truth to her.

Shen Shulan naturally understood how difficult it was for his mother, so he was more careful to protect the secret of his identity. He kept a low profile in his daily life and tried not to provoke the jealousy of his brothers.

So among the five brothers, she is the one who seems to be the most idle. She likes to read books and collect folk songs all day long and doesn't participate much in the affairs of the city. In addition, she has a cold personality and is not good at socializing, so her presence is relatively low.

Among the brothers, except for the eldest brother Shen Junce, the other brothers are not easy to deal with.

The eldest brother Shen Junce was calm, introverted and thoughtful. He was the most suitable successor to the city lord, but he was poisoned not long ago.

This incident was a big blow to Shen Aoqiong, because he had spent a lot of time and energy on raising his eldest son. In addition, he was the legitimate son born by the eldest lady, so his importance was self-evident.

Shen Shulan believes that the most suspicious person is his second brother Shen Linfeng, who is cunning, treacherous and selfish.

On the surface, he appears to be generous and unrestrained, likes to make friends with heroes from all sides, and has a strong interest in the affairs of the martial arts world. In fact, he uses these martial arts connections to seek personal gain, secretly planning various conspiracies and tricks in an attempt to seize the position of city lord.

I don't know how much profit he made secretly, and all the money he exploited from merchants went into his pocket.

In order to investigate the murderer of his eldest brother and to find evidence of his second brother's corruption, Shen Shulan pretended to go out of the city for a trip, planning to sneak back into the city in two days.

However, she didn't expect that before she could turn around, a team of secret guards came to chase her. In her hasty escape, she injured her shoulder and fell into the pool under the cliff. Later, she was lucky enough to be rescued by Cheng Yuntao.

During Shen Shulan's narration, the expression on Cheng Yuntao's face kept changing, sometimes surprised, sometimes shocked, and the emotional value was fully fed back.

After talking for a long time, Shen Shulan felt very thirsty, so he picked up the teacup and drank the tea in it.

"That's probably the cause and effect."

Cheng Yuntao nodded slowly, indicating seriously that she understood. It was indeed a big family, with so many hidden little secrets.

Then, under Shen Shulan's careful gaze, she said, "We've been talking for so long, you must be hungry, right? Don't leave in a hurry, let's have lunch first."

Faced with this request, Shen Shulan found it difficult to say no. His eyes suddenly lit up and he nodded rapidly.

"it is good!"

……

Cheng Yuntao wanted to make a dish of roasted meat in red sauce at noon, which is commonly known as braised pork. Pork belly with alternating fat and lean meat is the best choice for cooking braised pork.

The pork belly is cut into square pieces the size of mahjong tiles. The size is very important. If it is too big, it will be difficult to taste and stew until it is tender; if it is too small, it will lose the satisfying feeling of the meaty aroma in your mouth.

The cut meat pieces are marinated to remove the fishy smell and make the meat more delicious.

Then heat the oil in a pan, sauté the ginger slices, garlic, peppercorns, and star anise, then pour the pork belly into the pan and stir-fry until fragrant.

Then transfer the delicious meat into a casserole, add white wine, soy sauce, and rock sugar, and simmer over low heat for half an hour.

Time passed quietly, and when the lid of the casserole was opened, the whole house was filled with the rich aroma of meat, which made people salivate.

This time, Shen Shulan didn't need anyone to call him, he just followed the smell.

The braised pork just out of the pot is extremely crispy and tender, and is neatly arranged in squares. Each one is crystal clear and as lustrous as jade, which is extremely tempting.

The pork belly is incredibly tender. The square pieces of meat sway gently between the chopsticks, glistening with an alluring sheen of oil, making one's mouth water.

When you put it into your mouth, it melts smoothly like silk, leaving a hint of sweetness and softness. It is rich but not greasy, and the meaty aroma slowly spreads in your mouth, long and mellow.

The skin of the braised pork is the essence and has a unique flavor.

It is not as tough as the common pig skin. Instead, it is like half-melted gelatin, soft and glutinous with a subtle elasticity, which adds a sense of reality than the crispy fat.

After tasting two pieces of braised pork, Shen Shulan followed Cheng Yuntao's example, scooping up a spoonful of thick sauce and gently pouring it on the white rice.

The sauce is an attractive brown-red color with a fresh aroma. When mixed with the white rice, it instantly gives it a shiny coating.

The aroma of the pork belly is fully integrated into the sauce. Although it has a strong aroma of fat, it does not feel greasy at all. It has just the right balance of salty and sweet and is extremely delicious.

This taste is so addictive that you can’t stop eating it. You won’t feel satisfied until the bowl is empty.

Shen Shulan felt that the pent-up anger in his heart, as well as the frustration and frustration he had felt over the past years, had all quietly dissipated a lot through his confession just now and the bowl of braised pork with rice in front of him.