Chapter 7 Red-Braised Pork
Su He's words were so courteous it made the uncle sheepish. He replied, "Alright, if your family ever needs anything, just come to my house. Mine is two houses behind yours."
Hearing this, Su He nodded repeatedly and then walked him to the door.
As soon as he left, the two children clung to her legs, calling out, "Mommy, mommy!"
"Yes, my sweethearts, are you hungry?" Su He crouched down, patted their heads, and added, "I'll fix you something to eat."
"Mommy, I've already made the rice," Zai Zai said, looking at her like a puppy hoping for a treat.
In less than a day, Su He had completely won over the hearts of the two children.
"Mmm, Zai Zai is so amazing. Then Mommy will cook the main dishes," Su He said before heading to the kitchen.
She began prepping the ingredients, cutting the meat, and decided to make red-braised pork.
Then she washed the greens to stir-fry as a side dish.
Earlier, she had also got a few eggs from her storage space, planning to fry one for each of them tonight.
Once she confirmed the rice was done, she pulled the rice pot from the hearth. At this time, pressure cookers and electric rice cookers were rarely used in rural areas—perhaps not yet widespread—so folks still cooked rice in cast-iron pots over a wood fire.
After adding more firewood, she placed the scrubbed wok over the hearth.
First, she prepared the red-braised pork. The first step was blanching the meat. She added the right amount of water to the pot, placed the pork belly in cold water, and poured in some cooking wine. After bringing it to a boil over high heat, she skimmed off the foam, drained and set aside the meat.
The second step was making the caramel glaze. She heated the wok slightly, added some cooking oil, and added rock sugar, stir-frying it over low heat.
Then she added the pork belly to the wok, quickly stir-frying to coat each piece with the caramelized sugar.
By now, the aroma had filled the air. The two children, drawn by the smell, rushed into the kitchen, their eyes wide with wonder as they gazed at the red-braised pork in the wok.
"Supper's almost ready," Su He told them.
"Mommy, mommy, I want meat!" Niu Niu had never smelled such delicious meat before. In the past, even when they had meat, it was just plain boiled, hardly any taste.
"Okay," Su He replied, picking up a pair of chopsticks. She blew on a piece of red-braised pork before holding it to Niu Niu's mouth.
Niu Niu took a big bite and exclaimed, "So yummy!"
Su He then got another piece ready and let Zai Zai try it too.
"Delicious, Mommy," Zai Zai said, his usual serious look finally softening.
"Good. Mommy will finish up cooking, and then we can eat. You two go play outside first." Since cooking was done over a wood fire, the kitchen would get smoky enough to make your eyes water, so Su He didn't want them staying there too long.
"I want to stay with Mommy," Niu Niu insisted, sticking like glue to Su He now.
Zai Zai didn't say anything, but he didn't leave either.
Su He gave in and let them sit on small stools by the short-legged dining table to wait for the meal.
Stir-frying the greens and frying the eggs were quick work. Once all the dishes were set out on the table and the children's rice bowls were filled, Su He announced, "Let's eat!"
Thankfully, the table was low enough for the kids to easily reach the dishes. They both zeroed in on the bowl of red-braised pork.
Seeing they were still clumsy with chopsticks, Su He quickly served each of them a few pieces of red-braised pork and a fried egg in their bowls.
The two kids dug in eagerly, and after a few bites, Zai Zai suddenly said, "Mom, can we have these things again in the future?" His tone was hopeful and earnest.
"Of course, I promise. We can have them often from now on," Su He replied with a smile.
"Yay! Yippee! We can have such delicious meat and eggs often from now on!" Niu Niu exclaimed excitedly.
Seeing their happiness, Su He couldn't help but smile.
After they finished eating, Su He started heating water for the kids' bath.
Nights in the countryside stayed chilly, so Su He cleaned the large wooden tub at home and let the two children sit in it together for their bath.
She'd used points from her space to exchange for toiletries, so now she used special baby shampoo and soap for the kids.
While washing Niu Niu and Zai Zai's hair, Niu Niu asked, "Mom, what's this nice smell? I don't think I've ever seen it before."
"This is something Mommy was saving, and now I'm bringing it out to use," Su He answered with a laugh.
The two children didn't think much of her vague explanation. Mostly because they were still too young, and even though their mother suddenly produced so many things they'd never seen before, they didn't find it particularly strange.
Finally, after getting the kids clean and sweet-smelling, Su He immediately wanted to take them to their room.
She'd been running around all day and hadn't even had a chance to look inside their room yet.
When she opened the door to their room, Su He was stunned.
The room was a complete mess—the walls were covered in mold, the bedding was damp, and the bed frame looked ready to collapse.
Earlier, her mind had been preoccupied with coming to terms with this strange new world. Now, realizing how messy every corner of the house was, Su He felt like swearing. But what really broke her heart was the state of the children's room.
They were so young—living in such conditions would surely make them sick sooner or later.
What kind of mother had the original Su He been? She truly couldn't understand how someone could be so careless with two such adorable children!
"Mom, what's wrong?" The two kids in Su He's arms noticed her stormy expression and asked nervously.
Su He took a deep breath, made her voice gentle, and smiled. "It's nothing. How about you sleep with Mommy tonight? This place is too messy."
"Okay, I want to sleep with Mommy!" Niu Niu said immediately.
"Me too," Zai Zai murmured softly.
"Alright, then you'll sleep with Mommy for now."
Su He took the two kids to her own room. Glancing at the worn-out bedsheet and the dirty quilt, she suppressed her discomfort—they'd manage for one night.
After neatly rearranging the bed, she got the kids comfortable.
Once in bed, the kids grew excited, bouncing on the bed.
Su He smiled at them. "Be careful, you two. Mommy's going to shower now."
She had heated water earlier while bathing the kids, so she could wash up right away.
"Okay, Mommy, go ahead!" The two children were still full of energy.
Su He grabbed some comfy clothes from the wardrobe and went to shower.
Tomorrow, she'd have to do a deep clean—the house was filthy and cluttered, with many clothes stuffed back into the wardrobe unwashed.
The original Su He had lived this way, with no hope for better days.