Reborn in the 90s, I traded my ex-husband for eight apartments.

The aroma of braised meat quickly spread throughout the upstairs and downstairs.

People still crave meat these days, especially children. If someone in the military compound makes braised pork, all the kids in the yard will make a ruckus.

But Shuo Shuo, who was writing at the small table, did not do that.

He was writing, seemingly oblivious to the aroma wafting downstairs; after finishing a page, he even showed it to Huo Zheng.

"Uncle, I've finished writing. Can I play for a while now?"

Huo Zheng took the notebook and glanced at it. The numbers 1-10 were written on a separate line, filling the entire page. The handwriting was quite neat, even better than that of the first-grader at his relative's house.

"Okay, go have fun." Huo Zheng took his pen and wrote "100" in the lower right corner, then drew two horizontal lines below it.

Shuo Shuo knew this meant 100 points, and he was overjoyed. He ran downstairs to ask his mother for praise.

"Mom, I got a perfect score on my handwriting. Uncle checked it."

The meat from the white pearl has already been braised and is currently soaking in the pot to absorb the flavor.

She scooped four eggs from the pot and put them on a plate, praising them:

"That must be because Shuo Shuo's handwriting is good, so Uncle gave Shuo Shuo a perfect score. Come on, bring this egg up and eat it with Uncle."

Shuo Shuo asked longingly, "Mommy, can I go next door to play with my brothers?"

Bai Zhenzhu then scooped out two more braised eggs:

"Sure, you can take these eggs and eat them with your brothers later."

Shuo Shuo took an egg from the plate and put it together with the other two eggs:

"I'll eat with my uncle first, and then I'll eat with my brothers."

Bai Zhenzhu ignored him: "Whatever, you decide for yourself."

When Bai Chengxiang and Bai Chenglei returned, the two brothers put the braised meat, pot and all, onto the tricycle and took it directly to the shop.

Bai Zhenzhu went and bought two more cutting boards, as well as some disposable lunch boxes, chopsticks, a scale, plastic bags, toothpicks, and so on.

Upon arriving at the store, Bai Zhenzhu boiled the cutting board to disinfect it.

Xiahe's uncle left all the stoves in the shop to her; the largest stove was just the right size for the big pot she bought.

There were two long tables, a large cutting board, and two chairs. They disposed of the steamer used for making buns, and the white pearls were no longer needed; she didn't plan to sell buns.

Bai Zhenzhu cut a piece of pig's head meat and chopped half a duck, placing them all on an enamel tea tray.

There was also some chili powder she had made herself on the tea tray, which could be used as a dip for the pig's head meat.

She had just set out the enamel plates when the woman selling noodles next door came over and asked:

"Girl, so you're the one who bought Old Cao's shop? They sell braised meat now?"

Selling braised meat is good; there's even less competition from her.

Bai Zhenzhu smiled and said:

"Yes, sis, why don't you try my cooking?"

"How could I possibly accept that?" The rice noodle shop owner quickly waved her hand. That was meat; how could she just taste it?

Bai Zhenzhu pulled her over directly:

"Just think of it as helping me try out the food."

Then the older woman picked up a piece of pig's head meat with a toothpick, and Bai Zhenzhu quickly reminded her to dip it in chili powder.

"Your way of eating is quite novel."

Nowadays, most people eat pig's head meat cold, but this is the first time I've seen it dipped directly in chili powder. This is a way of eating that Bai Zhenzhu only saw once after the millennium. She had already tried it at home, and the taste was indeed very different from cold pig's head meat.

The rice noodle shop owner tried it and immediately nodded in approval:

"Delicious! You braised this pig's head meat to perfection. It's not too mushy, but it's very flavorful. I've never had braised meat that tastes better than yours."

Bai Zhenzhu hurriedly urged her, "Try this braised duck again."

The older sister then picked out another piece of braised duck, nodding repeatedly:

"This duck is so well braised! The meat is firm and flavorful, with a hint of spiciness. Your cooking skills are amazing! How much is this braised duck, miss?"

The price of chickens and ducks is about the same as that of pork, with chickens being 50 cents more expensive than pork, but pig heads are cheaper than pork.

Bai Zhenzhu had already negotiated prices with the butchers and poultry vendors that morning; she got the wholesale prices.

Live pig heads are 1.8 yuan per jin, and chickens and ducks are 3 yuan per jin, which is 20-30 cents cheaper than retail prices.

The price set by Bai Zhenzhu was similar to that of the restaurant:

"Sister, braised duck and braised chicken are 7 yuan per jin, pig's head meat is 6 yuan per jin, and pig's ears and pig's tongue are 8 yuan per jin. These two days are the trial operation, and everything is 8% off."

The price is reasonable, slightly more expensive than a tricycle but cheaper than a restaurant, so it's acceptable.

The key is the taste; it's just as good as any high-end restaurant.

"You still have braised chicken here?" the older woman asked.

Bai Chengxiang took a braised chicken out of the pot, drained the broth, and then placed it on the cutting board.

The chicken was braised to a glossy red color, looking incredibly appetizing, and still steaming hot.

"I'd like some chicken too," the older woman said. "Buying everything would be too much."

Bai Zhenzhu said, "Sister, you can have a platter if you want."

The older sister thought that she was busy with the shop all day and had made some money, so she might as well buy some braised meat for her children and elderly relatives to try.

"Then you can get me a pound of pork, and cut a pound of pig's head meat too, the fattier kind, the old folks like to eat it."

"Okay, I'll cut you the fattiest piece."

Bai Zhenzhu moved quickly and efficiently, clearly someone who worked often. Her knife skills were also excellent; she chopped the chicken so finely that there wasn't even a crumb.

After being weighed, the meat was neatly arranged in disposable lunch boxes, with the pork head meat and chicken/duck meat placed in separate boxes, and a large spoonful of chili powder was placed next to them.

The eldest sister looked at it and said:

"This lunchbox isn't cheap, will you charge extra for it?"

Bai Zhenzhu put the lunchbox into a plastic bag and handed it to her:

"The lunchbox and chili powder are free; they're complimentary."

The older sister laughed: "You're really particular. You can buy one as a gift when visiting relatives. You can calculate how much it costs in total."

Bai Zhenzhu used a calculator to do the calculation:

"After the discount, it's 10.4 yuan. You can just give me 10 yuan."

After saying that, he chopped off the chicken and duck heads, put them in a plastic bag, and stuffed them into a large bag:

"Give these to the kids to chew on."

"Oh, I can't accept this." The older woman took out ten yuan from her bag and handed it to her: "Young lady, you're good at business. I wish you great success in your business."

"Thank you for your kind words, Sister Xie. We'll be neighbors from now on, and we'll make a fortune together."

The other person walked away with a smile, carrying the braised meat.

Bai Chengxiang sighed, "City people are still willing to spend money."

A serving of braised pork costs ten yuan, which is only affordable for business owners these days. Ordinary wage earners certainly can't afford it. Those with better financial means might buy a pound or two to satisfy their cravings, but those with average means would rather buy the meat and cook it themselves at home.

But Bai Zhenzhu knew that everyone's lives would get better and better.

It's the time when everyone is getting ready to buy groceries and cook lunch, and seeing that there are free samples available, many people are curious and come over to try them.

This newly opened braised meat shop tastes great. They're having a trial run now and offering a 20% discount, plus a free seasoned chili powder.

I don't know how they made that chili powder, but it tastes really good when dipped in pig's head meat. Many people buy a pound or half a pound of it.

The pig's head meat sold out quickly, but luckily Bai Zhenzhu had cut off a piece beforehand and put it away to take home and eat.

Chickens and ducks will sell a little slower.

These days, chickens and ducks are all raised in the village. Because there are few sellers, they are a few cents more expensive than pork. City people usually buy chicken to make soup. A pound of braised chicken only yields a few pieces, unlike pork head meat, which can be cut into a whole plate by the pound.

Moreover, braised chicken and duck are one yuan more expensive per kilogram than pork head meat.

When only half a duck and half a chicken remained, Bai Zhenzhu decisively closed the door and went home for dinner.

She took out a lunchbox, chopped up some chicken and duck, cut some pork head meat, added a spoonful of chili powder, and gave it to Xia He.