After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Before Zheng Hao finished school, Gu Lin went to the herbal medicine shop to buy enough spices for making braised food, and then ran to the butcher shop to pick up the pork belly, pig liver, pig intestines and other offal that he had ordered yesterday.

That's right. Gu Lin not only sells braised meat, but also braised pork offal. How can braised food be considered braised food if it doesn't include pork offal?

When Gu Lin returned, Zheng Hao had already finished school and arrived at the cold dish stall. Seeing him carrying a basket of things, Zheng Hao went up to take it from him. Gu Lin patted his head and said, "I'll make you something delicious when we get back."

The group returned to Xiahe Village. Zheng Hao first went to hand over the melons and vegetables that the villagers had brought. Gu Lin then carried the pork to the woodshed. The process of preparing pork was not complicated. Gu Lin washed the pork, cut it into pieces, and set it aside. He would just throw it into the iron pot when it was time to cook.

Gu Lin's gaze shifted to the pig offal beside him. Processing offal like pig intestines and lungs was a real undertaking. In the past, Gu Lin could have used flour and white vinegar to clean the pig intestines, but now he couldn't bear to use refined grains to clean them.

Gu Lin took a basin of wood ash from the stove, then fetched a basin of water. He first used the wood ash and water to wash the pig intestines. After washing them three times, he saw that there was still some dirt on them. So Gu Lin poured in the white vinegar he had bought from the county town and washed them five or six times until there was no dirt left on the pig intestines. Only then did Gu Lin get up and rub his aching back from bending over for so long.

Carrying the cleaned pig intestines and offal to the stove, Gu Lin poured in cold water and brought it to a boil. He then added star anise, dried tangerine peel, rice wine, and other spices and seasonings. After the braising liquid boiled over high heat, Gu Lin poured the pork and offal into the braising liquid to braise.

The braising liquid in the iron pot bubbled and simmered, and the rich aroma of the sauce gradually filled the woodshed. Looking at the braised meat simmering in the pot, Gu Lin swallowed hard. Although he had made braised meat this morning, he hadn't tasted a single piece because the quantity was limited and he had been busy letting the guests try it. Now, smelling the aroma filling the room, his stomach, which had been growling since he was hungry all morning, began to rumble.

But Gu Lin felt that this was not enough, so he turned to the outside of the woodshed and called out, "Xiao Hao, bring some vegetables over."

Zheng Hao was sitting outside the woodshed preparing vegetables for tomorrow when he heard Gu Lin call out. He immediately carried the vegetable basket inside and said, "Uncle Gu, what vegetables do you need? I've already prepared these. They'll be ready to use after washing."

"Good boy."

Gu Lin stepped forward and selected several ingredients, including lotus root, white radish, and mushrooms. Then he looked up at Zheng Hao and said, "Dinner will be ready in a little while. Could you take a portion of braised food to Sister Zhao for me?"

Zheng Hao put away the remaining vegetables and nodded to Gu Lin, saying, "Okay."

Gu Lin took out two large bowls, put some of each kind of braised food into the bowls, and then instructed Zheng Hao, "Have Sister Zhao cut the braised food in half and then cook it again before eating."

Zheng Hao accepted the large bowl, responded, and then left the woodshed to deliver food to the Zhao family.

Gu Lin washed the vegetables he had just selected, then cut the slow-cooking white radish into small pieces, and finally poured the vegetables into the pot to braise with the meat.

Because the vegetables were cut into small pieces, they cooked quickly. Gu Lin poured the braised food from the iron pot into a ceramic bowl he had prepared, and then took it out of the woodshed.

After returning to the woodshed and serving the food, Zheng Hao came back from the Zhao family's house and was washing his hands in the yard when Gu Lin stuck his head in and said, "Come in and eat quickly."

I watched as the other person dried their hands and came in.

Upon seeing the ceramic pot on the table, Zheng Hao was stunned. He then looked up at Gu Lin in front of him. After receiving the other's gaze, Gu Lin immediately understood his doubts and said, "Our family has a large appetite. Not only this ceramic pot, but I also plan to have a set of bowls and chopsticks specially made in the future."

Thinking of his own appetite, Zheng Hao said to Gu Lin, "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Gu."

hiss.

Since the child started attending the academy, he has become increasingly adept at saying sweet things. Gu Lin thought it was fortunate that the child was sensible, otherwise he really wouldn't have been able to resist these "sweet words".

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao were not talkative people when eating. Although they would chat occasionally, they mostly focused on eating.

As the two pairs of chopsticks moved rapidly, the braised food in the earthenware pot dwindled. Gu Lin noticed something was amiss. After swallowing the braised pig intestine in his mouth, he asked Zheng Hao, "You don't like pig intestines?"

Zheng Hao paused for a moment, then said honestly, "The smell of pig intestines is too strong for me to accept."

Actually, that wasn't the reason. Pig kidneys and lungs also have a strong odor, but Zheng Hao ate them. It was just that he couldn't accept that pig intestines were a part of the pig, but Gu Lin couldn't say it directly while they were eating, for fear of disgusting him, so Zheng Hao tactfully said that he couldn't stand the smell of pig intestines.

"Then I'll serve it to you separately from now on."

Knowing that Zheng Hao had foods he didn't like, Gu Lin didn't try to persuade him to eat them or force him to. He himself also had foods he didn't like and knew very well the nausea and vomiting feeling after eating unpleasant foods.

Zheng Hao's expression softened slightly: "Okay."

.

autumn.

The weather is slightly cooler.

Walking in the county town, pedestrians can see wisps of smoke rising from the food stalls on the street ahead. A gentle breeze carries a slight chill in the air, and pedestrians rub their hair-covered arms.

During this time, a pedestrian stopped at a noodle stall, sat down, and ordered a bowl of hot soup noodles to eat.

The noodle stall owner clearly knew the man and joked, "I'm not buying any cold dishes today, or they'll be gone if I wait any longer."

The boy pulled his thin shirt tighter around himself and waved his hand, saying, "It's getting cold, I just want something hot, so let's skip the cold dishes."

The shop owner slung his towel over his shoulder and said, "I heard that the cold dish stall has a new dish today, and a lot of people have gone there."

"Hmm? What new food is it?" The boy raised his head and raised his eyebrows, his eyes full of suspicion. What new food could a cold dish stall offer? It was just cold dishes like cold pig's ears and shredded chicken.

The noodle stall owner shook his head and said, "I didn't go there so I don't know what they sell, but the bamboo tubes that the people walking over from over there were steaming hot!"

The boy, who was initially uninterested, immediately became interested. He hadn't had cold dishes for several days since the weather turned cool, and he had been craving them. Now that he heard that the cold dish stall was serving hot food, he was itching to eat. He quickly finished the noodles in his bowl, threw down a copper coin, and left.

As soon as the boy entered the street where the cold dish stalls were located, he saw that the stalls were packed with people as always, completely contrary to his expectations that business would be bleak after the weather turned cold.

In fact, it was more difficult for him to move forward than ever before.

Suddenly, the boy saw a young man squeeze out from the crowd, and he immediately stopped him: "Brother Zhao?!"

He found it hard to believe; the young man, who was usually very particular about his attire, now had slightly disheveled hair and wrinkled robes.

The young man, addressed as Brother Zhao, looked up and saw the boy: "Brother Wang."

Seeing the steaming bamboo tube in the young man's hand, the boy stepped forward and asked, "Brother Zhao, what is this?"

Brother Zhao held up the bamboo tube and said, "This is a new snack from the cold dish stall: braised food."

"Braised food?"

The boy looked puzzled, clearly having never heard of such food before. But bound by etiquette, he couldn't bring himself to peek into the bamboo tube to see what was inside.

So, after saying goodbye to the other person, he squeezed into the crowd and finally arrived at the cold dish stall. He looked at the several ceramic bowls on the stall, each containing a different kind of braised dish.

At the same time, Gu Lin faced doubts from a group of people.

Li Laosan pointed at the pig intestines in the bowl: "Boss Gu, are you sure you can eat pig intestines? Pig intestines are the dirtiest part of a pig's body."

Upon hearing that the braised food contained pig intestines, the boy's eyes widened. Although he had never eaten pig intestines before, he knew which part of the pig's body it was.

He looked down at the braised food in the ceramic bowl, and Mr. Yuan's interest waned considerably. In fact, he almost vomited up the noodles he had just eaten.

Gu Lin was used to people's skepticism when it came to new foods, and he also understood why they couldn't accept pig intestines.

Just like people's attitudes towards live pearls, insect eggs, and silkworm pupae, most people's attitudes are polarized. Those who like them love them and think they are delicious and nutritious, while those who dislike them feel disgusted and want to vomit as soon as they see them.

Gu Lin expressed his respect and understanding, but he wants to make money in business, so he still wants people to try and accept pig intestines.

He explained to the crowd at his stall, “Don’t worry, after we buy pig intestines every day, we wash them clean with wood ash and white vinegar, and then cook them with the prepared spices. We eat them ourselves too. The braised food is the most delicious thing to eat with clear soup noodles.”

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao ate soup noodles this morning. Instead of frying eggs as usual, they cut the braised dishes out of the pot and served them with the soup noodles.

Gu Lin hadn't had much of an appetite since waking up early in the morning, and eating steamed buns and dumplings for too long inevitably made her feel dry and choked up. At this time, a bowl of clear soup noodles with fragrant braised dishes as breakfast made Gu Lin feel warm and cozy in her stomach.

Grandma Sun pushed aside the group of people in front of her, put her hands on her hips under their angry glares, and said, "If you don't eat, I will. You don't trust the food at Brother Lin's stall? No wonder you can never get a hot meal."

She turned to Gu Lin and said, "Brother Lin, I believe you. If your family can make pig ears so delicious, I don't believe this pig intestine can be that bad."

Faced with Aunt Sun's strong support, Gu Lin would be lying if he said he wasn't moved.

He used a bamboo skewer to pick up the pig intestines and presented them to the other woman. Grandma Sun took them, and unlike her previous hesitation when trying pig ears, this time she took the pig intestines and stuffed them directly into her mouth and ate them. The onlookers were terrified and kept their distance from her, fearing that she might vomit on them later.

Unaware of the others' actions, Aunt Sun was savoring, or rather, enjoying the delicious food in her mouth. The pork intestines between her teeth were tender and chewy, salty, fragrant, and slightly spicy. With each chew, Aunt Sun could also taste a hint of fresh meat through the spices. But that wasn't all. What truly surprised Aunt Sun was that Gu Lin's pork intestines had absolutely no fishy or gamey smell.

Seeing that Grandma Sun remained silent, the boy standing nearby couldn't help but ask, "Grandma Sun, how does the braised food taste?"

He dared not try braised pig intestines, but seeing how much Aunt Sun seemed to enjoy them, he became itchy to try them.

After swallowing the pig intestine in her mouth, Aunt Sun glanced at the boy and said, "Eat as much as you want, you might not be able to buy any more after today."

Then, she turned to Gu Lin and said loudly, "Brother Lin, pack me three tubes of braised food: one tube of pig intestines, one tube of braised meat, and one tube of pig offal. Also, pack me a tube of braising liquid so I can take it back and mix it with rice for my little grandson."

"Okay." Gu Lin worked quickly, and in a few breaths he filled three tubes of braised food and one tube of braising liquid and handed them to Granny Sun.

Seeing this, the others were tempted, but still dared not buy the braised pig intestines. Gu Lin said, "Everyone can try them first. We have braised meat, pig's trotters, pig's liver, and so on. Just pick what you like to eat."

Hearing Gu Lin's words, everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief. Even though Aunt Sun said the braised pig intestines tasted great, not everyone could push their own limits to eat them. Since there were other options, they naturally chose the other ones.

So people flocked to the earthenware bowls containing braised meat to try it, and after tasting the deliciousness of the braised meat, they bought it without hesitation.

Some of the adventurous people tried the braised pig intestines and their eyes lit up. They all asked Gu Lin to pack them into tubes for them.

They were worried that Gu Lin might think the braised pig intestines wouldn't sell and would stop selling them, so they said, "Boss Gu, you can't stop selling braised pig intestines! We all love them, and I'll buy them every day to go with my drinks."

Gu Lin marveled at the wisdom of the ancients when the customer discovered one of the classic ways to enjoy braised food after only a few bites of the braised pig intestines. He then said, "Don't worry, braised pig intestines are a specialty of braised food, and the stall will definitely continue to sell them."

The cold dishes sold out quickly, but Gu Lin's stall remained open, with the iron pot bubbling away, and people gathered around waiting to buy braised food.

Looking at the nearly empty iron pot, Gu Lin turned to Sister Zhao inside and said, "Sister Zhao, our braised food is almost sold out. Bring out another pot."

Gu Lin came to the county town to sell braised food, so naturally he couldn't have prepared only one pot. He braised two pots at home in advance, poured them into earthenware jars, and then brought them to the county town to be heated directly in an iron pot.

"Mr. Gu, it's been a long time."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Gu Lin turned around and, upon seeing the person who had arrived, smiled with surprise, "Manager Chen, what brings you here?"

Aside from the first few days when the cold dish stall first opened, Chen Wu always sent the shop assistant or other people to buy the cold dishes. Now, after many days, the other party has come again.

Chen Wu stroked his beard and said to Gu Lin, "Boss Gu, your business is booming, and you're constantly introducing new and innovative dishes!"

Gu Lin smiled upon hearing this, but did not take over the conversation. Instead, he said, "My little stall is just a small business. How can it compare to the booming business of Fu Man Lou?"

Upon hearing the other party's words, Chen Wu smiled and said, "This is all thanks to you, Boss Gu. A few days ago, during the hot summer, everyone who came to eat ordered a cold dish. In just a few days, the cold dish became the signature dish of our Fu Man Lou restaurant."

Although the other party didn't mention how much profit they made, it was clear from their words that Fu Man Lou had earned a considerable amount. Gu Lin praised, "Fu Man Lou truly deserves to be the number one restaurant in the county."

Chen Wu glanced at the braised food in the iron pot, then looked up at Gu Lin with shining eyes and said, "Nothing can compare to Boss Gu's many ingenious ideas. I thought cold dishes were Boss Gu's specialty, but I didn't expect it to be just a starting point. I could smell the braised food from across the street."

Gu Lin humbly replied, "It's just a dish I came up with myself by drawing on the experience of others. If Manager Chen likes it, I'll save you a portion every day."

“That would be great if we could do that,” Chen Wu sighed, seemingly genuinely. “But it’s not just me who wants to eat it; the owner and young master of Fu Man Lou probably also like it. However, they live in the prefectural city, and if we send the braised food there, it might spoil.”

Intelligent people always speak in riddles and riddles. Gu Lin could tell that the other party had ulterior motives, but he was not offended and did not take the initiative. He simply said, "This matter needs to be discussed in detail."

Seeing that Gu Lin understood his meaning, and although he did not agree, he did not refuse outright, Chen Wu knew that there was still room for negotiation: "No problem, no problem."

Chen Wu didn't want to push people too hard, so he left after buying the braised food.

As the braised food in the iron pot dwindled, Gu Lin was surprised to find that even the pig intestines were sold out.

He packed up the bamboo tubes in his hands, then looked up and saw Zheng Hao and a man walking over.

The man was Mr. Xu from Wuliu Academy.

Whether it was because of his status as a student or as Zheng Hao's parent, Gu Lin felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing Mr. Xu.