Chapter 37: The Aroma of Meat
Chapter 37: The Aroma of Meat
The kitchen was filled with a rich, mouthwatering aroma of meat.
Little Yan, who was squatting in front of the stove, helping to watch the fire, couldn't resist the tantalizing smell and began to drool.
"Brother, when can we eat?" The little one was getting impatient.
"Just a little longer," Lu Qing replied.
In truth, Lu Qing was also struggling to hold himself back.
In his past life as a carnivore, he had rarely eaten any decent meat besides fish since arriving in this world.
Now, with the rich aroma filling his nostrils, his cravings were reaching new heights.
Lu Qing was preparing a dish of braised pork.
Due to a lack of seasonings, it was a simplified version, more akin to stewed meat.
The reason he chose to make braised pork was that he had come across someone selling bean paste at the grand market.
It was an elderly woman selling it, and he had almost missed it as it was stored in a jar.
When he tasted a bit, he found that it resembled soy sauce quite a bit, although it lacked saltiness. This discovery delighted him immensely.
He immediately bought a substantial amount, prompting gratefulness from the elderly woman.
Lu Qing seized the opportunity to inquire about the origin of the paste and learned that the recipe had been passed down from the woman's grandfather.
Her grandfather had once worked as a chef in a restaurant in a distant city but had fallen on hard times due to unforeseen circumstances and ended up in this village.
After she got married, her husband's family was impoverished, so she started making bean paste to supplement their income.
Beans were inexpensive, so even if the paste spoiled, the loss wouldn't be significant.
However, the people of this village didn't seem to fancy bean paste very much.
The elderly woman had been selling it at the grand market for a while, and Lu Qing was the biggest customer she had encountered.
After hearing her story, Lu Qing felt sympathetic and bought another jar of paste, once again earning the woman's gratitude.
With the unexpected find of bean paste, Lu Qing took his time browsing the grand market further.
Unfortunately, he didn't come across any other delightful surprises like the bean paste.
However, he did find an elderly man selling sugar, which he bought some of.
Sugar was significantly more expensive than bean paste, but when it came to food, Lu Qing was always willing to spend money.
It was these ingredients that inspired Lu Qing to cook a hearty meal of braised pork.
He used half-fat, half-lean pork belly, cutting it into chunks and blanching it before frying it in a pan until the surface turned slightly golden.
Then, he removed the meat from the pan and began to stir-fry the bean paste, releasing its aromatic fragrance.
Next, he added the slightly fried pork chunks to the paste and stir-fried them together.
After that, he added sugar, salt, and water, letting the mixture simmer.
This dish might not be an authentic rendition of braised pork, but given the limited ingredients and resources, it was the best Lu Qing could do.
Fortunately, even with the simplified preparation, the meat remained meat.
As it simmered, the aroma of pork filled the air, causing both siblings to salivate uncontrollably.
After estimating that the meat had cooked for long enough, Lu Qing removed the lid from the pot, ready to reduce the sauce.
The moment the lid came off, steam rose, and a robust meat fragrance escaped, instantly permeating the entire kitchen.
The scent even wafted outdoors, attracting the attention of passing villagers, who couldn't help but pause in their tracks.
After sniffing for a while, they realized that the delicious aroma was coming from Lu Qing's house, and their jaws dropped in amazement.
"Such a strong meat aroma! How much meat is Lu Qing cooking?"
They felt the urge to go in and take a look but hesitated, feeling it might be impolite.
After standing there for a while, their stomachs began to growl, and they hurried home, afraid they might end up inviting themselves over for a meal if they stayed any longer.
The aroma of meat spread further, reaching the neighboring households.
Upon confirming that the scent originated from the Lu household, they, too, couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
"The Lu family's life is getting better and better! What kind of meat are they cooking to make such a delightful fragrance?"
"I thought Lu Qing and Xiao Yan would have a difficult life after Lu Ming and his wife passed away, but it seems like we don't need to worry about them anymore."
"I heard that Lu Qing and Da An went to the grand market this morning and bought a lot of things. Lu Qing even repaid the grains, oil, and salt he had borrowed from the villagers."
"Old Doctor Chen is truly kind to his disciple."
"It's a shame my son is so useless; otherwise, I would have asked the old doctor to take him as a disciple, too."
"Don't even mention it. Your son can't even recognize a single word. Giving him a medical book would be pointless."
"Stop talking about my son. Your son is no better. He can't even count past ten without getting confused, let alone reach the levels of the older brothers."
...
Lu Qing was unaware of the villagers' discussions.
At that moment, he was thickening the sauce and preparing to dish out the meat.
Chapter 37: The Aroma of Meat
The tender chunks of meat were carefully placed into bowls, still trembling slightly and looking incredibly tempting.
The sight of the braised pork made Lu Qing's mouth water.
He quickly stir-fried some vegetables over high heat and then announced that dinner was ready.
"Xiao Yan, this is for you. Eat slowly and be careful, it's hot."
At the dinner table, Lu Qing first served a piece of meat onto Xiao Yan's rice.
"Okay, brother."
Xiao Yan obediently replied and began blowing on the meat in her bowl, eager to cool it down.
After serving Xiao Yan, Lu Qing served himself a piece of the braised pork.
He blew on it slightly to cool it down, then took a bite, his eyes lighting up instantly.
The meat had been simmering for a long time and had fully absorbed the flavors of the sauce.
It was soft and tender with a slight elasticity, resulting in an excellent texture.
After swallowing the first bite of meat, Lu Qing wore a satisfied expression.
It was well worth the time and effort he had put into cooking it.
Although the lack of seasonings meant that this braised pork lacked the depth of flavor of the dishes he had made in his past life, he was still extremely satisfied to be able to eat such a meal in his current circumstances.
"Brother, this meat is delicious!"
Xiao Yan, her mouth already oily from eating, happily commented to Lu Qing.
"Of course! This required a lot of effort from your brother to make." Lu Qing replied proudly.
"Brother's cooking is really tasty. From now on, Xiao Yan also wants to learn how to cook from brother, so I can make lots and lots of delicious food!"
The little foodie declared her ambitious goal.
"Then Xiao Yan must eat well and grow up a little more, and brother will teach you how to cook."
"Okay!"
The siblings enjoyed yet another delicious dinner.
After they finished eating and cleaned up, Lu Qing took a piece of cloth and walked over to Zhang Duye's house next door.
"Grandpa Zhang, Grandpa Zhang!"
"What is it, Qing?" Zhang Duye came out of the house.
"Is my second aunt home?"
Second aunt referred to Zhang Duye's second daughter-in-law, who was famous in the village for her exceptional sewing skills.
"She's inside. What do you need her for?" Zhang Duye called into the house, "Old second, your wife, come out. Qing has something he needs your help with."
"What does Qing need my help with?" A woman came out from inside the house.
"It's like this. I bought a piece of cloth at the grand market this morning, and I want to make two new outfits for Xiao Yan. But I don't know how to sew, so I wanted to ask second aunt for help. I'll pay for the labor, of course."
Lu Qing showed the cloth in his hand to them.
"You child, why are you talking about payment? Neighbors should help each other out. Give me the cloth, and I'll take a look. Tomorrow, bring Xiao Yan over, and I'll take her measurements. I'll have the clothes ready for her in a couple of days." Second aunt took the cloth from Lu Qing.
"That's right. It was already very thoughtful of you to bring such a large piece of meat at noon today." Zhang Duye added.
"I couldn't let second aunt work for nothing." Lu Qing smiled. "Then it's settled. I should head back and continue studying."
"Alright, alright, studying is important. Go on back."
Upon returning home, Lu Qing looked at Xiao Yan playing in the yard and smiled.
The little girl's clothes were originally made from his old garments and were now patched up with numerous patches.
When he had been washing their clothes a couple of days ago, he noticed that some of the seams had started to come apart.
Fortunately, he had come across someone selling cloth at the grand market that day. Although the quality was average and the price was high, Lu Qing still bought some with the intention of having someone help him make a couple of new outfits for Xiao Yan.
Without telling Xiao Yan about the upcoming new clothes, Lu Qing planned to surprise her the next day.
That night, Xiao Yan fell asleep without waiting for the black creature to appear again.
The next morning, she woke up feeling a little glum.
However, her mood quickly improved when she learned about the new clothes.
Two days later, the new outfits were ready, and Xiao Yan was overjoyed to try them on, proudly showing them off for several days.
With the purchases from the grand market, their daily necessities were well-stocked.
From then on, Lu Qing stayed in the village and didn't go out.
Every day, he would go to Old Doctor Chen's place to study, then return to tend to the farm, doing things like planting vegetables in the yard. In the afternoons, he would think about how to make their meals more delicious with the limited ingredients and resources they had.
Occasionally, he would go fishing to catch food for the black creature.
Life fell into a pleasant routine.
Finally, one morning, as Lu Qing and Xiao Yan arrived at the small courtyard on the mountainside, Old Doctor Chen told him that he no longer needed to continue studying the Hundred Herb Scripture.
(End of Chapter)
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