Divorced woman with child travels through time

Finally arriving home, Chen Wenfang was exhausted, but Aunt Liu and Uncle Liu Hai were very excited. They helped Chen Wenfang put her things away and then said they were going home to count their money. Chen Wenfang waved them off.

The water I left in the pot was still warm when I left. I added some firewood to heat it up, washed the baby and myself, and then went to sleep. I'm quite tired today... I'll leave the mosquito net up for now and do it tomorrow.

The next day, Chen Wenfang got up early and poured the money onto the kang (a heated brick bed) to count it. Hehe, he and the child joined in, each adding to their piles. They counted one by one. Chen Wenfang counted 1535 coins, and Chen Xuanyu counted 412, which meant they had about two strings of cash left. Adding the things they bought yesterday, they had earned about three strings of cash this time, which was pretty good. Adding the money Young Master Ouyang gave them for buying herbs, Chen Wenfang calculated that she still needed to save money. Who knew when Wang Erniu might suddenly return? They would need to find a place to live then. It would be best to wait until they had enough money to buy land and build a house.

Thinking of the house, Chen Wenfang also remembered that she didn't know where the original owner of this body was from, and she had nothing on her to prove that she was not an unregistered resident. Sigh, she couldn't figure it out, so she decided to stop thinking about it.

Chen Wenfang jumped out of bed and went to cook meat. Haha.

Take the newly bought cleaver, wash the pork and the cleaver, and cut them into appropriately sized cubes on the cutting board.

Chen Wenfang lit the stove, and Chen Xuanyu started the fire. Water was put into the pot, and the meat was added. Chen Xuanyu was already very skilled at starting the fire. The firewood was neatly folded or chopped by Chen Wenfang, so he only needed to keep an eye on the fire and add more firewood when he thought it was about right.

After the meat boils, skim off the foam. Cook over high heat until the pork is just cooked through, then remove it and rinse it. This step removes the blood and any unpleasant smell from the pork.

Chen Wenfang cleaned the pot with a loofah sponge (she'd seen it for sale at the market and bought it for a penny, much to Aunt Liu's chagrin about how wasteful she was). She added a little soybean oil, arranged the pork in the pot, and pan-fried it over low heat. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of meat. Pigs in ancient times were clean and didn't have feed, so the meat was naturally of high quality; the longer it fried, the more fragrant it became.

Chen Xuanyu swallowed hard and said, "Mom, I'm hungry..."

Chen Wenfang said, "Go to your room and get some cakes to tide you over. You can eat them once the meat is ready."

Chen Xuanyu said, "No, I want to save room for meat."

Chen Wenfang smiled and said, "Then you'll have to wait a while." As she spoke, she went next door to get a piece of osmanthus cake and handed it to Chen Xuanyu.

Chen Xuanyu said, "Maybe I should wait a little longer," but his hand naturally took the osmanthus cake and started eating it.

Chen Wenfang chuckled softly. This child was so adorable.

Fry the meat until golden brown on both sides, then remove it from the pan and drain the rendered fat. Store it in a jar; it will make a wonderful flavor when used for stir-fries or rice later.

No need to wash the pot. Add some soybean oil and sugar syrup, and simmer slowly until the syrup turns caramel color. Add the pan-fried pork belly and salt. Chen Wenfang prefers salty meat, so she adds salt, making the meat both salty and sweet. The saltiness will be a bit strong.

It smelled so good! It was irresistible for someone who hadn't had meat in a long time. Even Chen Wenfang herself was craving it.

Chen Xuanyu shouted, "Mom, it's cooked, it's cooked! Give me a piece!"

Chen Wenfang said, "Okay, okay, here, let me pick one up for you, be careful it's hot."

The meat was already cooked through and edible, but it wasn't tender and lacked flavor. Chen Wenfang also took a piece.

It tastes good, let's satisfy our cravings first. Add the well-colored meat to water and simmer. It takes a while to cook.

Chen Wenfang decided to start by boiling the pot next to her.

First, wash the pot twice with cold water and baking soda to remove impurities and grease. Wipe it dry with a cloth. Heat the pot over medium heat until dry, then add a little soybean oil and spread it evenly with a brush. Heat the pot over low heat. Once the oil has dried, turn off the heat and let the pot cool completely. Then brush on the oil again and continue heating the pot. Repeat this process four times. The pot is now ready.

The pot was boiling, and the meat was almost cooked through. I turned up the heat to reduce the sauce. I pierced it with chopsticks—it fell apart easily. I picked up a piece, took a bite, and found it soft, tender, and flavorful, rich but not greasy, with a savory and delicious taste. It was absolutely delicious!

Chen Wenfang was so moved that tears almost streamed down her face.

Waaah... My cooking skills are so good... It's so delicious... I should have cooked the rice first.

While eating, she filled a bowl for her son, then used a basin to scoop out the meat. Why a basin? Because Chen Wenfang had stewed all three pounds of meat; she was so craving meat!

After rinsing the rice, there's no need to wash the pot; just put the rice in and cook. The grain store owner was fairly honest; there wasn't much grit in the rice. The rice cooks quickly. After it boils, drain the water, cover the pot, and add syrup to the rice water for the child. The child just ate a small bowl.

Chen Xuanyu, who ate braised pork, said it was just right to cut through the greasiness, and the rice soup was really delicious.

Cooked rice cooked over a wood fire smells so good! In less than ten minutes, the rice was ready. As soon as the pot was opened, the whole house was filled with its aroma. Chen Wenfang couldn't wait to serve herself two bowls of rice, one for her son, and she took a bite herself. Ah, that long-lost taste!

Steaming hot rice, soft, sticky, and sweet; then a bite of braised pork, the sensation of starch and fat battling in your mouth—it's so nostalgic! Wow, so delicious!